Restaurant Le Lac d'Hautibus — Restaurant in Bressuire

This restaurant is unique. It's just been renovated and restaffed in the last two years, and has tried to transition from a wonderful and relatively inexpensive casual local restaurant to become more contemporary and slightly more expensive. I go here regularly every summer for the last four years and am attached. This year, I think the new version of Restaurant du Lac has finally surpassed the original in specific ways. Occasionally the quality is uneven but that doesn't exactly matter; if you point it out, they will fix it immediately.

Classics that I loved (like the tartare campagnard, a beautiful steak tartare with lardons in cream sauce poured over it, or the beef carpaccio) are still off the menu, along with the pizzas and other staples they used to serve, but they have been replaced by some very good new dishes--for example, the tomato gazpacho with goat cheese ice cream, and the souris d'agneau.

Old standbys are if anything even better: the côté de bœuf and foie gras are perfect, and the frites are house made and way better than they were four years ago before the rebranding. Wine is still plentiful and still priced properly; a 1L pitcher of house red for ca. €8 is just as good as a bottle and it's local cabernet franc that goes well with anything. Crémant de la Loire is served by the glass or bottle at good prices for each (ca. €4 and €24 respectively). While the original owner is sorely missed, as well as the pear brandy he would bring out at the end of the meal, the new proprietor is wonderful, and the chef has stayed the same and continues to make good food.

You should certainly come here. Don't expect everything to be perfect, and do call to reserve, including weeknights and weekends in the summer. If you just show up, they may not have space, or they may even not have planned enough food, as everything is prepared fresh. It is better to reserve. They speak English and French and likely some other languages depending on...

I loved the restaurant some years ago! But now I must express my disappointment. I think the owner has changed. My last visit to the restaurant was terrible. First, there was a significant language barrier, I know it's a French restaurant, but before they had English-speaking staff. This time, none of the staff seemed to be able to communicate effectively in English. The experience was further marred by the fact that only a couple of waitresses resorted to loudly shouting 'yes' in response to any question.

Even though we were able to use ore smartphones to understand the menu, there were many mistakes when the food arrived to the table. Just because servers don't understand terms such as "well-cooked" and "medium". Clear communication is crucial for a satisfying dining experience. This is not a cheap restaurant. Language barriers shouldn't hinder the...

Great location and first time for us at the Lac for a good while. Some new staff but same great chef. 'Maitre d' Eric was very helpful, sociable and an excellent host. Exactly what you'd like. The set menu, already highly competent was supplemented with additional 'specials' which all seemed very popular. We had Turbot; it was perfect and totally delicious. Food presentation to such a high standard too. The young waiting staff all seemed be enjoying their roles and only too happy to help. Some new tech around- Q codes for menu for example - some layout changes too since our last stop. In sum, we had a clear impression that the Lac has raised it's game over the past 12-18 months. Really grateful to all the team for making our Sunday meal very special. We loved it. Thank you. Another excellent lunch today - both food and service. Much...