Le Café des Moines - Restaurant de l'Abbaye Royale de l'Épau — Restaurant in Le Mans

Okay, I didn't book so I shouldn't be disappointed not to get a table. C'est la vie. I came back after 2pm as all the publicity states it's open 'til 4pm on a Sunday. Still couldn't get any food. Upset a lady, rightly, whose chair was placed actually in the entrance. The food smelt delicious, maybe because I was hungry, but the conditions looked very cramped to me.

Additional (hopefully constructive) comment following the managers reply below…

We did indeed sit outside where there was ample seating. Food was unavailable so we ordered coffee and collected from the bar, again causing inconvenience to your customer seated by the door. When we enquired about a little biscuit one is normally offered we were told "c'est pour le midi", which was weird. Still, we remained polite and even returned our cups back to the bar on our way out. Like I said the café was understaffed and could do so much better given it's very privileged location in the...

Small, quiet restaurant in the middle of the abbey ( you have to pay to get into the abbey). Food was exceptional. Service, excellent. Having read the other reviews I made sure that I booked. The menu is posted on their website so check that there is something that suits you before going as there is only a choice of 3 mains and...

Une découverte inattendue lors de la visite de l’abbaye. Un vrai coup de cœur de part le carde et le rapport qualité/prix. Les légumes proviennent du jardin (on peut difficilement faire plus local), les plats sont copieux et la serveuse est adorable. Pour les beaux jours vous pourrez siroter et déjeuner sur la terrasse de l’abbaye qui donne sur le vaste jardin. Vous devrez vous acquitter d’un billet d’entrée pour accéder au café Des Moines (réduction possible sur présentation du carnet de réduction émis par l’office du tourisme). Ce billet vous donnera accès à la visite de l’abbaye, une exposition temporaire, la découverte du domaine et le café Des Moines. Nous vous conseillons d’appeler pour être assuré d’avoir une table. Nous vous recommandons...