Café du lac — Restaurant in Tournon-sur-Rhône

Short review: Excellent food, genuinely homemade. Wonderful atmosphere, great prices. Long review: One winter’s day, not long after the pandemic, we stopped at this cafe with our toddler and our 10 day old baby. It was snowing and freezing cold outside. We had never been in before, in spite of being quite local, because it seemed like one of those places where everybody stares at you if you don’t live in the village. But we were cold and hungry and we had heard it was taken over by a new owner. Caroline, the owner, welcomed us like we were her new family. She offered us the menu but also told us of other things she could make for us. We ended up with an improvised galette filling of local black pudding (boudain) and homemade apple sauce and sautéed potatoes. To this day it’s one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We love savoury galettes but sometimes they can be a bit thin and leave you hungry. Caroline’s however are always absolutely stuffed with filling, and her flavour combinations and the way she cooks the food is always so impressive. She’s such a talented chef. And her welcome continues to be as if we are family. She has watched our kids grow up, and makes them feel at home in the cafe, she has welcomed our enormous dog, she has always asked about our lives and our projects and been incredibly positive. She’s the sort of person who arrives in a village and immediately becomes its heart, like a magnet drawing in everybody, no matter who they are. Locals and visitors are comfortable alongside each other, and it’s a wonderful place to be. I was sad to read how upset Caroline was by two nasty reviews recently. She and her staff work so hard, and always try to squeeze people in. Of course you’re going to wait longer in summer when there are huge numbers of people waiting to be served by a tiny kitchen. It’s not McDonald’s. Caroline is making the food FROM SCRATCH. You’re getting homemade food, using high quality ingredients, for a very reasonable price. Maybe you have to wait a few minutes more for it when they’re busy, but it’s never unreasonable. For Caroline: There are people who find fault with everything. To make yourself feel better about the reviews, check out what they write about other places. They will never...

Pour y être allé au mois d'août, cette année et les années passées , je ne peux pas me plaindre. Effectivement parfois on attend un peut, mais il n'y a ni gare ni aéroport à lalouvesc, donc aucune urgence à manger sur le pouce. En étant bien élevé, je me présente au bar savoir si une table est disponible et je ne fais pas comme à la maison. Mais apparemment tous le monde ne connais pas le savoir vivre. Et pour répondre à la critique du courageux mr J . Apparemment quand rien ne va dans la vie, le problème c'est peut-être vous.... regardez vous dans un miroir, et soyez honnête avec vous même.. Grâce à vous , le film le dîner de con à encore de beaux jours. Merci au café du lac de redonner une peu de vie à lalouvesc. Bonne...

Myself and friends had a very enjoyable afternoon sitting outside in sunshine (before moving inside because of the cold) watching the Monte Carlo Rally Historique pass by. Busy place, full of locals, great staff, great service, a...