Le Coq à Juliénas — Restaurant in Villefranche-sur-Saône

We had a wonderful experience of flexibility and kindness at Le Coq that really showed their spirit and values. We had only 45 minutes for lunch before a 1:30 appointment, and the bakery in Juliénas where we wanted to get takeout was closed. I hoped to ask in Le Coq for another nearby bakery. The restaurant was noisy and full. Staff were hustling in all directions. I recognized the owner and chef from her photo on the website. She approached me, and I explained in bad French our predicament. She stopped what she had been doing, called over other staff, and they brainstormed ideas for where we could go. Finally she said, "we can feed you here in 20 minutes if you want." She sat us four at the last unoccupied table, quickly prepared a platter of delicious charcuterie, goat cheese and other treats, green salads and bread, and even included an amuse-bouche! She personally checked to make sure everything was OK. The lunch was perfect and we had time to spare. The price was incredibly fair. I'm sure that our little bit of added business was not really worth the trouble to accommodate us, but they were as attentive and kind to us as to all the other tables. I've had many great experiences in France, but this one stands out for just how personable and...

The staff was incredibly friendly and we enjoyed the quaint feel of the restaurant. The house special dessert (citrus tart) was also amazing and the wine by the glass we had was great.

However when comparing the food to a place nearby (The Robe Rogue - incredibleee) and others we enjoyed in France in Paris and Lyon, we just didn’t care for our meals here. The appetizer, a butternut squash purée of sorts, was good but lacked a punch of flavor. My coq a vin was a dry - reminded me of when I leave my slow cooker chicken in too long and the edges get burnt and the meat gets really dried out. My husband’s steak had good flavor but (perhaps due to a language barrier or miscommunication maybe?) was the most rare steak I’ve ever seen when he ordered it medium. He likes medium steak and I like medium rare. Both of us were unable to enjoy so we left having only ate a few bites.

If we had more time I’d maybe have tried this place again given the recommendation was from a local wine maker and the place seemed to have lots of...

This was a first visit to Beaujolais, we had hoped to eat at Le Coq a Julienas but had not made a booking ahead of time because we were uncertain of our travel times. We were therefore delighted to secure a table just outside the restaurant on a Monday lunchtime in late June. The service was excellent, the maitre d’ could not have been more helpful. We chose the menu of the day which was really good value and added an optional pate en croute as a shared starter which was nothing short of fabulous. The main was a perfect pork filet in a cream and mustard sauce and to finish a delightful riz au lait with vanilla. A perfect start to our tour of the region, so pleased they could...