Le Cafe de Gavaudun Restaurant L’Essentiel — Restaurant in Villeneuve-sur-Lot

This is a fantastic restaurant, with an exceptional cuisine, service and a really fun wine list.

I visited in February 2024, not really the busiest month in the region. We were welcomed and the cosy restaurant was quite full for a Thursday evening. The menu is really exciting, far more than the "standard" french dishes, they are innovative, beautifully plated and perfectly cooked. I understand that they have a frequently changing menu, driven by the seasons. We were a party of six, including 2 children, and were therefore able to taste the whole menu of the evening. I personally had an off menu special, the flavour combination of veal with peanut foam is something I never had before and will definitely remember!

The service was impeccable for such a small restaurant. Our hostess was extremely knowledgeable about the food and wine she was serving, and spoke fluently French, English and even German. I loved the honest recommendation of the wine (one of the cheapest on the list), and was really intrigued by the breath of the list. Particularly the fact that most wines come from lesser known regions in France. A real adventure.

I eat in some of the most well known restaurants in Paris, London and New York, yet i'm rarely so excited and impressed by any of them as I have been by L'essentiel.

The only regret I have is that this was the first time I've visited after they are open for 3 years! I will certainly be back and can highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an exciting and good dining...

Had the pleasure of finding this gem whilst trying to escape from a downpour on a bicycle. Despite arriving very disheveled we received a warm welcome from the host.

Food was outstanding, we had ceviche (perfectly executed), melon with chantilly cream and prosciutto crisps, squid ink gnocchi with mussels (highly recommend), duck and then chocolate fondants for dessert.

The prices were very reasonable for the quality of the food served and the host was excellent at explaining components in each dish, overall excellent food, wine...

We spent 2 weeks in the region visiting many Michelin starred or recommended restaurants...even though this restaurant was not in the Michelin guide it stood out as the best restaurant that we visited. Each dish had a lot of components which normally results in a confused and unsatisfying dish, but not here. Every dish was an explosion of taste and delight. The lamb chops rate as probably the finest dish that I have ever tasted. If in the area, you MUST visit this restaurant for an...