Le Chamarel Restaurant — Restaurant in Chamarel

Beautiful location, unfortunately staff are unfriendly and appear annoyed when serving, we as Mauritian did not feel welcomed at all. We chose this restaurant to celebrate a special occasion and booked in advance, despite arriving on time we still had to wait half an hour before being seated at a table, having someone noticing us at the door seemed like a mission, staff kept glancing at us while we were at the door, but no-one cared to approach us, we had to ask 3 different staff if we can have a table until someone finally told us that it will take time and once we were seated menus were dropped on our table without a word. The service we received was shocking, we were totally ignored and had to keep calling the staff even to be cleared when it was obvious we were finished for a while before moving on to desert. On a positive note the food was good. Having worked in hospitality management for the past 13 years and knowing the level of service Mauritians usually give accros the island irrespective of whether someone is a local or a foreigner this was a very unpleasant experience and the beautiful location and food could not compensate the poor treatment we received. Not a single smile was observed throughout the time we spent there. To mark this special day we planned not only to eat there but to capture this moment in our wedding attire, after lunch we changed to take some pictures and were immediately stopped by staff (this was the fastest reaction received surprisingly after having to wait for everything else) where we were informed that for wedding pictures an extra charge is to be paid, we were stunned by this information as we had just had lunch in this very same spot and every other guests were taking pictures, after gaining permission we were asked not to disturb their guests and not to take pictures of them which was not only disrespectful because we were obviously not as important as other guests at this point but also so unnecessary on such an occasion, who wants random people in their wedding pictures? And how could we possibly disturb guests while doing so. Very dissapointed and do not recommend to my fellow Mauritians...

Overhyped; the ONLY good thing is the view, but made to pay huge for it in terms of utterly disappointing meals.

First thing first, customer greetings: I reached there after a nearly 2 hours drive; and was expecting a decent welcoming from this 'Posh' restaurant. (Not to mention, at the time of my visit, they had an unoccupied reception desk); but upon entering the restaurant & curiously searching for a personnel, I get a meagre 'good morning' out of nowhere. No worries, let's carry on!

Secondly, I had booked a table for 2, requesting for a table with a good view. To my biggest surprise, I was given a table right in the centre of the restaurant (restaurant is barely crowded at this point), it was only when another foreign customer refused the table with the view, that I was able to get the table of my choice.

Thirdly, the food choices! Even the foreigners who visited this place will agree on the food with me, and I'm a Mauritian; so you get an idea. Rs995 per person for a set lunch which is a creole cuisine! That's a rip-off and utterly disappointing! And the worst about it all is that the whole set lunch is achievable elsewhere on the island for just Rs200 or even less. The Menu à La Carte option will be the wisest if you're ready to spend some Rs3000-Rs4000 for a proper lunch for 2 persons at such a viewpoint restaurant, and Le Chamarel Panoramic Restaurant should keep in mind that most tourists (whom I'm sure the restaurant have as main targets) will look for a decent lunch (not a mediocre, bland, and cold served meal) after a tiring day at the Black River Gorges.

On this note, I end my review justifying my 1 out of 5 ratings - the ONLY good thing is the view (but that is also accessible FOR FREE, by exiting on the left from the parking lot). Overall: bad customer service and overly hyped pricing for...

The restaurant is beautifully situated in the mountains and offers a fascinating view of the "Île aux Benitiers" and Crystal Rock.

We had come here as part of an excursion group and were all served the same meal. For the most part, we only noticed other tour groups here and hardly any or no individual guests. Unfortunately, there are hardly no pictures of the area for groups at the back of the restaurant here on Google Maps - but some of them also have the nice view of the landscape.

The menu (consisting of starter, main and dessert) was a small portion and unfortunately only lukewarm - for example, the chicken curry was served with hardly any sauce. In terms of taste, everything was alright, even if it wasn't amazing. We found it comparatively bland and not very spicy.

The service was lackluster. The plates were literally "slapped" onto the tables and at times you got the impression that you had fallen victim to a mass canteen service.

Of course, you have to bear in mind that the business with tour groups is different to catering for individuals. The restaurant also seems to offer a more extensive menu for a la carte orders - perhaps outside of the group business.

However, in my opinion, if this restaurant is happy to make a quick buck from groups, I think it must also be judged on its service to them. In this sense, I think the overall package is quite sobering and definitely not worth a...