Good for celebrating your engagement, wedding anniversary, PACS agreement or any other special occasion. It's on the corner of formal and smart, so ditch the denim. Not cheap, but since when has tip-top posh nosh been cheap, anyway? Located just off the pretty Place Marche aux Fleurs , where you should sit out for your pre-dinner apero, Les Vignes is a smart joint with attentive service, delightful food and some very nice touches: we're talking teeny weeny sorbets to refresh your palate and all manner of tasty titbits that arrive, unasked for, just to tempt your tastebuds while you wait for your next dish to arrive. I can't wait to go back.

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One of Montpellier's biggies. The Gault-Millau 2007 guide gives it a mighty 16/20, and this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime (or if you're lucky, once a month but on someone else's expense account) experiences. My future in-laws paid for me and my husband-to-be to eat ourselves silly here, as a pre-wedding gift. Nice one. The dishes are beautifully prepared and presented and the service is quietly attentive. Oddest moment is when the aligot server comes to your table: aligot is a "fancy mashed potato with garlic and stringy cheese" regional speciality: I felt duty-bound to order the stuff. A waiter arrives at your table with a trolley from which he serves the super-elastic cheesy mash, scooping it out and then twirling it in the air several times before letting it cascade down onto your plate from a height of several feet. Like I say, odd. Gastronomic food at astronomic prices.

Cost for two: 120 €. (April 2006) Web www.celliermorel.com Conveniently located in the center of the old town Pierre Morel's dishes are carefully prepared along simple clean lines with good ingredients, although our latest visit found a gear change in dish complexity that was often unnecessary. Nevertheless a pleasant cool cellar ambiance, lively diners and excellent staff make this an enjoyable package. Last but not least Eric Cellier has been expanding the wine list.

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This is a well known address on the Montpellier scene - elegant stone vaults, crisp linen and a fine menu await you. The food is reputedly excellent but each time I've eaten there the reputation has been greater than the repas. Yes, it's good but not great. One meal was spoiled by the number of smokers surrounding us. Perhaps La Diligence is a little self indulgent and needs some diligent refreshing.

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Just superb. Les Bains retains many of the architectural treasures from its former days as a spa; the cubicles in the colonnades and an open courtyard are delightful. But, this is much more than a fine building; there is bar to people-watch, alcoves with hidden tables for private meals a deux or just an elegant central dining area. The food is perfectly cooked, present and portioned - it gives me hope that French cuisine isn't resting on its laurels. Enticingly, the staff are as handsome as the menu. I'd go again and again.

Beautiful food in a beautiful environment. My starter of chevre rolled in beetroot sounded a little odd - but was gorgeous. Light and fresh. Veal with a selection of fresh musrooms was also excellent. And the 3 creme brulees were wonderful. The waiter, though quite attractive, was a littls surly - but then, this IS France. The decor was elegant, with old wood floors and lots of stone. A courtyard means you can also eat al fresco in summer.

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This restaurant has everything it needs except a full house every night. The food is both delicious and slightly different. I've had astonishing Coquilles St Jacques with beetroot; a dish I'd normally shudder at but it was melt-in-the-mouth tasty. At lunchtimes the place is often full but in the evening it's not unusual to be the only diners. Even the quality of the food can't make up for the lack of ambiance. When it's full it's very good but when it's empty, it's just a little sad. Go on, treat yourself, help fill the old press!

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Lodeve can seem a rather run-down place at times, but then now and then it really surprises you. On the town's nicest (cobbled) street sits its nicest cafe - a surprisingly bourgeois 'salon du the' with an ecclectic selection of wood tables and chairs (none of which match), and a wood burner in one corner where you can relax in comfortable arm chairs. The Soleil Bleu pride themselves on their selection of teas, which are served each in their own unique hand-made pot. All around are beautiful ceramics for sale. The coffee and cakes are equally excellent. They even serve simple lunches. I can't recommend the place more highly, it manages to combine a comfortable and attractive atmosphere with excellent teas, coffee and rich cakes. The perfect place to go after visiting Lodeve's modern art museum and cathedral. Open Mon-Thu 11:30-6:30, Sat 9-6:30pm.

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This is a great restaurant in an lovely village in the Fenouilledes area of the Pyrenees Oriantales. The food is excellent quality, and there's plenty of it. The wine list has a good range of local wines. The room is not the most cozy of places but it's not bad. Only 5 minutes walk from the roman aqueduct, always worth a visit.

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We have often frequented this restaurant, and have always found it to be consistently good, we have taken friends, and they have been pleasantly surprised, we would recommend a visit there.

We have eaten at this restaurant many times now and have always come away satisfied with the food and the atmosphere, we would recommend this restaurant to any visitor to the region.

We have eaten at La Caleche several times over the last year, as we have a village house in St Chinian just around the corner. However, when we were there in May, new people had taken it over from the couple who used to own it. The food was excellent, but unfortunately there was no one else in the restaurant the whole time we were there! This wasn't the case with the previous owners. In fact every time I walked past I looked in, and there never seemed to be anyone in there. I have no idea why this is, as the food is to a very high standard and also not too expensive. So, if you're in St Chinian - give these guys a break and go and dine there!

Wa ate there in Sept 2008, and it seems to have changed hands again. Unfortunately the food really wasn't very good, with burnt spaghetti shoved into every portion as a sort of decoration! The service was prefunctory to say the least, and it wasn't a great dining experience.

The Caleche is now closed.

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You can't expect too much from Asian restaurants in France, let alone Languedoc, but this Thai restaurant in the centre of Beziers is not bad at all - and a very welcome relief to months of French food. The dishes aren't terribly authentic and not hot at all, and probably as Chinese as they are Thai (I imagine the owners are Vietnamese) but the ingredients were good and fresh, and the food very tasty and quite diverse. The parwns in sweet chili sauce were delicious - large, plump and juicy, and the fried chicken in lemon sauce was also very good. The staff are very friendly, and the manageresse lots of fun - espeically when she proudly brough out her collection of pornographic shot glasses - it was a nice touch of 'Pat Pong' to round a good evening off...

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Great place to eat both in summer and winter. Lots of local dishes well cooked - lamb, duck etc. Cooked outside over old vines in the summer. Good selection of local wines. Always a nice welcome from the hosts.

Evening meal was expensive for the amount and quality. Nearby restaurants provide better value for money. Friendly staff and good sitting out under the trees.

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A good spot in central Montpellier where restaurants appear to be booming and overflow onto the pavements. The cooking is more interesting and refined than most of the everyday establishments in the area, plus you don't pay much of a premium. We found the fish dishes fresh, generous, well cooked and tasty. In fine weather dine outside in the Place Saint-Come. Cost for two: 65 €

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Cost for two: 88 €. Montpellier is a growing town. Sequoia is located near the south eastern end of the tramway (stop Port Marianne, head for the Bassin Jacques Coeur) in a modern development. The restaurant feels more Pacific rim than French with a pavement setting by a large lake; palm trees; contemporary bright decor and the oriental influenced food. The chef, as is de-rigour for new chefs anywhere near Montpellier, worked at Le Jardin de Sens. The simple lunch menu (18 € two courses) featured a green bean salad with oriental dressing and swordfish with a pleasant two tone sauce. From the carte St. Marcelin en croustillant was tasty, while ratatouille stuffed small red peppers only lacked variety. For dessert raspberry macaroons with fruit coulis and "milk-shake" glace were perhaps a bit simple.

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Cost for two: 75 € (carte). Web: www.auberge-du-cedre.com
email: [email protected]
First the logistics. Unless you stay here you can only eat in the restaurant at weekends and bank holidays when the simple set menu is supplemented by an enticing carte. As a setting it's a fairytale - patio, views, gardens, a hidden pool. The food, served in a glorious orangerie or on the terrace, is simple tasty home cooking eclectic with some Catalan roots. Local wine is a passion with matured bottles from the cream of the region available at amazing prices. One of those places to hide well away from the outside world and dream. Check all the details on their informative web site. A new chef for 2006 has added some flare to the dishes.

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On the main street of Pezenas this smart French owned Cafe offers a wonderful selection of Teas and Coffees with some of the best cakes I have found in the region. Their Carrot cake is excellent and we also tried a chocolate and raspberry one that was so dense and moist - sheer choc heaven! The interior is smart and well presented with comfortable chairs. Not the usual 'church hall' look at all. Additional tables on the pavement outside. They also sell jams and other goodies for the Expat market.

I love Moroccan food. Tgen such as couscous and he goes to energy and vitality

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La Marque Page, meaning ‘The Bookmark’, is a charming family run restaurant in the heart of Montolieu, le village du livre. It is typical of many such restaurants in villages across France, looking unremarkable and unexciting until you sample what it has to offer. Situated in a small square opposite the church, the best tables for lunch are outside under the shade of the plane trees, but the interior is also airy and welcoming. The 3 course fixed price lunch is superb value and the cooking is tremendous for the price. Every dish easily exceeds its rather modest description on the menu or the large blackboard. The chef/owner usually pops out of the kitchen to say hello at some point and front of house is managed very efficiently by his wife, who speaks a little English. Service is as it should be, neither too fast nor too slow, and with just the right amount of attention. Remarkably, for France, customers without a reservation were welcomed at 2.00pm without fuss, which makes this restaurant even more exceptional than most.

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The only place to eat here is in the courtyard garden, which opens off to one side of the converted garage that forms the main restaurant, making it ideal for a Sunday family lunch or a special occasion on a long warm summer evening, looking up at the stars. The main restaurant’s massive ceiling height and unsympathetic lighting leave it cold and without atmosphere, especially if there are only a few diners. In contrast, the courtyard tables surrounded by flowerbeds and large pots and sheltered by umbrellas and a long vine-covered pergola against the outside wall are perfect. The maitre’d is also the sommelier and he knows his job and wine inside out and is happy to recommend a good local wine to go with your food choice. He also speaks reasonable English if your French is having a night off. There are several menus to choose, from €16 to €40, and a good a la carte. The ‘tournedos de beouf and pan fried foie gras’ is heavenly, but, to be honest all the food is excellent with plenty of variety for fish lovers and vegetarians as well as carnivores like me!

Make sure you ask for a table in the pretty courtyard garden with vine-covered pergola – perfect for a family lunch or romantic evening, dining out under the stars. Choose from the variety of menus (from 16 to 40 euros) or go à la carte – it is all excellent, and fish fans and vegetarians are well catered for.

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The restaurant offers three menu's, 16 € for the menu du jour, 25 € and 35 €. We chose the 25 € menu which consisted of an amuse-bouche, an entrée, a main course and either a cheese course or dessert. The meal started with homemade cheese straws with our first glass of wine. This was a nice touch as nibbles are usually only served if an apéritif is ordered. The amuse-bouche was an oyster gratinéed with mushroom cream sauce. The flavor of both shallots and mushrooms came through without hiding the taste of the warmed oyster and the gratinéed cream on top was perfectly puffed and golden. I tried the soupe de poisson for an entrée. It was gorgeous! Most of the fish soup I've had in this area has been a bit thin and watery but this was just the right thickness, with tomatoes and herbs and a delicious fish flavor. My husband tried the terrine de gibiers (a pâté of game meat) served with a sauce gribiche and homemade toasts. We were both very happy with our choices. We had the same main course, a boneless leg of capon, rolled and cooked in a cocotte (a covered casserole dish) and served with a quenelle of cooked red cabbage on mashed potatoes with sautéd carrots and sautéd wild mushrooms on either side. The flavor of everything was perfect and I was very happy with the variety of vegetables. We both decided to have dessert instead of cheese. I chose the trio of homemade sorbets and was sadly disappointed. The flavors of the day were strawberry, orange and apple. The strawberry was good but the orange was mediocre and the apple was too icy and had very little flavor. My husband had the apple crumble. It was good, with slices of kiwi fruit mixed into the apple and a nice aroma of crushed almonds coming from the crumble topping, but not exceptional. Overall, L'Auberge Côté Jardin was a great restaurant. We loved the food and the service was very friendly. Our server kindly offered to help us choose wine to go with our meal and wanted to practice his English with us. The restaurant's only weakness was the desserts, but the quality of the savory courses more than made up for it. We enjoyed the dining room as we ate here in December but they have a beautiful terrace to enjoy in the summer months.

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David and Christelle will welcome you with open arms. Live music on Friday nights. Booking required. Great dishes of the day all prepared from fresh ingredients. Interesting wines of the week.

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If you want a change from the often dour decor of most Languedoc restaurants, then this is the place to come for a little glamour. Set in a renovated wine cave, with high wood ceilings, modern art, and north-african inspired decor, you'll feel more like you're in a sophisticated London eatery than in a suburb of Beziers. The food is very respectable, though nothing amazing. The menu is fixed each night (so be sure to ask when you call to book) and you'll pay a fixed fee for food, wine and coffee (unless you want to order extra wine). It's also quite modern and fun - so one evening we had sushi for starters followed by a Moroccan tagine. But it's the decor and music and lighting that really make this place special - the sort of spot you might come to for a birthday with friends. But do book, as it fills up quickly.

Absolutely gorgeous style - wrought iron with coloured concrete, lots of greenery with plants both indoors and out, plus bright colours in the dressing fabrics to set it all off. Unfortunately this restaurant is let down by its rather off-hand treatment of its clientele. We were not told on booking that there is only ONE choice per course unless when you call you ask what's on the menu that day and then actually specify a dislike for this and negotiate an alternative - within their choice of propositions! The owner had the gall to say to us that he was not there to work too hard! No menu is offered on arrival and therefore you have no idea of the price. We were served an ok smoked salmon canelloni, followed by a plate of boring stuffed 'pintade' (chicken) with overcooked and very hard potato skins with bitter courgettes. Two cheeses followed (goats and Tomme de Savoie), then a quite nice summer fruits panna cotta. The wine choice, as you can probably imagine by now, was limited to either 'white, red or rosé'. We had the rosé. Finished off by two coffees. The bill? 74 Euros!!!! What a rip-off. I would choose the Entrepots or Octopus any time over these snooty, albeit stylish, restaurateurs.

Something quite special when you walk in. Food is good but you need to like surprises as you get what you are given - no choices apart from desert. Relaxed, friendly service. All main courses are served in targines which gets a little boring if you are a resident.

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Traditional restaurant on banks of Canal du Midi.Good standard of food and excellent service overseen by the ever smiling Bruno.Very popular, must reserve table.

Great situation next to Canal du Midi. In summer, the terrace is always busy and you must reserve if you would like to eat outside. Excellent food with very friendly service.

Beautiful setting, good food for adults, but NO KIDS MENU and even worse, they wouldn't put themselves out to do anything kids would like. My 9 year old son was offered steamed fish and mash! When we asked for ketchup (a normal thing with kids after all!) the head waiter went mad and said "not in my restaurant"! Put us off, wouldn't go again, also pricey.

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