Do you want a lovely meal in a peaceful, pretty garden, next to a babbling book and sit outside in…read morefront of a lovely old mill and enjoy a delicious meal in France? Then come here! The setting is so charming and the tables are far apart so it is relaxing and looks out over the garden. The menu offers a great variety of classic dishes and regional favorite along side some unique offerings. The wine list is well priced with a good selection. The service is friendly and professional. The kitchen uses excellent local ingredients and turns out lovely traditional dishes that are bit more refined. For lunch, I was presented with a pot of delicious rillette and perfect toasted bread, then the magret du canard, grilled perfectly, and topped with a tasty honey sauce, with nice side dishes, and then I ate two perfectly cooked crepes with hot chocolate sauce and creamy vanilla bean ice cream for a whopping 15 Euros?! Talk about value for money. What made it worth 5 stars? Go there. Sit down and you will have one of the nicest moments in your life.

We were out for a ride after attending Chartres Cathedral and pulled into the Église parking lot in…read moreIlliers-Combray. Noticed this attractive looking restaurant was open for Sunday lunch and decided to stop in. We were greeted warmly and seated in a tasteful dining room and shown the special menu for this French Mothers Day ("Fête des Mères"). We spent the rest of the afternoon savoring the many courses and a nice bottle of Saint-Emilion. Mothers who were in reserved parties each received a rose upon departure and everyone seemed to be having a great time. When the crowd thinned out we had a very pleasant discussion with the proprietor, whose English turned out to be better than my French. I would recommend La Madeleine to anyone visiting Chartres and wanting to get away from the tourist crowd for an afternoon or evening.