We had a great experience here. Both the owner/chef Olivier and the other staff member were very…read morewarm, kind, and helpful. We learned that the name of the restaurant means "kitchen in the middle of the room," which is literally the case here. We were served some hard salami as a complimentary treat with our drinks. The menu is minimal with only 2 options for each course (starter, main course, dessert), but this is not surprising as it's a very small kitchen with one cook. We shared a starter of crispy phyllo filled with stewed pork, veal, chicken and onions and each ordered duck and turkey parmentier as our main course. The food was so cozy and comforting. It was definitely more rustic than some of the other dishes we had eaten on our trip, but we really enjoyed all the flavors and would definitely come back. Olivier in particular was delightful. Even though he was cooking all the food, he checked in on us multiple times and ensured we were enjoying ourselves. This is a small restaurant and reservations are definitely required.

I'm sure their food is very good. I accidentally- made the reservation at L'llot in Paris. We…read morewalked in and I felt attacked and embarrassed as they loudly and rudely said you cannot have a reservation we are full, look around. They asked abruptly to see my confirmation and as i fumbled with my phone as they were so forcibly rude. Such poor treatment for an honest mistake which could and should have been handled in a much more hospitable manner.

Choice of tasting menus in different price ranges from two courses to three courses. I picked the…read moretraditional gourmand choice with escargot appetizer, fish main course and a three cheese selection for dessert. Everything was delicious! We dined in the restaurant & since it turned out to be a beautiful warmish day, we requested to have coffee in their outdoor garden area. Tip, you can forgo dessert if you plan to get coffee, the serve mini portions of three kinds of sweets with the coffee! Just the perfect way to end a scrumptious meal! (At least for me . )

Truly the finest meal we had on our recent trip through the Loire. This is a lovely spot that is…read moreimpeccably run. From the opening amuse-bouche to the dessert was delicious. The service was unintrusive yet attentive. The food was uniformly fresh and the flavor pairings were exciting. The cocktails ran to the classics-- kir royale, Americano-- and were always en pointe. We were a party of three and all ordered from one of a few prix fixes menus on offer. The total can to about US$50 per person-- a perfectly reasonable sum for cocktails, wine and food, all on a very high level.

I don't revel in giving bad reviews. We dined at 5 restaurants in Amboise and L'Ecluse was by far…read moreour least favorite. It wasn't even close. I feel like I was really misled by all the positive reviews because I can't see how we dined at the same restaurant. First for some positives. The staff is very helpful and kind. They do a good job of explaining the dishes. The dishes were all beautiful and very creative. That said, I feel like for us the food was style above substance. Our favorite bite of food was an amuse bouche of fried Loire catfish. It was wonderful. I would have preferred a full portion of this as my entire meal in retrospect. Both of our starters were disappointing. My mom had sea bass carpaccio which was beautiful to look at but was missing both acid and salt and actually made her sick for several days after. I had "The Tomato" which was stuffed with basmati rice and Thai curry, basil pesto, and buffalo mozzarella. It was an odd combination of flavors, yet it had so little flavor. The rice was undercooked, and this dish too was missing both acid and salt. It really tasted very bland for something that was so pretty to look at. How disappointing. We both had the prawns with wok-fried noodles for our main courses. It was served on separate plates for the prawns and the noodles which seems so odd and didn't even make sense like they were two different dishes. The prawns were pretty decent. The noodles were not that good. They were undercooked and way oversauced and the sauce was pretty sweet. Both of our desserts were good overall. In the end, although I loved visiting Amboise and would 100% like to return, I will definitely be skipping L'Ecluse in the future. It did not live up to its reputation. Not at all.

Wonderful meal. Server helped us in English and the food was fabulous! Glad we were able to get in.read more

Service was for the most part superb. Staff were very helpful with bags and check- in and…read morecheck-out. Great restaurant, first class service at restaurant for dinner. Very comfortable bed and beautifully appointed room.

This hotel was wonderful and the dining was amazing. We enjoyed walking the grounds and exploring…read morethe vegetable garden and small farm with chickens and sheep. The hospitality was wonderful, they brought our luggage from the car to our rooms. We had one of the most delicious dinners in France. I would highly recommend staying here and having dinner as well. They left a lot of snacks and goodies for us in the room after our dinner. Really enjoying our stay.

Small family run restaurant that exceeded all expectations. We tried it for dessert one night…read morebecause we were too late for a dinner reservation. We didn't make that mistake the next day and reserved early. The menu is limited in scope but not in quality. Casual cooking with a gourmet flair. Three in our party ordered the hamburger with chèvre, honey and bacon. Meat from the butcher across the street, local cheese and honey made for a fresh and tasty burger unlike what you typically see in the USA. The fourth person ordered the gazpacho and green salad and raved about those dishes as well. The desserts are all terrific. Over the course of two nights we had the apple crumble(deemed the best dessert on our trip), a lemon tart, crepe brûlée and several different flavors of ice cream. Overall, a great choice.

From the owner: Petite restauration comme à la maison, à base de produits locaux, frais et en grande partie bio. A…read moreproximité du zoo de Beauval.

Restaurant is about 4.5 stars. Reservations are recommended. The town Amboise is a small area. The…read morerestaurants are limited selection and get full easy. The reservation is a must for the good restaurant. We were able to get the reservation at last minute availability. The chef start with chef complimentary dishes. It is cracker with cream. It is a good opening. I got local mascot for drink. We have pre prix menu. Our app is foie gras and pate. My wife have the quail. Both app are delicious. My entree is the roasted lamb and honey pork. The lamb is delicious and cook in pink temperature. Meat is tender. The dessert is exquisite. I have raspberry shortbread with pistachio ice cream. It is Mmmmm delicious. My wife has the crisp dessert with chocolate and praline and mango sorbet. It is delicious too.

Have to start out by saying that the food and service was great! But the ambiance lacked. Bright…read morelights, no tablecloths, candles, music. Could have been a family restaurant. We were staying within a 4 minute walk and happened to pass by Le Clos de Amboise (hotel and restaurant) and wish we would have eaten there because it looked so warm and cozy and the menu looked spectacular. Sie la vie!

Don't miss this restaurant while you're in Amboise! Make a reservation! It's a spot you wouldn't…read morejust happen upon (you'll need to follow signs--it's in a dead end). They only have 14 small tables indoor and out, which may sound like a lot but trust me, they fill up on reservations and we saw them turn many people away. The menu is very creative, interesting, and delicious. They focus on shareable plates, although you could easily just order your own food if you really wanted. We shared caramel pork with tahini-coconut roasted vegetables and crispy chickpeas; Thai salad with fried chicken; and salmon tataki with paprika oil, chermoula cauliflower, preserved lemon and Medjool dates. As you can see, the flavor profiles really range, but the food is prepared to excellent standards and I don't have a single note or complaint about anything we tried. This was our first meal upon arriving in Amboise and it really set the bar high. I wish we had more time in our trip to dine here again, but I will definitely plan to come back if I'm ever in Amboise again in the future.

Second time here and it blew our minds again. If in Amboise make a reservation and go here-it's a…read moremust. Staff is attentive and kind and the food the food! The best in Amboise imo.

Very nice authentic country French. Polite and patient waiter, tolerating our basic French. Food…read morewas unique, tasty and carefully prepared. Wine list all local, which was nice. Highly recommended!