Some of the most delicious food we've enjoyed in all of France - this tiny hidden gem is a MUST if…read moreyou are in Avignon. No-frills setting but every bite was superb and very affordable. Owner/chef speaks English and is kind and accommodating.

Our tour stopped in Avignon for two hours and we decided to have lunch during our time there…read more Thanks to the Yelp community found excellent recommendations for EAT. Per other reviewers, it is not far from the main square and in an alley off of a main commercial street. It has a modern and simple elegance and they featured a daily lunch special and regular starters, mains and desserts. It was a limited menu yet all the options were compelling it was hard to choose. My wife had the daily special of a white fish and potatoes in a bouillabaisse broth. It was amazing with notes of cinnamon and coriander. I had the chuck roast with artichokes and carrots. It was comforting and reminded me of a stew my grandmother used to make. The wine options were limited as they were all house options yet the red paired well with my entree. We did not have dessert but the options sounded delicious (chocolate mousse with caramelized peanuts, basil crème brûlée,etc.) The owner was helpful and professional. We would go back in a heartbeat and highly recommend. The meal further endeared us to the charming city of Avignon.

Food, service and atmosphere is great. The Risotto with a…read morelangoustine and the filet with morels and foie gras was the best. Recommend this place.

We loved this place. We visited at lunch time and they were quite busy but we were still able to…read moreget a table and the service was very efficient. My wife rated this as the best place we had eaten in range to date! The food and wine were great and I would gladly go back

My wife and I visited this restaurant last October 2023. The service and the food were extremely…read moregood and very reasonable. I would definitely recommend

This is a very nice small restaurant with outside seating and English is spoken well. I was able…read moreto make reservations and we were sat upon our arrival. I ordered the summer Profiteroles, Tiscan cod and finished with the Pavlova sunrise. Each dish was perfect. The starter had such great flavor that I used the fresh bread on the table so that I could get every last drop. The fish was expertly prepared with the flavor of the cod dominating yet enhanced by all the other flavors on the plate. Dessert was insane, just the fact that decorum dictates that I not have two is the only reason I stopped. With one small and one large carafe of wine and one large bottle of Pellegrino we were just shy of €70. Worth every cent, I'm here for another 8-9 days so I will definitely be back.

As good as it gets. Great locale, great. Service, great food, kids loved it (pool, exploring , and…read morerestraunt)... This was our base in ChNdePape where we bought-bought-bought. Ended up here every night for afternoon and dinner, why go anywhere else. If you go to ChNdePape, this is the place to stay hands down.

DELICIOUS! Def a pricier dinner but totally worth it! On a beautiful night out, you can sit…read moreoutside in on the patio and watch the sunset as you are enjoying your dinner. We did the prixe fixe dinner and there was so much food! For my main, I had the pigeon lasagna w/ giblets. Realize not a fan of the giblets but glad to give anything a try. My husband had the sweatbreads which he liked and I didn't love. Loved that the cheese dessert came with greens which really paired well.

Cozy dinner option in Avignon! We came right at opening time on a Sunday night - best to get here…read moreearly, as the restaurant fills up fast! The workers inside speak English, and many of the other tables seemed to be filled with English-speaking tourist groups. The dinner menu consists of around 4 entree options, 7 main course options, and 4 dessert options. To start, we ordered the salmon tartare with guacamole. It comes in a jar with a side salad. The portion for this one is on the smaller end - we were fine with sharing, but I can see someone ordering this just for themselves if they're super hungry. The salmon was pretty fresh and a good pairing with the bread. For the main courses, we ordered the duck breast, truffle ravioli, and cod fillet. Service was quite fast, especially considering that the restaurant was almost full by the time we had finished our appetizer. The duck breast was very tender, and the chief sauce used was delicious! The truffle ravioli had delicious Parmesan sauce. I do wish there was a stronger hint of truffle in the sauce, but the dish was still good, as the pasta was al dente and chewy. The cod fillet had a fragrant saffron white butter sauce which complemented the tender fish well. I also really liked that it came with side vegetables, definitely a healthier dish! We ended with the cheesecake, which was smooth and creamy, with tangy raspberry sauce drizzled over. Delicious food, bustling atmosphere, and quick service! Quite satisfied with this great meal in Avignon :)

This was a meal that had its bright spots such as: delicious bread, flavorful ratatouille, and…read moretasty roasted Camembert. It also had its "just OK" elements which were the main parts of our entrees. The service was mostly good, but rushed and not attentive.

I wish I could give them more than 5 stars! My husband and I shared an absolutely delectable meal…read moreat this restaurant on our honeymoon. We were in France for 11 days and this was our favorite meal of the trip. Upon arriving for our reservation, we were warmly greeted by the hostess and server. She welcomed us and quickly ushered us to our table. It was hard to choose an entree because everything looked delicious. Ultimately, we settled on the fish of the day (seabream) and pork. The dishes were lovingly prepared and served fresh! We ate every bite. We left some room for dessert and I'm so glad we did! I had the banoffee pie (toffee, bananas, whipped cream, raspberry drizzle) and my husband had the cheese plate. I will remember that dessert forever! Make sure to make a reservation, as they had to turn away several parties who tried to walk in that evening. Your experience will be unforgettable!

Located in the small town of Avignon, the interior is very peaceful and calm. The ambiance is…read morerelaxing and no loud noise or such. Our server was very relaxed and she talked slowly and was very understandable. It was very nice and accommodating that there was an English translation for the food menu. Pan fried chicken breast (5/5): magnificent! Generally not a big fan of pesto but I don't know what magic was put to make the dish so flavorful and delicious. The mashed potatoes had an awesome texture. The chunks of potatoes were a nice touch and offered good diversity texture wise. Tuna capaccio (5/5): wow was this an amazing start. The flavor was balanced very well. The balsamic complimented the oil well. Pan fried tiger prawns (4/5): quite delicious. The cream sauce was very well done. Creamy and not overwhelming in flavor. Simply perfect! Chocolate creme brulée (5/5): the perfect way to end the night. Just be advised that the flavor was very strong and sweet. The hard carmelized sugar layer on top was so beautiful that I almost didn't want to break it. The custard was so creamy. Our time here did not feel rushed whatsoever. I had a very pleasant dining experience. Tap to pay is accepted here. Overall, Fou de Fafa is a great place for some fine dining. The menu items are selected well and have a good variety. The food was delicious and the server was so patient and kind. Highly recommended. This place gets an A from me!

I cannot speak highly enough of L'Essentiel, from their food, to their service, to the beautiful…read moredecor and table settings. Service is welcoming and accommodating for my poor attempt at culinary French terms. The Chef even came out to answer questions at three occasions. First up, a trio of amuse bouches called land and sea. I don't typically like foie gras but this was incredible. I would actually order this again if ever back in Avignon. The Parmesan biscuit was technically amazing, with such subtle flavor, crispy on the outside, and soft, light and creamy inside. The mushroom "egg roll" was crispy, flaky with great umami. The Jerusalem artichoke risotto was my absolute favorite; I'll likely dream of this dish and try to replicate the recipe. It's unlike anything I've had before, so creative, unique and insanely delicious. The artichokes were cooked perfectly , tender but still firm. The risotto was actually a thick, creamy foam, packed with bold creamy flavor and truffles on top. The sea bream was glistening with the crispiest skin, along with carrots and a silky champagne sauce. The veal was so tender with the most delightful sweet onion tart. The tart was surprisingly good with the best onions I've ever had. Kudos to the chef for shopping the market everyday for the freshest and highest quality products! The scallops were sliced beautifully and were balanced so well with the acidity of raspberries and pomegranates. We started out with the strongest amuse bouches, and Chef didn't disappoint from there, maintaining and exceeding our palette's expectations. Chef Mohamad deserves a Michelin rank!!

KenScale: 8.0/10…read more It's not often a restaurant boldly comes up with a name "essential". When I was looking up different restaurant options during our stay in Avignon, I initially chuckled at the name and figured why not give a chance at the place. My wife Jun and I were coming back from a full-day wine tasting tour with a rather big lunch, so we were not completely starving when we entered L'Essentiel's lovely courtyard. Still, we ended up having a very solid meal here, as all the dishes we ordered had something nice to say about. You can go with either one of the tasting menu options or simply go a la carte at L'Essentiel. Given that we weren't terribly hungry, Jun and I opted for the latter and ordered one appetizer, two main dishes and a dessert to share together. I don't know why we saw tomato gazpacho only just now near the tail end of our two-week honeymoon/summer vacation; in any event, the one that the kitchen put together was quite refreshing, perfect for a summer appetizer with mozzarella di buffalo cheese in the middle. While cod with orange sauce infused into jasmine and creamy polenta looked pedestrian in plating, there is no denying that the fish was expertly cooked with ideal temperature and texture. I was initially worried that the fried foie gras accompanying the beef Rossini filet might simply overpower the meat with too much richness, but the server assured that won't be the case. Listening to her turned out to be a smart idea because the foie gras had a surprisingly delicate side to it that complemented the beef filet quite well. With roasted potatoes on the side, the filet was a winner dish. For dessert, a rather artful display of chocolate ganache and crispy peanut on top of chocolate dulce emulsion (with black chocolate ice cream submerged below) was as delicious as it looked. I secured a reservation at L'Essential through my credit card concierge service so I don't know how difficult it is to get a table at the restaurant; if you want to go for al fresco dining in the summer season at the courtyard that makes you feel like you're eating inside a small but lovely palace, it does seem like a good idea to book in advance. There is a multi-page wine list focusing on the wines from the region; we ordered a bottle of nice vacqueyras that worked well with the dishes we had ordered. L'Essentiel is somewhere in the middle in terms of value proposition; it is not as pricey or fancy as three Michelin-star haute cuisine establishments but it certainly is more refined than an everyday bistro, which also means it works on a more variety of different occasions. If you are staying in Avignon and feel like you want to have an elegant meal without breaking the bank, L'Essential is a good option to consider.

OMG!! The best !! We arrived in Avignon and our host recommended thus lovely restaurant!! Great…read moreambiance and serve but the food was freshly cooked and delicious!! Great local beer as well!! A GEM!!!

Wow!!! Family run, incredible food, great ambience. Made we want to book a trip to Corsica, the…read morefood was that good.