Balthazar - Avignon

We went to Bistro Balthazar on the recommendation of the woman renting us an apartment in Avignon. We were not disappointed. We found the food excellent, prices reasonable, and the service good (although with two waiters and more than 16 tables, it can be a bit leisurely--but that is the way the French eat dinner anyway).My wife started with escargot, which were large and served with excellent garlic butter (just the right amount of garlic for us) and baguette. I started with the asparagus - cooked but served cold and just a bit crunchy, with mounds of shaved Parmesan and a few sun-dried tomatoes, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Both were wonderful.We both had the lamb shank, and were impressed. The lamb was cooked to perfect tenderness, and the red wine reduction had layers of flavor that we both enjoyed.Add to that beautiful side dishes (each main course comes with one side) of mesclun salad or crudités (but shaved in a salad, not whole as we expected) and an eminently drinkable house wine (Cuvée Balthazar) at €17 for a 750 ml bottle, and a beautiful warm evening, and the night was completely enjoyable. Our host was spot on.

Excellent value menu du jour, vegetarian option, fresh well prepared food. Welcoming staff. A truly french experience rather than for tourists

Delicious food. Reasonably priced set menu but also the option to chose a la crate if you wish. Nice relaxing atmosphere. Good service.

Atmosphere ok. Not a warm welcome. Service slow... Very slow. Main course was fairly underwhelming, steak, asked for medium but came out rare, lots of gristle. Dessert was great though.

Friends and I on vacation stumbled upon this little gem of a bistro after a long day of touring the gorgeous city of Avignon. We arrived just before the dining room opened, but were welcomed heartily into the bar, with attentive and generous service shown immediately. Hard to tell, but we think the two main servers are probably the owners as well. They showed pride in everything they did, and it was lovely to witness. Dinner was a charming and tasty event, although we weren't wowed by the food. I don't think any of us were on a mission to be blown away...we were just happy to be there. Tasteful and thoughtful wine list, which the server new intimately. It was annoying to watch our server (again, one of the owners?) go outside for a smoke every 10 minutes and then check on his tables in the dining room through the window, but he was so handsome and charming it was hard to do much but blush and wait for the next time he would arrive at the table. Note: wifi signal not strong and picks up pretty much only in the bar.