Chez Mattin - Ciboure

Our latest meal at Chez Mattin with 6 friends from Wales was superb. The food, friendly atmosphere and attention was exceptional. Loved by locals and welcoming to visitors. Best book as soon as you can as its popularity means you may miss out.

We enjoyed two wonderful meals here.I had wanted to mail Céline, the owner directly, to thank her, Michel and team for such a lovely time, but I can't find an email address for the restaurant so I hope they see this! We are the Irish family that dined with you twice in late February. We very much hope to dine at your restaurant again in the future and hopefully welcome you to our place at some stage!

My husband had been lusting after a second visit to this restaurant virtually since our first visit! I was concerned that a second visit may not live up to the memory of the first....but the good news is that if anything it was even better! We walked from our hotel at the beachfront in St Jean de Luz....perhaps half an hour walk. The waitress may have spoken a bit of English but we persisted with our basic French and she was very patient and explained everything to us in a way that we understood. She had an excellent sense of humour! We both had a ceviche fish for entree which was the best we had ever tasted (my husband is a star fisherman and seafood cook). We finished with a shared whole turbot expertly deboned at the table by the waitress. To die for! Desserts were also of an extremely high standard. We are already looking forward to our next trip. Essential to book in advance.

We have enjoyed the subtle food association and arrangements in this gastronomic restaurant that we discovered by chance after we got lost in Ciboure. Cod fish cooked on an unilateral way is divine. .

The atmosphere in this restaurant is great - it's cosy and busy and feels rustic without being twee. The staff are very friendly. The food is wonderful - we would really recommend ordering something from the 'suggestions du jour' which the waiter will tell you about when you arrive. We liked the fact they don't speak French but it can make it slightly difficult to understand particular dishes/ingredients! The staff will do their best to explain and I think it's worth taking a punt on something you're not sure of - we chose 'chipirons' (cuttlefish) as a starter and it was one of the best I've ever eaten - fresh, interesting and incredibly tasty food. The steak and duck confit from the regular menu were also wonderful and cooked to perfection and the puddings (gorgeous poached apricots and v. alcoholic baba au rhum!) rounded off the meal really well. Excellent Bordeaux and a cherry Basque aperitif called Txapa at the start of the meal. It's not cheap but it's great value for money and a lovely experience. Booking is essential - we wanted to go for dinner but had to make do with lunch as they were completely full up.