Le Pistou - Rasteau

A very pleasant atmosphere ensures the staff, very attentive and quiet. Very good food and, as expected, exceptional wine. Great portions, delicious food. I love it! Make sure to book in advance.

This restaurant warmly welcomed us in on Bastille Day. The owner was friendly and helpful and always had a smile on her face. I ordered the Chaussons Pistou with a side salad. With wine the price came to 30 Euro.

Let me state up front that I love French food and this was the only meal I did not enjoy during our three week holiday in France. I am an adventurous eater and loved the snails, steak tartare, rabbit and other french dishes I ordered throughout...our tour. So, I am not a squeamish foreigner who simply does not have the right palate for this cuisine. However, this meal at Le Pistou was like the worst stereotype of English cooking from the 1960's and before everything boiled to death, overcooked and flavourless. And my wife (who is half French) shared my disgust and disappointment. The centre piece of the plate was a tiny piece of fish (the thin cut near the tail) that had apparently been sitting for too long in a bain marie so that it was as dry as leather. The two snails that topped the fish had been turned into tasteless rubber and were almost impossible to cut with a knife, let alone chew. These poor abused (and wasted) animals were served with carrots, cauliflower and potato that had had the life and flavour boiled out of them. The Aioli that accompanied the dish was equally disappointing and did nothing to add any excitement to an already bland and thoroughly disappointing plate. Maybe we should have ordered the pizza? But I did not drive to Rasteau to eat Italian food. The real mystery is that we were directed to this place by the local tourist information office. The waitress did not ask us if we enjoyed our meal. I think she already knew the answer by the sight of our half eaten meals and the looks on our faces.

We didnt eat there, so dont know about the food, but the stuff was rude and said it was full even though it was 9 empty tabled outside and totally empty inside, with no further explanation. Its the only restaurant in town and it was pretty late and we travelled with a baby so caused us a lot of troubles. Its not a nice fŕench restaurant very plastic, but full of people cause no concurrent. Recomend to eat before you enter this city

We enjoyed well baked pizzas and wine and the friendly service. Not Haute Cuisine but clean, fresh and tasty. We will be back - also for the regular mussels on a Thursday which is also very popular in the whole area.