Restaurant in Chartres, France
Michelin-recognised modern dining at mid-range prices.
Le Moulin de Ponceau is Chartres' strongest case for mid-range modern French dining, holding a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 at the €€ price point with a 4.6 Google rating across more than 1,000 reviews. It is the right call if you want a Michelin-acknowledged meal without the spend of Le Georges, in a composed, conversation-friendly room in the city's lower town.
If you are weighing Le Moulin de Ponceau against Le Georges, the obvious splurge option in Chartres, the answer depends on your budget and your appetite for risk. Le Moulin de Ponceau operates at the €€ price point with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025), which makes it the most credible mid-range modern cuisine choice in the city. Le Georges charges considerably more; if your priority is a well-priced, Michelin-acknowledged meal in Chartres rather than a special-occasion blowout, Le Moulin de Ponceau is the cleaner call.
Le Moulin de Ponceau sits on the Rue de la Tannerie in Chartres, a street that runs close to the Eure river in the lower town. The area has a quieter, more residential character than the cathedral square above it, and that carries through into the restaurant itself. Expect a room that reads as composed rather than energetic: the ambient mood here leans toward unhurried rather than buzzy, which makes it a reasonable fit for conversation-heavy dinners. It is not the kind of place where noise from other tables will compete with your evening.
With 1,097 Google reviews at a 4.6 rating, the sustained satisfaction signal is strong for a restaurant at this price level. That volume of reviews points to a venue that handles consistent traffic across a range of diner types, not just one-off destination meals. For the food-focused traveller, that breadth of positive feedback at a €€ price point is a more useful indicator than a single high-profile review.
Le Moulin de Ponceau is classified as modern cuisine, and kitchens operating in this register in provincial France typically build their menus around the rhythm of local markets and seasonal supply. Chartres sits in the Beauce agricultural plain, one of the most productive cereal and vegetable regions in France, which means the surrounding larder changes meaningfully across the year. Spring and early autumn tend to be the periods when modern French kitchens of this type are at their most interesting: spring brings asparagus, morels, and early greens; early autumn delivers game, squash, and the first earthy roots. If you are visiting Chartres specifically around the cathedral or as part of a Paris day trip or short break, timing your meal at Le Moulin de Ponceau to coincide with either of those windows is worth considering.
Summer visits are perfectly viable, but mid-July through August in provincial French restaurants can mean reduced teams and menus that are scaled back slightly from peak ambition. If your trip falls in that window, book earlier in the day rather than later to get the full menu before any kitchen fatigue sets in. Winter, by contrast, suits the slower, more contemplative atmosphere of the room well, and hearty modern French cooking tends to be at its most satisfying when the weather outside is cold.
Because specific seasonal menus and current dishes are not confirmed in our data, the practical advice here is to check the current menu directly before booking to see which seasonal phase the kitchen is in. For a food enthusiast planning around the calendar, that check is worth doing two to three weeks in advance, which also aligns with the recommended booking lead time at this level of demand.
To calibrate what a Michelin Plate at the €€ price point means in the current French dining context: the Plate recognition signals that Michelin inspectors consider the cooking to be good and worth noting, one step below a Star but a meaningful credential. For comparison, the kind of modern French cooking that earns multiple Stars at venues like Arpège in Paris, Flocons de Sel in Megève, or Mirazur in Menton operates at two to four times the price point and requires booking months ahead. Provincial Plate-level restaurants like Le Moulin de Ponceau occupy a different register: accessible, credible, and often more representative of what a region actually tastes like day-to-day than their more celebrated counterparts.
If you are building a broader itinerary around French regional dining, venues like Maison Lameloise in Chagny or Bras in Laguiole represent the higher end of that regional ambition. Le Moulin de Ponceau is not in that tier, but it is the kind of restaurant that belongs in an itinerary that also includes the cathedral, the lower town, and a broader sense of what Chartres offers beyond its most famous monument. For that kind of trip, see our full Chartres restaurants guide, our Chartres hotels guide, and our Chartres experiences guide.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. At the €€ price level with a 4.6 rating and over a thousand reviews, demand is consistent but not the kind that requires weeks of advance planning. One to two weeks out is a sensible lead time for a weekend table; weekday availability is likely to be more flexible. Phone and online booking details are not confirmed in our current data, so check directly with the venue for the most current method.
Dress code is not confirmed, but at the €€ price point with a modern cuisine classification in a provincial French city, smart casual is a safe assumption. You will not be underdressed in a well-put-together day outfit, and you will not need to change into formal eveningwear. The room's relaxed-but-composed atmosphere suggests that the dress expectation mirrors that register.
For bars and wine options in Chartres before or after your meal, see our full Chartres bars guide and our Chartres wineries guide.
Quick reference: Michelin Plate (2024, 2025) · €€ · Modern Cuisine · 4.6/5 (1,097 reviews) · Booking difficulty: Easy · 21 Rue de la Tannerie, 28000 Chartres.
Smart casual is the right call. At the €€ price point with a composed but unpretentious atmosphere, you do not need formal dress. A well-put-together outfit is sufficient. If you are coming directly from the cathedral or the lower town on a sightseeing day, tidy day clothes work fine.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in our current data. Given the restaurant's size profile and provincial French setting, the focus is likely on table dining rather than a bar counter experience. Contact the venue directly to confirm options if bar seating matters to your visit.
One to two weeks ahead is sufficient for most visits. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, and with over 1,000 reviews at 4.6, demand is steady rather than competitive. Weekend evenings during spring and early autumn, when seasonal menus are at their most interesting, may book faster, so lean toward two weeks in those periods. Weekday tables are likely available at shorter notice.
The three main options in Chartres are Le Moulin de Ponceau, Le Georges, and Bistrot Racines. Le Georges is the city's premium modern cuisine option at €€€€ and suits special occasions with a higher budget. Bistrot Racines sits at the same €€ price point as Le Moulin de Ponceau but operates in a traditional French register rather than modern cuisine. If you want something completely different, Terra offers Italian at €€. For a broader view of the category, see our full Chartres restaurants guide.
It works for a mid-range special occasion, particularly an anniversary or birthday where the priority is good food and a quiet, unhurried room rather than formal ceremony. At €€ with Michelin Plate recognition, it delivers more credibility than a standard neighbourhood restaurant without the pressure of a high-spend evening. For a genuinely refined special occasion, Le Georges at €€€€ is the higher-stakes option in Chartres.
Tasting menu details and current pricing are not confirmed in our data. At the €€ price point with Michelin Plate recognition across two consecutive years, the value case for a structured tasting format is generally strong if the kitchen is cooking seasonally. Check the current menu directly before booking to confirm what format is on offer and whether it reflects the current seasonal window. Spring and early autumn are the periods most likely to yield the most interesting tasting options.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Moulin de Ponceau | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | €€ | — |
| Le Georges | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Terra | €€ | — | |
| Bistrot Racines | €€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Le Moulin de Ponceau and alternatives.
Aim for neat casual to relaxed smart — think clean trousers and a collared shirt or a simple dress. At the €€ price point with Michelin Plate recognition, the room will likely feel polished but not formal. Trainers and beachwear would be out of place; a jacket is not required.
Bar seating is not confirmed in available venue data, so this is worth checking directly when you book. Given the Rue de la Tannerie address and the restaurant's €€ positioning, it reads more as a sit-down dining room than a bar-forward venue.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days to a week ahead is usually sufficient for most visits. That said, Chartres sees strong weekend tourist traffic given the cathedral, so Friday and Saturday evenings may need more lead time — aim for 1–2 weeks out to be safe.
Le Georges is the main comparison: it sits at a higher price point and suits occasions where you want to spend more. Terra and Bistrot Racines are worth considering if you want a different format or a more casual setting at similar or lower spend.
Yes, at €€ pricing with consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, it delivers credible special-occasion dining without the outlay of a starred restaurant. If you need a private room or guaranteed quiet atmosphere, confirm those details when booking — they are not listed in current venue data.
Specific menu formats and prices are not in the current venue record, so tasting menu availability should be confirmed at booking. What is confirmed: the kitchen holds Michelin Plate status at the €€ price band, which suggests good-value cooking relative to the recognition level — a positive sign if a tasting format is offered.
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