Restaurant in Clermont-Ferrand, France
Twenty years in, still earning its star.
Jean-Claude Leclerc holds a Michelin star (2025) and a 4.7 Google rating at Clermont-Ferrand's most established fine-dining address. At €€€€, the kitchen delivers technically precise, seasonal French cooking built on twenty-plus years of consistent execution. Book three to four weeks ahead — tables at this starred, single-room address fill reliably and this is not a walk-in option.
Yes — but you need to plan ahead. Jean-Claude Leclerc has held a Michelin star since the 2025 guide and carries a 4.7 Google rating across 158 reviews, which is a reliable signal of consistent execution rather than a single good night. At €€€€ pricing, this is Clermont-Ferrand's most serious fine-dining commitment, and demand for tables reflects that. If you want a seat, treat this like a destination booking: weeks of lead time, not days.
Jean-Claude Leclerc has been operating at 12 Rue Saint-Adjutor for over twenty years, long enough to have become a fixed point in Clermont-Ferrand's dining calendar. Proximity to the courthouse has earned the restaurant a wry local reputation — a place where the verdict is always in your favour , but the more relevant fact for a first-time visitor is longevity: twenty-plus years at €€€€ in a provincial French city means the room fills on merit, not novelty.
The kitchen's approach is rooted in classical French technique applied to seasonal produce, with the Michelin jury specifically noting dishes such as pig's trotters and foie gras wrapped in bacon with truffle dressing, and sole with crab meat, cockles, lemon confit and bouillabaisse jus. These are not timid plates. The cooking draws on time-honoured Gallic recipes and pushes them forward with precise, layered construction , the kind of balance that takes years to calibrate and is immediately apparent when it lands correctly. For the food-curious traveller comparing this to, say, the tasting-menu precision of Arpège in Paris or the mountain-focused terroir cooking at Flocons de Sel in Megève, Jean-Claude Leclerc occupies a different register: it is classically grounded, seasonally driven, and flavour-forward rather than conceptually provocative.
The setting is described as elegant and contemporary , a room that has been updated without losing the warmth you need to carry a long tasting experience. This matters at the price point. A €€€€ meal that unfolds in a cold or pressured environment undermines the investment; the evidence here suggests the room works in the restaurant's favour. The service philosophy at this level of French fine dining is typically one of attentive formality without stiffness, and the two-decade track record at this address supports the conclusion that the front-of-house knows how to pace a meal and read a table. That kind of institutional knowledge is harder to find than it sounds , and at €€€€, it is part of what you are paying for.
For the food and travel enthusiast plotting a broader Auvergne itinerary, Jean-Claude Leclerc sits comfortably alongside the regional fine-dining conversation that includes Bras in Laguiole and Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles in Ouches. Those are three-star destinations with international followings; Leclerc is a one-star address with a local following built over twenty years. That comparison is not a demotion , it locates the restaurant correctly. You come here for depth of French classical cooking in a city that is not yet on the international gastronomy circuit, which means competition for tables is manageable by the standards of Paris or Lyon, but still requires forward planning.
The Michelin citation highlights seasonal commitment, and that detail carries practical weight: the menu at any given visit will reflect what is current and available rather than a fixed year-round card. For a repeat visitor or a dedicated food traveller, this is an asset. For someone with a rigid set of expectations, it is worth knowing that what the guide describes may not be exactly what appears on the night. Plan around the season rather than a specific dish.
Within Clermont-Ferrand's broader dining offer, Apicius, L'Ostal, and L'Instantané all occupy the modern end of the city's restaurant range. Jean-Claude Leclerc's position is different: it is the address with the longest track record and the Michelin star, which makes it the default answer to the question of where to go once in Clermont-Ferrand if you are eating seriously. For a lighter or more casual visit, L'En-but or L'Écureuil offer lower-commitment options in the same city. You can find the full picture in our full Clermont-Ferrand restaurants guide.
Booking difficulty is rated hard. This is a small, established Michelin-starred room in a city where serious fine-dining options are limited, which concentrates demand. Book a minimum of three to four weeks ahead for a weekend table; weekday bookings may have slightly more flexibility but should not be left to chance. No booking method or phone number is confirmed in our data , check the restaurant's current contact details directly or use a specialist reservation service. If you are visiting Clermont-Ferrand for a specific date, lock in this booking before arranging anything else around it.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2025) | €€€€ | Book 3-4 weeks ahead minimum | 12 Rue Saint-Adjutor, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand.
Jean-Claude Leclerc works leading as the anchor of a considered evening rather than a standalone stop. For where to stay, drink, and explore around your meal, see our Clermont-Ferrand hotels guide, our bars guide, our wineries guide, and our experiences guide. For context on how Jean-Claude Leclerc fits into the broader range of French regional fine dining, it is worth comparing against the ambition and format of Mirazur in Menton, Paul Bocuse - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, Frantzén, and Maison Lameloise in Chagny , each of which represents a different model of what starred French and European cooking can look like at different price points and ambition levels.
Bar seating is not confirmed in our data for Jean-Claude Leclerc. At a Michelin-starred address of this format , a classical French fine-dining room with over two decades of operation , the experience is almost certainly built around table service rather than counter or bar dining. Contact the restaurant directly to ask about any informal seating options before assuming walk-in bar access is available.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star and a 4.7 Google rating across 158 reviews, the cooking has demonstrated consistent quality over a long period. The Michelin citation specifically notes technical balance and flavour depth across dishes like pig's trotters with foie gras and sole with bouillabaisse jus , not safe, crowd-pleasing food, but committed classical cooking. If French technique applied to seasonal produce is your target, the price point is justified. If you are less interested in that format and more drawn to creative or conceptual tasting menus, Le Pré - Xavier Beaudiment in Clermont-Ferrand offers a more experimental approach at the same price tier.
The Michelin guide highlights pig's trotters and foie gras wrapped in bacon with truffle dressing, and sole with crab meat, cockles, lemon confit and bouillabaisse jus as representative dishes. These are seasonal, so availability varies , do not book expecting a specific plate. The safest approach at a restaurant of this type is to go with the menu as it stands on the day: the kitchen has been executing this style for over twenty years, and the seasonal selection will reflect what is at its leading.
Specific group booking policies and seat counts are not confirmed in our data. At a €€€€ Michelin-starred address of this size and style, large groups are typically accommodated only with advance arrangement , do not assume a party of six or more can be seated without prior confirmation. Contact the restaurant directly well ahead of your intended date. For groups that want fine dining without the coordination complexity, Le Duguesclin at €€€ may offer a more flexible format.
Solo dining at a formal French fine-dining room can be comfortable or awkward depending on the room's layout and the service team's attentiveness. Jean-Claude Leclerc's two-decade track record and consistent Google scores suggest a front-of-house that knows how to manage the room well, which generally extends to solo guests. That said, the €€€€ price point means a solo tasting experience here is a significant investment , make sure the format suits you before committing. If you want a lower-stakes solo option first, Apicius in Clermont-Ferrand is worth checking as an alternative.
No official dress code is published in our data, but a Michelin-starred room at €€€€ with an elegant contemporary interior expects smart dress as a baseline. In practice, that means no trainers, no casual sportswear. Business casual to smart casual is the safe choice for most guests; those who prefer to dress formally will not be out of place. Clermont-Ferrand is not Paris, so the room is unlikely to be as formally dressed as comparable addresses in the capital, but treating this as a special-occasion dinner and dressing accordingly is the right approach.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean-Claude Leclerc | €€€€ | Hard | — |
| Le Pré - Xavier Beaudiment | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| L'Ostal | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Bistrot d'à Côté | €€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Duguesclin | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Il Visconti | €€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The venue database doesn't confirm a bar counter seating option at 12 Rue Saint-Adjutor. Given this is a small, established Michelin-starred room with a €€€€ price point and a contemporary dining room format, table reservations are the expected route. check the venue's official channels to ask about counter or bar availability before assuming walk-in flexibility.
At the €€€€ price level with a 2025 Michelin star, Jean-Claude Leclerc is positioned as a destination-dining spend rather than a casual night out. Chef Tomaž Kavčič's approach — classical Gallic technique reframed with seasonal precision — is exactly the kind of cooking that rewards the tasting menu format. If you're coming to Clermont-Ferrand for one serious meal, this is the room to spend it in.
The Michelin guide singles out dishes such as pig's trotters and foie gras wrapped in bacon with truffle dressing, and sole with crab meat, cockles, lemon confit, and bouillabaisse jus as representative of the kitchen's style. These point to a menu built around classical French technique with layered, season-driven flavour. Ask the team what's currently in season when you book — the menu shifts with availability.
This is a small room by design, so large groups are likely to strain the format. Parties of two or four fit naturally in a fine-dining room of this type; anything above six should call ahead to ask about private or semi-private arrangements. At €€€€ per head, group dinners here are a considered commitment — confirm capacity and any group minimum spend before you book.
A Michelin-starred room at €€€€ can feel under-utilised solo if the format is purely table-based, but Jean-Claude Leclerc's twenty-year track record suggests a front-of-house team experienced enough to look after a solo guest well. If solo dining is your plan, book a single cover explicitly and ask about counter seating — smaller rooms often accommodate solo diners more thoughtfully than larger ones.
The venue is described as an elegant contemporary setting, and at €€€€ with a Michelin star, the room sets a clear tone. A jacket for men and equivalent for women is a safe call — not black-tie, but noticeably dressed. Turning up in casual clothes at a room of this standing in France would read as out of place.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
