Restaurant in Pont-de-Vaux, France
One Michelin star, serious regional cooking.
Le Raisin holds a Michelin star (2024) and a 4.7 Google rating in the heart of Pont-de-Vaux, making it the standout dining address in this corner of Bresse country. At €€€ pricing it delivers technically precise, monthly-changing French cooking at a fraction of the cost of multi-star Bresse neighbours. Book several weeks ahead; this is a hard reservation.
The assumption most visitors make about Pont-de-Vaux is that it's a market town you pass through on the way to somewhere more notable. Le Raisin is the reason to stop. This Michelin one-star restaurant at 2 Place Michel Poisat has held its ground as the town's most serious dining address, earning a 4.7 from 403 Google reviews and a 2024 Michelin star that confirms what locals have known for years: the cooking here is technically accomplished and genuinely distinctive. At €€€ pricing, it sits a tier below the grand Bresse institutions like Georges Blanc in Vonnas, which makes it one of the more compelling value propositions in this stretch of Burgundy and Ain.
Pont-de-Vaux is a small town in the Ain department, sitting at the edge of Bresse country, one of France's most historically significant food-producing regions. What Le Raisin does that most visitors underestimate is anchor that culinary identity to a specific, repeatable standard. This is not a weekend pop-up or a destination that trades on a single famous dish. It is a permanent institution in a town of modest size, running Tuesday through Saturday (closed Monday and Sunday), that has sustained Michelin recognition in a region that includes some of France's most demanding restaurant critics and diners. That is a harder thing to do than it sounds, and it's the main reason to take Le Raisin seriously as a destination rather than a detour. For anyone planning a broader trip through this part of France, check our full Pont-de-Vaux restaurants guide, our full Pont-de-Vaux hotels guide, and our full Pont-de-Vaux experiences guide to build the visit properly.
Michelin's own notes on Le Raisin describe dishes that give you a clear read on the kitchen's sensibility: scallops with wakame and vichyssoise; crispy sweetbread with green pumpkin; Bresse chicken cooked two ways. The through-line is classical French technique applied with a light but deliberate modernising touch. This is not fusion cooking and it is not shock-value invention. The chef reworks the classics in ways Michelin characterises as delicate and original, with a menu that changes monthly in line with seasonal availability and market supply. If you're coming specifically for Bresse chicken, the two-preparation approach is the version to seek out here: it reflects the kitchen's interest in using a single ingredient to demonstrate range rather than relying on one showstopping presentation. The wine list leans heavily on Burgundy, which is the right call given the geography, and is described as enticing with a strong showing of burgundies specifically. For a comparable commitment to regional ingredient sourcing at a higher price point, Troisgros in Ouches and Bras in Laguiole operate on the same philosophy but at a different scale and cost.
The room is described as plush and elegant, with service that Michelin characterises as slick, professional, and cheerful. That combination is rarer than it should be at this level: too many one-star rooms let the formality become stiff. The tone here reads as confident rather than performative, which suits the food. If you're travelling as a couple or a small group of food and wine enthusiasts looking for a serious meal that doesn't require the budget or lead time of a multi-star evening, Le Raisin is positioned correctly for that decision. For those planning the wider Burgundy-to-Lyon arc, it pairs well with nearby institutions: Paul Bocuse in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or sits further south and operates at a different register, while Flocons de Sel in Megève is the mountain-country alternative for Alpine trips. Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern and Les Prés d'Eugénie in Eugénie-les-Bains are the other provincial French one-to-three-star benchmarks worth knowing if you're building a trip around serious regional cooking.
Le Raisin is a hard booking. A one-star address with a monthly-changing menu in a small town draws visitors who plan ahead. Expect to book several weeks in advance, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. Wednesday through Friday openings begin at 8 AM (likely covering breakfast or café service) and run to 11 PM; the kitchen's dinner service would sit within that window. No phone number or website is listed in our current data, so booking through the restaurant's own channels or a concierge contact is advisable. The venue is closed Mondays and Sundays. If you're building a Bresse-region itinerary, also consult our full Pont-de-Vaux bars guide and our full Pont-de-Vaux wineries guide to round out the visit.
| Detail | Le Raisin | Georges Blanc (Vonnas) | Auberge de l'Ill (Illhaeusern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelin Stars | 1 (2024) | 3 | 3 |
| Price Range | €€€ | €€€€ | €€€€ |
| Location | Pont-de-Vaux, Ain | Vonnas, Ain | Illhaeusern, Alsace |
| Booking Difficulty | Hard | Very Hard | Very Hard |
| Menu Style | Monthly-changing, market-led | Classic Bresse / Grand | Classic Alsatian / Grand |
| Closed | Mon, Sun | Varies | Varies |
The Ain and Bresse corridor does not get the same visitor volume as Lyon or Burgundy's Côte d'Or, which works in your favour if you're willing to plan ahead. Le Raisin is one of a small number of addresses in this area that delivers Michelin-level cooking without the multi-star pricing or the three-month booking window. If your trip is extending south or east, Mirazur in Menton and La Table du Castellet in Le Castellet represent the southern alternatives; if you're heading north toward Paris, Arpège in Paris sits at the opposite end of the price and prestige spectrum. For traditional cuisine fans exploring further afield, Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse, Cave à Vin & à Manger in Narbonne, and Coto de Quevedo Evolución in Torre de Juan Abad offer points of comparison across traditional cuisine formats at varying price levels.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Raisin | €€€ | Hard | — |
| Plénitude | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Kei | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Le Raisin and alternatives.
The room is described as plush and elegant, so dress accordingly — neat, considered clothing is the baseline. This is a Michelin-starred address in a small French town, not a casual bistro. Avoid denim and trainers; think of it as a restaurant where the cooking takes itself seriously and the room expects you to match that.
At €€€ with a Michelin star (2024), Le Raisin delivers strong value relative to comparable one-star addresses in Lyon or Burgundy, where the same quality costs more and competition for tables is fiercer. The monthly-changing menu tied to market availability means the kitchen has a reason to stay sharp. If you are already in the Ain or Bresse corridor, this is the clearest yes in the region.
Michelin's own notes reference dishes like scallops with wakame and vichyssoise and Bresse chicken cooked two ways — a kitchen that reworks French classics with precision rather than reinventing them for novelty. The menu changes monthly, which is a genuine argument for the tasting format: you get the current version of the chef's thinking rather than a fixed signature. For a single visit, the tasting menu is the better read on what the kitchen does.
Le Raisin is an intimate, plush room in a small town, so large groups are not the natural format here. Nothing in the available record confirms a private dining room or group minimum. For parties of more than four, check the venue's official channels before booking — a one-star address with a monthly-changing menu prioritises the individual dining experience over event-style service.
Pont-de-Vaux is a small town and Le Raisin is the serious dining option in the immediate area. If you want Michelin-calibre cooking in the broader region, Lyon's dining scene is the logical alternative — multiple starred restaurants within reach. For Bresse-specific cooking at a lower price point, local brasseries and auberges across the Ain department serve the regional product, but without Le Raisin's level of kitchen craft.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
