Restaurant in Rion-des-Landes, France
Regional bistro cooking, Michelin value, no fuss.
Maison Devaux holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) and a 4.9 Google rating in Rion-des-Landes, where chef Mathis Devaux cooks modern bistro food anchored in Landes produce at a €€ price point. The combination of critical recognition and accessible pricing makes it the clearest booking in the area for food-focused travellers passing through the southwest.
If you are driving through the Landes and weighing up a proper sit-down lunch against a roadside stop, Maison Devaux is the clear answer. Chef Mathis Devaux holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) and a 4.9 Google rating across 264 reviews, which is an unusually tight combination of critical recognition and sustained local approval. At a €€ price point, it sits well below the Bib Gourmand average in France's major cities, meaning the value-to-quality ratio here is difficult to match in this part of the southwest.
The room is warm and grounded rather than formal. Exposed beams, terracotta floor tiles, and a half-timbered exterior give it the feel of a building that has always been here. The atmosphere at lunch tends to be relaxed and conversational — the kind of room where noise levels stay low enough to talk, and where local regulars mix comfortably with visitors passing through the Landes. Crockery and tables are made by local craftspeople, which gives the space a considered, handmade quality without tipping into self-conscious rusticity. For a food-focused traveller, this kind of setting pays off: the room supports the cooking rather than competing with it.
Mathis Devaux cooks modern bistro food anchored in regional produce. Black Gascon pork, monkfish, and seasonal vegetables appear across the menu, prepared with a technique that exceeds what you would expect at this price tier. Dishes such as poached monkfish with fondant leeks, aioli, and black lemon zest, or a chocolate and fleur de sel Genoise sponge with vanilla mascarpone cream and cherry gelée, show a kitchen that is thinking carefully about texture and flavour balance rather than simply delivering comfort food. The Bib Gourmand recognises exactly this: serious cooking at accessible prices, not fine dining with shortcuts.
Maison Devaux rewards repeat visits. On a first visit, follow the structure of the menu as written and let the kitchen show you what the Landes larder looks like through Devaux's lens. The monkfish and any dish built around Gascon pork are the logical starting points, given that these are the ingredients the kitchen has the most direct access to and the most reason to cook well.
A second visit is the right time to push into the dessert course more deliberately. The Genoise sponge described in the Michelin notes points to a pastry sensibility that is worth exploring fully rather than treating as an afterthought. Ask what is on the menu that day before ordering, rather than defaulting to what you already know.
If you find yourself in the Landes a third time, this is a good venue to test against the season. The kitchen draws heavily on local produce, which means the menu shifts with what is available. A visit in autumn when Gascon pork and game are at their peak will feel different from a spring lunch built around lighter vegetables and fish. For a food traveller, that seasonal range is one of the more compelling reasons to return.
For context within France's broader dining landscape, Mirazur in Menton, Bras in Laguiole, and Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse all represent the upper end of regional French cooking with Michelin stars and corresponding price tags. Maison Devaux operates in a different register entirely: Bib Gourmand rather than starred, €€ rather than €€€ or above, and calibrated for a local audience as much as a travelling one. That is not a criticism. It means the experience is more immediate and less ceremonial, which for many diners is exactly the right trade.
Within the southwest specifically, Flocons de Sel and AM par Alexandre Mazzia represent the starred tier if you want to plan a larger culinary itinerary around the region. Maison Devaux works well as the accessible anchor in a trip that combines one or two higher-investment meals with several well-chosen bistro stops.
Planning more time in the area? See our full Rion-des-Landes restaurants guide, our full Rion-des-Landes hotels guide, and our full Rion-des-Landes experiences guide. For broader context on French regional dining, Troisgros in Ouches, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, and Assiette Champenoise in Reims are worth reading alongside this page.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maison Devaux | Housed in a half-timbered building that is typical of this part of France, this restaurant is the domain of Mathis Devaux. The son, grandson and nephew of chefs, you could say he was born into the profession. Expect a decor of terracotta floor tiles and exposed beams, with crockery and tables designed and made by local craftspeople. The chef concocts modern bistro cuisine, drawing on local produce (including black Gascon pork) in dishes such as poached monkfish, fondant leeks with aioli and zest of black lemon, or chocolate and fleur de sel Genoise sponge, vanilla mascarpone cream and a cherry gelée.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Kei | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| L'Ambroisie | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Mirazur | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
This is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant (2024) in a half-timbered building in Rion-des-Landes, run by chef Mathis Devaux, whose family background is in the profession across multiple generations. It prices at the €€ level, so expectations should be set accordingly: serious regional cooking in an unfussy room, not a formal tasting experience. If you are passing through the Landes, it is the most credentialled sit-down option in the area at this price point.
The kitchen draws on local Landes produce, with black Gascon pork a recurring feature on the menu. Dishes on record include poached monkfish with fondant leeks, aioli and black lemon zest, and a chocolate and fleur de sel Genoise sponge with vanilla mascarpone cream and cherry gelée. Follow the menu as structured rather than cherry-picking: the cooking is built around showcasing regional ingredients in sequence.
Maison Devaux holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which is specifically awarded for good cooking at a fair price, so value is a documented strength here. At the €€ price range, the kitchen's use of premium regional ingredients like black Gascon pork and fresh seafood makes the format a solid proposition. It is not a destination tasting experience in the way of a Michelin-starred restaurant, but for the price bracket it over-delivers on ingredient quality.
The room features terracotta floor tiles, exposed beams, and handmade local crockery, which sets a warm, grounded tone rather than a formal one. The Bib Gourmand designation at €€ pricing signals a relaxed bistro register. Neat, casual clothing is appropriate; there is no indication from the venue's character or price point that formal dress is expected.
It works well for a low-key celebration or a milestone lunch if the group values quality regional cooking over ceremony. The setting in a characterful half-timbered building with locally crafted tableware gives it more atmosphere than a standard bistro, but it is not a formal occasion restaurant. For a high-ceremony dinner, a Michelin-starred venue would be a better fit; for a meal that feels considered without being stiff, Maison Devaux is a good call.
Yes, by a clear margin in its category. The Michelin Bib Gourmand is awarded precisely for restaurants that offer quality above what the price suggests, and at €€ in the Landes, Maison Devaux uses ingredients like black Gascon pork and fresh monkfish that would cost considerably more in a city context. For the price bracket, the value case is as well-documented as it gets.
Rion-des-Landes is a small market town, so direct in-town alternatives at the same standard are limited. For Michelin-recognised cooking in the broader Landes and Gascony region, Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse (three stars) and Bras in Laguiole represent significantly higher price points and formality. If you want Bib Gourmand-level value in a similar format, Maison Devaux is currently the benchmark locally.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
