Restaurant in Saint-Emilion, France
Michelin-recognised cooking at a mid-range price.
A Michelin Plate modern cuisine table at the €€ price tier, Le Tertre is the most accessible Michelin-recognised restaurant in Saint-Émilion, backed by a 4.8 Google score across 926 reviews. Book it when you want serious cooking without the outlay of the town's €€€€ alternatives — and save the budget difference for a good bottle of Saint-Émilion.
At the €€ price tier, Le Tertre sits in a comfortable position for Saint-Émilion: this is not the splurge option, but it is not a casual wine-bar lunch either. You are looking at a modern cuisine kitchen that has held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 — the Plate designation meaning Michelin inspectors consider the cooking good enough to flag, even if it has not yet reached star level. For a first-timer to Saint-Émilion who wants a proper sit-down meal without committing to a four-figure dinner, Le Tertre is a credible answer. The question is whether the service and the overall experience justify the positioning, and on that point the numbers are instructive: a 4.8 rating across 926 Google reviews is not a sample you can dismiss. That kind of volume at that score points to a kitchen and floor that are consistently getting the fundamentals right.
Le Tertre is at 5 Rue du Tertre de la Tente in Saint-Émilion, a town compact enough that almost everything is walkable from the centre. The address puts you within the historic village, which means the setting carries the ambient weight of one of France's most visited wine appellations without requiring you to pay for a chateau dining room to feel that context. For a visitor arriving for the first time, that matters: you get the Saint-Émilion atmosphere at a price point that leaves room in the budget for a serious bottle of wine , which, in this region, is arguably the more important decision anyway.
The cuisine type is listed as Modern Cuisine, which in the French context at this price tier typically means a seasonal menu built around regional produce, plated with care but without the architectural excess of higher-end tasting menus. Do not arrive expecting a six-course progression with an amuse-bouche parade. Do expect a focused menu where the kitchen has made deliberate choices about what to cook. For a first-timer, this format is easier to navigate than a lengthy tasting menu: you order, you eat, the pacing is controlled. The Michelin Plate signals that at least one inspector has sat down and found the cooking worth noting , that is a meaningful quality floor, not a guarantee of a transcendent evening, but a reasonable assurance that the kitchen is not coasting.
On service: at the €€ tier with Michelin recognition, Le Tertre is in the zone where service should be attentive and informed without the formality of a starred room. The 4.8 Google score across nearly a thousand reviews suggests the floor is meeting expectations consistently , low scores from service failures tend to drag aggregate scores down sharply, and that is not happening here. For a first-timer, that consistency matters more than the occasional outstanding interaction: you want a room where the staff know the menu and can talk about wine, not a room where you have to manage the experience yourself.
Saint-Émilion runs a pronounced seasonal rhythm. The town peaks during harvest (roughly September and October), the summer wine-tourism months (June through August), and around major tastings earlier in the year. During these windows, a Michelin-recognised table at an accessible price point books faster than it might appear from the outside. For peak-season visits, booking two to three weeks ahead is a reasonable minimum; for harvest season specifically, aim for four weeks or more. The good news is that Le Tertre's booking difficulty is rated as Easy, which means that outside of peak windows , a weekday lunch in spring or a mid-November visit, for example , you are unlikely to be shut out even with shorter notice. If your travel dates are fixed and fall in summer or harvest, book as soon as your plans are confirmed. If you have flexibility, a mid-week reservation gives you the leading chance at a relaxed room and attentive service.
There is no listed booking method in the available data, so the practical approach is to check for an online reservation system via the restaurant directly, or to visit in person if you are already in Saint-Émilion , for an Easy-difficulty venue, a walk-in inquiry on arrival is not unreasonable outside of peak dates.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates at the €€ price point is a strong signal. For context, the other Michelin-recognised modern cuisine tables in Saint-Émilion , including Logis de la Cadène, Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot, and La Table de Pavie , operate at the €€€€ tier. Le Tertre delivers Michelin-noted cooking at a materially lower outlay. That gap is the core of the value case. If your budget requires a choice between a Michelin Plate at €€ and a Michelin star at €€€€, the question becomes whether the additional quality at the leading end justifies doubling or tripling your spend. For most first-timers to Saint-Émilion, it does not , especially when a significant portion of any Saint-Émilion visit budget should reasonably be allocated to wine. Le Tertre lets you eat well and drink well without forcing a compromise.
For those interested in how Michelin Plate cooking compares across France more broadly, the Plate designation appears at tables ranging from regional bistros to serious modern kitchens one step below star level , you can find comparable ambition at Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern and Bras in Laguiole at different price and prestige levels. Within Saint-Émilion, Le Tertre holds its own as the accessible entry point into recognised modern cooking in the appellation.
Explore more options across the region with our full Saint-Émilion restaurants guide, or plan your broader trip with our guides to Saint-Émilion hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences.
Yes, at the €€ tier with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.8 Google score across 926 reviews, the value case is clear. You are getting Michelin-recognised modern cooking at a price point well below most comparable tables in Saint-Émilion. If you want to spend more and get more, Logis de la Cadène is the natural step up , but Le Tertre justifies itself on its own terms.
No specific dietary restriction policy is listed in the available data. The practical approach is to contact the restaurant directly when booking , modern cuisine kitchens at this recognition level generally accommodate requests, but confirm in advance rather than arriving and hoping. This is especially relevant for tasting menu formats where the kitchen plans ahead.
For the same price tier with a different style, L'Envers du Décor offers traditional cuisine at €€ , better for a wine-bar format than a sit-down modern meal. For a step up in ambition, L'Huitrier Pie operates at €€€ with modern cuisine. For the full splurge, Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot and La Table de Pavie are both at €€€€.
Yes, with qualifications. At €€ with Michelin recognition and a near-perfect Google score, it delivers a credible special-occasion meal without the financial pressure of a €€€€ table. If the occasion calls for an overtly grand setting or a longer tasting menu format, Château Grand Barrail or Les Belles Perdrix offer more theatrical surroundings. For a smaller group wanting good food and a well-chosen wine without the ceremony, Le Tertre is a sensible choice.
No bar seating information is available in the current data. For a venue at this format and price tier in a French appellation town, a dedicated bar counter is not the default expectation , arrive planning to sit at a table. If bar seating matters, confirm directly before booking.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so outside of peak windows you have flexibility. For summer visits (June to August) and harvest season (September to October), two to four weeks ahead is prudent. For shoulder-season visits or mid-week lunches in spring or autumn, shorter notice is generally manageable. If your dates are fixed, book early regardless of season , it costs nothing and removes uncertainty.
No specific tasting menu format or pricing is confirmed in the available data, so a direct verdict is not possible here. What is confirmed: the kitchen holds a Michelin Plate at the €€ tier, which suggests focused, quality-led cooking. If a tasting menu is available, the Michelin recognition at this price point makes it worth considering , but verify the format and price directly with the restaurant before booking around it.
Three things. First, the price-to-quality ratio is the main reason to choose it: Michelin Plate cooking at €€ is a meaningful gap below the €€€€ alternatives in town. Second, Saint-Émilion is a wine town , budget accordingly and let the restaurant guide you on local pairings. Third, book in advance if you are visiting in peak season; Easy booking difficulty does not mean walk-in guaranteed during July, August, or harvest. Arrive with a reservation and the rest takes care of itself.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Tertre | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Logis de la Cadène | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| La Table de Pavie | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| L'Huitrier Pie | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| L'Envers du Décor | Traditional Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) at the €€ price tier is a strong value signal for Saint-Émilion, where Michelin-recognised alternatives typically run to €€€ or higher. You are getting recognised kitchen quality without the full fine-dining spend. If your budget stretches to €€€€, Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot is the step up — but for most visitors, Le Tertre is the sharper call.
No dietary restriction policy is confirmed in the available data. check the venue's official channels at the time of booking — in a kitchen operating at Michelin Plate level in a mid-size appellation town, advance notice is the standard approach and gives the team the best chance to accommodate you.
At the same €€ tier, L'Envers du Décor runs a wine-bar format better suited to casual lunches than a structured sit-down dinner. L'Huitrier Pie focuses on seafood at €€ and is worth considering if that is your preference over modern cuisine. For a step up in formality and price, Logis de la Cadène and Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot are the Michelin-starred options in the area. La Table de Pavie rounds out the local modern cuisine choices if Le Tertre is fully booked.
Yes, with a practical caveat. At €€ with two consecutive Michelin Plates, it delivers a credible special-occasion meal without the four-figure bill that a starred table in the region would carry. It is the right call if you want a memorable dinner that does not require treating the occasion as a financial event. For a milestone where the room and the service theatre matter as much as the food, Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot is the more immersive option.
Bar seating is not confirmed in the available data. For a Michelin Plate modern cuisine venue at the €€ tier in Saint-Émilion, a dedicated bar counter is not standard format — expect a conventional table-service arrangement. If bar-style flexibility matters to you, L'Envers du Décor at the same price tier is the more appropriate choice.
Outside peak periods, booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a week or two of lead time is generally sufficient. For summer visits (June to August) and harvest season (September to October), book at least three to four weeks ahead — Saint-Émilion's wine-tourism calendar compresses availability across all price tiers during those windows. The address at 5 Rue du Tertre de la Tente puts it within the core of town, which means foot-traffic demand is real even on shoulder dates.
No specific tasting menu format or pricing is confirmed in the available data, so a direct verdict is not possible. What is confirmed is that the kitchen holds two consecutive Michelin Plates at the €€ price tier — if a tasting format is available, the price-to-quality ratio is likely favourable by Saint-Émilion standards. Check directly with the restaurant before booking if the menu format matters to your decision.
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