Restaurant in Tours, France
Michelin-recognised value in central Tours.
La Rissole holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 and a 4.5 Google rating across 223 reviews — making it one of the most credible €€ addresses in Tours. Located on the Place du Grand Marché, it is the practical first choice for a special occasion lunch or weekend meal in the city's old quarter, with easy booking and pricing that does not require a long justification.
Four and a half stars across 223 Google reviews, a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, and a €€ price point that sits comfortably within reach for a proper sit-down meal: La Rissole is one of the more persuasive arguments for eating well in Tours without committing to a serious splurge. It sits on the Place du Grand Marché, one of the city's most animated squares, which means the physical setting does real work before you've even looked at the menu.
The address alone frames the experience. The Place du Grand Marché is a wide, stone-paved square in the old quarter of Tours, the kind of space that fills with morning market activity and spills into outdoor terraces by midday. For a weekend brunch or a late-morning occasion meal, this is arguably the best-positioned restaurant in that part of the city. You are not hunting down a side street or decoding a no-signage door policy. The room is findable, the square is lively without being overwhelming, and the whole thing reads as a sensible choice for a celebratory lunch or a long weekend meal with someone you want to impress without alarming them with the bill.
La Rissole operates in the modern cuisine register, which in a French provincial city like Tours typically means a kitchen that respects classical technique while keeping the menu from feeling museum-like. The €€ pricing suggests a mid-range positioning: expect a two- or three-course lunch format at a reasonable per-head spend rather than an extended tasting menu experience. This is not the address for a four-hour degustati on event. It is the address for a well-executed, seasonal meal in a square that gives you every reason to linger over a second glass of Loire white afterwards.
The square setting also makes this a natural candidate for weekend brunch or a long Saturday lunch. The Place du Grand Marché attracts foot traffic throughout the morning, and a restaurant holding a Michelin Plate in this location is likely calibrated for a mixed clientele: locals who know the room well, visitors staying nearby, and the kind of occasional diner who books once a season for a birthday or an anniversary. The 4.5 Google rating across a meaningful sample of 223 reviews suggests the kitchen delivers consistency rather than occasional brilliance, which is exactly what you want when the meal matters.
For a special occasion in Tours at the €€ tier, La Rissole is the practical first choice. It carries more formal recognition than most of its price-equivalent neighbours and is located in a setting that makes the meal feel like an event without requiring a private dining room. If you are planning a birthday lunch, a post-wedding-weekend meal with family, or simply a date that needs to land well, this is the address to book. Booking difficulty is assessed as easy, which means you are unlikely to face the three-week lead time required at some of the city's more in-demand tables. Reserve a few days out and you should be fine, though weekends around market days on the Place du Grand Marché may fill faster than the week.
Tours punches above its size for serious eating. The Loire Valley's reputation as a wine and produce region means local restaurants have access to ingredients that restaurants in less well-positioned cities would pay considerably more for. Modern cuisine in this context usually means a menu that leans on that supply chain: river fish, local chevre, Loire Valley vegetables, and a wine list weighted toward the appellation neighbours of Vouvray, Chinon, and Bourgueil. La Rissole, as a Michelin Plate holder, is operating within that tradition with enough consistency to earn recognition two years running.
For context on what the Michelin Plate means: it is not a star, but it is a signal that inspectors have visited and found the cooking worth noting. In a city the size of Tours, that puts La Rissole in a specific tier: above the reliable neighbourhood bistro, below the full star-level ambition of somewhere like Les Bartavelles. It is, in practical terms, the sweet spot for a diner who wants the assurance of independent recognition without paying star-level prices. For broader context on where French modern cuisine sits at its ceiling, see venues like Arpège in Paris, Mirazur in Menton, or Maison Lameloise in Chagny. La Rissole is not competing at that register, but it is the version of that seriousness that Tours offers at an accessible price.
La Rissole is at 51 Place du Grand Marché, 37000 Tours. Booking is direct and availability is generally good, though weekend lunch slots fill faster given the square's foot traffic. The €€ price range makes it viable for most occasion budgets without the anxiety of a major financial commitment. Hours and a direct booking link are not confirmed in our current data, so check Google or local listing platforms to confirm service times before travelling. Dress code information is not available, but a Michelin Plate address on a market square in provincial France typically calls for smart casual: no need for a jacket, but the occasion merits more than trainers.
For more eating and drinking options across the city, see our full Tours restaurants guide, our full Tours bars guide, our full Tours hotels guide, our full Tours wineries guide, and our full Tours experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Rissole | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Casse-Cailloux | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Les Bartavelles | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Nobuki | Japanese | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| La Deuvalière | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Case. | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how La Rissole measures up.
Yes, it works well for solo diners. At a €€ price point with Michelin Plate recognition, it is the kind of address where eating alone at the bar or a small table feels comfortable rather than conspicuous. Tours' dining culture is generally relaxed about solo covers, and La Rissole's central location on Place du Grand Marché means you are a short walk from the city's main squares if you want to extend the evening.
The specific menu format and pricing are not confirmed in the available venue data, so we cannot give a firm verdict on the tasting menu specifically. What is clear is that La Rissole holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025 at a €€ price point, which suggests the kitchen is delivering at a level that justifies a structured meal. check the venue's official channels to confirm current menu options before booking around a specific format.
Specific dish details are not in the confirmed venue data, so we are not naming dishes here. La Rissole operates in the modern cuisine register in a Loire Valley city with strong access to regional produce, which typically signals a kitchen working with seasonal, local ingredients. Ask the team what is running currently when you book — that conversation tends to tell you a lot about how engaged a kitchen is.
Yes, with some caveats. Two consecutive Michelin Plates at a €€ price point make it a solid choice for a low-pressure celebration — the kind where you want the food to feel considered without the bill becoming the talking point. For a landmark event where you need private room options or a guaranteed wow factor, you would want to confirm capacity and setup directly with the restaurant before committing.
No specific dietary policy is documented in the venue data. For anything allergy-critical, check the venue's official channels before booking — this is non-negotiable at any venue regardless of its Michelin status. Modern cuisine kitchens generally adapt more readily than traditional format restaurants, but do not assume.
At a €€ price point with a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, La Rissole is one of the stronger value cases in Tours. Michelin recognition at this price bracket is uncommon — you are getting a kitchen the guide considers worth flagging without paying fine-dining prices. Compared to spending the same money at an unrecognised address, this is the easier call.
Casse-Cailloux and Les Bartavelles are the most direct comparisons for accessible, serious eating in Tours. La Deuvalière sits a tier above on formality and price. Nobuki is the option if you want to step outside French cuisine entirely. Case. is worth considering if you are after a more casual format. La Rissole's Michelin Plate gives it a credential edge over most mid-price alternatives in the city.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
