13 Best Restaurants in Avignon and the Vaucluse, Provence

A mere six months after chef Christophe Chiavola’s arrival at this romantic, vine-clad dining room, Michelin bestowed a coveted star. Now the restaurant draws diners from Avignon and far beyond for a refined seasonal menu featuring top-quality local meat, fish, shellfish, and produce in dishes that are prepared with a Mediterranean flair and incorporate luxurious touches. Whether you’re seated inside or out on the flowery garden terrace, you’ll enjoy one of the best meals in town.

Set in a leafy enclave, on a bustling old town street, this tiny jewel is one of  L'Isles’ best-kept secrets. The menu may be short, but that’s because the chef focuses on selecting the best local, seasonal ingredients as well as on creating picture-perfect presentations. Expect dishes like cod with orange-braised endive and beurre blanc or slow-roasted spiced veal with spinach and Parmesan. With seating for only 18, reservations are a must.

At this gastropub hot spot in the heart of the city, chef Julien Gleize applies light, playful, modern touches to dishes that are steeped in French tradition, made with local ingredients, and beautifully presented. Options might include rabbit farci perfumed with wild cèpes and served over a cloud of whipped potatoes and shallot confit or wild salmon caramelized in olive oil with watercress, black sesame seeds, and luscious cream of corn.

The elegant La Mère Germaine restaurant earned a Michelin star within seven months of reopening as part of the hotel of the same name, and now, with chef Adrien Soro at the helm, it has further refined its locavore offerings. Dishes on the seasonal, five-course menus (€98 at lunch, €118 at dinner) might include celery root and shredded truffle ravioli with fermented shiitake or melt-in-your-mouth quail suprème with almond hummus and artichoke hearts. Settle in for an afternoon or evening, either in the dining room with its charming frescoes or out on the terrace with its sweeping views.

Chef Christophe Bacquié spent a dozen years at the renowned Hotel & Spa de Castellet, where he earned three Michelin stars, before he and his wife, Alexandra, set off on their own in 2022. Now Alexandra presides over their welcoming restaurant (which won its second Michelin star in 2024) and chambres d'hôtes (guest rooms), set amid vineyards and lavender fields, and the chef is just as likely to serve your amuse-bouche as he is to whisk away your plate—and then ask you what you thought. You'll visit the cellar to choose your wine before feasting on a succession of sophisticated dishes made with ingredients like trout from the nearby Sorgue River, vegetables straight from the kitchen garden, or Alpilles lamb raised on garrigue herbs. Though the menu is prix-fixe only, the chef is happy to adapt dishes as needed.

Set in a quiet, leafy courtyard a few steps from the Collection Lambert, this is a good place to enjoy fresh, unfussy, reasonably priced dishes paired with local wines and served by a friendly staff. The pretty dining room's bucolic frescoes set the tone for a cuisine based on whatever's fresh.

The more elegant sister to Mathieu Desmaret's locavore mecca, Pollen, this dining room set in a 14th-century cloister attracts a chic, upscale crowd that fits right in with the stunning decor. You'll find all the flair and precision that put this talented chef on the foodie map, but with an Asian touch in dishes like candied beets with miso yogurt and kumquat or roasted pollack with lemongrass, ginger, and lacquered leeks. For a more casual meal of appetizers and wine, with many options available by the glass, head to the wine bar and grab a seat inside or out on the beautiful cobbled terrace; there's also a cocktail bar with a menu of creative libations.

Tourists are given as hearty a welcome as the locals who favor this colorful eatery, set in the one-time residence of the Counts of Toulouse and known for its convivial atmosphere, friendly staff, reasonable prices, and lovely terrace. The fixed-price lunch menus are particularly good deals, and for dinner, Thursday night features tapas, and Friday and Saturday night highlight refined dishes that make for romantic meals.

A 200-plus wine list is a big highlight of this restaurant and bar à vins, yet the main focus is squarely on the food. Beautiful to behold and even better to eat, the Mediterranean-inspired dishes flaunt the bounty of Provence in options like beef carpaccio, sliced razor-thin and served with shaved Parmesan and crispy house frites; a tender zucchini tartlette with chèvre and herbes de Provence; or a salad of heirloom tomatoes, bufala mozzarella, Serrano ham, and basil sorbet. A laid-back atmosphere, friendly staff, spacious outdoor terrace, and excellent prices make this a top choice.

This chic new bistro, a hit among locals, was designed with all the care and taste as the nearby Hôtel La Mère Germaine. On cool days, you can relax in its light-filled dining room and watch preparations in the open kitchen; in warm weather, you can sit on the terrace and take in the endless vineyard views. Chef Clément Peine's pleasing dishes rely on seasonal, local products, and the superb wine list offers all the highlights from this wine-centric region.

The name is a reference to Louis XIV’s botanist, who was born in the town of Mane in 1660, and it clues you in on what's to come at this Michelin-starred restaurant just south of Forqualcier—namely, refined, locally sourced dishes fit for a king. Chef Louis Gachet honed his formidable skills in France’s most prestigious kitchens and is renowned for his innovative, healthful yet sumptuous dishes.

This restaurant, bistro, pastry and chocolate shop, tea salon, bar, boutique, and olive-oil mill all wrapped into one is set in a 650-year-old stone building. The enclosed garden is a go-to place in town for lunch or dinner as well as for coffee and dessert or after-dinner drinks. Oh, and did we mention there’s a spa, too?

If wine and truffles are your thing, get thee to this temple of gastronomic bliss in the form of tuber melanosporum or aestivum, depending on the season. Fresh dishes at this lunch-only restaurant exalt the fungi-perfumed bounty of Provence. Start with a velvety pumpkin velouté with truffle butter followed by ravioli stuffed with succulent wild cèpes or a truffle-flecked omelet. Even the cheese course (truffled chèvre chaud) and desserts (caramelized apple with black truffle) are shroomy. Prices are reasonable, with a two-course €27 menu, and two three-course all-truffle menus for €47 and €59. Wines are a big deal here, too: the lovely 17th-century stone building serves as a school for oenephiles, a wine library, a museum, and a boutique where local wines can be purchased. Tastings and courses on wine and truffles are held daily; check website for details.