11 Best Restaurants in The Dordogne, France

No detective work is needed to find this popular spot—just follow the trail of local gourmands who make a beeline to this classic Périgord restaurant for its delicious cuisine and romantic ambience. Set in Périgeux's old town, you'll dine under vaulted stone walls almost as old as the Saint-Front cathedral a few steps away. Be sure to order the house-made foie gras served with passion fruit confiture or roasted duck breast with caramelized apples and cassis-"perfumed" spring vegetables. Everything here is homemade and seasonal so the menu changes frequently. Be sure to reserve ahead.

A scenic 10-minute drive from the Grotte du Grand-Roc, this proudly authentic restaurant deep in the Périgord countryside is the perfect finale to a day of exploring. Guests are whisked to a long table to feast on seasonal dishes, many hunted or foraged from the chef's property. Prepare yourself for nettle soup; heaping platters of house-cured ham; wild boar terrine with homemade cornichons; confit de canard with forest cèpes; beef cheeks stewed in local red wine; and a hearty walnut cake topped with elderberry, rose, or pine confiture—all for €44, including all the wine you can drink, coffee, and a digestif. It's truly an experience not to be missed, for a price that can't be beat.

Picturesquely set in the old town, near the cathedral, this chic Michelin-starred restaurant is a big draw for foodies from near and far. Though unanimously lauded as one of the area's best restaurants, L'Essentiel won't give you an ounce of attitude, just excellent, market-fresh cuisine emphasizing the local delicacies—truffles, asparagus, duck, foie gras, chestnuts, and more—served with a smile. Though prices are reasonable for this superior quality, especially the fixed price menus at lunch and dinner.

In the heart of old Bergerac, this restaurant is full of character with beamed ceilings, openwork stone, brick walls, design lighting, and plush chairs. The lunch and dinner menus, which change with the seasons, are good values, considering you can start with such delights as warm oysters with saffron or a skewer of langoustine with honey and rosemary, and then move on, perhaps, to ravioli in a citron sauce. The cobbled outdoor terrace is the place to be when the weather is nice.

This contemporary, centrally located restaurant draws gastronomes from near and far with its top-notch seasonal menu. Jean-François Dive's creative market-driven cuisine features artfully presented dishes with a knack for highlighting the natural goodness of vegetables—scallops simmered in celery and endive with chestnut puree and cèpe oil, or poached foie gras with a truffle-infused consommé of Jerusalem artichoke and fennel. The elegant, contemporary dining room is tranquil and relaxing, and the large outdoor terrace offers pleasant views of the square. If you're lucky enough to be here during truffle season, the all-truffle menu is well worth the splurge.

Exposed beams, stone walls, and rustic tomette tiles assure a picturesque dining experience at this 1846 stone grange set among pretty gardens 3 km (2 miles) outside Cahors. But the real spirit of the place lies in the menu of deeply traditional French favorites: pig's cheeks, truffle omelet, beef onglet (hanger steak), local lamb, and Rocamador cheeses, all accompanied by Cahors wine. Despite the soaring ceilings, it's a cozy place, made all the cozier by friendly service and happy diners from near and far.

Cahors's finest dining establishment is befittingly set within the medieval Château de Mercuès, where you'll enjoy eye-popping views of the Lot Valley as you tuck into your gourmet meal. Here traditional technique meets contemporary cuisine in the able hands of chef Clément Costes, who pays homage to the bounty of the Lot Valley in dishes highlighting local flavors like black truffles and cèpes, house-made foie gras, Quercy saffron and lamb, and, of course, the best Cahors Malbec wines. When the weather is nice, the terrace in the main courtyard is a lovely place to dine and take in the views.

Chef Richard Lequet creates a cuisine of rare refinement, served in the sleek contemporary dining room of his eponymous hotel or on a spacious terrace in the heart of a wooded park. Trained in top kitchens around France, Lequet was the youngest chef in Limoges to be awarded a Michelin star. It’s a delight to go from dinner to your room, but even if you’re not a hotel guest, a meal here is a must when visiting the region.

A timeless atmosphere and delicious, great-value cuisine are the hallmarks of this family-owned restaurant and inn set in a charming 17th-century house that's been serving traditional Périgord specialties for more than 50 years. Tuck into terrine of foie gras with homemade chutney, roast leg of Quercy lamb, or Pyrénées trout served gravlax-style with dill, pink peppercorns, and preserved ginger, before finishing with a perfect cheese plate favoring the local goat cheeses. At €24 for a three-course lunch, it's a value too good to pass up.

You can't miss this restaurant's bright red facade that faces the town's covered market (the origin of many of the ingredients of your meal here). A place that takes "locally sourced" seriously, you'll find not only the names but the French zip codes for each item on the menu: white asparagus from Mr. Duret with Périgord walnuts; foie gras from Cahors-based Maison Rougié; and butter from Maison Baechler, all the way to your after-dinner espresso. But the real test of quality is on the plate, a test this warm contemporary dining room passes with flying colors.

This Michelin-starred dining room at the heights of Montbazillac is the region's best bet for a satisfying gourmet meal. Add the exceptional prices on the prix-fixe menus and beautiful panoramic views from both inside and out, and it's well worth making a detour. Dishes—Saint-Pierre fish in shellfish butter with French caviar, salicorne, and preserved lemon; carré de boeuf with beef-cheek raviolis in a sauce of fresh shaved truffles, buttery multicolor carrots, and citrus-lacquer beets—are scrumptious and beautifully presented. Desserts sound so good it's hard to choose, but you can't go wrong with a towering Grand Marnier soufflé. If you don't feel like getting back in the car, the domaine's four hotel rooms and three lodges are the cherry on the cake.