L'Alliance - Amboise

Joli cadre et bonne expérience culinaire. Tout était très bon avec un seul petit bémol pour le plat adulte qui était moins copieux que le plat du menu enfant... cherchez l'erreur... ce qui a motivé le 4 étoiles. J'y reviendrai si je retourne à Amboise.

Non -French speaking people are not welcome in this restaurant. We arrived at 7:15, ordered our food and by 9:20 we had not received our first course but at 9:30 we were presented with our main course with no explanation. We had inquired as to the status of our first course at 8:45 and the waitress just shrugged her shoulders and said she did not know understand English . Suffice it to say, we left euros to pay for our two glasses of wine and walked out very hungry. They made no attempt to understand us. We were the first people in the restaurant. Many other customers came in after us and were served their full orders in a normal timely fashion. We cannot comment on the food because we never received anything that we ordered. Non-French speaking people should NEVER go there. I rarely speak badly of restaurants but feel that people need to be warned about this horrible experience. Amen!

Quiet location on the Rue Joyeuse this is one of the few really good restaurants in Amboise open on a Monday night. We were there last week and had a delicious meal in the garden. Most tables were full outside and even inside was quite busy, not many tourists - most were French. I had the salmon main course and my husband had a filet steak which was cooked exactly as he asked for. The cheese trolley was amazing - fantastic selection. The service was good, did not hurry you but were not slow either and overall the food and wine were really good, a little more expensive than some but definitely worth it.

It's interesting how a great meal can be compromised by the aesthetics and attitude. The food really was very good, everything we had. But when you are at a meal for 2+ hours, those other mentions contribute greatly (at least to us). The restaurant feels cold, like it's an old hotel lobby or a small cafeteria. Some tables have glass round tops, which seemed out of place in this old city. It just didn't feel charming or cozy at all. The two women who work the restaurant seemed hurried at all times, shuffling around, even when we were the last people in the place. Not warm at all, just half smiles in an obligatory way. No English is understood, so you might get something not as you expect. Wine options were limited.

Hidden away a little from the main town centre, this restaurant provides top quality food at a reasonable price.