Relais des Chaux

Is it Adrien Descouls's native region of Auvergne that inspires his ever-so-fresh cuisine? Just outside Issoire, in this modern building perched next to a 14C castle, the chef demonstrates his talents without going over the top: savvy choice of ingredients, ability to showcase the local terroir (and the kitchen garden!) and a youthful energy that sometimes moves mountains. His pared-back contemporary style is underpinned by true technical skill, as seen in dishes such as golden trout steak with an oxidative Chardonnay sabayon and watercress. As you eat, drink in the magnificent view from the d

"The Auvergne I want you to meet is the one we encounter and pick every morning in our mountains, meadows and forests." The words of local lad Xavier Beaudiment are far from platitudes. Le Pré celebrates the quintessence of its region through cuisine that is both instinctive and poetic. Frog’s legs, pike, foie gras and rabbit are lovingly and enthusiastically crafted and paired with some 200 plants and wild herbs picked at the foot of the volcanoes or in the establishment’s own herb garden. All of which is washed down with a knock-out wine list.

Quentin Brunet (formerly of Polypode) welcomes diners confidently and warmly to this Ostal (house in the local dialect). You will be seated in a snug dining room (seating for twenty) appointed in a smart, contemporary vibe with natural materials. The several-course set menu showcases the chef’s creativity and culinary skill: Breton langoustine, horseradish-laced seaweed tartare; free-range guinea fowl with cèpes and butternut; blueberry dessert with fermented milk and oxalis. A spot-on lineup in the zeitgeist.

Bang in the city centre, on the first floor of Saint Pierre Market, this swanky restaurant enjoys a lofty location. The stylish venue sports a series of beautifully appointed contemporary dining rooms and exquisite tableware. Chef Arkadiusz Zuchmanski, of Polish extraction, decided to move to France to fortify a vocation that took root in the kitchen of his forebears. He confesses an unbridled passion for noble ingredients and for Auvergne, which reminds him of the landscapes of his home city, Drzewica. The focus is on visually striking plating and honest, simply crafted ingredients, such as f

Rather than a summons to a hearing, this restaurant near the courthouse extends an invitation to foodies! Jean-Claude Leclerc has been running this popular Clermont-Ferrand restaurant for over two decades. The chef delivers his balanced and assured take on seasonal classical cuisine in an elegant contemporary setting. The dishes are unapologetically indulgent, as illustrated by the beef tournedos with Périgueux sauce and melt-in-the-mouth potatoes with Cantal cheese, or the sea bass with gently braised savoy cabbage and black truffle.

From the upper reaches of town, this attractive hotel dating from the 1930s broadcasts a non-stop resounding tribute to the electro-magnetic waves and the triode vacuum tube that made the invention of the talkies and the wireless possible. Its Art Deco decor has lost none of its splendour – mosaic flooring, decorative wrought iron and a marriage of glass and mirrors. In the kitchen, chef Wilfrid Chaplain mixes influences from his native Normandy and his adopted Auvergne, drawing out their gentle, little-explored harmonies. Technically proficient, he creates ambitious, subtle and delicate cuisi

Built on old fortifications, this pleasant restaurant lies at the heart of a wine-growing village that produces Boudes, one of the five wines of Auvergne's vineyards. Christian Coutarel, a jovial chef, works away in the kitchen preparing generous and flavoursome traditional cuisine, without ruling out more modern dishes.