Auberge de l'Empereur - Ussel

I was invited and recommended to this restaurant by a friend. You don't think that there is a nice restaurant in this place if you just walk by it. When you come in, you get a completely different impression. The restaurant has a very nice...atmosphere. The staff is very professional and very friendly. The kitchen is fantastic and the food is delicious. I would like to go there again for dinner when I come to Ussel. Highly recommended!

Wonderful setting, great food, wonderful service and fantastic ambiences. Must book in advance. The menus are well balanced. The wine list is greta for such a small restaurant tables).

Tucked away behind an industrial estate on the south-western outskirts of Ussel, (exit off autoroute) is this delightful country auberge. On a Saturday in late May there were only two other couples enjoying an unpretentious but good quality lunch under the...shade of a leafy terrace. We were offered choices between two starters (opted for home-smoked salmon and asparagus), two main courses (escalope of veal or cod), cheese and a couple of desserts. All were excellent and the total bill was a very reasonable per head. I would suggest booking ahead, not because it is busy, but if there are no other diners booked in I suspect the auberge might not open they certainly wouldn't expect any passing trade! We look forward to returning to this remote spot again!

We were with a group of for dinner for a nice get together. Atmosphere is perfect and the dinner even better. All in the good hands of the host Nathalie. Perfect!

The restaurant is located in the countryside, outside Ussel, in a tiny hameau'. To get there we had to pass roundabout's and an industrial/ business area, which makes you feel you are on the wrong track. Once you are standing in front of the...old farmhouse, you will not recognize the restaurant at first glance. (Only when we left the place we noticed the large, but very thin lettering on the outside wall However a small nameplate indicated we were at the correct address. Only when we climbed the outside steps, we saw the small terrace with the set outside tables, in the shade of the patio. Everything looked nice and welcoming. All China, glassware and cutlery on the tables is not matching, but still goes together very nicely. The inside restaurant is also very nice, but we choose an outside table. We visited on a Sunday, with a reservation. The terrace gradually filled up with French customers. The restaurant offered a couple of day specials, next to the choices of the card. Every dish was made with care and had lots of small, pleasant surprises as you may expect of a restaurant with a Michelin spoon and fork'. We drank an excellent Bergerac dry white wine. It was a wonderful culinary adventure trip. The friendly ladies served us pleasantly. The only minus points come for the comfort of the chairs with the flimsy pillows on them. After a while you become very aware of the steel hard seats.