La Belle Epoque - Saint-Jean-de-Monts

Good friendly service on arrival. Efficient traditional bistro menu. Coptic services. The meat was excellent! Although it was one of the busiest times of the year, staff served quickly and looked at our needs.

We always manage to stumble on at least one jewel every holiday and the Belle Epoque was this time. The food was great and while we arrived early in the evening and ate with our children, it soon filled with older couples and diners and... we were not sure how the only family, if we were a little disturbing for other diners. However, the staff were so friendly with the children and served a high-quality meal for all of us.

We had a group of over 10 friends and family looking for a table without a reservation on an evening and La Belle Époque was the only place we could find. Unfortunately it became apparent why... It took an age for the waiters to take...a drinks order and then 20 minutes to serve just the drinks! The service was extremely slow and had us looking round for attention regularly. The food didn't fair much better either. The steaks were extremely tough and the mussels the worst we've had in all our restaurant visits in SJDM. I ordered Cappacio Beef and it came absolutely smothered in green pesto, which I couldn't understand at all and deterred from the flavour of the beef Positives. The setting is great and the beers (Kwak) were enjoyable in their traditional serving glasses but We would not be returning.

This used to be one of my favourite restaurants, specially for duck. This year on ordering duck breast, there's no mistaking from shape and taste, that we were served something else we suspect liver (which was not on the menu). While I like liver,...I do not like to be taken for a fool and will not therefore be visiting again, what a shame.

Ice is well presented but of medium quality. They don't know the ice content well.