Auberge des Acacias - Dureil

I cant rate this restaurant highly enough. It is in a magical setting, right in the countryside. The tables outside are set around huge trees and next to the herb garden, where the fresh herbs are used in the dishes. The food was sublime.. I ordered fish but next time I will go veggie as the vegetables and herbs were incredible. The service was excellent, the lady who served our table had really excellent English, which always helps if your French isn't up to scratch.

We made a reservation as we knew there are not many covers. Although we were expected and came on time, we entered and stood waiting for a few minutes before giving up on a greeting and went and sat at a table. It is reasonable...for a small restaurant to have a short menu and it was. The wine was local and good. The food wasn't very good really. It was unusual in the way ingredients were combined and I suspect the chef might retort that we are unused to his food. Well, perhaps. We have eaten in many places over our lives so far and we are usually up for something new. But sometimes odd combinations just aren't very nice. There was one other couple dining o not much conviviality. The chef himself came to take our orders and brought the food. I think it was his wife who helped also. They were both pleasant and friendly. We went in the hope of finding somewhere a bit special we might take friends but this isn't one we'd risk.

This marvellous little restaurant tucked away in tiny village of Dureil, just south of Le Mans, is a true gem. It is so hard to find, even when you're almost there ! So persevere.. and you'll find the little doorway into the building and its...beautiful al fresco outdoor area, very near the Sarthe river and its canal boat tie up area. Opening times and days should be checked beforehand... their website is very good. I'm loathe to review this place in case it gets too well known, but feel I have a duty to do so. Incidentally... The food and prices are great too.!

We were four couples having chartered two canal boats in the Anjou area of France. The cruising guide for the area suggested restaurants for all nautical stops. We checked them out using other sources including TripAdvisor and then made our reservations. This restaurant was not...listed in most of the regular sources but they had a website that intrigued us, so I contacted them by email and confirmed a reservation. We tied up to a smalll dock nearby and walked into this little hamlet that had a church but no stores and this small restaurant with a big garden where they grew many of the vegetables and herbs they used. We were seated in pergola in the garden, the only customers that evening. The menu was quite limited so between the eight of us we must have ordered everything and all were very satisfied. This is unusual. I started with a most creative sea food salad with all sorts of herbs from the garden. Very good! That followed with pork in a cream sauce, mushrooms and various vegetables. Desert was also imaginative and excellent. After dinner we were all so pleased that we asked for the chef to congratulate him. If you are ever in Sarthe, or navigating the Sarthe river, do yourself a favor and go to this restaurant.

I cant rate this restaurant highly enough. It is in a magical setting, right in the countryside. The tables outside are set around 2 huge trees and next to the herb garden, where the fresh herbs are used in the dishes.The food was sublime - I ordered fish but next time I will go veggie as the vegetables and herbs were incredible. The service was excellent, the lady who served our table had really excellent English, which always helps if your French isn't up to scratch.