Auberge Lou Courtal des Vidals - Fitou

Ate outside in week without booking for 6 but needed to have booked to eat outside at weekend. Greatest buffet for starter or mains. Main course from menu extensive choice but limited for vegetarians. Really recommend it.

We were very much looking forward to our meal here but left feeling very disappointed. The service is amateurish at best. We love to sit for hours in a restaurant but when a lot of that is just waiting for your order to be taken or your wine to arrive or someone to bring the salt it wears a bit thin. So, the best bet here is the set menus that have a buffet starter and dessert with a choice of main course. Theres plenty of food but my issue is one of sacrificing quality over quantity-. Its all pretty dull and mediocre fair - even the specials ( terrine and cod which were less than average, my 13 year old could have done better). The price we paid was 28.50 euros per head plus wine and soft drinks fir the kids. In a harvester we'd have paid less than half of that for better food. As for the ambience and the old boy with the saxaphone - nowhere to be found. Dont bother with this restaurant on your holiday .

Other people in my party like this place so much we went back twice. I was not as impressed. The courtyard is lovely but the tables feel a bit packed in. Inside was more spacious but not as nice as outside.The owner greets everyone like old friends and this is the focus and charm of the restaurant.There is an extensive buffet, but as a pescatarian I struggle with buffets and meat is added to so many dishes. There were lots of fish dishes but not so many vegetarian dishes. The set menus were more limited for fish eaters but meat eaters had lots of choiceOn the second visit, there was a long wait for the desert as they were too busy (Friday night).The young lady that served us for the first part of our meal did not speak much English but that dis not stop her trying to communicate and be helpful.

We never fail to pay a visit to Vidals on our trips to Fitou. The menu for 2017 has changed a little but the amazing buffet is still as good as ever. Sadly it was a bit too windy to sit in the courtyard this time but the atmosphere inside is very good. Three of our party had the buffet to start and I resisted the temptation in favour of waiting for my main course. All ordered the fillet steak and enjoyed a decent sized piece of meat which was cooked exactly as ordered. As ever, grandpa entertained us with his saxophone and all in all we had a great night.

Our second visit. When you know this is a happy, casual place and it's best to take advantage of the wonderful buffet and wine - you've made it. Delicious food. And wine I stock up on to remind me of the warmth of this area.