L'Hippocampe - Vichy

Another visit to this specialist restaurant and the food is as good as the last time. Excellent Lobster set Menu. BUT and it is a big BUT, the service is as slo... read more Another visit to this specialist restaurant and the food is as good as the last time. Excellent Lobster set Menu. BUT and it is a big BUT, the service is as slow as ever. Our meal took 3 hours for four courses and we only...received our simple starter after some 45 minutes. The food can't be criticised, but the extraordinarily slow wait time and poor communication does affect and impact on the whole dinning experience which could be so much better. We would also have liked to have seen a menu explaining what we were eating and or have the waiting staff explain clearly what we were being served. It would also be normal for them to ask us what we felt about the food and perhaps from a management perspective to reduce waiting times, arrange for bookings to be at staggered specific times. We booked and were told we could arrive when we liked!

This is the kind of restaurant that makes you happy to be in France: High quality food freshly cooked just for you and served in a visually gratifying way. In t... read more This is the kind of restaurant that makes you happy to be in France: High quality food freshly cooked just for you and served in a visually gratifying way. In this restaurant you can actually see the cooks in the back of the restaurant as...they labor away to turn freshly caught seafood into a wonderful culinary experience. My husband and I both chose a set menu that included a warm starter, fish cooked to perfection and a delicious chocolate based desert creation. The restaurant appears to cater almost exclusively to local residents and there was lots of hugging going on as new guests arrived and were greeted by the hostess. Unfortunately the printed menu is only in French which might be difficult for some foreign guests to understand. Go there anyway and enjoy the excellent food this restaurant has to offer. Just remember that this is decidedly NOT an American restaurant that serves precooked dishes quickly reheated in a microwave oven. Everything served here is fresh and prepared while you are at the table enjoying some good French wine and your little greeting from the kitchen (on our night it was a lobster bisque served with great fresh bread). And if you get stuck with your French, one of the other guests will surely help you out by translating for you. That is what happened the night we were there and a German couple didn 't understand something on the menu. Several people plus the very nice Portuguese waitress jumped in and helped. It all added to a very satisfying and happy dining experience.

The menu is nearly all fish which was perfect for us.....nicely varied and well presented. Lobster seemed a favourite with the locals but we opted for turbot an... read more The menu is nearly all fish which was perfect for us.....nicely varied and well presented. Lobster seemed a favourite with the locals but we opted for turbot and mussels and were well pleased. The wait staff seemed a bit overwhelmed by it all though the...restaurant was not crowded the night we went......and reports are that this is not uncommon. So prepare for a bit of a wait and some arm waving to gain attention. But it is all so jolly and good natured that no one minded. I would recommend L'Hippocampe highly to all fish lovers.

We went to this restaurant three times during our stay in Vichy and the chef was really kind to prepare vegetarian dishes for me, entrees and main dishes, prepa... read more We went to this restaurant three times during our stay in Vichy and the chef was really kind to prepare vegetarian dishes for me, entrees and main dishes, prepared at the moment because there was nothing on the menu. Unlike some comments below, the service...was very good, the waiters and the chef were super nice and efficient.

Excellent seafood if you are prepared to wait for it to arrive. Staff need to raise their service to the same standard as the food. Pleasant environment but a l... read more Excellent seafood if you are prepared to wait for it to arrive. Staff need to raise their service to the same standard as the food. Pleasant environment but a little cramped.