Our local pizzeria provides a takeaway or eat in service. You’ll find a copy of the takeaway menu in La Porcherie.

Location: Saint Mathieu (2km / 3 mins)

Food: French

Price: €

Address: 3 Pl. du Dr Hugonneau, 87440 Saint-Mathieu

Tel: 05 55 31 18 49

We have not yet tried this restaurant/cafe but have included it as it’s so close, for those who might be seeking English food in France and for those who are less comfortable ordering in a French restaurant.

Location: Saint Mathieu (2km/ 3mins)

Food: English

Price: €

Address: 12 Pl. des Tilleuls, 87440 Saint-Mathieu

Tel: 05 87 41 55 73

A vibrant, young, friendly new bar in the local village, which serves local artisan beer and wines and a great ‘plancher’ with local cheese and meats. It also sells a range of local artisan and organic produce.

Location: Saint Mathieu (2km/ 3 mins)

Food: Charcuterie/Cheese

Price: €

Address: Le Nichoir, Rue Principale, Saint Mathieu

(If you’d like to walk (20-25 mins), ask us for directions that avoid the road.)

A seasonal bar/restaurant next to the small beach at Saint Mathieu’s lake. Expect plastic seating, a warm, friendly service and good basic food. Normally open from April until September.

Location: Saint Mathieu Lake, (5km/ 7mins)

Food: Basic French (and Fish and Chips)

Price: €

Address: Les Champs, Saint Mathieu, 87440
(It’s possible to walk to Saint Mathieu lake and this will take you around an hour, if you are physically quite fit. Ask us for help planning your route)

Tel: 06 36 83 68 02

English speaking restaurant. (Limited French when we visited.) We have not visited this restaurant since 2021 (when we had a reasonable meal) and we’re aware that it has undergone several changes (under the same ownership) since then. It has a good rating on TripAdvisor (based on 18 reviews).

Location: Saint Mathieu Lake (5km/ 7 mins)

Food: English

Price: €/€€

Address: 3 Les Champs, 87440 Saint-Mathieu

Tel: 555390820

This is a very high-quality restaurant with an interesting menu, and a beautiful setting on the banks of the lake at Saint Estèphe. There are a range of fantastic set menus usually available from Wednesday to Sunday evenings.

Location: Saint Estèphe (18km 18 mins)

Food: French

Price: €€€

Address: Le Grand Etang, 24360 Saint-Estèphe

Tel: 05 53 60 41 69

Hotel de France in the pretty market town of Rochechouart offers, in our view, excellent value for money with friendly service. We are regulars here. The “formule”, available lunchtimes except weekends offers a very high standard of food for the price.

Location: Rochechouart (19km / 20 minutes)

Food: French

Price: €€

Address: Pl. du Dr Octave Marquet, 87600 Rochechouart

Tel: 05 55 03 77 40

A friendly brasserie located next to the fountain (funnily enough) in the centre of Nontron. It serves very nice, reasonably priced burgers and salads at lunchtime.

(We’ve always been able to get a table without reservation, though sometimes we’ve had to wait a bit.)

Location: Nontron (23km / 22 mins)

Food: Brasserie Basics

Price: €€

Address: 18 Pl. Alfred Agard, 24300 Nontron

Tel: 05 53 56 03 65

Wow! This is one for special occasions but based on our experience, worth the extra. In a beautiful setting on the riverside, if the weather is fair you can expect to dine outside overlooking the lawns. This restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2022.

Location: Montbron (25km/ 30 minutes)

Food: French

Price: €€€€

Address: Lieu-dit Forge, 16220 Montbron

Tel: 05 45 66 41 46

If you want to eat Limousin Beef, then this is a restaurant we’d recommend (although, ironically, it’s not in Limousin).

Chez Steph has an idyllic setting in the shadows of the Chateau de La Rochefoucauld with outdoor seating in the summer months. If you all like your steak cooked the same way (signon, if you want to eat as the French do) then why not order a Cote (side) of Boeuf to share!

Location: La Rochefoucauld (32km / 32 mins)

Food: Mainly Steak (but other dishes available, including a formule midi weekday lunchtimes).

Price: €€

Address: 48 Rue des Halles, 16110 La Rochefoucauld

Tel: 05 45 62 09 11

In the medieval streets of Limoges, discover this lovely spot for lunch. Their formule de midi is, we think, exceptional, given the quality/price combination. The main menu is more expensive but worth it.

Reservation strongly recommended.

Location: Limoges (53km / 55 mins)

Food: Modern French

Price: €€€

Address: 13 Rue Lansecot, 87000 Limoges

Tel: 05 55 34 25 53