DINING

Salons de Thés/Light Meals

Le Thé dans l'Encrier
Rue de la Juiverie
84160 Lourmarin
Tel: 04 90 68 88 41
lethedanslencrier@gmail.com

This charming tea salon, located just a few steps away from La Bonbonnière, is beautifully decorated in Provençal colors, fabrics, and rows and rows of books.  The décor, along with the background music, makes for a very inviting ambience.  In the nice weather, one can take a table outside as well. 

Our very good friends, Pierre and Muriel, opened this tea salon several years ago, so we became very familiar with the menu which was limited, but the food was so terrific that we found ourselves craving the same plates over and over again.  They recently sold the salon to another local couple, Christophe and Mapi, who have kept the same menu and, they tell us, added a few specialties of their own, which we have not had the pleasure of trying yet.

There is usually a soup, salad, quiche, and savory tarte--the tomato is to die for--and, if you are fortunate, the chicken crumble, an entré with a subtle mixture of delicious flavors that simply melt in your mouth.  There are usually four or five desserts.  Our daughter covets the chocolate cake and iced tea and we probably gravitate toward one of the fruit tarts; but, one simply can't go wrong as they are all outstanding.  The servings are generous and very reasonably priced.  The selection of teas, all from Palais du Thé, is outstanding and the coffee is excellent.

A new addition is WiFi service.  There is also a laptop that is available for customers on a first come-first served basis.  The tea salon shares the space with tea accessories and books, including contemporary and classic Provençal literature, lovely coffee table picture books, and a few books in English.  Did we mention that Mapi speaks English?

Apparently Christophe and Mapi have created a very comfortable atmosphere in Le Thé dans l'Encrier as evidenced by one of our guests borrowing a guitar to play and sing for the other patrons!

Check the door for hours, because the new owners are still settling in to a schedule, but they are usually open by noon and close around 6 PM, everyday but Sunday and Wednesday and they are experimenting with opening for the breakfast crowd.  Reservations are suggested on Friday (market day). 

Salon de Thé Luce d'Angeuse
Place Henri Barthélémy
84160 Lourmarin
Tel: 04 90 68 89 45

This is a perfect place for a cup of tea or café crème midway through your Friday morning market excursion.  The salon overlooks Place Henri Barthélémy, where much of the market takes place, so it is a perfect place to watch people.  The atmosphere indoors is modern and comfortable; the terrace on the Place is sunny and inviting; and the service is friendly.  Unfortunately we have only had tea here, so we can't comment on the food, but will report back on this subject soon.