Le Haut-Allier

The Brun family's hotel-restaurant set in the Gorges de l'Allier looks out over the bridge and the river. With a close connection to their terroir, Clément, the son, in charge in the kitchen; Camille, his partner, who takes care of desserts, and the parents, Philippe and Michelle, elevate this rugged landscape. Through their cuisine, they celebrate the many ingredients to be found in nature in these parts: mushrooms, Auvergne meats and cheeses, salmon from a fish farm in the area, as well as wild plants and flowers. Tuck into a delicious ceviche of trout with Espelette pepper, avocado and tarama condiment, bulgur and lamb sweetbreads with anchovy butter, or the original combination of raspberries and malted barley with a pure malt cream from a local distillery.

Four generations, a working quartet

A fourth-generation family house run as a quartet: Philippe and Clément Brun in the kitchen, Michelle in the dining room, Camille on pastry.

A dining room built for the landscape

The room looks onto the river and the bridge, softened by natural materials and a Japanese-style garden outside the glazing.

Terroir first, with a taste for Asia

The cooking stays rooted in the Haute-Loire and the Allier gorges, with occasional Japanese or Asian notes used as contrast, not costume.

Signature Ingredients

• Trout: shown as a ceviche with Espelette pepper, avocado and tarama.
• Lamb sweetbreads: paired with bulgur and anchovy butter in one published example.
• Mushrooms and wild plants: a recurring local backbone, alongside herbs from the garden and surrounding forests.
• Game: a house axis, including lièvre à la royale and game pie with quince.
• Truffle from Lozère: used in a truffle cappuccino with a soft egg and rattes potato purée.
• Auvergne meats and cheeses: part of the kitchen's local supply chain, used throughout the menu.

Overview

• Hotel-restaurant in Alleyras, in the Gorges de l'Allier, with a one-star dining room (star held since 1998).
• A modern, terroir-led kitchen built around foraged and local ingredients, mushrooms, Auvergne meats and cheeses, plus fish from nearby producers.

Dishes and flavours (examples)

• Trout ceviche with Espelette pepper, avocado and a tarama condiment.
• Bulgur with lamb sweetbreads and anchovy butter.
• Game and river fish appear as house signatures, including lièvre à la royale, a game pie with quince and poivrade sauce, and confit ombre thymalus.
• A local-season riff on a truffle cappuccino with a soft egg and rattes potato purée.

Practical

• Usual service: Thu to Sun lunch and dinner, Mon dinner, closed Tue and Wed.
• Annual closure noted: 23 Nov 2025 to 28 Mar 2026.