The Best Meals I Had in Burgundy — Caroline Kraus Travel

Burgundy is a mecca for foodies. It’s tough to describe how rich and flavorful the dishes are. The secret ingredients in most of the famous dishes? Wine and butter. What could be better than that?

The only problem with dining out in Burgundy is that three-course meals (and sometimes four!) are the norm for both lunch and dinner. While you generally have the option of ordering “a la carte,” it’s often only a few more euros to order from the three-course menu. Our meals progressed like this:

First course: Every bite was eaten. Delicious!
Second course: This is so good. But so rich. Must. Finish.
Third course: I almost forgot we had dessert coming. I can make room…
Food coma. How do people eat like this twice a day every day? And sometimes add a cheese course before dessert?!

And that was twice a day. Plus a baguette and cheese plate for breakfast each morning. It’s safe to say we ended each day in Burgundy satiated and full!

While all of the food we ate was delicious, I wanted to highlight a few stellar restaurants with incredibly memorable meals.

These are the best dishes I had in Burgundy.

Oeufs en Meurette & Beef Bourguignon at Caveau des Arches in Beaune

Oeufs en Meurette (Eggs in Meurette) was far and away my favorite dish of the entire trip. It’s a Burgundian specialty and not easily found outside of the region. It’s hard to explain. Basically, it is a couple of poached eggs in an incredibly rich wine sauce served with crusty bread on the side. I know it doesn’t sound amazing, but it’s one of those foods you have to taste to believe! We ordered it at a couple of restaurants, but the best was served at Caveau des Arches in Beaune. It’s a beautiful restaurant set in a cave in central Beaune.

I also had the best Beef Bourguignon there. Beef Bourguignon is a more commonly known Burgundian specialty consisting of braised beef cheek, bacon, carrots, mushrooms, and onion cooked in another rich red wine sauce.

Quenelle de Brochet at Ma Cuisine in Beaune

Quenelle de Brochet was another Burgundian specialty that I fell in love with. Like eggs meurette, it’s hard to explain. It’s a dumpling encrusted pike fish with a creamy lobster sauce. Though I don’t like lobster, the sauce on the fish was wonderful. It was so unique that none of us could put our fingers on where the flavor came from until we google-translated the description of the dish on the menu. We had many other great dishes at Ma Cuisine, but the fish stole the show. I realize the picture does not look appetizing, so you'll have to trust me!

Pike Fish in White Butter Sauce at 21 Boulevard in Beaune

We had another exceptional meal at 21 Boulevard in downtown Beaune, but the Pike fish that I had was served in the most mouthwatering butter cream sauce alongside what may have been the best carrots I have ever had. To top that off, dessert was one of my favorites from the trip as well – red wine poached pear. Delicious!

Orange Duck Confit at L’Episode in Meursault

On our first night in Burgundy, we walked to a small family run restaurant in our town of Meursault called L’Episode. I had my first and only duck of the trip there – duck confit served with a delectable orange sauce and whipped sweet potatoes. It was perfection.