Toya

The story

Toya: Michelin-Starred French-Japanese Cuisine in Saint-Avold, France

A name that travels

Chef Loïc Villemin named his restaurant after Lake Toya on Japan’s Hokkaido island – the same town that hosts Michel Bras’s restaurant, a chef he holds in limitless esteem. The connection is not decorative. Villemin sees in those Japanese landscapes something close to what surrounds him: a hilltop overlooking the golf course of Faulquemont, dense chlorophyll green, blue sky reflected in water. That atmosphere, he writes, brings “a serene and luminous ambiance” to his table. It also orients his cooking: vegetables, herbs, and a return to nature take the lead, finished with subtle Japanese notes that honour the country’s precision and obsession with freshness.

A kitchen rooted in the moment

Toya opened in June 2010, designed by the chef and his family. By 2017, after years of growth, he rethought the philosophy of the kitchen and renovated the entire space – this time with his architect brother Sacha. The result is a spacious restaurant with clean, restful lines, natural materials, and light that shifts with the season, just like the food.

Villemin’s cooking is delicate, fine, light, and playful. He works from what his producers bring, letting the weather and the garden dictate the menu. He favours local and responsibly sourced ingredients, though he admits a passion for seafood, which he pairs with the flavours of his Lorraine terroir. The menus change weekly – guests choose the number of courses and then trust the chef’s inspiration. During the meal, the team (including Denis in the dining room and sommelier Justine) encourages exchange with the kitchen.

Recognition on the plate

In 2026, the Michelin guide awarded Toya one star, highlighting “high quality cooking.” The star sits naturally on a restaurant that has always aimed for constant improvement without forgetting the planet. For Villemin, quality, ethics, and seasonality are not separate goals – they are the same discipline.