The story
In the small village of Saint-Julien-en-Vercors, just outside Villard-de-Lans, Café Brochier occupies what was once a village grocery store. Step through the door and you’ll likely find Valentine behind the counter, ready to serve a drink or a meal, while Thomas is in the kitchen, letting his inspiration guide the stove. The result is a place that feels both timeless and alive—chaleureux et convivial, as the owners describe it.
The restaurant’s cuisine is firmly rooted in the local terroir. Thomas works with a market-driven menu, selecting ingredients from nearby producers to create dishes that are both elegant and approachable. The modern cuisine here is not about fussy presentations but about letting the Vercors landscape speak through the plate. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all served, and the counter is always open for a simple coffee or a glass of wine.
Café Brochier’s commitment to quality and value has earned it a Michelin Bib Gourmand, an award that highlights good-quality cooking at a reasonable price. It’s a fitting nod to a place that balances fine dining with the easygoing rhythm of a village café. For those looking to stay longer, three cozy guest rooms are available, making it an ideal base for exploring the surrounding nature. Whether you stop in for a meal or a night’s rest, Café Brochier offers a genuine taste of the Vercors.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
So, it may have taken us a while to find this café off the beaten track in the Vercors, on the border of the Drôme and Isère regions. The same one that knocked ex-audiovisual specialists Valentine Mollero and Thomas Lecluse for six, back in 2021, which they swiftly brought up to standard, with an accent on zero-kilometer sourcing. That lunchtime, we left the parquet-floored, wood-paneled dining room to enjoy the chef’s menu in the pretty flower garden: super fresh haricots verts swaddled in a creamy garlic fromage blanc with an egg yolk; sublime trout fillet (from La Truite de la Vernaison) with skin that couldn’t be more crunchy, all glossy with fig oil and served with a stunning chard leaf cigar stuffed with Camargue rice, rhubarb, thinly sliced fig and chard stalk; and to finish, greengages and plums atop a rosemary shortbread with shiso plum syrup. And if you don’t have the strength to get back on the road, head on up to one of three guest room upstairs. // Adrien Nouviaire
So, it may have taken us a while to find this café off the beaten track in the Vercors, on the border of the Drôme and Isère regions. The same one that knocked ex-audiovisual specialists Valentine Mollero and Thomas Lecluse for six, back in 2021, which they swiftly brought up to standard, with an accent on zero-kilometer sourcing. That lunchtime, we left the parquet-floored, wood-paneled dining room to enjoy the chef’s menu in the pretty flower garden: super fresh haricots verts swaddled in a creamy garlic fromage blanc with an egg yolk; sublime trout fillet (from La Truite de la Vernaison) with skin that couldn’t be more crunchy, all glossy with fig oil and served with a stunning chard leaf cigar stuffed with Camargue rice, rhubarb, thinly sliced fig and chard stalk; and to finish, greengages and plums atop a rosemary shortbread with shiso plum syrup. And if you don’t have the strength to get back on the road, head on up to one of three guest room upstairs. // Adrien Nouviaire
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