Émile Job

The story

Émile Job Restaurant in Montmerle-sur-Saône – Michelin Recommended French Cuisine

Émile Job – A Family Affair on the Banks of the Saône

For three generations, the restaurant Émile Job has anchored the village of Montmerle-sur-Saône, just south of Villefranche-sur-Saône. Here, between the Dombes and Beaujolais regions, Isabelle and Eric Lépine continue the tradition of authentic French cuisine. Eric is in the kitchen, Isabelle in the dining room—a complementary duo that has earned the restaurant a Michelin Recommended distinction.

The setting changes with the seasons. In summer, a spacious terrace shaded by century-old linden trees invites alfresco dining. Winter brings a warm, intimate dining room. The restaurant is fully accessible, welcomes pets, and offers Wi-Fi. Three separate dining rooms allow for private parties or quiet family meals.

Seasonal, Regional French Cuisine

The kitchen draws inspiration from fresh, seasonal produce: river fish, Bresse poultry, frogs, fritures, and local vegetables. The menu changes regularly, but the team’s specialties remain constant: volaille de Bresse à la crème (Bresse chicken in cream), grenouilles fraîches persillées (fresh parsleyed frogs’ legs), and crêpes Parmentier (potato crêpes). These are the dishes that define the house style—honest, refined, and deeply rooted in the region.

Diners can choose from several set menus. The “Bord de l’eau” menu features frogs’ legs (230g) cooked with butter, garlic and parsley, paired with crêpes Parmentier. The “Au fil de nos saisons” includes a mosaic of raw salmon, grilled octopus with saffron risotto, or braised Charolais beef. For a special occasion, the “Instant gourmand” menu offers foie gras marinated in white port, seabass with black garlic, or Bresse poularde with cream and morels. A children’s menu (“Petit gastronome”) is also available.

A Michelin Recommended Address

Émile Job’s Michelin Recommended status reflects the consistency and quality of this traditional French cuisine. The restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday and dinner Wednesday to Saturday. The midweek lunch menu (the “menu semainier”) is a particularly good value at €25.

Whether you come for the frogs’ legs, the Bresse chicken, or simply to enjoy a meal under the linden trees, Émile Job delivers an experience that feels both timeless and deeply personal.