Is France's Mont-Saint-Michel set to become a new gastronomic hotspot?

Jean Imbert is opening a gastronomic restaurant on Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Jean Imbert is opening a gastronomic restaurant on Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Image: Shutterstock

Undoubtedly one of the boldest gastronomic gambles of 2025 is coming early in the year when chef Jean Imbert opens a restaurant at the top of Mont-Saint-Michel, under the aegis of the Mauviel cookware brand.

Outside Paris and its wider Ile-de-France region, Le Mont-Saint-Michel is the most visited monument in France. Quickly regaining its aura following the pandemic, Le Mont-Saint-Michel is visited by some three million tourists every year. During France's May public holidays and the months of July and August, visitor numbers can climb to over 30,000 in a single day. Indeed, it's one of those phenomenal places that attract huge numbers of tourists, but it's also an emblem of France that visitors the world over are keen to see for themselves.

But can this historical location also become a new gastronomic hotspot? Such is the challenge set by chef Jean Imbert, who announced via social networks that he plans to open a restaurant on January 16 at the top of Le Mont-Saint-Michel. The project is a collaboration with the famous Mauviel brand, whose copper pots and pans are used by many chefs.

If the legendary brand has entrusted the keys to the Logis Sainte Catherine restaurant to Jean Imbert, it's not only because the brand itself has its roots in Normandy and has had close ties with Le Mont-Saint-Michel since it was founded in 1830, but also because it's no secret that Jean Imbert is proud of his Breton origins.

While this project may be seen as reconciling the friendly rivalry between Normandy and Brittany, it will above all pave the way for Le Mont-Saint-Michel to become a gastronomic destination. While the culinary quality of its food outlets is often open to debate, Le Mont-Saint-Michel is nevertheless home to the famous Mère Poulard inn, whose soufflé omelettes have been a tourist attraction for decades!

As such, Jean Imbert and Mauviel are making a bold move. Few tourist monuments in France have been home to a gourmet restaurant, with the exception of the Eiffel Tower and its second floor, where Frédéric Anton's Michelin-starred restaurant takes pride of place. Before him, it was Alain Ducasse who envisaged the Iron Lady as a gastronomic venue, with his famous Jules Verne restaurant. Transforming cultural landmarks into gastronomic or fine dining venues, has become one of the trademarks of the world's most Michelin-starred chef. This range of restaurants has its own dedicated department, Musiam, within his group. With the Les Airelles hotel group, Alain Ducasse has also turned the Château de Versailles into a serious foodie destination, embodied by the Grand Contrôle restaurant.