Le Chat qui Rit - Reynès

First time visiting this area of France with my wife and children, and we decided to stop at this restaurant as we were passing by, We were well greeted upon arrival, and seated in a warm and colourful dining room with a nice ceiling which was painted by a local painter. The meals were quickly served for a busy night with 2 waitresses, were always pleasant and took the time to listen. The prices are very reasonable for the food we were served (fresh produce from local markets in the area) and the restaurant was very clean especially the toilets.Thank you for the wonderful evening and we will be sure to return in the future.

If you want to sample authentic French old world cuisine then "Le Chat" is the place ! The chef is great and the waiter could not do enough for us! The wine list is regional and of great quality. The chef is more than happy to pair the wine for you. The portions are very generous and the quality is excellent!

To get the only minus point out of the way - Le Chat Qui Rit is located along a busy and noisy main road, although it's not visible behind a hedge. There, that is it. Good points: sit in the garden outside under the sun awnings and shaded by trees and vines and you will think you are in heaven. There are only half-a-dozen tables: the service - friendly staff - is first rate and the food inventive and superb. On a hot day their cold soup is restorative. They even elevate a humble (if ecologique) pork sausage to a high level. In a country not known for its gastronomic qualities, this is one French restaurant you will be sorry to leave: it is that good. We paid €75 for two people, including drinks and coffee, one set menu, one a-la-carte, although we were both too full to take a desert - my wife did have the excellent cheese plate. And as an aside, about 150 metres before you reach the restaurant coming from the direction of Ceret, is a Lidl store which amazingly sells local produce - and good produce at that.

We went to this particular restaurant, because of a good dinner two years ago. This time, it was the worst dinner I had in years. Six people, six different orders and the same impression: awful! I asked for fresh fish and the fish smelled so bad, I couldn´t eat it. Our complain was ignored, no offer for a substitute nor an offer for coffee or something else. We paid the full bill 50 Euro each for nothing, just nothing.Whatever happened to this restaurant, we will not take the risk again.

Those travellers who have passed Perpignan and Le Boulou and are heading up the valley of the River Tech towards Arles sur Tech on the D115 should slow down when they see the signs for the tiny community of Reynes, because right there is the restaurant of the laughing cat, or Le Chat que Rit and it's worth a visit if you can't wait until you cross the border into Spain. Lunchtime hours are a strict 12:00-14:00 and the menu is not very large but what there is, is good. You can sit outside in the garden - lovely in the mild spring or warm late autumn, although in summer the traffic makes this rather noisy - or indoors: service is reasonably good (for France) and some of the dishes are well thought out and interesting. Ask the girl what she recommends when she comes to your table and you won't be disappointed. Prices are reasonable, at least for the French side of the border. All in all, if you're in need of lunch and don't want to drive into Spain, well worth visiting. Currently under new management after a series of changes of ownership - I hope the latest owners keep it up.