Restaurant Chez Madeleine

Restaurant Chez Madeleine is a home-style Creole restaurant on Rue du Père Boiteau in the village of Cilaos, set in one of the three volcanic cirques in the interior of Réunion. Cilaos is known across the island for its green lentils, its chayote (chouchou) and its wine, produced from vines grown at altitude, and the menu here is built around those local products. The signature dishes are the cari lentilles de Cilaos, lentils slow-cooked with smoked pork and aromatics; the cari cabri du cirque, a goat curry; and a gâteau patate, a sweet potato cake served as dessert. The kitchen also serves a chayote-based cari, and the venue is associated with Cilaos rosé wine, so the local drink can accompany the meal. Meals are offered as a set menu priced at roughly €12–€20, which is modest even by Réunion standards. The setting is the mountain village rather than the coast, so the climate is cooler, and visitors arriving after the winding road up from Saint-Louis often use lunch here as a break. The dining room is informal and family-run in feel, with a quiet, homely atmosphere rather than a polished one; dress is casual and hiking clothes are common. The restaurant serves lunch daily from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner only on Friday and Saturday evenings from 19:00 to 21:00. Reservations are recommended, particularly at weekends and during French school holidays, and are made by telephone. Because dinner service is limited to two nights, visitors staying in Cilaos midweek should plan to eat lunch here or choose another table in the village.