Restaurant Au Fin Gourmet
On the rue Gassion just below the château, Au Fin Gourmet has been serving honest Béarnaise cooking since 1947, making it the most reliable address in Pau for dishes like garbure, piperade, confit de canard and the city's own sauce béarnaise in its natural habitat. The dining room is unhurried, the wine list leans hard into Jurançon and Madiran, and the prix-fixe lunch is one of the best-value mea
What to Order
Start with the garbure — a thick, slow-cooked soup of cabbage, white beans, preserved duck and mountain vegetables that is the edible soul of Béarn; a proper version here takes two days to make.
Follow with magret de canard from the Landes or a slow-braised lamb from the Pyrénées foothills, finished with a slice of gâteau basque filled with black cherry jam from Itxassou — a dessert that bridges Béarnaise and Basque traditions beautifully.
Wine Pairings and the Local Terroir
Ask the sommelier to guide you through the Jurançon appellation: the dry Jurançon sec (made from Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng grapes) is a revelation with fish and cheese, while the golden moelleux version pairs sublimely with foie gras or dessert.
Madiran — the big, tannic red made from Tannat grapes grown 40 km north of Pau — is the classic match for duck and lamb, and the restaurant stocks small-domaine bottles rarely seen outside the region.
More of Pau
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Pau →
