Owned by the same family for 4 generations, Chez Hortense is located opposite the Pyla dune.
The cuisine is simple and authentic, based on seafood and grilled fish. The famous mussel recipe created by great grandmother Hortense is still kept secret and passed down from generation to generation.
Road trip: The Aquitaine Coast
Here over rare natural contrasts: the peaks of the Pyrenees stand facing the ocean, the pine forests and the sandy beaches stretch as far as the eye can see, the oyster beds and the Pilat dune share the bassin… Continue Reading
But before we get there you’ll need to push past the crowd of regulars for a table at this Cap Ferret institution, run by the same family for four generations. The fare — order the mussels “façon Hortense” and grilled turbot with French fries — is as unpretentious as the setting: Diners eat at rickety wooden tables on a terrace overlooking Arcachon Bay. In 2015, the owners opened an even more laid-back offshoot, La Cabane d’Hortense, a bohemian wood cabin by the water’s edge serving oysters under the shade of thick grapevines. Website Reservation required.
