Luxurious Lunch at Le Café Pierre Hermé at Les Lumières Versailles
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Just a short 11-mile train ride from Paris, France is Château de Versailles, the hunting lodge of Louis VIII and later the grand country estate of ‘Sun King’ Louis the XIV. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a must-see while in France.
Chateau de Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
It’s best to get a timed reservation ticket in advance, because this venue receives over $7 million visitors annually. After touring the grandeur of the interiors of Château de Versailles for two hours, we looked forward to sitting down to a decadent lunch at Café Pierre Hermé. Located inside the new Les Lumières Versailles hotel, just outside the enormous gold gates of Versailles along the charming cobblestone streets.
Les Lumières Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
Les Lumières echoes the splendor of “Grand Versailles” and its gardens, just on a smaller scale. The hotel was recently inducted into Relais & Châteaux, the world’s leading luxury hotel and restaurant association. As with other iconic Relais & Châteaux hotels, Les Lumières provides guests a luxurious, comfortable, and transformative journey filled with cultural immersion.
As the name implies, Les Lumières aims to encourage guests to shed light on what truly matters. May it be personal discovery, relaxation and wellness, the journey takes place in a historic 17th century mansion. Opened in July, 2024, this property now features contemporary appointments, renewed spaces, dining venues, relaxing lounges and a therapeutic spa.
Café Pierre Hermé. Photo Jill Weinlein
Walking upstairs to Café Pierre Hermé, we appreciated the refreshing floral fragrances crafted by renowned Versailles candlemaker Trudon. His candles were created in 1643 during the reign of Louis XIV.
The soaring ceiling, dramatic chandeliers, moulding on the walls, picturesque viewing windows of the Place d’Armes, and bygone era décor, transport diners into a sophisticated dining venue. White table cloths, uniformed servers, and exquisite tableware add to the refinement of the culinary experience.
Lunch at Café Pierre Hermé. Photo Jill Weinlein
The deliciously enlightening savory and sweet menu feature an array of artisanal sandwiches, exquisite salads, French wines, creative cocktails and Haute-Pâtisserie. Hermé once said, “My desire was not to open a pastry shop, but to create a luxury brand. The term “Haute-Pâtisserie” was born.”
Dessert at Café Pierre Hermé. Photo Jill Weinlein
Guests of the hotel and visitors of Versailles are welcome to relax upstairs with a flute of champagne and enjoy the afternoon tea room setting.
Pierre Hermé Paris. Photo Jill Weinlein
The Boutique Pierre Hermé
On the ground floor is Boutique Pierre Hermé Paris. The glass case is filled with a rainbow of colorful macarons, picture worthy pastries and creative chocolate creations. Select from an array of edible confectionary art to appreciate the scent, flavor and texture combinations.
Pierre Hermé Boutique. Photo Jill Weinlein
This chef is an architect of taste. He designs playful flavors with textures to elicit memorable emotions and sensations. Chef Pierre Hermé is an expert at making ethereal macarons that are light and have a slight snap with each bite. They taste better that other macarons that are more dense and chewy.
Julie Dillard showing off Pierre Hermè pastries at Les Lumières Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
As the fourth generation of Alsatian pastry chefs and bakers, the kitchen was home to Pierre Hermé. His career took off at the age of 14 when he worked with Gaston Lenôtre. His high standards, creativity, and desire to pass on his savoir-faire made a lasting impression of the young pastry chef.
Pastry by Pierre Herme’. Photo Jill Weinlein
It was here that Hermé discovered the macaron, a little bite of sweetness that would become his favorite form of expression. It’s ethereal light, slightly sweet, and almost melts in one’s palate. One can appreciate how it is different than other macarons that are more dense and chewy.
Rainbow colored and flavored macarons. Photo Jill Weinlein
Pierre Hermé – BEST PASTRY CHEF IN THE WORLD
On June 14th, 2016, Pierre Hermé was voted best pastry chef in the world by the Academy of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The same year, Vanity Fair positioned him in fourth place in the list of the 50 most influential French people in the World. In October 2021, he was the fourth favorite entrepreneur of the French, ranking revealed by the magazine Forbes.
Les Lumières Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
Since 2010, the company has been expanding internationally with several locations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Maison Pierre Hermé Paris has become a partner of the Raffles, Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt and La Mamounia groups. It is a partner in the 86Champs concept store in collaboration with L’Occitane, located on the Champs Elysées in Paris, and now at Les Lumières Versailles.
The Gardens of Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
Fortified after lunch at Cafe’ Pierre Herme’, we walked back into Château de Versailles to explore The Gardens of Versailles. Afterwards, we stopped at Pierre Herme’ Paris Boutique for a sweet treat to take on the train ride back to Paris.
Take a train to Versailles. Photo Jill Weinlein
