In the heart of the city of the Popes, a small street in Avignon has been attracting the attention of gourmet food lovers for several years. Behind its discreet facade, the Pollen restaurant has established itself as one of the addresses that count in the South.
At the helm, a local child, Mathieu Desmarest, who chose to return to cook where he grew up. Between open kitchen, carved vegetable dishes and ambitious projects, his world goes far beyond the walls of Pollen.
Mathieu Desmarest, the chef who makes the Pollen restaurant shine in Avignon
Originally from Avignon, Mathieu Desmarest cut his teeth in emblematic houses: Maison Paul Bocuse in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, Le Pré Catelan in Paris, then the kitchens of the Élysée. In 2018, with his wife Émilie Desmarest, he created Pollen, a gastronomic house designed as a parenthesis of sincerity and sharing.
In 2021, Pollen won a Michelin star, confirming the restaurant’s place among local references. Today, the Avignon chef also runs the city bistro Bibendum, the Grande Brasserie BIB and Tribu in Roquemaure, distinguished Bib Gourmand, while preparing for the final of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition announced for the month of October.
Pollen, a starred restaurant in Avignon between simplicity and plant-based cuisine
Located on rue Joseph-Vernet, the Pollen Avignon restaurant opens onto a contemporary room with raw stone walls, wood furniture and Scandinavian touches. The large open kitchen allows you to observe the brigade, with some cooks leaving the pass to come and present the dishes to the guests themselves, creating a direct link with the plate.
Mathieu Desmarest’s cuisine prides itself on “simplexity”: an apparent simplicity which hides a very precise technique and a strong plant sensitivity. A manifesto dish, Watercolor of Vegetables combines raw and cooked, herbs, flowers and citrus butter. Surprise menus at lunch from $60, Carte Blanche menu in the evening at $120 and Grand Menu at $150 structure the experience without ever freezing creativity.
A chef on the grill: secrets and projects of Mathieu Desmarest
When asked for the essential product in the kitchen, Mathieu Desmarest’s response is clear: , he explains to Food & Sens. The most difficult dish of his career remains for him When he dines alone, he admits to preferring simplicity: His gourmet weakness comes from childhood:
Beyond these confidences, Mathieu Desmarest looks to the future:
Restaurant Pollen Avignon: what is Mathieu Desmarest’s cooking style?
Pollen’s cuisine is gastronomic, very focused on plants, the seasons and the terroir of Avignon, with this “simplexity” which makes the plates readable but with great technical precision.
What are the menus and prices of the Pollen restaurant in Avignon?
Pollen offers a lunch menu at $60, a Carte Blanche evening menu at $120 and a Grand Menu at $150, with food and wine pairings possible at an additional cost.
Where is the Pollen restaurant in Avignon and what are its opening hours?
Pollen is located at 18 rue Joseph-Vernet, 84000 Avignon. The restaurant opens Monday to Friday, for lunch from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and for dinner from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
