--- title: "La Madeleine: 1-Star MICHELIN Restaurant in Sens" description: "La Madeleine is a one-Michelin-star restaurant in Sens, in the far north of the Yonne, about 2 hours 20 minutes from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-madeleine-sens lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/restaurants/la-madeleine-sens.png --- # La Madeleine > La Madeleine: Patrick Gauthier's market cooking, on an island in the Yonne at Sens. La Madeleine is in Sens (Yonne), 2 h 24 by road (228 km) from Beaune. 1 MICHELIN star · Menus from €78 · Private driver there and back from Beaune: €990 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. La Madeleine is a one-Michelin-star restaurant in Sens, in the far north of the Yonne, about 2 hours 20 minutes from Beaune. Patrick Gauthier, who opened it in 1990 and won the star in 1999, moved it in 2017 to a modern waterside building at the tip of an island in the river. Go for market-driven cooking and a striking setting on the water. ## Key facts - Type: Starred restaurant · 1 MICHELIN star - Where: Sens · Yonne - Location: 180 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 48.1958, 3.2742 - 2 h 24 from Beaune - 1 MICHELIN star - Menus from €78 - Chef: Patrick Gauthier - Cuisine: Modern, market-led - MICHELIN Guide 2026: [guide.michelin.com](https://guide.michelin.com/fr/fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/sens/restaurant/la-madeleine) - Official website: [restaurant-lamadeleine.fr](https://www.restaurant-lamadeleine.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 2 h 24 · 228 km - €990 there and back from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Driver to dinner and back](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 2 h 24 by road (228 km) each way, €990 there and back for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Book your table with the restaurant, then the car for the same evening. Your driver waits while you dine, up to 3 hours, and drives you back. Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## The story Born in Sens in 1961, Gauthier trained at La Vieille France in Chaumont and at La Tour d'Argent in Paris before opening La Madeleine in the town centre with Béatrice Gauthier in 1990. The star came in 1999. After a quarter of a century in town, he moved the restaurant in 2017 to the edge of the Yonne. The interior reflects his many journeys to Japan and Scandinavia; he also opened a restaurant in Nagano in 1995. His own description of himself is simple: a cook above all. ## The cooking The day starts at the market, and the produce dictates the recipes, so menus shift with what the chef finds. The style is modern and clear, faithful to its Burgundian roots without being bound by them. Four menus rise from a seasonal set to a full tasting experience, and the sommelier can match wines to each course. ## Good to know Sens is about 2 hours 20 minutes from Beaune and some 120 kilometres from Paris, so it suits a transfer day between the two. Menus cost €78, €99, €139 and €177. The restaurant opens from Wednesday to Saturday, and bookings are taken only through its online reservation system. Reserve ahead; with a private driver, the long road becomes a comfortable part of the journey rather than a chore. Telephone: [+33 3 86 65 09 31](tel:+33386650931) ## Did you know? After 25 years in the centre of Sens, Patrick Gauthier moved La Madeleine in 2017 to the tip of an island in the Yonne. ## How the evening works 1. **Book your table**: Directly with the restaurant. Weekends, the harvest and the Hospices de Beaune auction in November fill up weeks ahead. 2. **Book the car**: Choose the restaurant on our booking page: pickup at your hotel at the time you like, and a fixed price for the return trip. 3. **Back to your hotel**: Your driver waits nearby while you dine, up to 3 hours, then drives you home. Nobody has to drive. ## Around La Madeleine What to see before dinner at La Madeleine, nearest first. ### Restaurants - [La Côte Saint-Jacques](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-cote-saint-jacques-joigny) (25 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Three generations of the Lorain family on the banks of the Yonne, with two stars and a long record of sustainable cooking. ## Questions about La Madeleine ### How many MICHELIN stars does La Madeleine have? La Madeleine holds one MICHELIN star in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide France. ### Who is the chef at La Madeleine? The kitchen of La Madeleine is led by Patrick Gauthier. ### How do we get to La Madeleine from Beaune? La Madeleine is about 2 h 24 from Beaune by road (228 km). With a private driver, the return trip from Beaune, with the car bringing you back after dinner, starts at €990 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. → [Driver to dinner and back](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ### Can the driver wait and drive us back after dinner? Yes. Book the return trip: your driver takes you to La Madeleine, waits nearby while you dine, up to 3 hours, and drives you back to your hotel. Nobody in your party has to drive. ### Do we need to book a table at La Madeleine? Yes. Book your table directly with the restaurant, well ahead for weekends, the harvest and the Hospices de Beaune auction weekend in November. We book the car, not the table. Its official website (restaurant-lamadeleine.fr) has the booking details and opening days. ### How much is dinner at La Madeleine? According to the restaurant, menus start at €78 per person. Prices change with the seasons, so check before you go. ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=restaurant:madeleine): Return trip from Beaune from €990 · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - --- Canonical page: