Le Pupitre

Le Pupitre occupies a nineteenth-century troglodyte cellar carved into tuffeau stone on rue Saint-Jean in Saumur, once used to age sparkling wine. The original wooden desks and chalk marks left by the cellar workers remain in place. Guests dine on Loire Valley cuisine and can play cards for points at one of eight card tables set into the old aging niches — no betting, no stakes, no winnings, and strictly for adults over 18. The cellar holds sixty people across a single seating, stays at a constant twelve degrees year-round, and offers blankets for guests. Two nights a week, staff circulate to explain rules and help newcomers join a table.