Chinon eats and drinks well, with a small but reliable cluster of restaurants in the old town. The local specialities are fouées — small puff-pastry pockets stuffed with rillettes, beans, or goat's cheese, baked in a wood-fired oven — and rillons, slow-cooked chunks of pork belly that come as a starter or in salads. Goat's cheese from Sainte-Maure or Selles-sur-Cher pairs well with the Cabernet Franc reds the region produces.
Les Années 30 on Rue Voltaire is a steady choice for traditional Loire cooking with good wine pairings. L'Ardoise offers smaller, more modern plates and a curated Chinon list. For something quick, the fouée bakeries on Rue Voltaire serve a dozen filled pastries with a glass of wine for a fair price.
Most kitchens close between 2 and 7 pm — eat lunch by 1 or wait for dinner.