Le Pressoir Restaurant - About Le Pressoir

There are few homes in St. Martin dating from the 1870s. The building occupied by Le Pressoir is one of those rarities --- built in 1871. It was one of the first homes in what was once the thriving fishing and salt-producing village of Grand Case on St. Martin's northwest coast.

This former Creole-style home was constructed with great attention to detail --- it had to be built strong to withstand the wrath of many tropical cyclones over the last 140 years.

Why "Le Pressoir"? Close to the Grand Case Aerodrome, you will see what remains of the Grand Case salt pond. In the 1800s and early 1900s, the pond was filled with seawater which dried off during the day leaving salt crystals. A giant press -- Le Pressoir -- crushed the crystals so they could be packed, exported, and sold as much sought-after salt in Europe in the 1800s. A historical artifact from that era -- an actual salt press, Le Pressoir -- is on display now across the street from our restaurant.

Le Pressoir Today. Our painstakingly restored Creole home houses our unique, award-winning French restaurant, open every evening in high season. Owned and operated since 2004 by Franck and Melanie Mear, Le Pressoir opens daily at 6 pm for dinner, serving until 11 pm. We do not have formal "seatings" like other restaurants, enabling us to seat you at your convenience any time during the evening, with advance reservations.

Plan to spend an evening with us soon, but please remember: we never sacrifice quality for expediency. Plan to spend a full evening with us to get the most out of what will be a very special, memorable dining experience.

Le Pressoir is open every evening from Christmas to Easter (our high season) 6 - 11 p.m. Closed Sundays during low season. Our Annual Closing is from September 15 to October 15.