With the name written boldly in white across a blue frontage and large windows giving onto two streets, you won't miss this corner restaurant in the centre of Ballyshannon.
Which is good news for visitors passing through the town, as it's a place to seek out for a really tasty bite.
Breton chef Guillaume Lamandais and his wife Iwona hit the ground running when they opened Tete-a-Tete in June 2018. Having cheffed in some of the Guide's favourite places over the previous 20 years - including Lyon’s Café in Sligo, Temple House at Ballymote, Lissadell House near Drumcliff and Out of the Blue in Dingle - Guillaume's aim was to enrich Ballyshannon’s gastronomic offering and this unpretentious daytime restaurant and bakery has certainly brought something new and different to the town.
Inside, it's very French with practical furniture, a couple of notice boards - one for specials, another highlighting their local suppliers - and a bakery corner set up with beautiful sourdough bread, baguettes, pain au chocolat and artisan croissants from Donegal Craft Bakery and their own cakes, cookies and biscuits baked in-house.
They serve breakfast, brunch and lunch until 4pm (then tea or coffee and cakes until closing) and there are plans to open for Theme Nights in future.
Guillaume is an all-round chef whose skills range from fine cooking to patisserie, baking and preserve making - the perfect background for a small quality-led restaurant.
The offering depends on seasonal produce available from local suppliers but regular dishes would include house specialities notably Lamb Tagine, Falafel and, of course, Crepes.
(Crepes also feature on the breakfast menu, alongside the more usual Irish breakfast dishes).
The excellent soups and sandwiches alone would be good enough reason to come here, but there's plenty more to choose from - a typical selection on the specials board, for example, could include Salmon Teriyaki with oriental slaw; Bacon & mushroom quiche; Marinated Chicken skewers with Moroccan Pilau Rice,tomato & cucumber; and Grilled Harissa Chicken with gratin potatoes, and there's always a good selection of salads.
Few could resist finishing off with a crepe (Nutella and Banana; Maple Syrup, Pear and Roasted Almonds...) and there's a good drinks list too, including local beer from Dicey Reilly’s micro brewery nearby.
Tete a Tete is understandably popular with locals and the fact that they are such strong supporters of local producers is good for the town, and the area - the impressive list of producers credited on the board include O’Reilly’s Fish, Ballyshannon butchers Walshes and McGaherns, Donegal Creameries, Donegal Craft Bakery, Patton’s Eggs Ballyshannon (Castle Free Range), and Rossinver Organic Centre. It's great to see it and many far fancier places could take note.
All round, an excellent and very friendly place that is well worth seeking out.
