Where To Eat in Toulouse, France

By no means this is an exhaustive list but these are the few places I’ve tried during the two times I’ve been in Toulouse the past 12 months - once around Christmas time and once a month ago during the summer (see full Toulouse Travel Guide here!). All centrally located in the prime historical area of Toulouse, these three restaurants range from traditional Toulouse steakhouse, to brasserie, to French Asia fusion.

La Braisière

Menu design of La Braisère in Toulouse, France

A charming restaurant with two floors that has been in Toulouse since 1972, La Braisière is known for its steak and traditional southwest French cuisine such as cassoulet and duck confit. We were seated on the second floor next to the iron railing with nice people-watching-view of the entrance on the first floor. Furthermore, we had an unobstructed view of the open flame brick oven downstairs as well, where all the steaks were grilled.

And ordering according to what it’s known for, we had a filet mignon and cassoulet duck confit - which was an extremely filling comfort food service with a very generous portion of duck confit, bacon, sausage, and white beans. In addition, we ordered duck confit spring rolls as an appetizer.

Highly recommend the steak and cassoulet but maybe skip out on the duck confit spring rolls.

Duck Confit Spring Roll at La Brasière in Toulouse, France

Filet Mignon from La Brasière, Restaurant in Toulouse, France

You simply cannot go to the southwest of France without eating this dish! Cassoulet from La Brasière, Restaurant in Toulouse, France. A lovely comfort dish of duck confit, bacon, sausage, and white beans.

Le May

A local favorite since 1986, Le May is located in the historical town center of Toulouse and from what I can observe, a frequently visited restaurant by the student population close by! The food is great quality, great portions, and very reasonably priced. It is also a great restaurant to people watch and be amongst the locals!

We ordered a grilled fish of the day with vegetables and baked potato on the side and a kebab with the same vegetables and baked potato on the side. The fish was so tender and flavorful that it was definitely a fresh catch of the day!

The only downside was that the restaurant was so crowded the evening we went so we had to sit at a table by the door, which was broken! So it had to be bolted in to stay closed but there were so many people coming in and out of the restaurant that I ended up having to play the role of butler! I didn’t mind it too much and the waiters felt so bad that they offered us a discount and shots of rum when we paid our bill…

Mousse de Canard at Le May restaurant in Toulouse, France

Grilled catch of the day with mixed vegetables and baked potato at local institution, Le May restaurant in Toulouse, France

Half-finished kabob from Le May, a local restaurant in Toulouse, France

Le Bazacle

Saving the best for last! Our favorite restaurant thus far since our two trips to Toulouse and we have been there a total of 3 times already! Every single time, the food did not disappoint, whether it was lunch or dinner.

Nestled in between the Canal de Brienne and Garonne River and next to Toulouse University, this lovely bistro offers Asian French fusion cuisine that is absolutely delightful!

We randomly discovered it for lunch on our first trip to Toulouse and had the best roasted cornish chicken over mashed potatoes that I have ever had in my life! I was so blown away by that simple dish that this summer when we were back in town, I had to go back and try their new menu!

Fabulous cornish chicken on top of mashed potatoes with tomato sauce at Le Bazacle, Toulouse, France

Below is a sneak preview of all the items we have tried from Le Bazacle - all quite phenomenal. It will remain a frequent visit of ours when we go back to Toulouse in the future!