Toulouse Wine Bars, Patisseries, Markets and More

Image credit: Sacha Cohen – The Garonne River in Toulouse

After 10 glorious days in Bordeaux, we took the train to Toulouse in early December 2023.

Our immediate impression was that the city lacked the charm of Bordeaux and was geared very much toward its large student population. We learned that there is even a friendly rivalry between Bordeaux and Toulouse—and when we mentioned that we had just come from Bordeaux, the typical response was, “oh, they are stuck up there.” We didn’t find that to be the case at all but there you have it.

Located in the heart of the South-West, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Toulouse, also known as the “La Ville Rose” or the Pink City is the fourth largest in France. And frankly, it was too big for us. Even though it was December, the cafes and bars were teaming with young people huddled under heat lamps, smoking, drinking, and laughing. There was a packed Christmas market in the Place du Capitole, which we tried to avoid as much as possible because Jason and I don’t like crowds and noise. In fact, even though people will tell you to go there, we much preferred exploring the smaller adjacent neighborhoods and going away from the “hyper centre.”

Image credit: Sacha Cohen – Toulouse

We rented a wonderful and roomy Airbnb in the Carmes area, owned by an equally lovely French woman named Maryvonne who greeted us from her balcony overlooking the courtyard. We trudged up the wooden steps with our luggage (well, to be fair, Jason did all the lugging), and were warmly welcomed into the duplex by Maryvonne. The duplex was perfect for us: It had a large bright bedroom on the second floor with windows overlooking nearby rooftops and greenery, a comfortable and well-appointed living room and dining room, and a kitchen filled with every possible implement one could need. Oh, and three bathrooms—which is almost unheard of in French apartments of that size. Even though we were on a busy cobblestone street filled with cafes, restaurants, and shops, the duplex itself was a quiet oasis.

Image credit: Sacha Cohen – Toulouse

One of the things we like to do as soon as we arrive in a new place is to take a walking tour with a local. It helps us get acclimated and you end up discovering all sorts of things you might not on your own. We booked two tours—one of which wasn’t very good so I won’t waste time discussing it. The other one was an excellent wine bar tour with Jessica Hammer, the founder of Taste of Toulouse. Jessica, a certified French wine scholar, knows her stuff and introduced us to all kinds of beautiful local wines.

We kicked off the evening with crisp J.L. Denois Bulles de Chenin at l’Alimentation Bar à Vin Place de la Bourse and then made our way to Maison Sarment where we tasted a white Domaine de Millet and a red Château Adélaïde, alongside a heaping plate of local cheese and bread. Then we made our way to le 5 Wine Bar. Voted one of the best wine bars in the world, le 5 has a mind-blowing 500 wines by the glass, including several rare vintages. It was the perfect opportunity to try several very expensive wines that you’d normally have to buy by the bottle.

Paris Brest at Sandyan – image credit: Sacha Cohen

After a few days, we learned to avoid the overcrowded center of the city and instead, went further afield into more residential and off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods. On Jessica’s recommendation, we booked Franquette, a sweet neighborhood restaurant where Jason was wowed by duck a la orange and I enjoyed the fish of the day, surrounded by a rich broth. Our best foodie find, however, was Sandyan, an exquisite patisserie helmed by star chef/baker Yannick Delpech. We had one of my all-time favorite French desserts, Paris Brest, a killer Kouign-Amann and a melt-in-your-mouth Madeline.

While wandering around not far from our apartment, I stumbled upon Galerie Esquerré, a vintage jewelry shop and art gallery that specializes in vintage Hermes and Louis Vuitton as well as African art. The first time I went by, it was closed for the requisite two-hour French dejuner, so J’ai fait du lèche-vitrines (which literally translates into “licked the windows” or window shopped). When I went back the next day, I was too intimidated to go in so I simply looked longingly at the impressive assortment of bracelets, bags, scarves and other Hermes finery displayed in the window, annoyed with myself for not being bold enough to go in.

Image credit: Matteo CATHELIN on Unsplash

A few other highlights from our five days in Toulouse included a boat ride on the Garonne, a walk through the Jardin du Grand Rond, and a visit to the Victor Hugo market, which features 80 stalls selling everything from fish and meats to local produce, cheese, and bread. There are also wine merchants and several restaurants located on the first floor of the hall.

We left Toulouse knowing that we had only scratched the surface and that there was much more to this bustling university town than we originally thought. It’s still not on the top of our list of places to return to in France, but it definitely has its charms.

À bientôt !

Sacha

Have you ever been to Toulouse? What did you most enjoy about Sacha’s article? Please share your experiences below in the comments.
You can read more wonderful articles from Sacha Cohen on her Substack “A Good Vintage.”