In the second term of my Erasmus in Toulouse when I felt
more settled into French life I ate out around once a week. I mainly chose
restaurants through recommendations from foodie friends, though I sometimes
found TripAdvisor reviews helpful.
By no means have I tried all the restaurants in Toulouse, I
didn’t have nearly enough time and probably would have bankrupted myself! Add
to that the fact that new restaurants are popping up all the time throughout
the city and it becomes apparent that this is by no means a definitive list –
rather a ranking of the best Toulousain
restaurants I’ve been lucky enough to visit, judged on value for money (rapport qualité prix), atmosphere and a
very English idea of Frenchie-ness (l'équivalent
anglais de ‘so British’ en France ;) ) Unless otherwise stated, scores are
based on a weekday visit for lunch.
Oh, and in true French style I shall be marking out of 20 :P
Let the first bitesize chunk of the countdown
begin!
10. CROUS
 |
| Restaurant universitaire, Toulouse UT1 Capitole (photo credit www.crous-toulouse.fr/fiche-detaillee?id=4) |
Value for money: 20/20
Atmosphere: 6/20
French factor: 14/20
CROUS is the university-wide catering service in France. On
my campus they offered a variety of food outlets: two cafés, a push-bike selling
Sushi outside the BU (Bibliothèque universitaire; university library) and the restaurant universitaire, a large canteen.
Admittedly the quality could be better – think halls food
gone French with the atmosphere to match for any of you who have experienced
catered student accommodation in the UK! However, it is difficult to grumble
when a three course meal (plus small baguette) costs just over 3 €. I went
there on average once a week in first and second term.
Like many French food outlets, a major downside to the CROUS
is its lack of vegetarian choices. In France it is such a struggle for
vegetarians to find restaurants which serve proper meat-free meals rather than
the meat course minus the meat. I have experienced this problem first-hand –
one of the best friends I met in Toulouse is vegetarian and she found eating out
a very difficult experience. Hopefully restaurateurs will soon realise
vegetarians like restaurants, too!
9. Foxy
 |
| Main course, Foxy |
Value for money: 11/20
Atmosphere: 15/20
French factor: 16/20
After walking past this little bistrot for months and a recommendation from a foodie friend I finally
managed to visit during my final weeks in Toulouse. (I had tried to go before
but when my group arrived it was fully booked. Really, you must always make a
reservation before eating out in Toulouse!)
The place was lively; every table was occupied. My meal was
an intriguing combination of pasta and a slightly sweet, oriental sauce made
with mango and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This was complimented by rich
chunks of slow-cooked beef. My friend enjoyed one of Foxy’s many burger
choices. Overall it was a good experience.
8. Solaneko
 |
| Main course, Solaneko |
Value for money: 15/20
Atmosphere: 16/20
French factor: 12/20
Located on the
fringes of centre-ville in the
St-Cyprien quartier of Toulouse, a friend
told me this restaurant was a hidden gem. After a starter of miso soup served
with rice, I chose the chicken Katsu with a selection of vegetables in a
variety of aromatic coverings for my plat
principal. There was also a fish choice which looked rather appetising.
Though I’m not sure the Japanese-French fusion food was
entirely to my taste (I prefer traditional dishes) I am certain this place
could quickly become a ‘go-to’ restaurant for the right person.
7. The Dispensary
 |
| Fish and Chips at The Dispensary - complete with birthday card in the background! |
Value for money: 16/20
Atmosphere: 17/20
French factor: 4/20
I went for an evening meal with friends at The Dispensary to celebrate my
birthday. Like Solaneko it is located in St-Cyprien so
slightly outside the town centre but the place was still very lively. It was the
most authentic British/Irish style pub I went to in Toulouse – the waitress who
took our orders was from Sheffield! The menu consisted of generously sized
burgers which according to my friends were delicious. I chose the ultimate 'so British' dish, Fish and Chips.
Although the mushy peas were rather runny and the mustard sauce was a bit strange, the batter was
very authentic, the fish was nicely cooked and the chips weren’t bad either. The dish even came with a small
side salad, something you wouldn’t usually get in the UK. There was a good
selection of sauces and relishes including HP sauce, which is quite unusual in
France.
There were quite a few vegetarian choices, something my
veggie friend really appreciated!
I had great fun introducing my Erasmus friends to British
food, my only regret is that we never went back to try the Full English
Breakfast (which is also available in a vegetarian version).
6. Rajasthan Villa
 |
| Photo credit www.lerajasthanvilla.com |
Value for money: 18/20
Atmosphere: 17/20
French factor: N/A – it’s an Indian restaurant!
My parents and I visited Rajasthan Villa for an evening meal
after reading very good reviews on TripAdvisor.
The restaurant was beautifully decorated but very quiet,
especially considering the quality of the food and very reasonable prices (16 €
for a three-course meal plus an aperitif,
poppadoms and coffee – virtually unheard of for an evening meal in Toulouse!)
Highlights included an aromatic whole trout for my main
course and lassi, a traditional yoghurt-based
Indian drink. The staff were welcoming and very friendly, too.
If you want to eat Indian in Toulouse, this is the place to
go!
Next time I’ll be continuing the countdown by sharing my top 5 favourite places to eat
out in Toulouse!
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