Top 10 student budget friendly restaurants in Toulouse – part two

Coucou !

After a busy few weeks I’ve finally found the time to blog again.

Since I last wrote, my post on finding student accommodation in France has been featured on the Third Year Abroad website (www.thirdyearabroad.com) which I am absolutely thrilled about! For those of you who don’t know, the TYA website is a fantastic resource for students considering, embarking on or returning from their year abroad. It contains essential advice about placement hunting, funding, accommodation and much more. If that applies to you I’d highly recommend taking a look at it!

In my last post (which you can read here) I started counting down my top 10 places to eat in la ville rose.

So without further ado, let’s resume the countdown - here are my top 5 favourite restaurants in Toulouse.

5. Le salon d’Eugénie

Photo credit http://www.toulouscope.fr/salon-de-the/le-salon-d-eugenie.html

Value for money: 16/20

Atmosphere: 17/20

French factor: 18/20

My French language tandem took me to Le salon d’Eugénie as it’s one of her favourite café/restaurants. The décor was typically French with lots of little tables for two packed into one room. The place was full of locals – always a good sign!

As this is more of a café, the menu was lighter than the other restaurants I’ve been to in Toulouse. For my main course I chose air-dried ham and a local blue cheese on sourdough bread with a side salad – a wise choice! It was the first time I’d tried blue cheese (silly I know, but the colour has never appealed to me) and I was surprised at how much I liked it!

My friend had to get back to university for 2pm but we lost track of time and only realised she would be late if we stayed after ordering dessert! Luckily the staff were really accommodating and packaged our puddings into little pâtisserie boxes – they even gave us our expressos to take out.

A really charming place for a lighter lunch, afternoon tea or an ice-cream in the summer, located right in the heart of Toulouse just off Capitole square, this place is well worth a visit!

4. Café du Midi

Value for money: 17/20

Atmosphere: 18/20

French factor: 20/20

Another favourite of my language tandem. Dating back to 1875, the Café du Midi is a Toulousain institution. The style is that of a traditional brasserie: a no-frills eatery serving fresh, tasty French favourites at reasonable prices.

I ordered the French classic of Steak Frites, a good sized steak accompanied with a generous portion of French fries and side salad. For dessert I ordered profiteroles, what I got was a gigantic helping of vanilla cream, lots of chocolate sauce and of course masses of profiteroles – I don’t think I even managed to eat half of it!

The brasserie was quite empty on the day we visited which apparently was unusual. Had it been busier I think the atmosphere might well have been improved.

I recommend a visit to the Café du Midi – it’s fascinating to imagine how many people have eaten there over the years!

3. La Faim des Haricots, centre ville branch

Photo credit https://gourmandisesetplaisirspluriels.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/restaurant-vegetarien-la-faim-des-haricots-toulouse/

Value for money: 20/20

Atmosphere: 16/20

French factor: 15/20

This restaurant is listed as one of the top 10 vegetarian restaurants in France according to The Guardian. From visiting several times, I can confirm it is deserving of this accolade.

La Faim des Haricots is a welcome break from traditional French dining. It offers exclusively vegetarian dishes in an ‘all you can eat’ style (buffet à volonté). There really is something for everyone, from typical French café staples such as quiches to more unusual options such as vegetarian chilli with couscous and Thai green vegetable curry with rice.  Each day there are five courses to choose from: salad, savoury tarts, soup, the dish of the day and a selection of especially yummy desserts and ice-creams. The number of courses you can choose depends on the formule you select; I’d recommend the menu ‘Midi’ (lunch menu) which consisted of two dishes, a small carafe of wine, cider or a non-alcoholic beverage and an expresso for 14,50 € which was extremely good value.

My only qualm about the restaurant is that if you are seated in the basement you have to carry your food downstairs from the ground floor buffet, which can prove a slightly precarious experience!

There was a good mix of locals and tourists in the restaurant, and each time I visited it was very busy – I would recommend booking in advance!

2. Au Bon Servant

Value for money: 17/20

Atmosphere: 19/20

French factor: 20/20

My foodie friend was right when she told me this is a must visit restaurant!

Au Bon Servant offers a modern take on traditional French cuisine in a relaxed and intimate bistro setting where you can watch the chef prepare each dish.

On both my visits the restaurant was lively with the sound of French conversation, suggesting the place is a firm favourite amongst the locals. Each time there was a different head chef who added his own flair to the signature dessert of a light and fluffy olive oil sponge cake and sweet cherry tomatoes accompanied by a delicately perfumed orange blossom mousse. However, my favourite dish has to be the tasty beef belly with creamy polenta, tangy pickled Asian vegetables and a salty, rich mushroom sauce – not a dish I will be forgetting in a hurry!

Although Au Bon Servant was the most expensive restaurant I visited during my time in Toulouse (the lunchtime formule was around 24 € for three courses, or 19 € for two, without wine or coffee), the quality and ambiance means it was definitely worth the extra few euros.

1. Le Bistoquet

Value for money: 20/20

Atmosphere: 19/20

French factor: 19/20

Another unmissable restaurant recommended by the same foodie friend, Le Bistroquet was absolutely stuffed full of locals when I made a lunchtime visit with my French language tandem. The plat du jour was a gigantic piece of tender slow-cooked pork (I forget what cut it was but I don’t think I’ve eaten it before (or perhaps I have eaten it, but not cooked so expertly!)), served with spiced lentils and a green salad. Like many French restaurants there was an ever-replenishing basket of fresh sliced baguette to accompany the meal, plus a small choice of good quality wine either by the glass or by the bottle.

The food may sound simple but it was done extremely well. My language tandem and I were so full up we didn’t need anything else except an espresso to finish off the meal! We only ate one course, meaning that the price was very reasonable, too.

I really regret not going back to Le Bistroquet for a few more meals – definitely one of my priorities next time I find myself in Toulouse!

Ciao !