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Bordeaux - Good eats


David Bizer

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Well I had a nice weekend in Bordeaux, with the highlight being oysters at the market and a nice dinner at La Tupina. We also ate at L' Entrecôte, but as much as I liked it at the time, Im left with a slight feeling of being ripped of. Not given a choice of wine and the dismal salad (semi-fresh salad, raw walnuts and vinaigrette) for a fixed price was just kind of boring. But I got a nice cheese plate. Dont get me wrong, the meat was good, but Id rather spend the hour standing in line somewhere else, next time. We also had lunch at La Bordelaise (spelling?), which was way under par. So next time I go, I will cook more nice food from the exelent supermarkets and mayby try on e of the one-star restaurants the city has to offer. The market on the last sunday of the month along the river is well worth checking out.

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Does anyone know if La Tupina takes reservations or if they're needed? Their web site doesn't say.

Any other current (and inexpensive) recs for Bordeaux and environs?

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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We turned up without a reservation and got straight in - but it was 9.45pm on a weeknight so I suspect that a reservation would be good if wanting an earlier slot. however, one of the good things about La Tupina and Bordeaux generally is quite late opening hours so lots of options for late dinners.

Would also recommend the sister place to La Tupina just up the road. A very small bar with simpler food but extremely cosy. When we were there some of the dishes were actually cooked at La Tupina and dashed up the street (eg cassoulet) otherwise the cooking facilities are limited to a stove behind the bar itself. Great for a glass of wine and saussison or pate.

Also, if you get the chance, take the train to St Emilion and eat at Le Clos de Roy - outstanding food at very reasonable prices. The 2 heaving cheeseboards and the delicate sweetbreads were highlights of my visit.

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We turned up without a reservation and got straight in - but it was 9.45pm on a weeknight so I suspect that a reservation would be good if wanting an earlier slot.  however, one of the good things about La Tupina and Bordeaux generally is quite late opening hours so lots of options for late dinners.

Would also recommend the sister place to La Tupina just up the road.  A very small bar with simpler food but extremely cosy.  When we were there some of the dishes were actually cooked at La Tupina and dashed up the street (eg cassoulet) otherwise the cooking facilities are limited to a stove behind the bar itself.  Great for a glass of wine and saussison or pate.

Also, if you get the chance, take the train to St Emilion and eat at Le Clos de Roy - outstanding food at very reasonable prices.  The 2 heaving cheeseboards and the delicate sweetbreads were highlights of my visit.

Thanks you so much for the suggestions! I just got an email back from La Tupina and they were already full for the date I wanted; however, an opening at 22h30 was available. That may be a tad late for me.... Perhaps I'll give the sister place a try.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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  • 4 months later...

just bumping this up again as am wondering if anyone has any new suggestions on a place to eat in Bordeaux. I'm there for a weekend at the end of the month. We already have reservations for La Tupina on Saturday. I'm looking for something on Friday night - some of the girls get in a bit late, so something fun and casual that will serve after 9 or even 10pm. Maybe a bar a vins that serves munchies or light meals? And, bonus if it's close to our hotel which is the Hotel Continental 10, Rue Montesquieu. Any advice appreciated!

52 martinis blog

@52martinis

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  • 3 weeks later...
just bumping this up again as am wondering if anyone has any new suggestions on a place to eat in Bordeaux.  I'm there for a weekend at the end of the month.  We already have reservations for La Tupina on Saturday.  I'm looking for something on Friday night - some of the girls get in a bit late, so something fun and casual that will serve after 9 or even 10pm.  Maybe a bar a vins that serves munchies or light meals?  And, bonus if it's close to our hotel which is the Hotel Continental 10, Rue Montesquieu.  Any advice appreciated!

Thanks for bumping this up Forest. Unfortunately I can't help as I have a similar question. We will be in Bordeaux on a Friday in March, and it is very hard to get a tour to the wineries at that time of year. So can anyone suggest somewhere to taste good Bordeaux wines and try some local foods at the same time? Thanks!

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La Cape, said to be out of town but it's not.  Click here.

Colette and I and Zouave have really liked it.

I wanted to go when Annette and I was there, but we rented bikes which kept us within the city. I would recommend everyone to rent bikes to get around town. Its cheap and easy. Theres a bike rental place up at Place Gambetta.

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La Cape, said to be out of town but it's not.  Click here.

Colette and I and Zouave have really liked it.

I wanted to go when Annette and I was there, but we rented bikes which kept us within the city. I would recommend everyone to rent bikes to get around town. Its cheap and easy. Theres a bike rental place up at Place Gambetta.

It's roughly 4 miles from Place Gambetta, so not too far for a bike ride.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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Thanks for bumping this up Forest. Unfortunately I can't help as I have a similar question. We will be in Bordeaux on a Friday in March, and it is very hard to get a tour to the wineries at that time of year. So can anyone suggest somewhere to taste good Bordeaux wines and try some local foods at the same time? Thanks!

Well, I went down for my weekend and had a really enjoyable meal at La Tupina. (not withstanding the hurricane-force winds that were happening the weekend we were there!) For local food, i think this is a good bet. We went to the "nicer" restaurant, but their website also indicates that they have something more casual. We did a 3 course menu each, two bottles of wine and digestifs and got out of there for a not cheap 100 Euros/person.

We wanted to taste some wines as well so a girlfriend and I went to the Bar a Vins on Friday night (i think this is associated the Ecole du Vins). The bar area is modern and looks fancy, but the prices are very reasonable (generally 3 - 4 Euros/glass). We were slightly disappointed with the wines. She had a white graves, i had a couple of bordeaux superieres. They were okay, but for a wine bar associated with the school, we were hoping for a bit more information (either from the server or writen up) on the wines. They weren't bad, i just didn't really seem to appreciate them and maybe a bit more information would have made it more of a learning experience for me. We also ordered some of their munchie plates, which are either cheese or meats. They were small, but also very cheap price-wise. Also of note, this place closes at 10pm.

I had a pleasant cafe lunch at Cafe Creme & we also had a decent lunch at l'autre salon du the. (which seems to specialize in freshly baked desserts)

it's a beautifuly little city...enjoy your visit!

52 martinis blog

@52martinis

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Looking for some recommendations for a 3 day trip next week. I like simple, bistro-style food, good but not fancy. A few questions:

-Surprised by the prices at La Tupina. Is it truly spectacular? Has anyone tried the wine bar or the table d'hote at the grocery?

-I like the sound of the following places. Any experience of them?

Bouchon Bordelais (this seems to be different than the one John mentions above)

Le Petit Commerce

Le Mably

La Vieux Bordeaux

-Could one make lunch from oysters or other food at the Marche Grand Hommes or the Marche Capucins?

Thanks!

Shira

Paris

lespetitpois.blogspot.com

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  • 3 months later...

We were in Bordeaux last week and ate at La Tupina, La Brasserie Bordelaise, and La Belle Epoque.

La Tupina is expensive, and no, I wouldn't call it spectacular, but it's very nice. I think you're paying for its fame, but the quality is still high. Just don't go there expecting anything flashy.

La Brasserie Bordelaise is everything you'd hope to find in a casual, authentic place filled with locals. They barely even have a sign, and seem to make no effort to attract tourists, which is a good thing, in my book.

La Belle Epoque is probably the most beautiful place to eat in Bordeaux,and the food is great too. The prices are shockingly low for the quality of the food.

Pictures of all three are here.

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We just had an exceptionally mediocre meal at La Tupina and would advise against going. The service was very nice and attentive, but the food was just not very good. We had scrambled eggs w/ local caviar and pan roasted cepes to start, and then the pork chop and the roast chicken. The eggs were fine. The mushrooms were mushy and not very flavorful. The pork chop was just fine, but totally unremarkable. The chicken was the biggest disappointment. Totally lacking in flavor, underseasoned, flabby skin. This place has all the trappings of a great local restaurant, what with the wood fire, the table of ingredients in front of it, and the ambiance, but the quality just wasn't there.

On the other hand, we had an absolutely wonderful lunch at Le Lion D'Or in Arcins.

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