Bonjour Bordeaux! Spending an entire month in the underrated French city of Bordeaux has been such a lovely luxury. We have enjoyed beautiful spring weather, surprisingly low prices, kind and generous people and of course incredible food. Let me tell you all about Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City.
Bon Appitit
I have visited France numerous times, but this was my first visit to Bordeaux. It was recommended to us by Parisian friends as a great location for a long stay. And indeed it has been. Still flying under the radar, this ancient city on the Garonne River is undergoing a renaissance. Over the past twenty years Bordeaux has gone from dilapidated to divine. Cleaned up, yet still a bit gritty – Bordeaux is un-apologetically authentic. And the food is well…magnifique. Let’s talk about it.
Pain (Bread)
Eat the pain. Eat all the bread. Bread from a boulangerie in France is delicious and due to no preservatives, better for you. Unlike grocery store bread in the USA, bread in France needs to be purchased and consumed daily for freshness. It’s amazing how much better it is. Bread in France, like many local foods, is highly regulated by the government to ensure quality. To be called a “boulangerie”, a bakery must make its own bread fresh on-site, no pre-made dough allowed. A baguette must weigh 250-300 g, be 55-65 cm long, and any bread labeled “tradition française” must be produced following a very specific recipe. And as someone with a sensitive tummy, I notice no issues when eating in France.
A patisserie is a French bakery that sells pastries. In France and Belgium patisserie is also regulated and using the word is restricted to bakeries who employ licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chefs).
Viande & Voaille (Meat & Poultry)
Beef, lamb, pork, duck! We ate it all and more. French cuisine features meat and poultry often, and we specifically visited several restaurants to enjoy these classics. I had steak tartare at a little hole in the wall called Petit Mignon (Arne had a giant hamburger) and we ate lamb, duck and fois gras at La Tupina. We also had grilled pork and steak frites for lunch at Brasserie de Chartrons. Bordeaux takes these classics seriously while also focusing on local specialties. All served with the most incredible Bordeaux wine.
Fruit de Mer (Seafood)
Though on a river, the city of Bordeaux is only 100km from the Atlantic ocean. This proximity makes seafood abundant, fresh and delicious. We love shellfish and had local oysters on several occasions as well as delicious moules (muscles). In addition we enjoyed squid, sea bass, tuna and octopus.
Canele (Bordeaux’s Favorite)
The name canelé comes from the French word for “fluted.” According to cookbooks, the canele Bordelaise could date back to anywhere between the 15th and 18th centuries, and most of the history books concur that the pastry originated in various convents around the winemaking regions of Bordeaux in Southern France.
On arrival in Bordeaux we immediately noticed shops selling these sweet little bites. There are a couple of chain stores that sell them, but luckily and unknowingly we popped into a small proprietor, considered Bordeaux’s best – Cassanade. Very delicious crunchy exterior with a creamy rum and vanilla baked center. Hard to describe but definitely easy to eat.
Nourriture Ethnique (Ethnic Choices)
Bordeaux is home to wide range of immigrants who have brought their cuisines to this international city. Lebanese, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and even Mexican which I find is rare in Europe. One we tried and loved was a delicious Peruvian restaurant called Blind. Blind had a prix-fixe dinner menu (very common) with Peruvian classics like ceviche presented with a French twist. Very good.
We also visited an amazing Cambodian restaurant just a few minutes walk from our apartment called Kampot. Lovely little spots like these are authentic and delicious. The proprietor was our host, waiter and cook! So very kind and the food was delicious!
If You Only Have a Few Days
I get it, most people don’t come to Bordeaux for an entire month. So I have a couple of recommendations if you only have a few days. Definitely plan ahead and make some bookings. Remember that the majority of restaurants are open from about noon to 2:30pm then close and don’t reopen until 7:00 or 7:30. Many restaurants (and shops too) are closed on Monday. There are some touristic places near the main squares that you might find open all day. But it is our recommendation to try to eat where the locals eat. And that means eating during the hours the locals eat. This is how we indulged in Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City.
Bordeaux Bites
Definitely find time to do a food and wine walking tour with Bordeaux Bites. If you can start your visit with this tour, you will come away with a great understanding of what makes the food scene of Bordeaux tick. I highly recommend it. Our guide Alex was amazing and he emailed me after the tour many restaurant suggestions. Merci Alex!
The Gastronome Bordeaux
We loved our cooking/baking class with Chef Daniel and Erica at The Gastronome Bordeaux. This is where we learned the history and nuances of Bordeaux’s iconic sweet treat canele. I can highly recommend this class, but you might also consider their full cooking class with market tour or their duck class. Delicieuse!
Les Halles des Bacalan
This wonderful food hall, Les Halles des Bacalan, is such a delight…we ate there twice. Especially if you only have a few days in Bordeaux, this collection of gourmet delights under one roof is perfect. Popular with locals and visitors, you can walk around and choose what looks good and sample many different foods of the region. We had seafood, wine, charcuterie, and more. I highly recommend.
Wine Tasting
Of course I have to at least mention wine…we are in Bordeaux after all – where they produce over 700 million bottles of wine a year. Everywhere you go to eat there will be a wide variety of local wine offerings at amazing prices (compared to USA prices). Do not worry if you know little or nothing about wine. Ask just few questions, or ask the waiter to make a recommendation. Everyone we met was kind and helpful and very willing to introduce the local wines to novices. It’s surprisingly unpretentious.
Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City, included lots and lots of wine. Not just at every meal, but also at wine bars. A wine bar or a wine shop (most also serve as wine bars) is an exceptional way to be guided through the delicious local wines. We particularly liked Le Bar a Vin.
I’ll have more about wine in Bordeaux in our next two blog posts coming soon.
Marche des Capucins
Everyday somewhere in the city there seems to be markets; book market, vintage market, flea markets. And on Thursday and Sunday along the Garonne river there is a beautiful fresh produce and fish market. But Bordeaux’s main market is open every day – the Marche des Capucins. We enjoyed it for produce, cheese, meat and oysters. Even if you aren’t cooking yourself, you still should visit (in the morning is best) to see the colorful market at work. It’s also a great place to have fresh oysters and sandwiches.
Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City
There is much more than food in this beautiful city. So I hope you will come back next week to read about my recommendations to Discover Bordeaux. I also hope you will get Bordeaux on your travel list, sooner rather than later. Come in the spring. Come in the fall. Even come in the winter. But please don’t come in the summer. You will love the city more completely without the crowds, tour buses and cruise ships.

I definitely will be back – maybe even for more than a month. Merci Bordeaux. J’adore Bordeaux!
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25 Comments
Spending a month in Bordeaux sounds like a wonderful way to get to know the city. Doing the food tour & cooking class would be top on my list.
April 19, 2025 at 12:51 amI can’t wait to come back!
April 19, 2025 at 4:00 amIt looks like you’ve tasted everything! I love Bordeaux especially for that, the food haha Also well done on the cannelĂ©! I absolute LOVE them but haven’t tried to make it yet, maybe I should!
April 19, 2025 at 9:15 amThanks. I hope to tackle the candle at home.
April 19, 2025 at 9:35 amBookmarking everything! Bordeaux is one of my favourite cities and you’ve hit on all the best food. I’m still dreaming about the wine bars too, and can’t wait to go back and try everything. I can see why you’d take a full month 🙂
April 19, 2025 at 10:58 amNext week I have a What To Do in Bordeaux post…couldn’t manage it all in one post!
April 19, 2025 at 11:25 pmWhat a collection of mouthwatering dishes! Incredible! I have been to Bordeaux and maybe even to few places from your list, but you made it so much better. I want to return to Bordeaux now!
April 19, 2025 at 12:11 pmThank you. I know I will be back!
April 19, 2025 at 11:25 pmYou picked a fantastic region to eat your way through. I have never tasted a Canele, would love to try that.
April 19, 2025 at 12:21 pmHoping to try this recipe at home!
April 19, 2025 at 11:24 pmI am starved after completing your post. Thanks! Only kidding. The descriptions of the regional foods and the photos are fantastic. I would definitely sign up for the cooking class. Did you find a street food tour?
April 19, 2025 at 2:26 pmnot much street food scene here…the food tour we took however was so educational. I think in France they frown on you walking around and eating at the same time. Food is meant to savor leisurely with wine. That’s hard for americans who can’t sit still. LOL
April 19, 2025 at 11:24 pmBordeaux looks fabulous!! I would LOVE to spend some time there sampling the food. And I knew that French wine is highly regulated, but I didn’t know that bread is too! SO interesting!
April 19, 2025 at 3:14 pmI didn’t know that either! And cheese too!
April 19, 2025 at 11:23 pmWhat a delicious place!
(I also prefer to stay a while in a place, to really savor it!)
April 19, 2025 at 3:29 pmWe loved every minute of it
April 19, 2025 at 11:22 pmBordeaux is undoubtedly one of the great cities in France, and the food is exceptional. It was in Bordeaux that I first tried whelk—a little tasting adventure.
April 19, 2025 at 5:28 pmTotally agree!
April 19, 2025 at 11:22 pmIndeed it is
April 20, 2025 at 1:06 amI love this! That cooking class looks phenomenal and like I will have to return for the green store canelé! Thanks for the historical tidbits and I actually didn’t know that (the government regulations) about the pain français.
April 20, 2025 at 12:41 amThanks. Such a great city.
April 20, 2025 at 1:05 amI’ve traveled around France several times but still haven’t been to Bordeaux! This will definitelyy come in handy when I do
April 20, 2025 at 6:18 amI think you will love it!
April 21, 2025 at 11:07 pmIn my opinion, there’s no better way to get to know a city than to eat your way through it!
April 21, 2025 at 8:58 amI totally agree!
April 21, 2025 at 11:07 pm