Skip to content

If you haven’t been to Bordeaux in a while, you might be in for a shock, although it’s more like, you’ll be in for a treat. Previously considered a staid city, Bordeaux has rebooted itself, partially thanks to a tram system that makes getting around the formerly congested city a breeze, but also because the TGV now can get you there in around two hours, from Paris.

Because of that, and for a variety of other reasons, such as a more relaxed lifestyle and better weather, there’s a lot of fresh energy in town as a number of Parisians are moving south. And it’s easy to see why.

To ward off incoming hoards from the north, there’s a joke that bakeries are charging people €1,50 if they ordered a pain au chocolat, since the correct term in town is chocolatine. In addition to warmer temperatures (which can get quite hot in the summer, although more places have fans, A/C, and ice), there’s a pleasant Spanish vibe in the food and drink categories, due to its closeness to Spain. And there’s also a big river, the Garonne, that runs through town, and prices are gentler. (Unless you get charged €1,50 for a chocolatine, which to an American, seems like a bargain.)

Yes, we did our share of eating and drinking, but when I heard my weekend there coincided with the twice-annual Brocante de Quinconces, at the risk of being made fun of by my travel companion for our two-night stay, I brought a very large suitcase and some packing material…just in case.

Since it was the around the tenth day of the market, there were very few bargains, if any. But it was fun to poke around and used the time to put some pictures on my Instagram account, rather than work on filling up my suitcase. When people saw the cassins, copper candy-making pots with an oddly shaped interchangeable handle (which no one could explain to me why it was bent that way), they asked me if there were any copper canelé molds. I found several tins ones for €1 each, and I probably could have bought & sold them later to pay for my pricey train ticket down here. (Due to the train strike, we got a refund on the inexpensive ticket that was purchased months ago, and had to buy a last-minute ticket for the next day, when the trains were running.)

But the good news about the TGV trains is that they’ve ramped up their food options in the café cars with some of France’s best chefs overseeing the meals – which I suggested back in 2009. (Although the microwave oven was broken on the train we were on, and most of the offerings were listed as epuisé, or sold-out.) But what they did have for lunch was actually pretty good for train food. The trip from Paris to Bordeaux takes a lean two hours, so you can leave Paris in the morning, like we did at a 6:54 am, and be in Bordeaux in time for to hit the aisles of the antique market before tucking in a nice lunch.

Speaking of lunch, I was in Bordeaux doing some scouting of restaurants for an upcoming trip so dining was a mixed bag. We wanted to like one place we went to, a popular brasserie, but the first course salads arrived unceremoniously without any dressing. My steak hadn’t been seasoned before it was cooked, and my dining companion told me their fish had no flavor until she put sauce on it. Not being a fan of undercooked frites, which I saw on a neighboring table, I asked ours to be well-cooked, but they came out white and bendable. Non, merci.

We did have a nice first day lunch at La Cagette (8, place du Palais) with a very friendly young staff, a good wine by the glass list (and reasonable, like most of the wine was in Bordeaux) and a fresh salad with crunchy cabbage, nuts, cilantro, and shrimp, that weren’t quite the big, beautiful shrimp you see at the fish markets. When the couple next to us got up to go out and smoke, I made a motion pretending I was going to grab a bite of their delicious-looking tartare de bœuf, but one of them saw me and got a chuckle out of it. And made a wagging motion with his finger for me not to do it.

In addition to a twice-annual brocante, there’s a weekly flea market on Sunday mornings in front of the St. Michel church in Bordeaux, which conveniently is a tram stop. We got there around 9 am and things were just getting going. I didn’t find all that much, until the third or fourth (or fifth and sixth?) time I did the rounds. Then I spotted a few lovely vintages plates, a pair of delicately etched apéritif glasses, a starched stack of crisp linen napkins (for €5), and a 1960’s glass pitcher that I plan to use for Pimm’s Cups this summer.

I didn’t buy it, but I did love this poster of how margarine is made, below. Like I mentioned in L’appart, margarine was actually invented in France. So although I don’t think la margarine is ever going to dethrone butter, ça existe.

After hitting the market, we stopped in at Excuse My French for a café noisette and a green tea cookie. Like most of the young people in Bordeaux, the guy at the counter who made our drinks could not have been friendlier, or nicer. The other good news is that after I got back to the hotel, I wrapped all my stuff up in newspaper, and was thankful to have my large suitcase to roll it all home in. Some of the cobblestone streets in Bordeaux aren’t so friendly to suitcases, but the trip to and from the hotel to the train station was seamless, and flat, with no stairs. And when I got home, I discovered, there was no breakage.

One of the main reasons many come to Bordeaux is, of course, the wine. The two must-see wine and spirits shops are along the snazzy Allée de Tourny. The spiral-shaped L’Intendant is not only famous for its shape, and design, but also its collection of wine.

It’s got wine in all categories and price ranges, but I always head right up to the top where the Sauternes and Barzacs are, the sweet wines of the region, that deserve to be closest to heaven. They’ve sort of fallen out of favor (one company is introducing one with a screw top, thinking it’ll appeal to the younger generation) but I like them after dinner, well-chilled. They go well with everything from foie gras and Roquefort, to fresh fruit and chocolate. The other good news is that most are available in half-bottle sizes, so you don’t need to commit to a big bottle.

At the other end of the square is Badie. One of their shops has an extraordinary selection of Champagnes. (Jean-Pierre Moullé, who was the executive chef at Chez Panisse when I worked there, once said to me, with a rather dream-like look in his eyes, “Daveed, I love that store.”) Their other store specializes in spirits, where you can get bottles of things, like Dolin white vermouth and fruits preserved in the Périgord (above), including local prunes and French plums.

About a half an hour out of town is Lillet, made in the town of Podensac. Which means that at every café and restaurant in the city Lillet white, red, and rosé, are available. This fortified wine is flavored with oranges and spices, and is the perfect apéritif with a cube or two of ice floating on top. It’s tougher to find in Paris and when you do find it, they don’t always know what to do with it. I recently saw it on a café menu in the Marais, so ordered a glass, and the waiter brought over a tall, slender, and tiny glass of Lillet, that was tepid.

Another thing Bordeaux is famous for are canelés, which are traditionally baked in (now-pricey) copper molds. For years, many visitors to Paris told me they were going to buy copper canelé molds so they could make them at home. I wonder how many of them were sold at subsequent garage sales, but the pastries themselves were invented in Bordeaux to use up the surplus of egg yolks that were leftover after they separated eggs, whose whites were used for clarifying wine.

Baillardran is the most famous place for canelés, although a reader told me to go to La Toque Cuivrée, as theirs are more delicious. So that H/T is on the list for another next trip.

What was definitely on the list for this trip was chocolate. The two most notable chocolate shops in town are just a few blocks apart. Cadiot-Badie (above), opened in 1826, and remains the more traditional shop. There are two kinds of chocolate-dipped cherries, orangettes, the chocolate “canelés” shown farther up in the post, and their signature Diamont Noir, booze-spiked raisins in ganache. Another treat are chocolate covered raisins that have been soaked in Sauternes. Don’t miss those!

Saunion was founded in 1893, so it could be considered the new(er) kid of the block. Chocolatier Thierry Lalet is the fourth generation of his family to run the shop and he makes his chocolates in workshops next to the more contemporary boutique.

He was trying out some new pineapple-coconut chocolates, that were cooling. But I was intrigued by the Lillet chocolate, made from a secret blend with an orange base, that he didn’t want to reveal. I met Thierry quite a while back, via Jean-Pierre. He and his wife lead tours of Bordeaux via their company Two Bordelais. They also co-authored a lovely book together, French Roots, about their lives in the U.S., and in France, how they differ, and how much closer to two countries have become to each other, especially in terms of food.

Thierry and I kept in touch over the years and I am particularly fond of his Rochers (above), meant to resemble rocks, and filled with housemade praline and toasted almonds, which he let me taste just off the cooling line. Longevity has its rewards.

The daily covered market in Bordeaux is the Marché des Capucines, which is easy to visit after the St. Michel flea market. I was wowed by all the local and regional produce, especially asparagus and strawberries, which were in full swing.

But there were other curiosities as well, things one doesn’t find too often elsewhere, including Cebettes (green onions) and Aillet (shown at the top of the post), which have a garlicky flavor, and can be used in omelets. And even though egg salad isn’t very French (like most of you probably though la margarine wasn’t either), I’ll bet it’d be really good chopped and added to egg salad. The aillets, not the margarine, that is.

The other nice thing about the covered market and there are stands that serve food. One had Portuguese specialities, and being Sunday, it was obvious a few people had been particularly enjoying some wine that morning. For those of you (or us) who focus more on shopping in the morning, there is a marvelous herb stand with stacks of fresh herbs, everything from oregano to several types of thyme, as well as sorrel and elderflowers, which I got the last of.

We ended up at the tapas bar drinking glasses of rosé and having a few bites. I could have done without the bread, and just had the Spanish ham, which is so good you wonder why you don’t live closer (or in) Spain.

Another option in the city is the Cité du Vin, and ultra-modern wine “experience.” You can choose different admission prices that offer various tours, tastings, and workshops, but we took the elevator to the top floor L7 restaurant for a late afternoon snack. At mealtimes, you’ll need to dine there, but midafternoon between 3 and 7 pm, there’s a limited menu carte that offers up some bites to go along with a glass or two of wine. We had some marvelous duck rillettes and a cheese plate served with a date, a local walnut, some tangy berry chutney, and a slender tube of French butter, which went to good use.

In especially nice weather, another place to go and check out the city from overhead is the Night Beach at the Intercontinental hotel. It wasn’t quite night when we got there, nor did it feel all that much like a beach – although there is a hot tub that no one was using…we had Spiced Pimm’s Cups spiked with ginger beer.

The prices were a bit stiffer than the cocktails, but they weren’t ridiculously priced (we were the only ones drinking cocktails, everyone else was sipping beer and wine), but they gave us great seats by the edge of the roof to view the cityscape, and our drinks. And that was worth it.

 

Bordeaux Links

Two Bordelais

10 of the Best Restaurants in Bordeaux (The Guardian)

How to make Cannelés in Silicone Molds (eat. live. travel. write.)

Canelé de Bordeaux (Paula Wolfert)

 

 

 


43 comments

    • Taste of France

    Looks like fun. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Bordeaux.
    I see cebette and aillet all the time, but I’ve never found ail des ours, or ramps, here.

    • hell

    Goodness, those strawberries almost seem to glow.

    • Anne

    You have to come back to try the dunes ;) . To @Taste of France : you can find all the herbs you want at the wonderful herbs seller from the Marché des Capucins ;)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I LOVE that herb seller. They had the most beautiful herbs I’ve seen in France, and some kinds that you don’t often find. They are also incredibly nice, although j’étais vexé because the woman in front of me bought 1 of the last 3 bags of elderflowers right before it was my turn ; )

        • Mary Ann

        What do you do with elderflowers?

          • David
          David Lebovitz

          I’m working on a few recipes for my next book…although losing that 1 bunch put me back a bit on the recipe-testing! ; )

    • ron shapley(usa)

    The beautiful aperitif glasses alone make it worth the voyage. ❤

    • Maureen Kennedy

    33 years ago I needed to cash a travelers check on a Sat, and the only bank open was a Portuguese workers’ credit union. I asked the very nice guy, in Spanish, “Why is there a Portuguese credit union here?” He said, “there is a saying: ‘The best wine in Bordeaux is made on the backs of Portuguese workers.’

    • Jeremy

    Hi David, did you try Boulam Boulanger Louis Lamour’s shop on rye Ravez?

    • Susan

    Next time try the best patisserie in Bordeaux, in Passac: Franck Labasse Patisserie. The best I’ve had anywhere in France!

    • Cherstinne

    lovely lovely article!! Great photos!!Are you not continuing to the chocolate paradises of Bayonne and Biarritz now that you are pretty close from Bordeaux

    • Jim McPherson

    We liked the canales at La Toque better than the others we tried. Did you have a Dunes Blanches?

    • MJ

    I’m going to re-create that cabbage/shrimp/cilantro salad soon! Suggestion for a dressing, please.
    (Was in Bordeaux all too briefly while on a river cruise….. definitely need to return!! Thanks for this, David.)

    • Sheila

    Thank you for this great post, David!
    Lengthy and fun!

    • Paul Burghardt

    Wonderful post David, I’m looking forward to visiting Bourdeaux in July for the first time. Please share the name of the brasserie with the non dressed salad and bad frittes so we can avoid? We are planning to stay/dine at La Grande Maison. Do you have any experience there to share? Also, staying at Le Pres D’Eugenie. Any experience there? All the best, Paul

    • Bebe

    Our Bordeaux luncheon back in the 70s as guests of our negociant friend René, was a delightful experience. Rillettes; big fat white asparagus, vinaigrette; little things like periwinkles – very small with a purplish lip, that one ate with a tiny fork; and those fraise de bois that still glowed and were so delicious. A happy memory still…

    (I speak no French, so forgive any spelling and punctuation errors. I try for an E for Effort :-)

    • Elaine

    David, we are Coloradans, long time fans of your blog, renting an apt. on rue Monge, and holding 2hr.TGV tickets to Bordeaux…but first: we went to Maison Aleph at your recent recommendation, and loved the treats. They said your article was a big gift to them!

    • Margaret

    I recently had a Sauternes with foie gras at my brother’s house that I really liked — Chateau d’Armajan des Ormes. I looked it up and it’s from Bordeaux!

    • Cybele

    Just got back from France last week. I spent 2 weeks east of Bergerac and drove to Bordeaux to go to the brocante at Quinquonces. The lady with all the beautiful copper and cookware had one of the best spaces IMHO. On return to Paris via TGV had to cancel pre-paid reservations and on next train had to stand in the vestibule from Poitiers to Paris. And I had paid for 1st class!!! People were all so kind, though so it became another way of getting to know the French people.

    • roumiana stoianova

    Hi David,
    Thanks for your trip to Bordeaux. I am planning to move there from Southern California. You confirmed my choice. I am not going to move because of the food or the wine, but because the best healthcare in France for the last 3 years was in Bordeaux. I had a bunch of cancers. BTW they had des canneles at Trader Joe’s imported from France a couple of years ago. Frozen.

    • Sandra Alexander

    Thank you for this fabulous post, which brought back memories of a very happy time in Bordeaux a couple of years ago. We also caught the Brocante de Quinconces (grape scissors!) and loved the tapas stall in the market. Elsewhere, lunch was often half a dozen oysters, lots of places, served with a small meatball cooked in a caul wrap, at very modest prices. We drove out to Cap Ferret for lunch at one of the oyster sheds on the shore of the Bassin d’Arcachon, the Atlantic pounding a hundred metres away across the dunes. The waiters all looked like our Aussie surfers but inexplicably spoke French! Much more to delight in and around this excellent city. Musee d’Aquitaine has a very good collection. One floor of antiquities, one floor tracing Bordeaux’s commercial past and its role in the slave trade, sobering.

    • Tom L

    I always enjoy your posts but this one is something special! I didn’t want it to end. Beautiful pictures too.

    • Erika

    Agreed— this was special. A truly vicarious trip. Just delicious.

    • Lenita

    I love your posts, but this was really a special one and the photos, especially of the strawberries, were great.

      • Julie@oursabbaticallife

      Yes, the pictures were so inviting, the food so mouth-watering!

      Since you mention strawberries… Does anyone know the name of the variety of strawberries popular in Bordeaux, pictured in this post?

      In Paris and elsewhere, we have always preferred the torpedo-shaped Gariguette variety the best. But when my husband and I were in Dordogne (in Sarlat), we found that they also had another type that was very popular and more plentiful. We bought some of each type, and we actually liked the non-Gariguettes better (but only in Sarlat).

      Just curious if there is a particular type of strawberries that grows especially well in that region.

        • David
        David Lebovitz

        I don’t. Generally in France berries aren’t sold by the variety, with the exception of Gariguettes. (Which Parisians seems to favor, as you mentioned.) These were similar to Chandler berries (these may be Charlottes?) but there are so many varieties of strawberries, I can’t say exactly what kind those were.

    • Austriannomad

    And I missed the Brocante.

    As for rooftop bars, it’s hard to beat the one at Mama Shelter.

    • Julie

    David, in a future article please post a recipe for Pimm’s Cup. Merci.

    • Deborah Hodges

    Fantastic article. While reading, it feels as though we are accompanying you on the trip. What a joy. Thank you!

    • Dagmar

    Dejar David, Wondeful article. I adore Bordeaux. I live in Madrid and also adore Spanish ham. In my opinión, and in the opinion of many friends, the best is “jamón ibérico de bellota”. That means that the pig has grown free on the ground eating only acorn. Guijuelo in Salamanca, and Jabugo in Huelva are the best for the climate. And the best are those which look more dark red than Pink. The darker tbe verter. Those are more cured. Adiós!

    • Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)

    What a wonderful post – I love Bordeaux and we try to get there each time we visit Nérac – definitely adding some of these places to our list for next time! (thanks for the canelé shoutout too!)

    • Debbie

    We were there at about the same time you were and so regret we missed some of the places you mentioned. We were caught in plenty of rain at the market but still enjoyed going through the stalls. Food was great and wine museum amazing, too much to take in tho. Line to get up to the restaurant was awful do we passed. Great article that I will save for the next visit!

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Mardi: So many have asked me about buying copper canelé molds (which are expensive) so it’s nice to showed they could be made in silicone. Although I wonder how many times people who buy the copper ones actually use them more than once ; )

    Debbie: We went to the wine museum at around 4pm so there wasn’t any line, and the place was fairly deserted. But glad you had a good time in Bordeaux.

    • DeBi Haskell

    just visited, with a native as a tour guide, in April. Such a beautiful, historic city, it was wonderful to walk and soak up the great vibe going on.

    • Steve

    Great article & it was lovely to see some copper pots included.
    I actually signed up to your blog after coming across your Mauviel workshop post. Was wonderful.
    Will be following your adventures with interest & hoping to see many more of these fine copper pieces you come across.
    All the best, Steve

    • Paula

    My understanding was that the French invented margarine and then their government deemed it unfit for human consumption. I think they were right about that. Lovely post.

    • Ashley

    Bordeaux sounds wonderful.

    You mentioned having certain spots to eat at on your trip, but how do you select other dining/snacking spots? Is there something you look for as a marker of quality or is it just a shot in the dark? :) Any tips would be appreciated.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Hi Ashley: I’d been before and was interesting in returning to some places I’d been to before, but a lot had changed. (One Spanish tapas bar I liked many years ago was not good anymore, unfortunately.) A few locals gave me names of places to go, including Thierry the chocolatier, and Denise (from Two Bordelais, who I linked to in the post). I linked at the end of the post to an article by Alec Lobrano for The Guardian that lists a few places worth checking out as well.

    • Bob Gruner

    I forget when my wife and I discovered Lillet, but it was before we ever went to France. Anyway, when we first got to Paris, we went out on our first night and ordered two Lillets, but thanks to my rotten pronunciation, the waiter thought we we were ordering “le lait”. Luckily, we got it straightened out before he brought us milk.

    • Pia

    Are those chocolate-covered cannelés, or chocolates made in a cannelé shape? I’ve never thought of chocolate-covered cannelés, but there is a great bakery near me that makes these (Praliné in Belmont, MA) and I may have to try getting a few and dipping them in chocolate!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      They’re actually chocolates that are formed in molds that are the shapes of cannelés but are filled with a creamy filling that resembles in flavor the custard-like filling of the pastries : )

    • Felicity O

    hi David
    I am currently spending a month in Bordeux after 2 months in Paris, which I do on a yearly basis.
    I was pleased to have your article on Bordeaux which led me to the Marché des Capucines and I plan to try some of your recommended restaurants
    I am staying on Cours Georges Clemenceau and I am amazed in this city of Food and Wine at the lack of Boulangeries and speciality food shops.
    After Paris it is a shock not to see a boulangerie in every block. I am missing the food in Paris. The local supermarket has very little fresh food and so I will be needing to take the tram every few days to go to the markets. My apartment in Paris is a stone’s throw from Rue Montorgueil so you can imagine how much I miss it. I wonder did you notice this on your trip here.

    • roumiana stoianova

    Felicity, you scare me. I am planning to move to Bordeaux from the US. I cannot live without bread.

A

Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox!

15987

Sign up for my newsletter and get my FREE guidebook to the best bakeries and pastry shops in Paris...