Bordeaux: 10 specialities you absolutely need to try

From Paris, it takes only 2 hours by train to reach Bordeaux. After a visit to the Cité du Vin, set off and explore the tasty dishes of the south.  But have you tried the gastronomic specialities of Bordeaux?

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• Confit de vin de Sauternes au safran
• Arcachon Bay oysters
• Sel de Château
• Puits d’amour
• Bordeaux lamprey
• Aquitaine caviar
• Gratton de Lormont
• Canelé
• Lillet
• L'entrecôte bordelaise (Bordeaux-style steak)

A subtle gastronomic product, this confit is prepared from a reduction of Sauternes wine and saffron. The saffron itself is produced in Ambarès, near Bordeaux. The honeyed aspect of this confit and its delicate taste of saffron make it a tasty and festive product. It can be used to deglaze meat as well as to accompany foie gras, cheese or a slice of bread. You can also use it in a number of desserts.

Where to find confit de vin de Sauternes in Bordeaux?

The delicatessen Echoppe de la Lune, located in Quai des Marques, offers gift bags which are easy to fill and take with you on the train.

If you don’t have time for an onsite tasting in Arcachon Bay, do not leave Bordeaux without having sampled a good dozen oysters!

Extra fresh, they arrive directly from Arcachon Bay all year long. It is one of the main French regions of oyster production. The oyster is hollow and plump. Let yourself be carried away to the ocean by its salty and fresh seaweed flavours.

Within the Bordeaux region, the oyster is eaten with a crépinette (a small flat sausage) and shallot vinegar.

Where to find oysters in Bordeaux?

Chez Jean-Mi oyster bar in the Capucins covered market, or at the Quai des Chartrons market. You can sit at high wooden tables dotted all over the banks of the Garonne and enjoy a small glass of white wine.  It’s a real Bordeaux ritual! 

This is a coarse salt soaked in red wine from which it draws its garnet colour. Some spices are added to release even more flavours.

This recipe comes from a lucky accident. Strong waves caused wine to pour over the salt stored in the holds of the boats transporting them. Deemed unmarketable, it was given away. It was found to be so tasty, however, that it was produced and marketed as a condiment itself.

Perfect for grilling or decorating a plate, it doesn’t look like much but it tastes delicious!

Where to find Sel de Château in Bordeaux?

It can be found in all good delicatessens, such as Epicerie 41. 

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Originating from Captieux in South-Gironde, puits d’amour are small pastries made from choux pastry, filled in the middle with Chiboust cream (pastry cream and Italian meringue). They are then caramelised in the oven. In Capiteux, members of the Seguin family have been bakers for at least 5 generations. The family have successfully passed on their skills from generation to generation and today own several boutiques in Bordeaux. It’s quite the family success story!

This fluffy, creamy and crisp delicacy is simply irresistible.

Where to go for puits d’amour in Bordeaux?

Find them in Maison Seguin bakeries in Bordeaux.

The lamprey is a striking fish, very primitive and without jaws or vertebra. It is actually really ugly! It is mostly caught in the Gironde estuary and on the Dordogne.

In Bordeaux, lamprey is traditionally cooked with leeks, red wine and cured ham, and left to simmer for a number of hours. It is served with garlic croutons.

Where to try lamprey in Bordeaux?

At Noailles, a classic brasserie located right in the heart of the city. Mirrors, fresco paintings, red velvet bench seats, waiters in black waistcoats and white aprons: the setting is timeless and the menu refined.

Is that Bordeaux caviar? Unlikely, you might say, and yet it is a caviar of very high quality that has been produced in Aquitaine for more than 100 years. Raised in particularly favourable natural conditions, the sturgeons are carefully selected and the caviar is distinguished by its notes of iodine and hazelnut.

Where to find caviar in Bordeaux?

Caviar Galerie is the only direct producer of caviar in Bordeaux. It’s also a delicatessen which offers original products and gifts. 

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This charcuterie of fresh ham, shoulder and spices originated in the late 19th century in the Gaudin charcuterie, located on the right bank in Lormont.

The cooking of this terrine is so time consuming and meticulous that its name seems to come from the action of regularly scraping the bottom of the pot during cooking. Try it as a starter accompanied by a glass of white wine!

Where to try Gratton de Lormont?

Ribeiro butchers, for example, in Capucins covered market. 

An unmissable sweet delicacy of Bordeaux, canelé was originally produced in Bordeaux by nuns. The recipe endured and was picked up by Bordeaux bakeries in the 19th century.

Where to find canelés in Bordeaux?

Our preference is La Toque Cuivrée. Several of these boutiques exist in the city centre, including one at 5 Rue Sainte-Catherine. 

After the return of Aperol and the Gin & Tonic, we present Lillet! Don’t miss out on trying this local retro aperitif from the Bordeaux region, made from a blend of wines and fruits. In white, red or rosé, it goes very well with cucumber for a super fresh cocktail! 

And remember, it’s also the favourite drink of James... James Bond! In Casino Royale, he invents and orders a “Kina Lillet Martini” from the barman, a cocktail made from gin, vodka and Kina Lillet.

Where to go for a Lillet in Bordeaux?

Choose from the rooftop or bar at Mama Shelter de Bordeaux. 

The entrecôte bordelaise is cooked on vine shoots, drizzled with wine and garnished with shallots. It’s a delicacy to taste before leaving Bordeaux!

Where to go for an entrecôte bordelaise in Bordeaux?

The best deal? A brasserie such as Le Palatium, an institution since 1913. Sit close to each other and enjoy dining in a relaxed setting.