Restaurant Le Restaurant — Restaurant in Toulouse

Given the name "The Restaurant", my wife and I were naturally quite skeptical, expecting to see the usual americanized, pretentious establishment that are so many over here in Toulouse these days. In fact, the place next door named Proust's Madeleine was quite tempting. But the whiff of the food from Le R convinced otherwise, and, boy, were we not disappointed! OMG, the food quality was spectacular, and an Italian looking server made convincing points to ensure that we took a 3 course meal of superb fish and seafood, followed by a charming dessert. We were so enthused we entered into a deep philosophical discussion that needed to be interrupted by the staff who needed to close up the lunch service. And, ha! Two 3-course meals + 5 glasses of very decent wine + 2 coffees? $70 for 2! Forget NYC!! The only thing one could only hope for is a better coffee, but, hey, we are in France, not Italy, after all... Will definitely come back!

UPD: went back in June 2023 and couldn't believe my eyes. The food was bad (what we took appeared to be some sort of failed asian fusion), the waiter explained the fact that all wine is 5 euro a glass because he pours inversely proportionally to the price of a bottle (ranging from 25 to 50 euro), appetizer + main for 2 + a cheap bottle of wine = 92 euro. And the cherry on the pie - a sleepless night with a bad food poisoning! This is no longer the place I wrote about in 2022, new advice: avoid at all cost!

P.S. How about changing "Le Restaurant"...

This was an entirely satisfying dinner: a duck breast (Magret Rocamadour) that was juicy, tender and soft and with a pink heart, and was filled with the cheese that the particular dish was named after. The service was extremely helpful and took the time to translate and explain each and every dish into English for me. Thank you for that. The vegetable soup (Velouté) as a starter and the hot melted chocolate tart with creme (moelleux chocolate) for desert were a suitable addition to quite an enjoyable meal. Although it was the middle of the week my decision of making a reservation beforehand paid off: some other guest without a reservation could sadly not be served because the restaurant was fully booked. And now I understand why that is. Both service and food quality go hand in hand here.

Update 2022: I am back here after two years and the restaurant is still as good, if not better; the food, the taste, the freshness, the presentation, and the support of the owner in English. Everything is...

It’s hard to find an accurate description of the experience one will have at Le Restaurant - all I can say is it felt world class. From the moment you enter the doors you’re met with incredibly friendly service from the small staff working this intimate setting. Menus posted to boards on the walls provide simplicity, yet the small amount of choices are varied enough you’ll spend time torn between what to choose. Every dish coming out of the kitchen is perfection. I truly believe I had not experienced REAL French cuisine until tonight. The small atmosphere and friendly staff made it feel as if the dishes were being made for a select few tonight- from the ceviche (wow), filet (immaculate) to dessert we were silent as we dove into each course. Seriously. Book well ahead of time and make sure you try this place out while...