7 Best Restaurants in Toulouse, Toulouse and the Languedoc

The post-nouvelle haven for what is arguably Toulouse's finest dining departs radically from the traditional stick-to-your-ribs cuisine of southwest France, instead favoring Mediterranean formulas suited to the rhythms and reasons of modern living. Delicacies like foie gras soup with Belon oysters or wild salmon in green curry sauce prove that chef Michel Sarran's two Michelin stars are well deserved. Don't count on a Saturday-night fête here; the restaurant is closed weekends—the obvious mark of a sought-after chef who is free to choose his own hours.

Don't let the dismal backstreet exterior put you off: Bistrot de l'Étoile is a delightfully retro 1960s pub that promises fast service and a great choice of dishes on the blackboard menu. The homemade desserts are great, too, like the panna cotta with your choice of sauce, including a red-fruit coulis.

Overlooking the Pont Neuf, this elegant brasserie is idyllic at sunset, as artists Ingres and Matisse—who were regulars—knew all too well. Watch the colors change over the Garonne from a sidewalk table while enjoying seafood sauerkraut with Champagne or wild sea bass with salmon tartare.

With a great location, this is the place to savor regional specialties like cassoulet. The locals love it, which speaks volumes here in the heart of cassoulet country.

Stéphane Tournié's elegant restaurant next to the Grand Hôtel de l'Opéra is a perennial favorite. Inspired by the seasons, the food is gastronomical local fare with added nouvelle touches. Intimate rooms and a covered terrace around a little pond give it an undeniable allure, though some may find the grand flourishes—glass ceilings and mammoth chandeliers—a little too, well, operatic. If you're looking for something a little lower-key, consider Tournié's bistro, La Cantine de l'Opera on Allée Jean Jauré.

This bustling bistro has been serving locally sourced regional dishes for more than 30 years—way before farm-to-table was a thing. The house specialties include dishes like roasted Pyrenees trout with shallot confit and the founder's own pain perdu, with vanilla ice cream. If you forgot to book, ask if you can wait for a table with a drink at the bistro's hip salon next door.

Chef Pierre Lambinon won a Michelin star at age of 30 (he now has two) for his fantastic restaurant (pronounced "Pierre") in this former 16th-century fish market. The €158 eight-course tasting menu is a must.