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Food tours in Bordeaux: what to eat and which tour to book
Eating in Bordeaux is tied to wine and to the Atlantic. Oysters come from the Arcachon Bay about an hour away and are eaten with a glass of white wine at the market counter; the classic restaurant dish is entrecôte à la bordelaise, steak cooked over vine cuttings with a red wine and shallot sauce; and the canelé, a small rum-and-vanilla cake with a dark caramelised crust, is sold in every bakery. Duck from the south-west, lamb from Pauillac and lamprey stewed in red wine round out the local repertoire.
Use this page to decide what to eat and where. The dishes and areas below describe what the markets and neighbourhoods do best and when they are open. The tours listed are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the current price and details on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Bordeaux
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canelé | Small fluted cake flavoured with rum and vanilla, with a soft custardy centre and a dark, caramelised crust. Bordeaux's signature pastry. | Bakeries and specialist canelé shops across the city centre. | about €1.50–3 each, more for boxes |
| Arcachon Bay oysters huîtres du Bassin d'Arcachon | Oysters from the Arcachon Bay and Cap Ferret, eaten raw with lemon or shallot vinegar, often with small grilled sausages (crépinettes) on the side. | Oyster bars inside the Marché des Capucins, especially on weekend mornings. | roughly €12–22 for six or a dozen with a glass of white wine |
| Steak Bordeaux-style entrecôte à la bordelaise | Rib steak grilled, traditionally over vine cuttings, with a sauce of red wine, shallots and bone marrow. | Brasseries and traditional restaurants in the old town and around Saint-Pierre. | roughly €22–32 |
| Lamprey in red wine lamproie à la bordelaise | River lamprey stewed in red wine with leeks and its own blood. Strong-flavoured and seasonal, mostly in spring. | A few traditional restaurants, mostly in late winter and spring; not on everyday menus. | roughly €25–35 |
| Duck breast and confit magret / confit de canard | South-west France's duck dishes: pink-cooked breast or slow-cooked, salted leg, usually with potatoes cooked in duck fat. | Bistros across the city. | roughly €18–26 |
| Chocolatine | What the rest of France calls a pain au chocolat. In the south-west it is a chocolatine, and locals will correct you. | Any bakery. | about €1.20–1.80 |
| Bordeaux wine by the glass vin de Bordeaux | Reds from the Médoc, Saint-Émilion and Pessac-Léognan, dry whites from Entre-deux-Mers and Graves, and sweet Sauternes. | Wine bars in Saint-Pierre and the Chartrons, and the Cité du Vin. | roughly €5–12 a glass |
| Dune blanche | Choux bun filled with a light whipped cream, created on the Cap Ferret peninsula and now sold in Bordeaux too. | Specialist shops and some bakeries; best known from the Arcachon Bay area. | about €2–4 each |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Marché des Capucins
Bordeaux's main covered market, nicknamed 'le ventre de Bordeaux'. Butchers, cheese, fish and produce, plus oyster and wine bars where locals gather on weekend mornings.
Marché des Chartrons (Quai des Chartrons)
Sunday-morning market along the river quays with producers, oysters and ready-to-eat food.
Saint-Pierre
Old-town quarter around Place du Parlement and Place Saint-Pierre with restaurants, wine bars and outdoor terraces.
Chartrons
Former wine-merchant district north of the centre with delis, bakeries, wine shops and brunch cafés along Rue Notre-Dame.
Les Halles de Bacalan
Food hall near the Bassins à Flot and the Cité du Vin, with counters for oysters, charcuterie, cheese and wine.
Saint-Michel
Multicultural quarter around the Saint-Michel basilica with North African, Middle Eastern and Portuguese shops and a large market on the square.
Food tours in Bordeaux compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bordeaux: Foodie Tour | 3.5 hours | from €66 per person | max 10 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Dune du Pilat, Oysters Tasting and Arcachon! What else ? | 5 hours | from €130 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| No Diet Club : Bordeaux Food Tour in Les Chartrons ! | 3 hours | from €64 per person | max 8 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Bordeaux all inclusive market tasting by Food Lover Tour | 2.5 hours | from €45 per person | — | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
| Bordeaux: Food Tour in the Historic District | 3 hours | from €120 per person | max 8 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Original Bordeaux Old Town & Market Food Tour with wine | 3 hours | from €120 per person | max 10 | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
Bordeaux: Foodie Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by NO DIET CLUB
- Length
- 3.5 hours
- Price
- from €66 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 199 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Many tastings to share Guide
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- 50 Pl. des Capucins, 33800 Bordeaux, France
Dune du Pilat, Oysters Tasting and Arcachon! What else ?
On GetYourGuide · run by ASF
- Length
- 5 hours
- Price
- from €130 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 179 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
No Diet Club : Bordeaux Food Tour in Les Chartrons !
On GetYourGuide · run by NO DIET CLUB
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €64 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 100 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- Many tastings to share Jokes and anecdotes Amazing photos A native's "to do list" for Bordeaux and its surroundings New friends (or not)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Pl. Picard, 33300 Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux all inclusive market tasting by Food Lover Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by FOOD LOVER TOUR
- Length
- 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €45 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 24 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- Flèche de la Basilique Saint-Michel
Bordeaux: Food Tour in the Historic District
On GetYourGuide · run by PARIS A DREAM
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €120 per person
- Rating
- 4.7 ★ from 18 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- Alcoholic beverages Snacks (9 food and drinks tastings for a shared food tour, 10 for a private food tour) Complimentary gourmet address book Culinary and historical commentary Hotel pick-up and drop-off Personal purc…
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- 13 Rue des Argentiers, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Original Bordeaux Old Town & Market Food Tour with wine
On GetYourGuide · run by Original Food Tours
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €120 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 10 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- 6 to 8 stops Market discovery Wine tasting Cured meat Cheeses Chocolate Patisseries Local delicacies Secret tasting Gratuities Bottled water
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- 17 Place Meynard, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Bordeaux has little street food in the strict sense. Quick eating means bakery sandwiches, canelés, market counters at the Capucins and food-hall stalls. Oysters with white wine at a market bar is the most local version of a quick, cheap meal.
Sit-down meals
Lunch menus (formule) of two or three courses at roughly €18–28 are the best value. Dinner starts around 19:30–20:00. Many restaurants close on Sunday and Monday, and some close for part of August, so check before you go and book at weekends.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes are available but most food-and-drink experiences here are wine-led: tastings at the Cité du Vin or in city wine bars, or day trips to Saint-Émilion or the Médoc with château visits. Look for classes that include a Capucins market visit.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €30–40 (bakery breakfast, market lunch, simple dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €60–80 (lunch formule plus a bistro dinner with wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €150+ (Michelin-starred tasting menu with wine) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Manageable in the city, harder in traditional places where duck, beef and charcuterie dominate. Modern bistros usually have a vegetarian dish; vegan options are growing but still limited outside dedicated cafés.
Halal: Halal butchers and restaurants are concentrated around Saint-Michel and Cours de la Marne near the station. Elsewhere, assume pork and wine may be in sauces and ask.
Gluten-free: Fair. Many modern restaurants can adapt dishes, and some bakeries make gluten-free bread, but sauces may be thickened with flour. Canelés are made with flour.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Restaurants on the most photographed squares serving reheated 'menu touristique' dishes at high prices. Look one or two streets back, and prefer places with a short handwritten menu that changes with the season.
- Wine served by the glass from bottles that have been open too long, at premium prices. Choose busy wine bars with a large by-the-glass list, where bottles turn over quickly.
- Overpriced and low-quality canelés sold from souvenir shops. Buy from bakeries that bake on site; a good canelé has a dark, almost burnt-looking crust.
Top tours & activities in Bordeaux
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Bordeaux?
Service is included in French restaurant prices by law (service compris), so a tip is not required. Locals often leave a few euros or round up for good service, roughly 5% at most. In bars and cafés, leaving small change is normal. A tip for a guide on a food or wine tour is appreciated if you enjoyed it.
When is the Marché des Capucins open?
The market usually opens Tuesday to Sunday from early morning until early afternoon and is closed on Monday. Saturday and Sunday mornings are the liveliest, when locals stand at the oyster bars with a glass of white wine. Stall hours vary and holidays change the schedule, so check current hours before you go.
Which food tour is best for a first visit?
For food, a morning walk that includes the Capucins market and old-town bakeries covers oysters, canelés, cheese and charcuterie in a few hours. For wine, a tasting in the city or a half-day trip to Saint-Émilion will teach you more about the region than any restaurant. Pick by whether you care more about food or wine.
How much should I budget for food per day?
About €30–40 covers bakery breakfast, a market or sandwich lunch and a simple dinner. A comfortable day with a lunch formule and a bistro dinner with wine is about €60–80. Bordeaux has several Michelin-starred restaurants where tasting menus start well above €100 before wine.
When do restaurants serve food?
Lunch is usually 12:00–14:00 and dinner from about 19:30 to 22:00. Many kitchens close completely between services, so a late lunch after 14:00 can be hard to find outside brasseries and food halls. Sunday evening and Monday are when many restaurants close.
Is it worth going to Saint-Émilion or the Médoc?
If you like wine, yes. Saint-Émilion is a medieval village with vineyards around it, reachable by train in roughly 35–45 minutes plus a walk of about 20 minutes from the station; the Médoc châteaux are spread out and easier with a guided trip. Many châteaux require booking ahead for tastings, so don't just turn up.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.