7 sweet spots in Bordeaux & Saint Émilion

A few months ago, I visited Bordeaux, the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (which also includes Limoges and La Rochelle). Whilst there, I discovered there’s much more than wine to France’s sixth-largest city. In fact, Bordeaux, home to 362 ‘monuments historiques’, is a classified ‘City of Art and History’ and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as ‘an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble’. What is more, it is also a great destination for foodies, including those (like myself) who have a sweet tooth. Today, I will focus on the sweet spots of Bordeaux, as well as those of the neighbouring Saint Émilion.

Dunes Blanches (Saint André)

Dunes Blanches (white dunes) is a small patisserie renowned for the pastries of the same name (puffs of choux pastry filled with vanilla-dashed cream). Located on Rue de la Vieille Tour, it is very close to the Porte Dijeaux, an 18th-century gate. It is also within walking distance from the city’s cathedral (Cathédrale Saint André).

Patisserie Micheline et Paulette (Chartrons)

This small patisserie is located in Chartrons, a beautiful, tranquil neighbourhood. Situated north of the Monument aux Girondins, one of the city’s landmarks, Chartrons used to be the wine merchants’ neighbourhood. Nowadays, it is dotted with many cafés and restaurants. It is also home to the Museum of Wine and Trade (Musée du Vin et du Négoce de Bordeaux), on Rue Borie. This is a small museum housed in a 16th-century Irish merchant’s house. The focus is on the historical and technical aspects of wine-making. The admission ticket costs 10 euros and includes wine tasting. As well as wine, we also tried the canelé, but more about this later.

Chocolaterie Cadiot Badie and Saunion (Triangle d’Or)

As the name suggests, the Triangle d’Or (Golden Triangle) is a triangular-shaped district. It is framed by Cours de l’Intendance, Cours George Clemenceau and Allées De Tourny. This is undoubtedly one of the best sweet spots of Bordeaux. Here you will find many chocolateries, such as the 19th-century Chocolaterie Cadiot Badie (on Allées De Tourny), where I had ice cream. Saunion is another 19th-century chocolaterie (on Cours George Clemenceau). In the middle of the Triangle d’Or, there’s the circular Place des Grands Hommes, and the 18th-century Église Notre Dame du Chapelet (on the nearby Place du Chapelet).

Maison Seguin (Saint Michel/Chartrons)

Saint Michel is a neighbourhood named after the 16th-century Basilique Saint Michel. The Marché des Capucins is only a few minutes walk from the basilica and is certainly worth a visit, preferably in the morning. I had oysters and wine at Chez Jean-Mi, followed by puits d’amour de la Maison Seguin. These are light pastries filled with vanilla, chocolate or lemon-flavoured cream. You can also find them in the Maison Seguin in Chartrons (on Cours Portal).

La Maison du Glacier (Saint Pierre)

One of my favourite sweet spots of Bordeaux is located next to the Église Saint Pierre. I’m talking about La Maison du Glacier, where I (also) had ice cream. The 15th-century Église Saint Pierre (Church of Saint Peter) is halfway between the 15th-century Porte Cailhau and the Place de la Bourse. In the latter, you will find the Miroir d’eau, one of Bordeaux’s must-see sights. It is a fountain and the world’s largest reflective pool.

Mouliérac (Saint Émilion)

When you visit Bordeaux, it’s certainly worth venturing out of the city to visit a vineyard. I went on a 4-hour tour to Saint Émilion, a small hilltop village, which -together with the surrounding vineyards- has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Émilion is about 45 minutes from Bordeaux, depending on the traffic (there is also a train that connects the two). At first, we walked around the village, then had a coffee next to the Monolithic Church of Saint Émilion. Afterwards, we visited a vineyard (a so-called chateau), where we tasted different wines. However, right before visiting the vineyard, I bought macarons from Mouliérac. These are very different to the better-known Parisian macarons. They are basically light biscuits made from crushed almonds and icing sugar in equal amounts, caster sugar and egg whites; the crust is granular and crunchy and the inside fluffy.

The canelé (everywhere in Bordeaux)

Last but certainly not least, I need to talk about the canelé. This is a traditional rum-flavoured cork-shaped pastry from Bordeaux. The city is dotted with places where you can buy this local delicacy from, but there are also some where you can sit down and enjoy it there. La Toque Cuivrée and Baillardran are ubiquitous and easy to spot.

Further reading

To read more about Bordeaux, check out my post ‘Bordeaux neighbourhoods: saints, churches, wine’.

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)