Homey and intimate, la Cave au Cassoulet is situated underground (literally, a "cave") with a romantic atmosphere perfect for couples to share a hearty casserole of the traditional Toulousain dish. Granted, I went by myself and ordered a cassoulet for one, and trust me, you'll need to take it home, as I couldn't even finish it! Aside from that, the dish was warm and comforting, full of soft white beans, rich meats, and everything in between. Simple, but effective. Staff was attentive and kind, even though I felt bad that I couldn't finish the dish! Perfect place to go for date night or with friends. read more

La Cave au Cassoulet - Cassoulet. - French Southwest Near Me - Toulouse, 31

Context this review is coloured by: 1) I love cassoulet, 2) the idea of getting cassoulet in France is already, for this American, like just so darn authentic that it automatically resets the bar right there. 3) in a cave!?!? and 4) I had just downed a few delicious rhum drinks at a pirate bar. I was here with a big happy group from the office after a meeting that went well. Among the dozen or so in the party we had three amazingly huge pots of the traditional cassoulet (along with sides and wine, and dessert, but really who cares about that). I am happy to set the bar at this cassoulet and call it the reference standard. It was delicious, and the mix of sausages, duck, beans was right on in proportions, taste, heat, presentation. Nothing fancy, just done well. And of course what sets this experience apart is being in Toulouse and being in an ancient cave! If neither of these things matter to you, dear Toulouse native, feel free to dock a star. But I grew up where a 20-year-old building would be considered historical, so I'm just going to put this star right here. read more

I know the name of the restaurant basically obliges you to get a cassoulet, but after seeing the size of them on other tables, we knew neither of us could eat one as part of a menu (maybe we could have split one). But we at least kept to duck, getting an excellent foie gras and salade de gesiers and a pretty good cuisse de canard and magret de canard. The wine was good, the ambience nice (a typical Toulousain cellar) and the staff friendly. Clientele was some tourists, but also a lot of plain locals there for a good meal. Reservation recommended on the weekends -- we got the last table on a Sunday night. This was a solid start to our Toulouse culinary adventures. read more

First of all let me say that the food experience in Toulouse was just simply sublime. However, our meal at La Cave au Cassoulet was just out of this world. My fiance and I traveled there in June and all we could talk about when we came back was our cassoulet at La Cave. We chose the Duck cassoulet and it was extraordinary. We got a wonderful bottle of wine and ate until we almost passed out. The service was wonderful, our waiters were really friendly and helpful. They helped us make the best selections for our wine and our meal. The portions were insane. I found that during our visit in France, everywhere we went the portions were very large. All I can say is that I often think about cassoulet de canard. read more

After searching for so many places for cassoulet, perhaps my boyfriend and I had expectations too high when we came to La Cave au Cassoulet. It was a must-have for me to have cassoulet in Toulouse, and we found this place to have great reviews with a reasonable price range. Although my boyfriend is from the Southwest, he has never had cassoulet, and as an American, I've never had it myself. That said, perhaps you can take this review with a grain of salt. Location (5/5): The place was easy to find and is in an area that has many other restaurants and shops surrounding it. It's a 3-4 minute walk from the river and is also near the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne. Atmosphere (4/5): I think it's cool that it's really like a cave. You enter the door, and you walk down into the restaurant with exposed bricks. We visited during the first weekend of August, however, and it was so hot. As such, we ended up drinking so much water. We sat by the far wall where the drink menu was written, and we were sweating during the whole meal, and the air was so dry. There was an air conditioner by the bar, but we couldn't tell at all from where we sat if it was on or not, but it was really uncomfortable. Service (2/5): Perhaps because the manager saw us having less than pleasant expressions when we paid that he apologized for having slow service and said that it was only that night that it was like that. That said, service was so, so, so slow! It took awhile to get our menus. Then, it took another while to give our orders. Then, another whole while to get our drinks... and so on. After our appetizers, it took (again) awhile for them to collect our plates, and when they finally gave me an extra plate for my cassoulet, I thought it was a sign that it was arriving soon, but alas! That plate was false hope. Even trying to receive the bill itself was such a wait. Since we were hot and waiting, we drank water a lot, and even when we were ready to order dessert, it was so difficult to get any of the servers' attention. Maybe because we were in the back of the restaurant, but it was just really poor. Food (2/5): It wasn't inedible, but also, it wasn't pleasurable either. It was eating because we had food, and we were hungry. They are very generous with portions. Personally, I can't believe that kind of portion for cassoulet was supposed to be for one person. Between my boyfriend and I, we were struggling to finish the cassoulet. Another disclaimer is that I'm not a fan of beans, so again, my review of cassoulet is biased, but with the hype of Toulouse's special dish, I was expecting more. I wanted it to be savoury and have that taste of a good homecooked meal, but I got neither of that. I enjoyed the saucisse in the cassoulet, and I wanted to like the duck in it, too, but I think the duck was overcooked. As for my boyfriend, he had another duck plate, and he complained how it was too acidic and that there was too much vinegar. Finally, their dessert selection was so disappointing that we just got ice cream. Conclusion: Overall, I just can't recommend this place. I don't know if cassoulet is supposed to be this way, but it didn't leave a lasting impression for me aside from the size of portion. But as my boyfriend read on another review, quantity doesn't always mean quality. read more

"Cassoulet (French pronunciation: ​[ka.su.l], from Occitan caçolet [kasulet]) is a rich, slow-cooked casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white beans (haricots blancs). The dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides." Great ambience in this underground "cave" near the capital center. Just as described I think this is a must have when you are in Toulouse. Live like the locals and try this amazing place. And if you don't like the cassoulet then have some of their incredible French wine and I'm sure you will be satisfied. read more

See all

This is what I considered as the original Toulouse experience. Cassoulet served in some sort of catacomb/basement made of typical Toulouse pink bricks. Awesome and somehow not too expensive. read more

Pretty fun, okay price, mostly tourists. Food is good though it's not the greatest - good enough though. And it's underground, so that's cool... read more