The Best Restaurants in Toulouse: Prix Lucien Vanel 2018-2019
Last week, the Prix Lucien Vanel awards honored the best restaurants in Toulouse at their biennial awards ceremony. Covering categories such as Best Cocktail Bar, “Matin Gourmande” (best breakfast in a hotel restaurant), and the coveted “Grand Table” (the award for best fine dining restaurant), the prizes award the incredible talent, professionalism, and dedication shown by the restaurant community here in Toulouse.
What is the Prix Lucien Vanel?
Lucien Vanel (1928-2010) was an emblematic fixture of the Toulouse restaurant scene: he was the first chef in Toulouse to win two Michelin stars. The Prix Lucien Vanel was created in 2008 to honor his contributions to Toulouse gastronomy and to promote the restaurants of Toulouse. The awards are given out based on a combination of public voting and voting by the Académie Lucien Vanel, the non-profit and volunteer-led group that manages the awards and boasts over 100 members from various backgrounds (all passionate about wine and gastronomy).
I became a member of the Académie Lucien Vanel in early 2019, just in time to assume duties for this year’s awards. Each member was tasked with visiting at least 6 nominated restaurants from a list of finalists compiled from the top vote-getters in each category after public voting in late 2018. Voting is based on a rubric of components such as “quality of the products,” “service,” “setting and ambiance,” and “ratio price/quality.” This is the first year that restaurants from all over the département of Haute Garonne were eligible to participate – not just those within the Toulouse metropole.
The awards, which were last given in 2016 then put on hold for several years in order to reorganize, are now on a biennial schedule with the next round of nominations and voting slated for 2020-2021. This means you have two years to try this list of wonderful restaurants before a new crop of victors are awarded! Save the Google map at the bottom of this post for a handy list you can look at on the go.
2018-2019 Prix Lucien Vanel Award Winners
Catégorie GRANDE TABLE (Best fine dining restaurant)
Simon Carlier – Solides
38 rue des Polinaires, Toulouse
Note: Starting June 3, Solides will be closing for a makeover, but you can find them cooking this summer at The Bistrot Garonne.
Nominés | Runners-up:
Jean-Baptiste Rivière – L’Équilibre
Place de la Libération, Balma
Ugo Plazzotta – Au Pois Gourmand
3 rue Emile Heybrard, Toulouse
Catégorie TABLE GOURMANDE (Best regional cooking with local ingredients)
Simon Fétis et Iris Rutter – Les Têtes d’Ail
6 rue de la Fonderie, Toulouse
Nominés | Runners-up:
Éric Puel – La Bonne Auberge
2b rue de l’Autan Blanc, l’Union
Nicolas Bodart – L’Instant T
Ibis Styles Cité Espace, 19 avenue Marcel Dassault, Toulouse
Catégorie TABLE DU MIDI (Best lunch menu under 20 €)
Morgane Helvadijan et Nicolas Soupault – Une Table à Deux
10 rue de la Pleau, Toulouse
Nominés | Runners-up:
André Audouy (dit Moustache) – Brasserie Moustache
350 avenue de Garossos, Beauzelle
Céline Rossi et Matthieu Donatin – Les Fortes Têtes
4 avenue Honoré Serres, Toulouse
Catégorie MAÎTRE RESTAURATEUR (Excellence in the restaurant profession)
Valérie Cohen et Sébastien Luccioni – Le Saint Sauvage
20 rue des Salenques, Toulouse
Nominés | Runners-up:
Céline Rossi et Matthieu Donatin – Les Fortes Têtes
4 avenue Honoré Serres, Toulouse
Bruno Barthe – Les Sales Gosses
81 rue Riquet, Toulouse
Catégorie BARS À COCKTAILS (Best cocktail bar)
Nicolas Blanchard – l’Heure du Singe
59 rue Riquet, Toulouse
Nominés | Runners-up:
Emmy Jeannin et Pierre-Antoine Quentin – Le Fat Cat
4 rue de Rémusat, Toulouse
Bruno Clave – le Dauphin
3b boulevard de Strasbourg, Toulouse
Catégorie MATINS GOURMANDS (Best breakfast at a hotel)
Alexandre Bachelier – Hôtel Palladia
271 avenue de Grande Bretagne, Toulouse
Nominés | Runners-up:
Dieter Acke – Radisson Hôtel Blu Toulouse Airport
2 rue Dieudonné Costes, Blagnac
Emmanuel Hilaire – Hôtel Albert 1er
8 rue Rivals, Toulouse
Catégorie VALORISATION DES VINS DU SUD-OUEST (Best wine list from SW France)
Hubert de Faletans – L’Esprit du Sud-Ouest
84 rue de Bordebasse, Blagnac
Nominés | Runners-up:
Véronique Thiébaut – La Bonne Auberge
2b rue de l’Autan Blanc, l’Union
Florent Cluzel – Hôtel Restaurant Castet
44 avenue de la Gare, Martres-Tolosane
Prix FÉMININ DE L’INTERPROFESSION DES VINS DU SUD-OUEST (Prize for best female wine professional)
Ana Walczak
Sommelière – La Table des Merville, Castanet
Nominés | Runners-up:
Mathilde Muguet-Delsol
Au Comptoir des Vignes, Toulouse
Margot Duffort
Médaille d’Or aux Olympiades des Métiers 2018
Le Gindreau, Saint Médard
Prix DE L’ACCUEIL (Best welcome)
André Audouy (dit Moustache) – Brasserie Moustache
350 avenue de Garossos, Beauzelle
Nominés | Runners-up:
Jean-Baptiste Rivière – L’Équilibre
place de la Libération, Balma
Valérie Cohen – Le Saint Sauvage
20 rue des Salenques, Toulouse
Prix Spécial Hors Catégorie* (Special prize, no category)
Thomas Vonderscher – Le Cénacle
46 rue des Couteliers, Toulouse
*This award was given exceptionally because the Académie wanted to honor this chef, whose restaurant had initially been a finalist for this year’s awards until he received his first Michelin star during the course of the voting. Michelin-starred restaurants are excluded from consideration from the regular categories of the Prix Lucien Vanel.