Filoche: The Ultra Gourmet Quick Bite in Bordeaux

For one of the best quick bites while out and about on a day touring around Bordeaux, head to Filoche. Located in the Quartier Saint-Pierre just steps away from the historic Porte Cailhau, Filoche specializes in slow cooked meats and serves up plates of comfort food you’ll be reminiscing over on your perfect day out in Bordeaux.

The menu is simple: various meats that are slow cooked for 10+ hours served as your choice of a sandwich on a brioche bun or as a plate sans the bun, along with a side of your choice such as roasted baby potatoes, mashed potatoes or a roasted seasonal vegetable. The braised meats are complimented by homemade sauces.

The beef shank is slow braised in Bordeaux wine, achieving a re-imagined boeuf bourguignon, and aptly named boeuf à la bordelaise. The braised pork is paired with a garlic cream and chimichurri sauce. And the lamb is candied with zataar and lemon, then served with tzatziki.

Filoche is the dream of two friends, Salvador Ezran et Gaël Regerat, from the Paris region. Neither comes from a culinary background, but wanting to realize their passion for gastronomy and step away from their former careers in ready-to-wear fashion and graphic design, the friends opened Filoche. Step in to the bathroom, and you’ll even find a series of photographs of both working on elements of the restaurant construction before opening.

It’s Gaël in the kitchen, who works all night to slow cook the meats for 10 hours the evening before, and Salvador welcoming and serving guests. What makes Filoche and excellent quick bite is not that it is fast food – anything but, actually – but rather that the preparation must take place the night before so the braised meats are ready for diners. So if you’re looking for a French meal that ticks all the boxes of melt-in-your-mouth and comforting, but without taking several hours out of your day, Filoche is the answer.

Of course, seasonality and high quality local ingredients are the standard at Filoche. The meats are 100% French and sourced locally from Boucherie Gazeau in the Marché des Capucins. The brioche buns, a very thoughtful selection after trying various types of breads to create the perfect French sandwich, are baked by the artisanal bakery Bun’s Baker, and even the coffee comes from the local Bordeaux coffee roaster Cafés Regus.

We tried Filoche at lunchtime and chose the boeuf à la bordelaise and the lamb confit, both as plates and one with the roasted baby potatoes and the other with the mashed potatoes. The braised meats are flavorful and do truly melt in your mouth. Both options were absolutely delicious, and perfectly complimented by the sides and pickled vegetables for a bit of freshness, but the stand out for both of us is the boeuf à la bordelaise.

There are a selection of starters such as a homemade terrine, cheese plate or a seasonal soup. The pumpkin soup was very tempting, and perhaps I’ll try it next time (because we will definitely be back). The menu also offers a choice of desserts, and we shared a very tasty pear crumble that was the perfect sweet finish to the meal.

The restaurant is small, but cozy with just 14 seats. Take-away is also an excellent option if you choose the sandwich version.