The toughest reservation in Bordeaux right now is La Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez’s Restaurant Joël Robuchon, which was recently awarded a second Michelin star. Chef Philippe Etchebest’s new brasserie, Le Quatrième Mur, near the Opéra National de Bordeaux, also is extremely popular, as is Le Pressoir d’Argent, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at the InterContinental Bordeaux — Le Grand Hôtel. What has really changed in Bordeaux, however, is the number of excellent bistros that have opened. This is explained by the fact that young chefs are attracted to the city by its quality of life, and a new generation of wine merchants now dine out more often than they eat or entertain at home.

Miles

This stylish bistro in the heart of the city is run by a quartet of chefs from Israel, New Caledonia, Japan and France who met at the Ferrandi cooking school in Paris. The menu changes regularly but runs to dishes such as monkfish with smoked chestnut purée, pork loin with vanilla-flavored celery root purée and hibiscus roasted figs with halva ice cream.

Miles
3-3 Rue du Cancera. Tel. (33) 5-56-81-18-24.