Published: 21 April 2022
It was a while back when I first visited the city of Tours with my university classmates. We had embarked on the train from Paris in the early hours of the morning and, a little over 90 minutes later, we were wandering the gateway city of the Loire Valley in search of culinary discoveries.
Years later, against all odds, I find myself back in this lively yet laid-back French city, eager to discover new and delicious foods.
In addition to being known as the birthplace of French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac, Tours is also famous for “Le Vieux Tours”, its original medieval district.
One of the main squares of the city is Plumereau square (commonly called “Place Plumereau”). The square is situated at the heart of the Old Tours and is easily recognisable by its half-timbered houses.
Fun fact: In 2014, Lonely Planet recognized Place Plumereau as being the most beautiful place in France to enjoy an aperitif.
Many restaurants in the area highlight fresh, locally-sourced produce on their menus. You can easily find an array of dining options to choose from around Place Plumereau as well as on Rue Colbert.
Speaking of Rue Colbert, Aleppo restaurant (📍 95 Rue Colbert) is a charming little family-owned Syrian place that is definitely worth checking out. All the meats are halal and the dishes are extremely flavourful and fragrant. We did not shy away from trying the Chef’s special dish, made up of a medley of meats over rice with toppings ranging from pistachios and cashews to sour cherries and a hefty dollop of creamy, savoury cheese. What an explosion of flavours!
Of course, we also had to sample some traditional Middle Eastern sweets before calling it a day. The Knafeh was my absolute favourite! It was warm and fresh with just the right amount of cheese and a generous sprinkle of pistachios. This spun pastry soaked in sweet syrup is a textural delight.
If you ask me, traditional Portuguese food is severely underrated. That’s why I wanted to share some dishes from La Bonne Assiette (📍 75 Rue Georges Courteline). This place was by far one of the highlights of this trip. I was incredibly surprised by the freshness of the food and the simple yet addictive flavour combinations.
My personal favourite was the Bacalhau à braz which, honestly, should be called a Portuguese poutine! It’s a traditional dish that combines cod, fries and eggs and is usually topped with some black olives. Sounds pretty simple but its more than meets the eyes. What a creative breakfast/lunch idea!
The Bacalhau assado (grilled cod) was also very good, served with some green beans and boiled potatoes.
For dessert, we opted for a fruit salad and (most importantly) the molotof flan. This very light and airy Portuguese dessert is also known as cloud cake. It’s basically a meringue-based pudding drenched in a caramel syrup. If you want a tasty and lighter equivalent to traditional flan, this is where it’s at.
This place was so amazing that we ended up eating there a second time! This time around, we tried the Bacalhau à liberdade a.k.a the fried cod with onions, peppers and sliced potatoes, as well as some smokey grilled chicken with fries.
Of course, we also had to sample the pastéis de nata. These Portuguese egg custard tarts had a very subtle cinnamon flavour which initially caught me off guard. Little did I know, it’s not uncommon to dust them with cinnamon for a little extra “je ne sais quoi”.
The Old Tours has so much to offer, not only in terms of cookery, but also in terms of art and history. The surrounding architecture really transports you to another place in time. As I wandered back to Place Plumereau, I started looking for a cute, little coffee shop to get a drink. However, I had no clue that I was about to discover a place that made my favourite Taiwanese drink.
Unfortunately for me, bubble tea is not as popular in France as it is in North America. So I had to savour this rare treat. Oshi Moshi (📍3 Rue du Change) has A LOT of different bubble tea options to choose from, including….hot bubble tea! Despite my curiosity, I settled for a cold Dalgona coffee and matcha drink with brown sugar syrup. Sweet, caffeinated and chewy, loved it!
You know a restaurant is GOOD when you crave their food less than 24h after having it. Chez Zein (📍 7 Rue du Commerce) is a MUST if you ever visit Tours. This Lebanese restaurant is adored by locals and tourists alike.
If you enjoy trying tons of different things at once, you will LOVE the mezze dish. Out of all the dishes I tried in Tours, this one totally deserves the golden buzzer. If you can only go to one place, THIS is the one to pick!
The chicken shawarma was so tender and perfectly seasoned with a slight barbecue aftertaste. I miss it already!
One of my favourite foods to try wherever I go is Asian food. Although I’ve delved a lot into Japanese foods, I have yet to discover the wonderful world of Korean spices and sauces.
Ichiban (📍5 Rue du Grand Marché) is a very affordable Korean restaurant situated right next to Place Plumereau. You definitely can’t go wrong with their sea bream dish glazed with the yummiest sweet and sour sauce. Highly recommend!
They also have some vegetarian options including the tofu dish served on a hot plate with a side of rice. You can choose the level of spiciness of your dish which is very convenient for someone like me who struggles A LOT with spicy food.
The tofu dish was pretty good albeit I’m not a big fan of bamboo shoots. A thorough search for these intruders was necessary before finally enjoying my meal.
Their menu is HUGE so there is definitely something for everyone! The setting itself is very cozy and lively but, be warned, it can fill up quite quickly due to limited space. In that case, don’t be shy to take some yummy treats back home.
When in France, you cannot omit an occasional splurge on French pastries…especially when you stumble upon novelty! Pâtisserie Léger (📍59 Pl. du Grand Marché) has some of the most refined and delicious pastries in the area.
You can never go wrong with classics like “Paris Brest” (crisp pâte à chou ring filled with praline crème mousseline) but I like to be bold when it comes to sweets. The “Royal Orange” was visually striking and very yummy taste-wise. However, I must say the airy vanilla cream puff “crack buns” was one of the most elegant desserts I have had in years. It was absolutely exquisite.
If you stop by Nicolas Léger’s pastry shop, dare I say it is practically a sin to leave without his famous apple tart. As you can see from the picture below, temptation got the best of us and half the tart was gone by the time I got to snap a picture.
So what’s the secret to a perfect French apple tart? A thin layer of dark and crunchy caramel at the bottom of the crust! How genius is that?! Not only does it provide added texture and complimentary taste, but it also prevents the tart crust from getting soggy and allows each slice to hold its shape when picked up. This apple tart is a favourite among customers so if you find one, snag it!
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” -Forrest Gump
To my surprise, the most gorgeous cherry blossoms trees stood in full bloom beside a parking area nearby the pastry shop.
With the “Marché des Halles” close-by, we decided to buy some sweet clementines to snack on as well as these lemons from Portugal we were told had a subtle bergamote fragrance. I couldn’t really catch the bergamote taste to be honest but they made a very tasty lemonade.
No trip is complete without pizza! Wanting to broaden our horizons, we opted for the Positano pizza from IT-Italian Trattoria (📍9 Av. Marcel Mérieux). This pizza has a very distinct taste that you will either love or hate. It is essentially a white-based pizza with mascarpone cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, mushrooms, tartufata (white truffle and porcini mushrooms concentrated cream) and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. I loved the earthy and foreign taste of this pizza! Very fun to try something new and it doesn’t hurt when the dough is cooked to perfection.
I like having a lot of veggies on my pizza so I added grilled aubergines and peppers which turned out even better!
The pizza was followed by a heavenly pistachio tiramisu! Both these Italian specialities show how versatile mascarpone cheese is. Savoury or sweet, it never disappoints.
Lucky for us, a new Moroccan restaurant had just opened its doors in the Old Tours. Morogo! (📍 29 Rue de Châteauneuf) explores Moroccan-inspired street food. I ordered a msemen with chicken and some roasted veggies. A burrito with Moroccan flavours?! It totally works!
Msemen or Rghaif is one of the most nostalgic foods for me! It’s basically a fried crêpe with multiple layers of dough, similarly to a mille-feuille. It can be stuffed or eaten plain with sweet or savoury toppings of your choice.
My combination of choice at home? Msemen with abricot jam and a Moroccan mint tea ❤️
Craving sushi on our last day in Tours, we decided to check out Izakaya Tours (📍8 Rue Édouard Vaillant).
Despite not being the biggest fan of eel, I actually really enjoyed the eel sushi. Of course, the other rolls were even more delicious to me. The fish was fresh and the rice was on point. For picky eaters, you can never go wrong with shrimp tempura sushi rolls.
I honestly did not expect to taste so many delicious foods while visiting Tours. What a gem for foodies! There are definitely so many other restaurants worth checking out in the area. Not to mention all the historical landmarks and nature attractions. Definitely consider checking this city out if you are in the area of Paris or Nantes.
It’s also worth noting that there are some interesting foods to explore in speciality shops in the city. Here are just a few:
- Rillettes (a meat, fish or poultry spread/rough pâté served on bread or toast).
- Nougat de Tours (very different from the nougat from Montélimar. It is actually a cake filled with candied fruit and an almond meringue called macaronade).
- Sainte-Maure de Touraine (creamy cheese made from raw or pasteurized goat milk. It is usually moulded into a log and coated with ash).
- Dried pears aka “poires tapées” (a Touraine delicacy that is usually enjoyed rehydrated).
