Dine With a Bordeaux Local: Home-Cooked Dinner in Chartrons

Roasted chicken or duck at a Bordeaux local's table, not a restaurant.

Dine at a Bordeaux local's home in the Chartrons neighborhood for an evening of aperitif, home-cooked dinner and conversation in French or English. Your host, a transplanted New Yorker with deep ties to the city, serves farm-fresh roasted chicken with herbs and roasted potatoes, or magret de canard with Thai black rice, depending on the menu. The meal lasts around 2.5 hours in a charming maisonette, a change from the formality of restaurant dining.

The experience

What sets this apart from a restaurant is the setup itself: you're eating in someone's home, in the Chartrons neighborhood, with a host who chose to move to Bordeaux and knows how to cook. The meal starts with an aperitif, then moves to the main course: either farm-fresh roasted chicken with herbs and roasted potatoes, or magret de canard with Thai black rice. The choice depends on what's fresh that day. You sit down to eat and talk, in whichever language works: French, English, or both.

The evening runs about 2.5 hours, which is long enough to move past small talk but short enough to fit into a travel day. Your host is a foodie and world traveler herself, so the conversation tends to range beyond Bordeaux, though she's also genuinely invested in showing visitors what her adopted city means to her. The maisonette is in Chartrons, one of Bordeaux's older quarters, so you're eating in a real neighborhood, not a tourist zone.

Public transportation stops nearby, so you don't need a car to get there. The experience is open to adults only (minimum age 18) and works best if you come curious about food and willing to spend an evening with a stranger who's chosen to share her table. Service animals are welcome.

What’s included

• Aperitif and home-cooked dinner (roasted chicken with herbs and roasted potatoes, or magret de canard with Thai black rice).
• conversation with your host in French or English.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Tuesday and ThursdayDeparts at 19:00

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Senior (66 to 85 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by kimfreemancultureetdesign

Is this one for you?This works best for adults traveling alone or in small groups who want to eat real food in a real home instead of a restaurant, and who are comfortable spending an evening with a stranger. If you're looking for a structured cooking lesson or a large group experience, a cooking class would be a better fit.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

What's the actual food like at these dinners?

The menu centers on what's fresh at the market that week. You'll typically get either farm-fresh roasted chicken with herbs and roasted potatoes, or magret de canard (duck breast) with Thai black rice, served with an aperitif beforehand. The host cooks from scratch in her home kitchen.

Is this a cooking class, or am I just eating?

You're dining, not cooking. The meal is prepared ahead, and you arrive to eat, talk and get to know your host over the course of the evening. It's a dinner party, not an instruction.

How long does the evening actually take?

Plan for around 2.5 hours from start to finish, which covers the aperitif, the main course and conversation. It's long enough to settle in but short enough to fit into a travel schedule.

What's the neighborhood like, and how do I get there?

The dinner happens in a home in Chartrons, one of Bordeaux's historic quarters near the Jardin Public. Public transportation options are available nearby, so you can reach it by bus or tram without a car.

Can I request a specific menu, or do I have to eat what's cooked?

The menu depends on what's fresh at the market when you book. Your host will serve either the roasted chicken or the duck breast based on what's available. You don't choose between them in advance.