The story
In the quiet Carmes quarter, Les Volets Rouges brings a piece of the Basque Country to Toulouse. The name is a direct nod to the owners’ native land, and the restaurant’s red shutters have become a welcoming landmark for those seeking thoughtful, modern cooking.
Chef Paul grew up in Toulouse but spent more than a decade in Paris, training in some of the city’s most respected kitchens – Le Rech (Alain Ducasse), Papillon (Christophe Saint Agne), Septime (Bertrand Grebault and Théo Pourriat), and Le Servan (Tatiana and Katia Levha). Those years shaped his approach: creative, precise, and deeply committed to sustainability. When he returned to Toulouse, he opened his own restaurant with his brother Vincent, who left a career in financial audit to manage the dining room.
The kitchen works with raw ingredients sourced from organic and responsible agriculture, farm-raised meats, and sustainable fishing. The menu changes with the seasons, and the cooking is inventive without losing sight of flavour. A recent lunch menu offered tagliatelles of potato with a smoked paprika egg mayo, followed by a blanquette of veal with Savagnin wine and turnip tops, finished with a rice pudding and hazelnut praline. At dinner, the five-course tasting menu (62€ per person) lets the team show their range – dishes like line-caught sea bass with fried Brussels sprouts and cumin fish jus, or Aveyron veal Milanese with smoked butter mashed potatoes and XO sauce.
The wine list focuses on natural and organic bottles, chosen to complement the food. The atmosphere is warm and unpretentious, a place where technique serves taste and the produce speaks first.
Les Volets Rouges earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a recognition that reflects the precision and integrity of Paul’s cooking. For anyone in Toulouse looking for modern cuisine that is both grounded and adventurous, this is a table worth seeking out.
Recognition
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Details
History
Paul Du Bois De Maquillé (ex-Le Servan, Septime, Papillon and Le Reich) returns to Toulouse, reuniting with his brother Vincent (also trained at Le Servan) to open their own restaurant – a heartfelt tribute to their native Basque Country (think red shutters – naturally, burgundy paneling, coppery pink brickwork). In the kitchen, Paul puts his formidable CV to work, walking a fine line between retro bistro comfort and neo-gastronomic flair. That lunchtime: an enchanting butternut squash velouté topped with a creamy smoky bacon espuma, green oil, chervil and pumpkin seeds; followed by a deeply satisfying stuffed cabbage filled with sausage meat and carrot, slicked with a meaty jus, a dazzle of mint and crowned with a fried cabbage leaf; followed by a dark chocolate tartlet with salted caramel, fromage blanc and Comice pear. Come evening, the tasting menu leans a touch more ambitious while staying firmly in regional tradition: shallot and chorizo ravioli in rosemary butter; sea bass ceviche with Adour kiwi and broccoli rabe; Basque corn-fed chicken with carrots and a creamy Ossau-Iraty sauce. Bayonne and Toulouse have never felt so close! · Daisy Poppy
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