L'Impériale

L'Impériale is a casual restaurant on the first floor of the Marché Couvert Victor Hugo, the main covered market of Toulouse, on Place Victor Hugo in the Occitanie region of southwest France. Eating above the stalls is a distinctly local experience: the produce downstairs supplies the traditional Southwest cooking served upstairs. The signature dish is the cassoulet, made with IGP Tarbais beans, pork loin, Toulouse sausage, skin sausage and duck confit, and it is the reason most visitors climb the stairs. Plancha-grilled fish provides a lighter alternative on the same menu. The atmosphere is that of a market-hall restaurant, busy and informal, with the sounds of the market below and no formal dress code. The price range is moderate, around two dollar signs, and the setting suits a relaxed lunch after browsing the stalls. Opening hours are limited and follow the market rhythm: Wednesday and Thursday 12:00-14:30, Friday 12:00-14:30 and 19:30-22:30, and Saturday and Sunday 12:00-15:00, with the restaurant closed on Monday and Tuesday. The Friday evening opening is the only dinner service. The cassoulet service does not take reservations, so the practical approach is to arrive shortly before service starts, especially at weekends when the market is crowded and tables fill quickly. Visitors can combine the meal with a walk through the market stalls, including the Maison Garcia stall, which sells cassoulet to take away on the ground floor. The restaurant can be reached by phone on +33 5 61 12 33 10 for questions about service. The location, a few minutes' walk from Boulevard de Strasbourg and the Jean Jaurès area, puts it within easy reach of central sightseeing. Wine suggestions tend to follow the southwest, with local reds suiting the cassoulet. Because the cassoulet is heavy, many visitors plan a light evening afterwards.