Ikonka is a café budget eat in Figuerolles, Montpellier.
Editorially verified August 22, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: A slice of the day's bake with a long coffee, taken at the counter.
Tip: Sunday closes at 14:30, but it is one of the few Figuerolles kitchens open that morning.
Address: 19 rue du Faubourg du Courreau, 34000 Montpellier
L'Oignon Givré has fed Montpellier students an unlimited salad buffet since 2001, with market produce, house quiches and a €10 plat du jour.
Try: All-you-can-eat crudites buffet plus a daily hot plate
Order: Load the crudites buffet, then take the simmered plat du jour of the day.
Tip: Weekday lunches only and the queue peaks at 12:30; arrive at noon or after 13:30 for a calmer room.
Li's Raviolis Chinois folds dumplings to order on Rue de l'Université, ten pork and cabbage for €6.60, the cheapest proper hot lunch in the Ecusson.
Try: Hand-folded Chinese dumplings by the ten
Order: Ten pork, cabbage and mushroom dumplings with a chilled Chinese salad.
Tip: Lunch service only, 11:30 to 14:30 every day, and the room seats barely a dozen people.
Fabiano Focaccia bakes Ligurian focaccia on Rue Saint-Guilhem and fills it with Italian charcuterie, marinated vegetables and melting cheese to order.
Try: Filled Ligurian focaccia to take away
Order: Mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio on warm focaccia, eaten standing.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; the counter sells out of the popular fillings by mid-afternoon.
Nabab Kebab works the Rue Maguelone run between the station and the Comedie until 01:00, the default late cheap plate for Montpellier students.
Try: Kebab galette and chips, served late
Order: The galette with grilled meat, salad and white sauce plus a portion of chips.
Tip: Open until 01:00 six nights a week; Sunday is the one night the shutters stay down.
Bol Bun & Bubble builds Vietnamese rice-noodle bowls on Rue d'Alger with grilled pork, herbs and nuoc cham, then pours bubble tea to follow.
Try: Vietnamese bun bowls and bubble tea
Order: A bun bowl with grilled pork and nem, herbs piled on top.
Tip: It splits the day with a break from 16:00 to 18:00, which catches out the late-lunch crowd.
KVB reworks the kebab as a fully vegetal plate on Rue de l'Aiguillerie, seitan on the vertical spit with the usual sauces and chips alongside.
Try: Fully plant-based kebab
Order: The vegetal kebab in bread with white sauce, salad and a side of chips.
Tip: The spit is genuinely vegan rather than a swap-in, and the sauces are made in-house too.
