Ma Première Cantine is a french bistro restaurant in Écusson, Montpellier.
Editorially verified August 22, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Soft-boiled œufs à la coque with soldiers.
Tip: Continuous service is the superpower: it feeds you at hours when every proper kitchen in the Écusson is closed.
Address: 4 Place Jean Jaurès, 34000 Montpellier
Nabab Kebab holds the corner between the Comédie and the station on Rue Maguelone, halal kebabs served until 01:00 for six nights of the week.
Order: The classic kebab plate, halal certified.
Tip: This is the late-night answer after a Rockstore gig; the queue moves fast even past midnight.
Bol Bun & Bubble ladles bo bun bowls and bubble tea on Rue d'Alger in Montpellier, a quick Vietnamese counter between the Comédie and the station.
Order: A bo bun bowl with grilled pork and nem, herbs piled high
Tip: Lunch bowls land fast and under 15 euros; the afternoon break between services catches people out.
L'Oignon Givré has fed Montpellier students an all-you-can-eat salad buffet on Rue de l'Université for over two decades, weekday lunches only.
Order: The all-you-can-eat salad buffet.
Tip: Come hungry and early: the buffet room fills with students on the stroke of noon and service ends at 14:30.
Mélissa Coquillages shucks Bouzigues oysters and warms tielles at its Halles Laissac stall in Montpellier, seafood platters eaten at the market counters.
Order: A tielle with a plate of Bouzigues oysters.
Tip: This is the easiest place in the city to try tielle sétoise without driving to Sète; mornings get the freshest shells.
La Vita Al Dente makes its pasta fresh each day at the Halles du Lez counter, lasagne, gnocchi and burrata eaten inside the market hall itself.
Order: Fresh ravioli sheeted that morning.
Tip: Order at the counter and grab a hall table; evening service runs later than most sit-down Italians in town.
Nabab Kebab holds the corner between the Comédie and the station on Rue Maguelone, halal kebabs served until 01:00 for six nights of the week.
Order: The classic kebab plate, halal certified.
Tip: This is the late-night answer after a Rockstore gig; the queue moves fast even past midnight.
Bol Bun & Bubble ladles bo bun bowls and bubble tea on Rue d'Alger in Montpellier, a quick Vietnamese counter between the Comédie and the station.
Order: A bo bun bowl with grilled pork and nem, herbs piled high
Tip: Lunch bowls land fast and under 15 euros; the afternoon break between services catches people out.
L'Oignon Givré has fed Montpellier students an all-you-can-eat salad buffet on Rue de l'Université for over two decades, weekday lunches only.
Order: The all-you-can-eat salad buffet.
Tip: Come hungry and early: the buffet room fills with students on the stroke of noon and service ends at 14:30.
Muchacha runs a festive Latin kitchen and cocktail bar on the roof of the Marché du Lez, sharing plates and DJ sets seven nights of the week.
Order: Sharing plates with a pisco or mojito.
Tip: Food stops at 23:30 but the bar runs to 01:00; weekends turn it into the Lez quarter's dance floor.
Mélissa Coquillages shucks Bouzigues oysters and warms tielles at its Halles Laissac stall in Montpellier, seafood platters eaten at the market counters.
Order: A tielle with a plate of Bouzigues oysters.
Tip: This is the easiest place in the city to try tielle sétoise without driving to Sète; mornings get the freshest shells.
