Cafe Des Artistes

Advantages: Great venue, great location
Disadvantages: Can get busy and is not that big

This busy cafe bar is situated in The Custard factory, an arts and design complex, in Digbeth. It's about a ten minute walk from the centre of Birmingham. It features a different artists work each month so the scenery is always changing. It's big wall lenght windows overlook the pool outside but this is sometimes empty if there is a special event on. There is always something going on around the complex, such as music all day festivals or fashion ... Read review

Advantages: very pretty, 'different', good nightlife
Disadvantages: expensive, locals not too friendly

...off 'La Capitole' (the main square), where we went for many a 'pomme saladaise' (basically potato salad but being French they garnish it with a bit of parsley and hey presto you have a posh French dish! The local speciality I thought was disgusting but then I didn't like many of the ingredients - it is of course cassoulet - a cumbersome mixture of Toulouse sausages with chickpeas and some other gunk. Most of the bars I went to are probably different now, but there are lots of good ones centred round the streets of 'La Capitole'. I especially remember 'Le cafe des Artistes' - very popular with Erasmus students, relatively cheap and with a good view of the river if you sit outside. I've been told that's still doing well... Things to see include: the old monastry, lots of churches, museums etc but most of all Toulouse like so many places... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful