the essential
The natural wine bar Nabuchodonosor, rue du Coq d’Inde, in Toulouse, has just entered the European ranking of the 100 best bars, according to The European Bar Guide. A great reward for this bar like no other, already popular with foreign tourists.
The natural wine bar Nebuchadnezzar, more commonly called Nabu, has just entered the Top 100 best bars in Europe, according to The European Bar Guide. This independent ranking has in fact recently published on its website its selection of the best pubs and bars in Europe for the year 2025. In the Top 3, are the Flower in Golden Paper (Brussels), Szimpla Kert (Budapest) and Retsins Lucifernum (Bruges). Nabu enters in 96th place. It is one of the five French bars selected, which stand out among the Irish pubs, Bavarian taverns and other Spanish casas.
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The guide praises its selection of natural wines, its bar with Art Nouveau elements, its “enchanting and charming atmosphere, lit by candles”. A bar “both elegant and dynamic, neither excessively pretentious nor sloppy”, which targets “a bohemian rather than a bourgeois audience”, with a service that is “extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful”. A great reward for the establishment of rue du Coq d’Inde, run by Benjamin Böhle-Roitelet and Boris Delmas, who took it over in December 2019.
-“It’s great news, we were surprised when we learned it, confides Benjamin Böhle-Roitelet. Nabu is present in a certain number of guides and European sites, we often have foreign customers who come to us because “we are well referenced.” European tourists seem to appreciate Nabu for its wine list, from small, hand-picked producers, but also its “natural” atmosphere, its French, authentic and no-frills side. They have the impression of being welcomed into a family, continues the boss. With my partner Boris, it’s a story of friendship. We come from Tarn, where the tradition of the bistro exists, where people socialize around the counter.”
Nabu was created in 1981 by Roland Castagne, in a premises which previously served as a candy store. This is the first “modern” wine bar in Toulouse, inspired by Parisian models. Today it is a reference for natural wine in Toulouse. In particular, he organizes the “Bu” festival, around drunkenness, in October, and will install a natural wine bar at the Rio Loco festival from June 11 to 15, for the second year in a row.
