In Bordeaux, there’s an all-you-can-eat cheese cave with over 100 cheeses
My first visit to Bordeaux, France, was nearly a decade ago, and I remember it very well. It was my first encounter with Baud et Millet, an unassuming little restaurant tucked away on Rue Huguerie. It was almost kitschy in a knowing way. I prefer it like that—a discovery you should make on your own cheese-loving time.
Let me rephrase: There’s a cheese cave in the basement, complete with a cow-mooing sound machine. It was one of the most memorable cheese expeditions of my life—so memorable that it lured me back to Bordeaux again (and again, and again). OK, yes, the wines are exceptional and I’m completely smitten with the city itself, but this dimly lit cellar where cheese dreams come true is what keeps me coming back.
There’s something almost ritualistic about the Baud et Millet experience. You settle into your seat upstairs, make a selection from a sizable wine cellar (like a crisp Bordeaux blanc or Jura white to balance the fat in the cheeses to come) and then: the moment. The server hands you a plate and a knife, gestures toward the stone steps leading down, and says those magic words: “Allez-y, la cave vous attend.” The cave awaits you.
What lies below is a cheese paradise. “There are more than 100 cheeses from all over France,” says Françoise Loison, who owns the restaurant with her husband, chef Xavier Brung. The collection focuses on denomination-of-origin cheeses made from the raw milk of cows, goats, and sheep, with no industrial processing. Each represents a different village, terroir, and story. It’s geography you can taste, a tour de France that requires nothing more than a good knife and questionable judgment about portion control.
Founded in 1986 by Gérard Baud, Baud et Millet was the first Bordeaux restaurant dedicated to cheese and wine pairings. Since 2009, Brung and Loison have been at the helm, expanding Baud’s original vision. “We continue to develop cheese and wine tastings with charcuterie, as well as fondue, Mont d’Or, and many other cheese dishes, alongside traditional cuisine from the terroir,” says Loison.
In the temperature-controlled cellar, the most popular cheeses among guests tend to be those from the Massif Central region: Cantal, Saint-Nectaire, and Murol. But there are plenty of unusual options, too—like the Brie Noir, “rare, with three years of maturation,” according to Loison—or the Gaperon: “a very old little round cheese with pepper and garlic.”
For approximately $42, the all-you-can-eat option remains one of France’s best-kept secrets. You can descend into the cave as many times as your dignity allows, and dignity becomes negotiable when you’re faced with perfectly aged Roquefort and creamy Camembert de Normandie. Brung’s personal favorite? “The famous Comté, 24 or 30 months maturation,” while Loison prefers a creamy, young, and mild goat cheese like Sainte-Maure de Touraine.
On my most recent visit in November 2025, I ate myself silly (again). This time, I skipped the all-you-can-eat option and chose the Tour de France—which, funnily enough, featured only 10 cheeses—and let the waiter choose for me. My plate arrived with Selles-sur-Cher, Cabécou, Brique à l’Ail des Ours, Ossau-Iraty, Brillat-Savarin, Neufchâtel, Maroilles, Munster, Roquefort, and Bleu de Laqueuille. And yes, I devoured a melty, creamy, perfect Mont d’Or round for my “main dish.” I’m not alone in my cheese enthusiasm—Baud et Millet serves around 5,500 pounds of cheese annually.
The ritual never gets old: a descent into the cool cellar, the overwhelming moment of choice as you examine the landscape of possibilities, the careful cutting (the staff will gladly teach you proper technique), and the triumphant return upstairs with your bounty. Some cheeses are creamy and mild, perfect for beginners; others are so funky they could clear a room (looking at you, Époisses!)—and I mean that as the highest compliment. With more than 350 AOC and AOP cheeses produced across France, Baud et Millet’s selection offers a compelling snapshot of the country’s prowess.
After 30 years of success in their vaulted cellar, Loison and Brung have opened Le Bis, a smaller sibling in Saint-Émilion and the only cheese restaurant in the medieval village. With a cozy atmosphere, a fireplace, and a cupboard with 50 cheeses from across France, it offers the same spirit in a more intimate setting, although Baud et Millet will always be my number one. After all these years, I still get that same thrill walking down those stone steps.
