The story
Hito, at 26 rue de la Fonderie in Toulouse, is a semi-gastronomic restaurant serving modern cuisine that the Michelin Guide listed as Recommended in 2026. The restaurant describes its cooking as traditional French, prepared by a Japanese chef, and that mix shows up in the plates.
Hitoshi Araki trained at La Blanche, a French institution in Tokyo, and then cooked under Yannick Delpech in Colomiers. He later settled in the Les Carmes neighborhood of Toulouse. The restaurant stresses homemade preparations and fresh produce.
The "small" four-course menu costs €38 and opens with glazed pork belly and pickled red onion. Siphoned cauliflower follows, with al dente florets under a tomato water jelly. A monkfish fillet comes with baby artichokes, both grilled and puréed, and a porcini and button mushroom sauce. Lamb chops arrive with a root vegetable soup of beets, radishes, carrots and sunchokes, and the meal ends with a pavlova of meringue and fig brunoise.
The dining room has midnight blue paneling, cushioned banquettes and Edison bulbs. Air conditioning and a terrace give the room a practical edge in warm weather. Le Fooding also listed Hito in 2026, and a wine list is offered alongside the food menu.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
After training at La Blanche, a French culinary institution in Tokyo, the brilliant Hitoshi Araki then moved on to cook under Yannick Delpech in Colomiers after falling back, like a r ōnin, to the Les Carmes neighborhood in Toulouse. The night we went, in his small spot with midnight blue paneling, cushioned banquettes and Edison light bulbs, we let the “small” four-course menu (€38) cast its spell on us. In order of appearance: delicate glazed pork belly with pickled red onion for the prelude; lovely siphoned cauliflower with al dente cauliflower florets, sheltered by a tomato water jelly; a superb roasted monkfish fillet paired with baby artichokes – both grilled and puréed – and a porcini and button mushroom sauce; lamb chops with a lovely root vegetable soup – beets, multicolored radishes, carrots, sunchokes; before a pavlova combining meringue, a fig brunoise and quartered figs, plus a rich chocolate mousse. // M.R.
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