Three unusual places for locals

If you have been living in the Montpellier region for a while and you would like to try some places which are off the beaten path or specialize in non-regional things, I have made a short and incomplete list from my own experience.

Café des Négotiants, boulevard Jeu de Paume.
Opposite La Toure Babbote observatoire.
If you’re never likely to go to Strasbourg or you’re pining for the Rhine or you simply want to try something different from southern French fare, you might try this place. It has a bit of a gritty rough and ready atmosphere being so close to the train station and on the busy boulevard Jeu de Paume but you can enjoy a very honest sour kraut lunch with some Alsatian beers or wine. It's an address I might recommend for a rainy day when you have already been to all the usual places and you don't want to stretch your budget. A massive plate of sour kraut with a variety of sausages will set you back between 13 and 20 Euros depending on your selection.
What they really need to do is add some Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines to their list. They do have some Edelzwicker which is perfectly adequate and not too expensive for their dishes.

L'art du cochone, 55 Avenue de Marie de Montpellier
Near the Rive du Lez, Porte Mariane tramway stop and the University buildings at Richter.
This is a restaurant/wine bar/wine shop.
The restaurant part is upstairs and pricey but elegant. The down stairs is very nicely laid out and modern. Down stairs it's called 'Marchand de vins' but it is essentially the same place. At lunch time you can get a reasonable “plat du jour” that comes with a wine that is often from outside the region. They seem particularly fond of Burgundies. Not a place I would recommend for going very often because the wines available by the glass are limited and their prices start at around 5 Euros. It is nice for having a single glass with friends while nibbling on some tapas or enjoying their daily special and checking out all the different bottles on display around you. You may get inspired to take one home for dinner; I suppose that is the idea. They do have quite a few local wines available to take home by the bottle and quite a few things from outside the region as well. They also feature a number of single malt whiskeys and specialty wines. I wouldn't bother taking people from out of town there since there is nothing particularly local about the place or its neighbourhood, it is fairly anti-septic and modern thus not likely to interest "new world" visitors.
www.vpoint.fr
www.cartesurtables.com/les-restaurants/montpellier/restaurant_de-l-art-ou-du-cochon-681

L'art Des Mets, 5 Rue de l'ancienne post
Another address not far from Jeu de paume, Toure de Babotte.
I find it tough to find satisfactory Italian restaurants in Montpellier but then again, why should I? This one is the best of the lot without spending an absolute fortune. I did not try any of their Italian wines but my justification for that is that I always find Italian wines over priced in France and frankly not all that great. Besides, local wines complement Italian cooking fairly well and so they should since there is not such a great difference in distance or in the central composition of dishes' ingredients. Having said this, my favourite wine is Barolo but you need to spend at least 40 Euros here to find one in drinkable condition and it's bloody rare.
You can watch them make the pasta by hand in this restaurant and the overall quality is very high. Expect to pay around 25 -30 Euros per person with wine.
Try the 'Domaine de 4 vents' red. They should have 'Le baiser du aphrodite' or 'Le coline de l'amour'. I recommend either. You can't order a more local wine while in Montpellier. They are both 100 percent Carignan and taste like a fine blend. The proprietor is 102 years old so.... "Santé".
The only online info you can get about this domain you can get by googling "aux 4 vents" or try plugging in the following:

http://www.montpellier-agglo.com/1143039358792/0/fiche___article/&RH=1244562562565