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Listed here are our personal favourite restaurants across the French Riviera. We've been lucky enough to find and enjoy these during our time here so far. We're always interested in finding more. Enjoying good food and wine is one of the main reasons we relocated to the Riviera. We'd love to hear from you if you have any new suggestions for us. Or perhaps you'd like to tell us about your experience of our suggestions. We want to keep our Riviera Restaurants page fresh, so please don't be shy! Bon Appétit!
Riviera Restaurants - Nice Area
Hostellerie Jerome
Rue Comte-de-Cessole
La Turbie
tel 04.92.41.51.51
In our view this is one of the best restaurants on the French Riviera when weighing up what you get for the price paid. The main restaurant is set in a vaulted thirteenth century room with frescoed ceilings. As you might expect from a two Michelin starred restaurant the general ambience is rather reverential but the staff are proud, educated on their wares and attentive. There is also a pretty terrace.
The website tells you all you need to know. We'd highly recommend the pungent and earthy truffle risotto. If this restaurant is out of budget, you might want to try Bruno Cirino's more modest bistro almost across the road. See below.
Café de la Fontaine
Avenue du General de Gaulle
La Turbie
tel 04.93.28.52.79
Both entrepreneurial and perhaps fashionable, Bruno Cirino had the good sense to open this cute little bistro to run alongside Hostellerie Jerome. Surprisingly it's full of locals rather than tourists and it's pretty cheap. Unsurprisingly it's always busy. Don't ride out here for lunch or dinner without reserving first. The food on offer is traditional well cooked French fare such as pea stuffed ravioli, lamb on the bone, rabbit and pasta. You can see the menu on the website. This little gem should set you back no more than 30 euros a head including wine. It is also open every day in high season.
Moulin de L'Oliveraie a Blausasc
Lot de la Torre
Route de al Torre
Blausasc
tel 04.93.79.59.16
If you fancy a drive out into the countryside, this restaurant is a perfect stop off for an extravagant lunch. Especially if you can secure one of the few tables on the terrace; the view is magnificent. Inside the décor and feel is earthy with its terracotta floors and wooden beams. You can expect a hearty gourmet meal, extremely well cooked and presented, but costing almost half the price of what you would pay for the same quality and quantity in the cities. This is especially true if you take advantage of one of their set menus which include wine and coffee.
This restaurant was recommended to us by someone who used to live in the village. We're always grateful to her for that - otherwise we don't think we ever would have found it. She tells us it has been consistently good for over 5 years now. It is open or lunch every day except Monday. It is closed on Sunday evening too.
Le Pirate
Port de Plaisance
Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
tel 04.93.76.12.97
Sit overlooking the harbour and enjoy fantastic risotto, lobster, paella or bouillabaisse whilst sipping a crisp white. It is relatively expensive, but we have found the food to be consistently good and the service attentive. The harbour is a tourist drag, and we've found a few others along here to be quite poor by comparison.
The Owners are very enthusiastic and friendly and have gone to the trouble of putting together a website which gives you all the information you need. Open every day except Monday.
La Pignatelle
10 Rue de Quincenet
Beaulieu - Sur - Mer
04.93.01.03.37
A very decent family orientated Provencal restaurant at affordable prices. Nice touches include the children's menu, a translated list in the menu of core ingredients in English, German and Italian, and the four bird cages complete with birds to add interest whilst you dine. Outside in the enclosed terrace you can also find a rabbit.
The very fresh food is traditional Provencal though it has more than a hint of the Northern France region. Specialties include mushroom-stuffed ravioli with truffle cream sauce, monkfish steak garnished with olive oil and herbs, and bouillabaisse. There is a 22 Euro menu and a 32 Euro menu that can be taken at lunch or dinner. It is open every day, all year round, except Wednesdays.
Le Cosmos
Place Amelie Pollonais
Villefranche
tel 04.93.01.84.05
Excellent for lunch, this stylish restaurant has a deserved reputation for a decent no fuss menu with generous portions and fantastic desserts. The “plat de jour” is usually great and will set you back around 15 euros. The waiting staffs are friendly and efficient and you may be lucky enough to get a table overlooking the harbour if you book or arrive early enough. Don't miss the pretty little church opposite famous for Jean Cocteau's legacies inside. It is open every day for lunch and dinner.
Carpaccio
17 Promenade Marinieres
Villefranche
tel 04.93.01.72.97
A long standing restaurant which we think is often overlooked in favour of the new comers. Possibly because it is at the end of the waterfront. There can be a great atmosphere here and as the night draws on the waiters can be known to polish you off for the night with “knock your head off” sorbets and digestives, if you will let them.
As you have probably guessed carpaccio - either alone or mixed with bresaola - is the speciality. But if meat's not your thing, there's pizza, pasta, great fish including Saint Jacques and a mean fish soup. Expect big portions which make up for being slightly higher priced than some of the other restaurants around. An average 3 course menus will be around 45 euros, but we're guessing you'll only need two before you're bursting at the seams. Open every day, all year round.
And, if you haven't already looked, there are our 20 plus Nice restaurant suggestions on our Cuisine section
Riviera Restaurants - Antibes Area
La Columbe d’Or
Place de Gaulle
St-Paul de Vence
tel 04.93.32.80.02
Famous for its art collection and history as well as its food, La Colombe d’Or is THE place to eat in St Paul de Vence. With a celebrity following and fantastic garden terrace the price to dine here is high, but worth it as a special treat. You should expect little change from € 150 for a three-course lunch with a bottle of wine and coffee for 2 people. Try their famous starter “hors d'oeveres” and don’t forget your camera. Open daily for lunch and dinner every day. Closed in November and early December. There is a more detailed review of La Colombe d’Or on our sister site, Riviera Pebbles.
La Tilleul
Place du Tilleul
St Paul de Vence
tel 04.93.32.80.36
In the centre of Place du Tilleul, this restaurant could turn out any sort of tourist fare and still make a very good living. Thankfully, it doesn’t. We think the food is well cooked and presented and the setting is worth paying another couple of euros for. If your budget won’t stretch to La Columbe D’Or, then this is our recommended place for another memorable lunch where you can admire the hilltop scenery whilst you dine on the large terrace. La Tilleul serves salads, pasta, risotto and a good selection of meat and fish dishes. The desserts are irresistible. Open for lunch and dinner every day. There is a more detailed review of La Tilleul on our sister site, Riviera Pebbles.
La Bourride
5 Rue Capitaine de Frégate Vial
Port du Cros-de-Cagnes
tel 04-93-31-07-75
With a palm tree inside, this impressive port side restaurant with an impressive menu will be memorable for all the right reasons. The specialties are bouillabaisse and bourride (white fleshed fish only, no shellfish plus aïoli in the bouillon) and they are fantastic. Hervé Kobzi, the chef, provides numerous traditional dishes such as risotto with lobster and carpaccio of St-Jacques. The service is attentive without being heavy. Expect to pay a very worthy € 35-50 per person. La Bourride restaurant is closed on Wednesdays.
Le Moorea
Port de Saint-Laurent
St-Laurent-du-Var
tel 04-93-31-05-05
Shell and sea fish are temptingly on display at this large, but still friendly and attentive, port side restaurant. There is always a good atmosphere at lunch, and in the evening it seems to be a regular haunt of the yacht set. Take your pick of freshly caught oysters, shells, shrimps, lobster, crayfish, and snails. There are pasta and meat dishes if fish is not your thing. They also have a few vegetarian options. This restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Lou Lou
91 Boulevard de la Plage
Cagnes Sur Mer,
tel 04.93.31.00.17
A very reasonably priced Michelin starred restaurant on the sea front Boulevard. This long standing restaurant specialises in fish and most diners take the 45 euros three course menu, menu possions. There are also great steaks on offer if preferred. All dishes are served as simply as possible, mainly with just balsamic vinegar or olive oil.
The Campo brothers are extremely friendly and professional as they go about their trade. You can watch them turn the grill or filet your fish if you sit at one of the tables at the front of house - great for people watching too. In summer there is a decent street level terrace where you can enjoy the sea view. Lou Lou is closed on Sundays.
There is a more detailed review of Lou Lou on our sister site, Riviera Pebbles.
Café des Chineurs
28 Rue d'Aubernon
Antibes
04.93.34.57.58
Close to Porte Vauban, this bistro is very popular and open all year round. There is a large terrace on street level so it's a perfect place for people watching. The service is usually good and it's always packed with perhaps more locals than tourists. The menu is the usual bistro fare and so don't expect to find anything extraordinary on offer. But, what they do offer is cooked well and it is a little cheaper than the more tourist haunts.
Our favourites here are the omelettes, the waffles and the steak. The house wine is decent too for the price. It's a great spot for lunch, perhaps after a market visit, or an early evening meal after a day at the beach or a days sightseeing.
Les Figuier de Saint Esprit
14 Rue Saint Esprit
Antibes
04.93.34.50.12
Perhaps our favourite restaurant find of 2008. This is where we will now be taking all our friends and family for special treats. We hope you too will be impressed with the plush décor, the attentive service, the wine and of course the presentation and the taste of the food.
We love that you can order 3 glasses of wine for 20 Euros, one carefully chosen by the sommelier for each course. Not only does this ensure you get the most out of the food, but we found it was great to learn more about wines and flavours that you can't from sharing a bottle. Closed every Tuesday and closed on Mondays and Wednesdays for lunch.
There is a more detailed review of Les Figuier de Saint Esprit on our sister site, Riviera Pebbles.
Riviera Restaurants - Cannes Area
Le Marais
9 Rue du Suquet
Cannes
tel 04.93.38.39.19
Set in a perfect spot on one of the sloping streets of the old quarter, this restaurant is twice the experience if you can manage to secure a table on the bustling terrace. You will find the food on offer a mix of the Parisian and the Provencal including garlic prawns, fish filets and blackcurrant sorbet. There are good value fixed price menus of less than 30 euros.
This longstanding Cannes restaurant is a very popular haunt for the gay community. It is cosy with its wooden beams and jovial atmosphere. We don't think the pictures on their website quite do it justice.
Mantel
22 Rue Saint Antoine
Cannes
tel 04.93.39.3.10
This is a rather refined restaurant for the Old Quarter of the Suquet. Famous for his devout morning market shop, his home made bread, jam and chutney, and his Alain Ducasse training, Noël Mantel has quite quickly become a hot-shot chef and restaurateur.
Located near the Forville market, go here for purple asparagus with white truffles, deep-fried courgette flowers, mouth-watering risotto, spaghetti with clams and part-dried tomatoes, and braised fennel or lobster ravioli. The food is largely Mediterranean with a leaning towards Italian flavours.
Recently we've learnt that Monsieur Mantel has another little bistro called Simplicité at 5 rue Jean Daumas which is probably worth a try too. The telephone number is 04-93-68-27-40.
Riviera Restaurants - St-Tropez Area
We're afraid we have not ventured to this part of the French Riviera yet. We will post our restaurant suggestions as soon as we have them.
We also have more information about restaurants on the French Riviera on our sister site, Riviera Pebbles. Headed by food critic Rosa Jackson, the Riviera Pebbles team continues to eat and review restaurants for you. All in the name of research of course!
