Feast by the Coast in the South of France
Nothing says summer like a meal by the sea. These eateries in the south of France serve up prime views alongside fresh fish and fabulous seafood.
Vast platters of briny oysters. Flaky fish swimming in herby bouillabaisse. Frosty bottles of pale rosé. The food of France’s sun-drenched Riviera is made for alfresco dining. It’s even better when devoured steps from warm Mediterranean surf, on palm-lined beaches host to chic beach clubs and celebrity sunbathers.
LE CLUB 55, PAMPLONA
Nearby St. Tropez is brimming with Michelin stars, but seasoned Riviera travellers know that the hottest lunch table in town is at ‘Cinquante Cinq’. At this unbuttoned restaurant and beach club, you’re here for stars of the Hollywood variety; Brigitte Bardot, Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Campbell have all visited to tuck into simple grilled sea bass or sole meunière. Order the crudité starter – an allotment’s worth of fresh vegetables, paired with creamy anchovy sauce.
club55.fr
MENTON, MIRAZUR
Chic south of France seaside dining isn’t all just boho beach clubs. Serving up three-Michelin-starred plates alongside sensational Mediterranean Sea views from a 1930s rotunda building, Mirazur is one of the country’s, and the world’s, finest restaurants. Book in for lunch to watch sunshine dance across the waters as you nibble through an artful tasting menu featuring San Remo prawns and citrus from the onsite orchard.
mirazur.fr
LA GUÉRITE, ILE SAINTE-MARGUERITE
When the stylish set want to escape Cannes, they hop on yachts and cruise past teeny Sainte-Marguerite, a forested isle cast out into the sea. And when they get hungry, they moor by La Guerité – a smattering of alfresco tables on a rocky outcrop by the water, shaded by parasols and trees. After tucking into zucchini fritters, lobster pasta or king crab, they snap up one of the sunbeds that overlook the Bay of Cannes.
cannes.restaurantlaguerite.com