Destination: French Riviera
Eat & Drink
Nice - Nice
Antibes - The Riviera
Biot - The Riviera
Bormes-les-Mimosas - The Riviera
Cannes - The Riviera
Cogolin - The Riviera
Collobrières - The Riviera
Èze - The Riviera
Fayence - The Riviera
Fréjus - The Riviera
Fréjus-Plage - The Riviera
La Garde-Freinet - The Riviera
Gorbio - The Riviera
Gourdon - The Riviera
Grasse - The Riviera
Grimaud - The Riviera
Haut-de-Cagnes - The Riviera
Les Issambres - The Riviera
Juan-les-Pins - The Riviera
Menton - The Riviera
Miramar - The Riviera
Monaco - The Riviera
Mougins - The Riviera
Roquebrune-Village - The Riviera
Ste-Agnès - The Riviera
St-Paul-de-Vence - The Riviera
St-Tropez - The Riviera
Valbonne - The Riviera
Villefranche - The Riviera
Opening Times

The restaurants listed here are open for lunch and dinner daily unless otherwise stated. Opening hours change frequently and many restaurants and hotels take an annual holiday in winter. It is always best to telephone before setting out.

Nice's Top Chef

Irresistible local dishes such as pâté au pistou and tripes Niçoise are the trademarks of Dominic Le Stanc, former chef of the Hôtel Négresco's famous Chantecler restaurant, and a name synonymous with the very best in Provençal cuisine. Now all eyes are on La Mérenda, newly acquired by Le Stanc - a tiny, rustic restaurant already popular among Niçoise gourmets.

Lou Pilha Leva

'Lou Pilha Leva' in local 'Nissart' patois means 'you take away'. At the heart of old Nice, this hole-in-the-wall serves piping hot plates of socca, pissaladière, beignets, farcis, pizza and other Niçoise specialities. Ideal for a snack lunch, with large trestle tables that provide the perfect opportunity to chat to the locals.

Fish Dishes

The world-famous fish soup, bouillabaisse, originated here as a nourishing family meal, made with up to a dozen different kinds of fish in a rich stock and served with croûtons smeared with rouille (garlicky mayonnaise). Moules (mussel dishes) are also delicious and always good value. Bon appetit!

Provençal Wines

Tobias Smollett once wrote that 'the local wine-merchants brew a balderdash, and even mix it with pigeon's dung and quick-lime'. That was, admittedly, over 200 years ago, but to avoid choosing such unpalatable 'plonk', make sure the bottle is labelled with a quality-controlled AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), meaning that the wine is made from recognised varieties of grapes and comes from a certain defined area. Some of the best local wines come from Bellet, Bandol, Cassis and Palette.

Christmas Puddings

Christmas on the Riviera is a time of great gastronomic importance, when families get together for a special meal called Le Réveillon on Christmas Eve. It usually starts with oysters or foie gras, followed by fish, accompanied by champagne. The best part of the meal is undoubtedly dessert - with 13 different puddings, including dried fruits, nuts and nougat, cream cakes, clementines, and not forgetting the pièce de résistance, a Bûche de Noël (Yule Log).

Pastis

The most popular apéritif of the region is pastis, the ubiquitous drink that has come to epitomise the essence of the south in countless classic films and advertisements. This clear aniseed-based liquid has an alcoholic strength similar to that of whisky, and is usually drunk diluted with water and ice, which makes it go white and cloudy. Some brands are drier than others, and some taste strongly of liquorice. Pastis-based cocktails can include grenadine and/or peppermint.

What's 'In' in St-Tropez

Tips on where to be seen and when during your stay in St-Tropez.... For breakfast, Sénéquier's Salon de Thé (Address: quai de Suffren) is a must. Boules is on the lunchtime menu at Café des Arts, place des Lices' number one address. L'Èchalotte (Address: 35 rue Allard) is currently 'in' for dinner, and the notorious Tropezien institution, Le Gorille (Address: quai de Suffren) remains the place to eat steak tartare after the nightclubs close at dawn.

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French Riviera
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