As a place synonymous with wealth and glamour, Cannes unsurprisingly spoils its visitors with a dazzling fine dining scene. Discover the restaurants with the biggest star appeal in our guide to eating out during the Cannes Film Festival
From iconic eateries along the Croisette to Michelin-starred restaurants tucked away in the Provençal countryside, there’s something to whet every appetite when in town for the film festival.
On the first floor of Grand Hyatt Hôtel Martinez is La Palme d’Or, the only restaurant in Cannes with two Michelin stars. As soon as you walk in through the private elevator, you’ll understand why this place has such a big VIP following; the dining room provides a masterclass in modern Art Deco décor while to-die-for views across the Mediterranean and La Croisette mean tables on the terrace are in high demand.
The food is similarly mind-blowing. Gracing the upper echelons of France’s culinary scene since 1985, the eatery is now helmed by Chef Christian Sinicropi who uses cooking and presentation methods from around the world to reinterpret regional classics as delicious works of art.
Most distinctive is his ‘movements’ concept where specific ingredients, ranging from prawns to pigeon, are prepared and cooked in three different ways. But there’s also an a la carte menu with favourites such as spider crab, local red tuna and veal sweetbreads. Lunch is popular too.
Every French city has a Grand Hotel, but it’s only the La Croisette incarnation that boasts an eatery as brilliant as Le Park 45. With a sunny terrace, an elegant dining room, garden views and constantly changing menus, there’s always a good reason to return to this one Michelin-starred restaurant.
Since 2018, culinary talent Christophe Poard has been creating dishes described as ‘contemporary yet authentic, delicate yet generous’ alongside flexing his daring yet masterfully controlled flavour combinations, such as beef and iodised notes and poultry and coffee.
Come to Le Park 45 for wholly original, off-beat fusions of classic Mediterranean ingredients and locally sourced products. Fish and seafood feature heavily – smoked herring ice cream has even appeared on the menu – as does beef and pigeon while desert usually focuses on chocolate and fruity flavours.
With a spot right next to Cannes’ Forville Market, La Toque d’Or serves up brought-that-day produce in wonderfully creative ways. Behind this new take on Provençal cooking is husband and wife team Magail and Steven Trucco, who met in the kitchen of St Tropez’s acclaimed restaurant L’Olivier.
The couple has been garnering great praise for their light, fresh and modern dishes, such as red mullet stuffed with zucchini flowers, sea bass with artichokes prepared two ways, veal fillet with vegetable-stuffed conchiglioni pasta and a hollow chocolate sphere dessert with strawberries and vanilla cream.
In a town where glitz and glamour reign, La Toque d’Or stands out for its warm and friendly atmosphere and intimate dining room. Exposed stone walls and simple décor ensure the food does all the talking.
Tucked away along the picturesque Rue St Antoine at the foot of Le Suquet is Table 22. Returnees to Cannes may remember this establishment as Mantel, but in 2016, it not only changed names but it also received a sophisticated and contemporary update to further enhance its fine dining appeal.
Chef Noël Mantel remains in charge, creating Mediterranean-inspired menus centred on the season and fresh market produce. Aromatic herbs infuse fine meat and fish with delicate flavours in dishes such as cod cooked with fleur de sel, white truffle risotto with a rich veal sauce and lobster ravioli.
Set course menus are themed around the Forville Market, Le Suquet and Saint Antoine, with suggested wine pairings showcasing the substantial collection. Exceptional service can be expected.
If you’re looking to escape the razzle-dazzle of La Croisette, take a 10-minute drive to Villa Archange, the gastronomic offering from renowned chef Bruno Oger. Housed in an 18th-century Provençal farmhouse, this place excels at classic French cuisine and has two Michelin stars to prove it.
An intimate dining room with just nine tables and a lime tree-shaded terrace provide exclusive settings in which to sample the complex flavours and masterful precision for which Oger is renowned.
White asparagus with citrus caviar and frog cappuccino in yellow wine are two of the most popular starters while main course specialities include a necklace of sweetbreads, venison with grand veneur and seabass served on risotto. Follow this with the likes of grand cru chocolate for dessert.
Upscale foodies will also find it worth their while escaping to two-star Michelin restaurant L’Oasis in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, a peaceful town to the south of Cannes. Here, the three Raimbault brothers have been delighting diners with their Asian-infused, modern Mediterranean masterpieces since 1991.
Inspired by whatever catches their eye at Forville market, brothers Stephane and Antoine Raimbault wow with the likes of lime-infused soufflé of sea urchins and soleil levant of raw fish, and these can be followed by a mouth-watering desert created by the third sibling and pastry chef Francois.
Although set in an old mansion, the dining room has been tastefully restored to reflect the modernity and refinement of the dishes. But in the summer, the chance to dine on the luscious veranda surrounded by century-old plane trees, exotic vegetation and flowers is reason enough alone to book a table.
A must on any food pilgrimage to the Riviera, Paloma is tucked away on the edge of Mougins, an old pine-clad village just 20 minutes north of Cannes’ Vieux Port. With two Michelin stars, cutting-edge cuisine and breath-taking views over the Mediterranean, this restaurant ticks all the boxes.
Taking the reins in the kitchen, Chef Nicolas Decherchi combines time-honoured southern cooking techniques with ample imagination. The result is dishes such as organic poached egg with citrusy urchin tartare, breaded venison filet with juniper and pistachio flavours and warm banana soufflé with a creamy chocolate centre.
Also set to seduce is the décor. A contemporary reinvention of Baroque styling, it combines glittering diamond chandeliers, a monochrome colour palette and plush seating in luxurious textures.
The Eden-Roc Restaurant is home to some of the most sought-after tables along the Riviera. Part of the Hotel du Cap-Eden, it’s located on the southern tip of Cap d’Antibes, the next bay along from Cannes, and welcomes yacht-goers arriving by tender as well as famous faces and VIPs galore.
Those eating here can do so on wraparound terraces overlooking the bay, the wild Lerins Islands and the Esterel hills. Inside the dining room’s décor transports guests back to The Great Gatsby era, with opulent chandeliers, luxurious upholstery and linen, metallic accents and curvaceous furniture.
On the menu are creations from masterful Executive Chef Arnaud Poette, who delights in the Mediterranean’s abundant fresh catches and the Riviera’s summer harvests. Signature dishes include fresh beluga caviar, flambéed steak Diane and local sea bass roasted with basil.
