The Best Restaurants in Cannes

From balmy outside dining in the sun-blessed summer months, to cosy candlelit dinners on those (still warm) winter evenings, food in the French Riviera is a year-round affection - with the region’s spectacular seasonal produce evermoving with the months! So here’s our guide to the best of it, housed within Cannes’ most revered restaurants, bustling bistros and alfresco eateries.

Table 22 par Noël Mantel

22 Rue Saint-Antoine

Above the buoyant belly of Cannes, lies the beautiful Le Suquet - undoubtedly the most picturesque part of town, with its steep, snaking streets and exquisite medieval architecture. A splendid place to open a restaurant, by all accounts!

So credit where it’s due to Noël Mantel and his elegantly understated Table 22, who after working in world-famous kitchens alongside the likes of Alain Ducasse, opened this mainstay of Mediterranean cuisine, where the food - like the décor - is far from showy, but terrifically tasty: employing only the best in local produce to create his delicious Provençal dishes.

Prices: starting at €39 for a three-course dinner.

Star of the show: Italian risotto with veal sauce, served (according to the season) with summer truffles, cèpes, asparagus or white truffles.

Le Bistrot Gourmand

10 Rue du Docteur Pierre Gazagnaire

Bistronomy defined, Le Bistrot Gourmand is all about enjoying quality ingredients and superb cooking in a warm, friendly environment. Overachieved here by Guillaume Arragon, within his wood-panelled, art-adorned residence, located a stone’s throw from the overly Provençal, Marche Forville.

Which is convenient for Arragon, as it is here at Marche Forville where the culinary maestro finds the freshest ingredients daily, which are in turn transformed into classics from across the region - with a modern twist - departing adoring locals and tourists alike on a toothsome tour of the Mediterranean.

Prices: starting at €34 for a three-course dinner.

Star of the show: the Cannes-famous bouillabaisse (cooked on request) that changes with the trawl and the season.

Aux Bons Enfants

80 Rue Meynadier

If you want to get to the very roots of Cannes’ cuisine, this is the place. Owner, Luc Giorsetti, is the third generation of his family at the helm, who have been serving homespun favourites of Provence here since 1935!

But beyond the exceptional menu - created daily, depending on the bounties offered up by Marche Forville - Aux Bons Enfants offers a dining experience like none other, as you savour intimate settings and wood-laden interiors, teleporting you back to that golden age of bistro in the 1930s! This is reinforced by the fact that you can only secure a table in person, with only cash accepted. But if it’s good enough for French Presidents - Nicolas Sarkozy dined here not long ago - it’s good enough for us, right?

Prices: mains start from €16.

Star of the show: you’ll have to pay a visit and decide for yourself!

La Table du Chef

5 Rue Jean Daumas

Tiny in size, but big in flavour has been the mantra of La Table du Chef since chef extraordinaire Bruno Gendarmes opened the pocket-sized bistro, after plying his trade alongside Guy Savoy for the best part of twenty years! But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Or do they? In that as Gendarmes stepped down, he was replaced by the exciting young chef Omar Nimaga, whose focus has been very much on retaining the good work begun by his mentor. And it’s safe to say, not much has changed: the restaurant is still tiny in size, but the food is still huge in flavour!

Prices: the surprise four-course menu starts at €42.

Star of the show: sit back, relax and sample the splendour of the amazing surprise menu. Anything you don’t like? Simply let the chef know beforehand and they will cook you up a surprise you do like.