Camargue
A true local favourite, this isolated cottage restaurant with sage-green wooden shutters is one of the best places to sample genuine Camargue food. Summer…
Must-see restaurants in Provence
Parc National du Mercantour
Five kilometres from Allos at an altitude of 1700m, this working farm is a wonderful spot to try true mountain food – all of it homegrown, farm-raised,…
Var
The Béal is the name of the 15th- to 16th-century canal that brought water 10km to Hyères, which still functions and can be seen at points around the old…
Var
The ultimate summer seafood, suntan and socialisation shack, Chez Jo buzzes with tanned, barefoot beach-lovers, sipping Bandol whites and devouring the…
Aix-en-Provence
It’s all about hearty, honest dining here, with tabletops made out of old wine crates, and a lively chef-patron who runs the place with huge enthusiasm,…
Vaucluse
If you suffer from a sweet tooth, it's best not to even step inside this patisserie palace, where the glass cases brim with tempting things – from…
The Luberon
There's a strip of cafes on pretty place de l’Orneau, but Café Gaby is the town's beating heart and soul. It's busy throughout the day – from gentlemen…
Var
For an authentic Provençal feast, head east out of La Motte along the D47 to this rustic wine estate on the intersection of the D47 and D25. Taste and buy…
The Luberon
Lodged in a charming vaulted cellar in Bonnieux, L’Arôme is a pricey but prestigious address, run by well-respected chef Jean-Michel Pagès. The menu…
Vaucluse
A working vineyard as well as an excellent restaurant, this friendly domaine is a favourite tip for Châteauneuf aficionados. Dine on typical Provençal…
Marseille
You haven’t had pizza until you’ve eaten at chef Rodolphe Bodikian’s mouth-watering pizzeria. Scattering unusual ingredients – such as sobrasada (spicy…
Marseille
Selling arguably the best baguettes in the city, this charming organic bakery in the Chapitre neighbourhood also rustles together tasty midday snacks like…
Marseille
This upscale food market inside the newly renovated vaults of La Major Cathedral is great for foodies, self-caterers and simple browsers. Each stall…
Marseille
Reservations are essential at this fantastic pizzeria in the lee of Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde. La Bonne Mère uses only the freshest organic and…
Var
There are few more dramatic approaches to a restaurant than the rough, superbly scenic rte des Crêtes, with its alternating glimpses of the coast and…
The Luberon
Overnighting at this luxurious hilltop estate won’t suit everyone’s budget, but everyone should try to fork out for the great-value Bistrot lunch menu…
Camargue
Attached to the excellent Ô Pica Pica restaurant, this informal little cabane (hut) specialises, unsurprisingly, in coquillages (shellfish): oysters,…
Aix-en-Provence
Branching out from its original menu of posh hot dogs and gourmet English muffins, this breezy, youthful cafe now offers healthier breakfast, brunch and…
Marseille
Locals in the know and homesick Tunisians flock to this bustling, handsomely tiled restaurant, named for the main port of Tunis. A couscous maison of…
Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle
Var
Local boy Nicolas Pierantoni, a protégé of Alain Ducasse, is the creative energy behind this refined four-star restaurant and hotel in La Celle, a former…
Var
With a huge deck overlooking the swaying masts and wooded cove beyond, L'Escale draws the freshly disembarked like bees to honey. And they're not…
Marseille
The flagship restaurant of Marseille-born gastronomic star Gérald Passedat, Le Petit Nice is a true dining destination. Set in a 1917 seafront villa on…
Aix-en-Provence
This elegant restaurant is set perfectly on the ground floor of a handsome 18th-century hôtel particulier in the Quartier Mazarin. Two salons sit beneath…
Var
A real passion for produce and the world's full palette of flavours shines through in this modern bistro – a clean-lined, innovative alternative to the…
Avignon
This gastronomic temple is a great option for a très Français fine-dining experience. Overseen by chef supremo Thierry Baucher, it's particularly known…
Arles
A meal at Jean-Luc Rabanel's nearby flagship restaurant may be too expensive for some, but he knows how to do great bistro dining too. While bearing the…
Avignon
Having worked at a smorgasbord of high-flying restaurants (including Copenhagen's Noma and Avignon's La Mirande), Jacques Pampiri opened his own place in…
Marseille
This admirably unpretentious bistro grows most of its organic veggies in its own potager (kitchen garden), from tomatoes to courgettes, salad leaves and…
Camargue
This house restaurant is an iconic address adored by Arlésians. Feast on grilled bull chops, mullet eggs and anchoïade (a powerful Provençal garlic and…
The Luberon
Another one of the Luberon's long-standing tables, overseen by bubbly Elisabeth Bourgeois, it's heavy on Provençal flavours: lots of stuffed aubergines,…
Marseille
There are plenty of ice-cream shops around Marseille, but there’s only one that sells black ice cream (coloured by vanilla pods, which lend a unique,…
Arles
Thirty-eight flavours of artisanal ice cream and sorbet are the mainstays of this glacier on busy place du Forum. Buy a cone to take away or treat…
Marseille
Having previously run restaurants in Antibes and Fort Lauderdale, husband-and-wife team Olivier and Sylvie opened this colourful bistro off cours Julien…
Arles
Alexandre's little joint (the 'Open Box') has become a firm Arlésian favourite for chilled evening eats in the courtyard of the Hôtel du Cloître. It…
Toulon
This is the restaurant that shows Toulon is slowly but surely shaking its down-at-heel image. With crisp white tablecloths, sparkling glasses and…
Var
One of the best places in Aups to try the famous local truffles, Des Gourmets serves up fantastic regional fare beneath frescoes of the Provençal seasons…
Var
This former Dominican convent has been converted into a sumptuous hotel, which has an elegant restaurant serving traditional French cuisine based on fresh…
Marseille
This smart boulangerie and patisserie with a salon du thé (tearoom) attached produces some of Marseille's best pastries.
Marseille
Doing double duty as a bar à vin (wine bar) and Argentinian restaurant, L'Entre Pots is a great place to snack on plump empanadas, juicy entrecôte and…
Marseille
Decorated with plenty of wood and splashes of colour, the 'neo-bistro' Chez Vallès exemplifies the rise of newly hip neighbourhood Vauban. Fresh…
