On the rooftop of Hotel Belle Plage, Bella serves Mediterranean dishes that vary with the season and the chef’s daily market finds. Plates like whole sea bream with roasted tomatoes and lemons, and beef carpaccio with pine nuts and crushed pepper are meant to be shared. France may not be known for brunch, but Bella makes a case for it—late Sunday morning, the rooftop restaurant becomes a hotspot. Diners come for the crepe station and the homemade pastries and linger for the stunning sea views.
At Fred l’Écailler, a seaside restaurant in the quieter Pointe Croisette neighborhood, owner Fred Garbellini (ever sporting his signature red beanie) is onsite to scale (or écailler, in French) and serve the daily catches, plus shellfish, oysters, crustaceans, scallops, langoustines, and more. The sun-splashed terrace is prime real estate for polishing off a plate of crispy calamari or buttery ray with fatted capers.
Just off the Croisette Beach, Le Fouquet’s, from Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, serves reimagined brasserie classics like “terre et mer” (essentially, surf and turf) tartare—an umami-rich marriage of finely chopped raw steak, smoked herring, red tuna, and Beaufort cheese. It would be a sin to skip the profiteroles, the molten chocolate poured tableside, as it should be.
From April to October, speed boats and yachts dock alongside Ile Sainte-Marguerite for La Guerite, an institution since 1902. Surrounded by Aleppo pine and eucalyptus trees, with jasmine-line paths and blond wooden tables and coco net shades, you might think you’ve arrived at a sleepy, rustic restaurant—a bait-and-switch for the party that awaits. On Athens-born Chef Yiannis Kioroglou’s menu, carefully selected products shine, with starters like seared octopus topped with flaky salt from Camargue and Greek salad with hunks of spiced feta, and mains like spiny lobster dusted with chopped chives. The DJ spins dance tracks, from La Bamba to Like a Prayer, to accompany the family style feasts. By the end of a meal, you might find yourself dancing on banquettes and raising Ouzo shots with a neighboring table of Los Angelinos, while an excited 30-something whispers his plan to propose to the girl next to him. The vibe is decidedly celebratory.
Opening in May 2024, just in time for the film festival, Palm Beach is setting out to transform Cannes into a culinary destination. The sprawling 23,000 square meter members club underwent a four-year renovation helmed by French Riviera architect, Caprini Pellerin, who restored the property’s Côte d’Azur glamor and revived its Hispano-Mauresque origins, with sand-tinted facades, French Comblanchien stone, bronze-coated finishes, and plenty of marble. In addition to La Petite Maison Cannes, where Chef Kioroglou’s menu features bright Riviera specialties like grilled eggplants with pistou and roasted baby chicken with lemon confit, the roster will include France’s first Nammos Beach Club, a Mykonos-born restaurant group known for its exquisite seafood and delicious parties, and Zuma, a contemporary take on Japanese Izakaya style dining.
The best things to do in Cannes
Hit the Forville Market, a bustling marché with local specialties like black olive tapenade and still-warm socca, the Niçoise crispy chickpea flatbread, and a technicolor flower market, open daily before 1pm. Then, get lost in the hilly, cobblestone streets of La Suquet, Cannes’ millennium-old old town, where you’ll find pocket-sized bars, boutiques, and family-owned restaurants serving typical Provençal dishes like foie gras maison and grilled lamb with thyme.
