Cannes’ restaurants offer a culinary scene as prestigious as the city’s famous festival. Ranging from starred establishments to cosy bistros, this destination promises an unforgettable gastronomic experience, where Mediterranean flavours meet culinary innovation.
Through this article, come and discover the local cuisine of Cannes; from beach restaurants to iconic districts, there’s something for everyone.
Cannes Restaurants and Their Nuances
The city of Cannes is one of the iconic cities on the French Riviera and is globally renowned for the various events it hosts each year, such as the Cannes Film Festival, which brings together international actors from the world of cinema around its famous red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, or the MIPIM, which is none other than the largest international real estate market.
Similarly, when one thinks of Cannes, one thinks of sunshine and beaches, especially in the area of La Croisette, an emblematic district of the city that also offers luxury boutiques and restaurants to tourists. Speaking of the latter, there are many, varied, and scattered throughout the locality, offering a palette of flavours that blend authenticity and creativity.
Our Selection of the Best Restaurants in Cannes
Aux Bons Enfants
This Provençal bistro, open for 3 generations by a family business, is synonymous with traditional cuisine: come and discover their creamy risotto, which is made with candied lemons, spinach shoots, and raw and cooked haddock, their grilled veal head with gribiche sauce, or their grilled Angus rib of beef with cod in Niçoise sauce.
For those with a sweet tooth, their desserts remain just as delicious, with homemade rum babas with whipped cream, chocolate fondants, and hazelnut crumbles. It’s a restaurant that revives old-fashioned know-how and thus offers local products to its customers. Finally, it is ideally located, close to the Old Port of Cannes.
If you are a fan of Mediterranean cuisine, opened in 2007 and just steps from the Cannois square, Le Bistrot Gourmand has become over the years one of the best dining establishments in Cannes in terms of Mediterranean gastronomy. It’s not surprising when you know that they offer products bought daily at local markets by the sea to create homemade recipes, like the fish bouillabaisse, one of their flagship products.
Also, this restaurant offers other specialties, such as zucchini flower fritters with ricotta and basil served with a spicy sauce, Charolais beef tartare, and lavender panna cotta mixed with white chocolate shavings. Thus, this chic and cosy address honours fresh and local cuisine in many aspects.
On the Boulevard de la Croisette, there are a number of luxurious restaurants that have welcomed many renowned personalities; La Palme d’Or is among these illustrious restaurants, with its two Michelin stars, the first obtained in 1986, then the second in 1991.
At the pinnacle of gastronomy, La Palme d’Or restaurant, which takes its name from the famous award given at the Cannes Film Festival, has been located in the legendary Hotel Martinez for over 35 years. Under the direction of the great chef Christian Sinicropi since 2007, the place offers culinary compositions inspired by philosophy, nature, and artistic encounters for a true sensory experience. In this restaurant, each year, a gala dinner is offered to the jury of the Cannes Film Festival, with an exclusive meal that pays tribute to the jury president and whose composition is kept secret until the eve of the festival.
More affordable than La Palme d’Or, Ristorante Federal offers its customers a cuisine that blends Italy with the south of America, prepared with fresh seasonal products. Also, you will find homemade focaccia, Peruvian or Bolivian ceviches according to your preference, or corn tacos composed of chicken or beef, limes, red onions, red cabbage, and avocados.
This restaurant also offers many refined wines typically Italian and Argentine, like the Buio, the Barbera, or the Malbec Saurus. For book lovers, you will find an entire section of books and magazines to read.
How to approach Italian cuisine without talking about a pizzeria? A pioneer in the field, Pizza Cresci features a theatrical decor that echoes the festive and convivial spirit of the Cannes Film Festival. This restaurant is an ode to cinema according to the vision of its creator: Francis Cresci.
In rooms decorated with photos of stars, it is possible to taste gargantuan-sized pizzas made in the famous wood-fired oven of the place that delivers a dish with a unique taste and a crispy and tasty dough. Finally, ideally located, the Italian restaurant offers those who decide to eat on the terrace an unrivalled view of the Old Port of Cannes.
A few steps from the famous Croisette is an alley where one can find a restaurant named La Môme, a now emblematic address of the city of Cannes, especially for its festive dinners enhanced by soft lighting, chic decorations, and background music.
In a Dolce Vita spirit, the place offers a true sensory experience to its customers, while offering Mediterranean cuisine with Provencal flavours with dishes like egg yolk in ravioli, roasted cod fillet with a virgin sauce, large wild prawns roasted with confit garlic and herbs, or veal ribs to share. A place that, ultimately, pays tribute to the Roaring Twenties.
Come Discover Cannes Gastronomy with Us!
The city of Cannes is full of original traditional restaurants as luxurious as they are affordable. Cannes gastronomy, besides being a clever mix of cultures and flavours, remains an experience in its own right that deserves to be discovered by visiting one of the most emblematic cities on the French Riviera.
Eager to explore this gastronomic world? Then visit our website and book the accommodation that best suits you during your Cannes getaway!
