Where to Dine in Saint-Tropez and La Croix-Valmer: The Essential Addresses

The Saint-Tropez peninsula concentrates one of the highest densities of remarkable tables in France. Between Michelin-starred restaurants, private beaches with menus signed by renowned chefs, Italian trattorias and authentic bistros, choosing becomes a delicate exercise. Here is our selection, drawn from real dinners and not marketing guides.

The starred tables: the gastronomic experience

La Vague d’Or *** — Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez

Three Michelin stars, five on Tablet Hotels. Arnaud Donckele is today considered one of the greatest French chefs of his generation. His cuisine, built around sauces of almost alchemical precision, celebrates Mediterranean products with rare inventiveness.

The tasting menu (€370) is an experience in itself. À la carte easily reaches €500 per person with wine. Reservation weeks in advance in season.

Essential experience for: an exceptional dinner, anniversaries, special occasions.

La Palme d’Or ** — Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez

Two stars, cuisine signed Claude Anthès. High-flying bistronomic positioning, more accessible than La Vague d’Or without compromising quality. Absolute elegance, impeccable service.

Count €180-220 per person. Exceptional wine list, especially on Provence rosés.

Colette * — Hotel Sezz

One Michelin star for this contemporary address signed by Pierre Gagnaire (culinary consultant). Inventive Mediterranean cuisine in a design setting. One of the best starred-value offerings in Saint-Tropez.

Menu at €135, à la carte from €90.

La Maison Bleue — Gassin

Not starred but defended by many guides as a “moral star”. Refined Provençal cuisine in a Mediterranean garden of great beauty, 15 minutes from Place des Lices. Ideal for a romantic dinner far from the hustle.

Count €80-100 per person.

The gastronomic beach clubs

One of the French Riviera’s specificities: certain private beaches rival the village’s best restaurants in quality. Lunch with your feet in the sand, facing the sea, with exceptional cuisine.

Loulou Ramatuelle — Pampelonne

The address of the summer, opened in 2019 by Gilbert and Thierry Costes and become in three years an institution. Generous Mediterranean cuisine, a rarely elegant setting (light wood, leathers, natural cottons), impeccable playlist.

The prawn carpaccio, truffle pasta and lobster salad are the essentials. Count €120-180 per person at lunch. Reservation mandatory a month ahead in high season.

La Réserve à la Plage — Pampelonne

Signed by Michel Reybier, owner of La Réserve Paris, Ramatuelle and Geneva. Cuisine directed by Eric Canino. Luxurious but relaxed spirit, loyal clientele.

Particularly fine cuisine: olive-oil octopus, porcini risotto, citrus parfait. €130-160 per person.

Club 55 — Pampelonne

The institution. Opened in 1955 by Geneviève and Bernard de Colmont, and never dated since. Unpretentious but impeccable Provençal cuisine. The crudités platter, aioli and strawberry tart are timeless classics.

Unique atmosphere, eclectic clientele mixing regulars, families and celebrities. €100-140 per person. Reservation essential.

Plage La Pinède — Gigaro

Three minutes from Villa Canopy, La Pinède stands out for its discreet elegance and perfect location under the parasol pines. Simple and well-executed Mediterranean cuisine, an interesting wine list on organic rosés.

€80-110 per person. Much more accessible than the Pampelonne addresses, with very comparable quality.

The best tables of La Croix-Valmer

La Croix-Valmer cultivates a less showy gastronomy than Saint-Tropez but of great authenticity.

La Brasserie des Arts

On the village square, essential for a traditional lunch. Daily specials at gentle prices, familial welcome, authentic atmosphere.

Chez Madeleine

Market table installed in a fisherman’s house. Fish of the day according to the catch, instinctive cuisine. The favourite address of regulars who know the peninsula.

Le Jardin de Bacchus

Contemporary terroir cuisine, entirely local wine list. Terrace under a vine trellis. €45-60 per person.

Saint-Tropez: bistros, trattorias, institutions

Salama

Refined Moroccan cuisine in an orientalist atmosphere among Saint-Tropez’s alleys. Anthological tagines, melting pastilla, attentive service. €60-90 per person.

Basilic Rouge

Small Italian table away from the bustle, authentic cuisine without artifice. Burrata, fresh pasta, tiramisu that justify the detour. €55-75 per person.

Le Bistrot Saint-Tropez

Opened by the owners of La Vague d’Or at an accessible price level. High-level bistronomic cuisine, warm setting. €55-80 per person.

La Ponche

Centuries-old institution in La Ponche, the fishermen’s district. Classic Mediterranean cuisine, harbour view. The address where Picasso, Colette and Françoise Sagan used to dine.

Breakfast and brunch addresses

Le Café — Place des Lices

Breakfast facing the pétanque players. Warm croissants, scrambled eggs, newspaper of the day. Timeless.

Sénéquier — Harbour

The institution with its red chairs. More touristy but the experience remains unique. Come early (before 9am) to enjoy morning quietude.

La Tarte Tropézienne — Rue Clemenceau

The historic address since 1955. The original tarte tropézienne, to enjoy in the back room that hasn’t changed in 70 years.

Deliveries, caterers and private chef

For dinner in the intimacy of Villa Canopy, several options:

Private chef — Several independent chefs (some former Michelin-starred) offer menus from €80 per person including products. Our concierge works with a selection of proven chefs.

Quality caterers — Lenôtre Saint-Tropez, Maison Oswald (caviar and truffles), La Fromagerie de Gassin for cheese-charcuterie platters.

Fish delivery — Cavalaire fishermen deliver freshly caught fish on order. Sea bass, sea bream, red mullet, lobster according to season.

Our personal preferences

If we were to choose only three addresses for a week’s stay:

1. La Vague d’Or* for an exceptional evening (anniversary, proposal, major occasion)
2. Loulou Ramatuelle for a long lunch with feet in the sand
3. La Maison Bleue for a romantic dinner in Gassin, withdrawn from the buzz

In addition, plan at least two lunches in Gigaro (La Pinède is perfect), a village dinner in Ramatuelle (La Table du Mas), and a private chef at Villa Canopy for an intimate evening with your guests.

The true gastronomic wealth of the peninsula is this diversity: being able to go in a week from three stars to market cuisine, from private chef to counter sandwich, without ever leaving a 20-kilometre zone.