Our Favourite Restaurants in Villefranche-Sur-Mer

3 minute read

Looking for restaurants in beautiful Villefranche-Sur-Mer? Our guide has the best tried and tested spots for lunch and dinner in the picturesque seaside town of Villefranche.

Villefranche-Sur-Mer lies just around the corner from Nice and is about a 10 minute drive from the Old Port or a 20 minute drive from the Old Town. Visiting Nice? Discover our best restaurants Nice guide.

La Mère Germaine

One of my favourite seafood spots in the South of France, La Mère Germaine is an institution in its own right. Frequented by celebrities over the years, it’s arguably one of the best restaurants in Villefranche. Fittingly located on the quay side, it’s an awesome spot to eat fresh local fish meters away from the water.

La Mère Germaine is a temple of seafood that’s served classical French fish dishes since 1938. On the menu is a whole host of local, high quality produce – from prawns to wild roasted turbot. Lobsters from Brittany fill their huge lobster tank in the main restaurant and are cooked to order with pasta or flambéed and served with rice. I’d recommend trying their rock fish soup – much cheaper than the Bouillabaisse but for me, just as good.

What to know before you visit

Closed Sundays and Mondays
Ask for a table next to the water!

Address: 7 Quai de l’Amiral Courbet, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer
Tel: 04 93 01 71 39
Website: https://www.meregermaine.fr/en/mediterranean-restaurant-2/

Dry Bar

Just along the quay side from La Mère Germaine lies Dry Bar. Started in 2021, Dry Bar brings a modern touch to the traditional line of bistros on the seafront. The restaurant and ‘cocktail bar’ serves up modern Mediterranean food with gastronomic twists. Their ultra high tech kitchen would rival many 1* star restaurants kitchens.

On the menu are traditional classic ‘South of France’ dishes such as Ribeye with sauce au Poivre (a Joël Robuchon version) and fillet of local Seabass caught in the waters around Cannes. There’s also a cheffy lobster pasta made with a bisque from the lobsters’ shells and a lobster mayonnaise (or lobster emulsion). Feeling like something different? They’ve got incredible fish tacos made with raw (tartare) local fresh fish that’s landed only a few meters away from the restaurant.

What to know before you visit

They’re open for drinks all day
You can reserve online
Ask for a table next to the water!

Address: 17 Quai de l’Amiral Courbet, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer
Tel: 04 93 01 71 31
Website: https://www.dryrestaurant.com/en/

Les Garçons

Just one street away from the busy waterfront lies Les Garçons, a family run French Bistrot. One of the more affordable options in the town, it’s a great option if you’re looking for traditional French food.

The daily changing menu is meat and seafood based with a large selection of well-cooked locally sourced produce. On the meat side there’s a beef fillet with Bercy sauce and Iberico pork. For the fish lovers there’s mi-cuit Tuna or filet of Seabass with artichokes.

What to know before you visit

Closed Tuesdays
Ask for a courtyard table if you want to eat outside

Address: 18 Rue du Poilu, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer
Tel: 04 93 76 62 40

La Table du Royal

Whilst technically not in the town of Villefranche itself, La Table du Royal is a 5 minute drive away from the town, just around the bay. Located in the 5* Hotel Royal Riveria, La Table du Royal is a fine-dining restaurant with incredible views out across the water.

There are two tasting menus (in 3 or 5 steps) and an à la carte menu available. The tasting menus are priced at €120 for 3 steps and €170 for 5. The food is all about local produce (you can find a detailed list of all their supplies on the menu) and all elements on the dishes are very well done. Some dishes may sound relatively simple but there are plenty of technical, gastronomic twists which add plenty of texture and punches of flavour. I’d recommend you take the Soufflé as a dessert!