France and fine dining go hand in hand. There are so many elements of modern, high-end cuisine, no matter where you are in the world, that can be traced back to French chefs, cooking schools and royal courts. France also gave us the Michelin Guide, the Bible of fine dining, pointing travelers to the best of the best restaurants all across the globe.
As such, it should come as no surprise that, when you’re measuring destinations by who has the most Michelin clout, France comes in pretty hot. As of 2025, the country could boast more than 650 Michelin-starred restaurants, with more than 30 three-star restaurants (the highest distinction a restaurant can earn, and quite an impressive feat when you consider that there are only about 150 or so three-star restaurants globally).
Obviously, of course, you can find a fair number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, but if you’re planning a trip to France this year, make sure that you extend your explorations beyond just the City of Light. While France may not be as known for its beaches — at least not to most American travelers — the country offers some absolutely stunning shore, with more than 3,000 miles of coastline that ranges from sandy beaches to jaw-dropping cliffs.
To help you plan a trip that blends both beach days and world-class dining, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best Michelin-recognized restaurants near the beach in France, based on the Michelin Guide’s ultra-high standards, as well as traveler and expert reviews.
Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes
In Brittany, an almost quaint manor house overlooks the waters of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Inside, the three-star Le Coquillage delights with its sustainable use of local seafood, elegantly plated dishes and the chef’s unique vision. The restaurant collects its own seafood, makes its own bread and grows its own herbs. Take your first bites in the restaurant’s lounge, and don’t miss saying ‘hello’ to the property’s resident cat.
Expect your typical tasting menu experience, with a stream of small bites, from spider crab marinated in verbena pepper, to diver scallop seasoned with cardamom, to sea bream with French caviar.
Christopher Coutanceau, La Rochelle
Similarly, in La Rochelle, Christopher Coutanceau, a restaurant named for its chef (who is also, the restaurant is quick to clarify, a fisherman), puts local seafood front and center. However, unlike Le Coquillage, in addition to having three Michelin stars, Christopher Coutanceau also boasts a Michelin nod for its desserts. The Michelin Guide’s “Passion Dessert” program recognizes pastry chefs specifically.
Take in the water views as you make your way to the restaurant and grab a table overlooking the bay. The restaurant’s décor brings elements of the outdoors in, with an aesthetic that feels inspired by the ocean. Then, settle in for a dining experience that’s ever-changing, thanks to the restaurant’s daily sourcing at the nearby port’s fish auction.
Both a la carte and tasting menus are available. However, a favorite across both is the “bouquets vivants” or “living bouquet” — an artfully displayed shrimp surrounded by jelly and seaweed, to craft an almost lifelike presentation.
Le Petit Nice, Marseille
Across the country, on the Mediterranean in Marseille, Le Petit Nice is as light, airy and refreshing as a sea breeze. The three-star restaurant offers nearly endless views of the water, and a vast variety of sustainably sourced seafood is on display.
A few of the restaurant’s can’t-miss menu items? The sea bass, the chef promises, is so tender and succulent you can eat it with a spoon. Meanwhile, dried fish petals, caviar and bottarga combine with pureed cauliflower to create a not-unpleasant clash of textures.
Extend your experience by booking a stay within the five-star boutique hotel of the same name, offering similar amazing views of the sea.
La Villa Madie, Cassis
In southern Provence and a relatively short drive from Marseille, La Villa Madie earns its three Michelin stars with tasting menus that change up on the regular, depending on what the restaurant can source from the sea, its gardens and its orchards. Don’t miss the Carabineros prawn. Happy reviewers also say that the wine pairings are top-tier.
Whatever you do, make sure that you get a table on the terrace. It’s where you’ll enjoy the best water views, for sure.
Want the views without the pricey tasting menus? The property’s sister restaurant is La Brasserie du Corton, which similarly provides amazing Mediterranean scenery, just in a less formal setting, with a narrow menu including items like crispy fish mousseline, beef tartar with oysters, beef confit, monkfish and a fish of the day.
La Voile, Ramatuelle
Set within a luxury hotel in the French Riviera near St Tropez, La Voile’s sunny, comfortable dining room provides breathtaking views of the emerald-green hills running down to the sapphire waters below.
The restaurant is seasonal, operating in the summer but serving not just dinner, but also breakfasts and bar fare. Menus may differ from year to year, but both tasting menus and a la carte items are on offer.
Past entrees range from turbot and shellfish, with sea water jelly and caviar; to capon stuffed with squid and spinach in bouillabaisse; to lobster and mascarpone raviolis. If you’re dining as a couple, you can choose one of a few menu items designed specifically with two in mind: the grilled wagyu beef rib, Mediterranean sea bass or Tokaji souffle.
La Chèvre d’Or, Éze
Another seasonal restaurant with spectacular French Riviera views, La Chèvre d’Or has both two Michelin stars and that aforementioned Passion Dessert recognition. A historic spot, in business since the 1950s, book a longer stay in one of the property’s suites for a true luxury experience that doesn’t end once the bill’s paid.
The dinner tasting menu features items such as beef tongue with fermented cherry, amberjack with tomato and woodruff, and veal sweet bread. The lunch menu features some of the same but is slightly more condensed.
If you do book a stay, you’ll be treated to the property’s other on-site restaurants as well. There are several and they all take advantage of the scenery.
Address: Rue du Barri, Éze, France, 06360
Mirazur, Menton
From a hillside in Menton, Mirazur offers views aplenty from its 1930s structure. Tasting menus take creativity from the sea, land and mountains, incorporating locally fished seafood, produce from the on-site garden and nearby markets, and foraged and locally raised ingredients from the nearby hinterlands. You can actually visit and tour the on-site gardens, too, accompanied by the chief gardener.
Past menu items have included salt crusted beetroot from the garden with caviar cream; scampi with garden vegetables and chamomile consommé; turbot with celeriac mousseline; and lavender ice cream with blackberries.
La Plage, Audresselles
I do understand that the fine dining experience and tasting menus might not be for everyone. Michelin recognizes that, too, which is why it frequently gives a nod to restaurants that aren’t quite of the caliber that you’d expect for a Michelin star, but still amazing in their own right.
La Plage is one of these such restaurants, with its more casual setting in the small coastal village of Audresselles. With a name that literally means “The Beach,” this restaurant offers a quiet, intimate setting with room for just three dozen diners at a time. The menu features four entrees, four starters and four desserts, all exceptionally reasonably priced, with options such as mushroom tartlets with blue cheese and muscat jelly, duck breast with orange sauce, and apples with cream.
Les Pêcheurs, Antibes
With one Michelin star and terrace views of the water, Les Pêcheurs provides a distinctly old-school upscale aesthetic that feels a bit more classic than what you might get with fine-dining establishments that trend more modern, contemporary and almost sterile.
The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine, daily sourced seafood and both a la carte and set menus. Menu items include oysters, squid and clams to start, followed by a local catch of the day or free-range lamb. Then, indulge in a selection from the cheese trolley, before diving into a dessert like roasted red plums.
La Table de la Plage, Sartène
Lastly, for a completely unique dining experience literally right on the sands, you’ll want to book a stay at the luxury Murtoli, a five-star agritourism property in southern Corsica. There, you’ll find multiple restaurants, including the Michelin-recognized La Table de la Plage.
Tables are literally right on the sands, in a setting inspired by the wooden huts of fishermen. In an ultra-relaxed environment, enjoy the freshest seafood and produce, alongside wine and cocktails.
Throughout the property, there are equally unique dining experiences to be had elsewhere. Another Michelin-recognized restaurant — this one with a star — serves Corsican cuisine in an indoor-outdoor setting. A second offers rustic meals in a farmhouse-style setting, while a third provides festive meals in a natural mountainside cave lit by candles.
