109 Best Restaurants in Provence, France

To experience all of the city's culinary diversity under one covered-marketplace roof, head to the food stalls at the Grandes Halles du Vieux Port, which is open 9 am to midnight. Here you can order the freshest catch of the day or vegetarian dishes, as well as gourmet sandwiches, classic pizzas, and authentic tapas to take away or to enjoy on the outdoor terrace. There's also a year-round farmers’ market, a central wine bar, local craft beer, and much more.

You couldn't have a more perfect setting for chef Marco Casolla's delicious pizzas and pasta dishes—inspired by his native Naples and the bounty of the sea—than the white sands of Toulon's Plage du Mourillon. At this beachside terrace restaurant, diners cool off with an apéro spritz in the shade of umbrellas at lunchtime or wrap up a day at the beach over a sunset dinner.

Franco-Vietnamese chef Céline Pham, a talented veteran of top restaurants in Paris, headlines at this chic bistro set in a 13th-century chapel. This is a food lover's destination, not only for the seasonal dishes with subtle and surprising combinations but also for the excellent-value menus (three courses lunch, €41; dinner, €70).

Locals come to this restaurant in a former fire-horse shed for Provençal hors d'oeuvres like fried eggplant, green tapenade, chickpeas in cumin, and a slab of ham carved off the bone, perhaps followed by roasted potatoes with lamb chops grilled in the great stone fireplace. Call at least a week in advance to reserve table in summer, when you can opt for just the first-course buffet—and go back for seconds or even thirds.

A popular place for lunch or dinner, this modern bistro and terrace in the heart of the old town draws a lively mix of locals, expats, and tourists looking for authentic market-driven meals. A small but satisfying menu is generously laced with local delicacies—savory ragoût of wild boar, cod with pureed local vegetables and tapenade-laden croutons, and poached-egg cocotte with foie gras cream and turmeric-balsamic toast. A generous wine list offers plenty of local choices by the glass, and the dessert tray in the window—another big draw—features tantalizing concoctions, like a classic chantilly-topped baba al rhum (a small cake made with rum syrup) and creamy tarte au citron (a lemon tart). Service can be slow, but it's always friendly.

An open kitchen, a chalkboard menu, a bright terrace, and friendly service combine to create a laid-back atmosphere here, but, when it comes to the food, chef Nicolas Epiard is on his toes, serving up traditional local cuisine with flair and exuberance. Try dishes like the meltingly tender, slow-cooked bull with wild morels and a puree of root vegetables or the sea bass with savory herb pistou (Provence's answer to pesto) and crisp vegetables. Desserts might include fig crumble or white chocolate mousse. A refreshing rosé (the locally influenced wine list has plenty of choices by the glass) is the perfect accompaniment to an exemplary meal that's easy on the wallet.

Feast on fresh, seasonal gastronomic dishes—especially perfectly prepared fish and seafood offerings—paired with a curated list of local wines in a friendly, relaxed setting. Though a local favorite in all seasons, the terrace is particularly popular in warm weather, so be sure to reserve.

This restaurant doesn't have great gastronomic pretensions, but the delicious food, hip waiters, and charming terrace in the quiet, cobblestone Place St-Pierre make it a local favorite. Order a steak with vraies frites (real chunky French fries), and soak up the atmosphere with the help of some well-chosen local wine.

Steps from the Palais des Papes, this chic hot spot is part of the "bistronomy" movement, which focuses on creative cooking, a casual atmosphere, and reasonable prices. The quaint terrace on a side street lures in passersby, and the romantic 17th-century interior courtyard keeps them coming back.

Villeneuve’s go-to brunch spot also serves gourmet breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon teas, all featuring meticulously prepared dishes. It's open nonstop from 9 am till 6 pm (breakfast ends at 11 am) and has seating in a contemporary dining room and a spacious garden. The building also houses La Régence bed-and-breakfast.

The chic little sister brasserie to the Hôtel L'Imperator's gastronomic Duende restaurant is your best bet in the city for a memorable meal that won't break the bank. What's more, Duende's Michelin-starred chef presides over the kitchen, putting out perfectly executed comfort food made with ingredients sourced from the Occitane. You can eat in the relaxed dining room or outdoors under towering plane trees and serenaded by a gurgling fountain The two- to four-course prix-fixe menus cost €44–€71.

Native son and Michelin-starred chef Mathias Dandine is behind this restaurant in a sleek, five-star auberge 15 minutes from downtown Aix. He and talented chef Guillaume Lemelle reinvent Mediterranean classics, using meticulously sourced, seasonal ingredients in dishes that highlight the bounty of sea and sun.

The relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and lovely country setting here are worth the short drive to the town of Roaix. The affable owner and cook presents an ever-changing menu with an emphasis on what's fresh, local, and organic—salmon-and-sweet-onion tartlette nestled among a crisp mesclun salad might be among the starters, perhaps followed by chicken stuffed with local wild mushrooms.

The service here is friendly, and the food is delicious and satisfying—as evidenced by the bevy of locals clamoring to get in. Dig in to heaping portions of escalope of salmon, chicken cilantro à l'orange, or what just might be the best Provençal daube (served with macaroni gratin) in France.

You can’t sample all of France’s 600 types of cheese at La Fromagerie du Passage, but there's a decadent selection of 20 or so, all fait maison (handcrafted) by Laurent and Hervé Mons, who won the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers (Best Craftsman of France) award for outstanding cheese maker. The waiters lyrically—and patiently—explain the region or texture of each cheese and suggest a wine with the right composition to bring out the subtle (and not so subtle) flavors. There's also an assortment of tapas, charcuterie, and desserts, as well as €31 menus that pair charcuterie and cheese with wine. While the setting is not the most romantic, there is an outdoor terrace.

You reach your table through the kitchen, bustling with chopping, sizzling, and wafting scents, which is a nice introduction to what awaits. The cooking is serious, featuring Provençal specialties such as rouget (red mullet) with pureed potatoes or caillette d'agneau (lamb baked in herbs). The four set menus are priced from €19 (lunch) to €35, so there's something that will appeal to all appetites and budgets.

On nice days, the lively scene in the dining room spills out onto a spacious terrace, though both are lovely places to enjoy something from the short menu of home-style dishes that's made even more irresistible by the fact that nothing on it costs more than €17 (three-course lunch menu, €16). Look for such comfort foods as spelt risotto with veal and cèpes or pork caillettes (meatballs) with chard and pickles; for dessert, consider the melting chocolate mousse cake that's just like the one grandmère makes.

If the happy, perennially buzzing crowd is any indication, there's something right going on at this chic but casual bistro featuring an eclectic, market menu with options that ranges from healthy salads to elevated snack food (gourmet hot dogs) to French classics (steak tartare). Seafood takes front and center in dishes like coquilles St-Jacques, towering shellfish platters, and local specialties like bourride de lotte (a less fussy version of bouillabaisse). The fenced-in garden, overlooking the market square, is open year-round.

Uzès's only Michelin-starred restaurant has a stately but cozy dining room that sets the stage for a memorable meal from start to finish. Give yourself time to fully appreciate the dishes of chef Christophe Ducros, whose magic lies in the seasonal pairings of the freshest ingredients from both the countryside (like lamb served three ways) and coast (coquilles Saint-Jacques with butternut squash, yuzu, and trompette mushrooms) with complementary local wines. Service is meticulous yet friendly, and the menu, though abbreviated, covers all the gourmet bases and then some.

Summer evening meals around the old fountain and boxwood-filled oil jars in the courtyard of the Hôtel d'Europe would be wonderful with filet de boeuf alone, but combine this romantic backdrop with top-notch southern French cuisine and you have a special event. Give yourself over to one of the great restaurants of the Vaucluse, complete with fine regional wines and an army of urbane servers—and hope for moonlight. The three-course €54 lunch menu (coffee and parking included) quickly refuels before tackling an afternoon's touring.

A 200-plus wine list is a big highlight of this restaurant and bar à vins, yet the main focus is squarely on the food. Beautiful to behold and even better to eat, the Mediterranean-inspired dishes flaunt the bounty of Provence in options like beef carpaccio, sliced razor-thin and served with shaved Parmesan and crispy house frites; a tender zucchini tartlette with chèvre and herbes de Provence; or a salad of heirloom tomatoes, bufala mozzarella, Serrano ham, and basil sorbet. A laid-back atmosphere, friendly staff, spacious outdoor terrace, and excellent prices make this a top choice.

This restaurant, opened in 1927, is the spot to stop for lunch and to bask in the sun on your way up the eastern slope of Mont Ventoux. The food is far beyond the merely acceptable, whether you opt for simple omelets (with truffles in season), traditional options like tartiflette (a baked dish of potatoes, cheese, and bacon from the Savoie region) or even heartier fare such as a spit-roasted pig (for groups of 15 or more). Bikers, hikers, and car-trekkers alike gather at plank tables on the wooden deck or warm themselves in the chalet-style dining area.

This chic new bistro, a hit among locals, was designed with all the care and taste as the nearby Hôtel La Mère Germaine. On cool days, you can relax in its light-filled dining room and watch preparations in the open kitchen; in warm weather, you can sit on the terrace and take in the endless vineyard views. Chef Clément Peine's pleasing dishes rely on seasonal, local products, and the superb wine list offers all the highlights from this wine-centric region.

The name is a reference to Louis XIV’s botanist, who was born in the town of Mane in 1660, and it clues you in on what's to come at this Michelin-starred restaurant just south of Forqualcier—namely, refined, locally sourced dishes fit for a king. Chef Louis Gachet honed his formidable skills in France’s most prestigious kitchens and is renowned for his innovative, healthful yet sumptuous dishes.

This restaurant's setting—in a former bakery that's tucked into a natural grotto and lighted by candles and artsy torchères—is as memorable as the stylishly presented Provençal dishes on both the à la carte and prix-fixe menus. Try the thinly layered beetroot with feta cheese and walnut oil or the veal braised with anise and served with creamy polenta. There's a shaded terrace, too, by the 17th-century village fountain.

This classic wine bar is ever popular for its great location and reliably good French food. The menu features modern riffs on the classics—pigs’ feet (and ears if you're lucky), ricotta-spinach dumplings with mushrooms spiked with pecorino cheese, or asparagus eggs Benedict—and the owners also have a tender spot for vegetarians. The long and well-priced list of biodynamic and organic wines by the bottle or glass makes sampling the local options a cinch.

Visionary Jean-Luc Rabanel is the culinary success story of the region—he was one of the first organic chefs in France to merit two Michelin stars and is renowned for the fresh, garden-inspired cuisine that he features in this stylish restaurant and cooking school. Menus are prix-fixe only, and the seven-dish tapas-style lunch (€65) and six-course "Emotion" dinner (€145) are unforgettable. To experience all of Rabanel's flourishes, though, try the "Signatures" eight-course extravaganza (€185; wine pairings €45 or €65). A chic, Japanese-style reception area features the five elements—water, fire, earth, air, and spirit—and ensures a harmonious meal.

Local antiques dealers come here to eat, and the place feels so welcoming that it would be easy to linger for hours. Chef Daniel Hébet made his name at La Mirande in Avignon and Le Domaine des Andéols in St-Saturnin-lès-Apt before opening this bistro in his own image—young, jovial, and uncompromising when it comes to quality. Off a noisy street near the train station is the gate to this garden haven, with metal tables under the trees and an airy interior with a vintage tile floor. Hébet offers a single set menu at lunch and another at dinner, and the food is so good that no one is complaining at the lack of choice (though he has been known to substitute meat for fish on request): poached egg with truffles, Saint Pierre with a hint of green onion, lobster in delicate pastry, and cherry meringue are all delicious.

Set amid vineyards just outside Orange, this stone farmhouse restaurant recently updated its traditional dining room and its dishes, while maintaining its charm and its high standards. The sophisticated menu is based on the French classics like salmon mousse, house-made foie gras, beef cheeks, and a fish of the day. In warm weather, the terrace is a lovely place to be.

The comfortable but nondescript interiors of this unpretentious eatery tucked in a 16th-century stone building in Les Baux’s old town are offset by a lovely outdoor terrace. If you’re not sure, check out the blackboard menu posted out front, or take our word that you’ll dine very well here on seasonal dishes made with quality ingredients and cooked or grilled to perfection.