Restaurant & Hotel Cantemerle
Great top end restaurant in the hotel Cantemerle on the green outskirts of Vence. A lovely terrace by the pool makes the perfect spot for a light lunch or a romantic candle lit diner. The food is French Provence style and really good.
Auberge des Templiers
39, avenue joffre, 04 93 58 06 05, (http://www.restaurant-ven...). stephan demichelis has travelled widely, studing under such luminaries as chibois , willer, tarridec, rostang and girardet. the cooking is assured, and makes good use of offal, truffles and foie gras. the atmosphere is a little too formal. menus at â¬39 and â¬49. booking advised in summer.
Le Vieux Couvent
Avenue alphonse toreille, 04 93 58 78 58.
La Farigoule
15, rue isnard, 04 93 58 01 27. possibly the most adventurous cooking in vence, served in a pretty courtyard in summer. patrick bruot chooses local ingredients and presents them with a twist. booking advised in summer.
La Litote
5 rue de la evãªchã©, 04 93 24 27 82. a new chef has arrived this year 2005 and brought with him a touch of nice flair. however, prices are high, and the cooking uneven while he settles in.
Le Troquet
Le Troquet, 13, place du Grand Jardin, 04 93 58 64 31, (http://letroquetdevence.f...). Familial restaurant owned for 27 years by Paul Giordano, and located on the side of the sunny square: "la place du grand jardin". Some dishes, such as the boudin with roasted apples, salads and bruschettas are excellent. More it gets an excellent Provencal quality food with a large proposition of dishes of the day. We recommend the liver, the Bruschetta and the fresh fishes sush as the brochette of scampi. The waitress has the most interesting haircut and piercing in town. An excellent place to book for the yearly concert: "Les nuits du sud".
Le Clémenceau
Le Clémenceau, place Clémenceau, 04 93 58 24 70, (http://www.brasserie-clem...). A rival for the best coffee in Vence, and a much better location away from the traffic and surrounded by the old town. The menu is ordinary and can be expensive if you plump for the steaks - but the rabbit and lamb, roasted in the wood-burning pizza oven with local herbs are excellent and worth the cost.
Brasserie de la Victoire
Place du grand jardin, 04 93 58 01 18. this cafã© serves the best coffee in vence. the chef extends the fairly standard menu steaks, pizza, croques, pasta with daily specials which can be good - and exceptional value.
La Taverne St Veran
2 place surain, 04 93 24 00 98. a friendly local restaurant with a fairly standard menu of pizza, pasta, steaks and excellent salads. big portions if you're hungry and even if you're not!.
Saveurs d'Asie
1 rue de l'hã´tel, 04 93 24 66 57 tables on place surain in summer. if you're used to "real" vietnamese or chinese, then even this is a poor imitation, but it's by far the best in town if you're in need of a break from french. the owner who speaks good english can be persuaded to make dishes "trã¨s piquante" if you ask. make sure you accept the "sake" at the end of the meal for an amusing surprise.
Le Château du Domaine St Martin
Avenue des templiers, 04 93 58 02 02, (http://www.chateau-st-mar...). humungeously expensive, with a view to die for, this is a place for a serious splurge or a celebration. very good value weekday lunch â¬47. menus â¬60, â¬74 and â¬100.
Le Restaurant Les Béatilles
8, rue du marchã© summer terrace on place clã©menceau, 04 93 58 04 17. closed mo. vincent dhumes cooks alone in his tiny kitchen, aided by his wife who runs front of house. there is a short carte and two menus at â¬25 and â¬39 that change weekly. the cooking is skillful and inventive, guillaume is self-assured and his cooking can rarely be faulted. eat at the table of a future michelin chef before he's famous! booking advised in summer. update - as of september 2005, the dhumes have moved to be near their family in toulon. another young couple have taken over the restaurant - reports needed. â¬30-â¬70
Jacques Maximin Table d'Amis
689, chemin de la gaude, 04 93 58 90 75, (http://www.restaurant-max...). booking essential, especially in summer.
Vence has a wide range of restaurants, from the 2 Michelin starred Maximin at the top end down to various pizza places and cafés at the lower end. What is difficult to find is anything other than French cuisine with the exception of Italian and Vietnamese/Chinese - this probably won't bother you if you are on holiday, but if you are a resident, you may want to take a trip to Antibes or St Laurent du Var for their Japanese, Thai and Indian cuisine.
The following restaurant reviews are ordered from most expensive to least expensive, with a rough indication of cost being given.
Crêperie Bretonne chez Hervé
6, place surian, 04 93 24 08 20. a good lunch-time venue, with a wide range of galettes and crãªpes. do try the cider, which is served in porcelain bowls. also serves excellent ice-cream from tourrettes-sur-loup.
If you're having a night in, Mister Pizza 61 Avenue Rhin et Danube, +33 4 93 24 31 24 deliver to most of Vence. Be sure to ask for it to be sliced and note that the olives are stoned.
L'Armoise
9 place du peyra, 04 93 58 19 29. fish rules at this tiny restaurant - which this year gains a few outside tables in the place peyra. a good place to try bouillabaise - one of the few places you can have it without ordering it a day in advance. the proprietor is friendly and helpful, and speaks good english. booking advised in summer.