Until relatively recently, if you were eating out in France as a vegan or vegetarian, your menu choices in many restaurants would have been limited to a tomato salad or plain pasta dish. In fact, less than 10% of the French population identifies as vegan or vegetarian, but that has not stopped over a thousand of France’s restaurants from recently embracing plant-based menus – a good proportion of them on the Cote d’Azur.
Today, whether you are dining out at a glitzy Monaco brasserie or one of the new vegetarian or vegan restaurants in St Tropez, you will notice that the idea that not all meals need to include animal products has finally reached France.
Local Provencal cuisine is brimming with many vegetarian delights, from the rich flavours of ratatouille to traditional olive tapenades. And in free-spirited Saint Tropez, there are now plenty of options for vegetarian and vegan dining, making eating there more exciting than ever.
If you are considering finding a villa to rent with a chef, it may be difficult to drag yourself away from the bespoke service and tailor-made dining options, but rest assured Saint-Tropez’s buzzing restaurant scene will make it worth your while.
Read on to discover five of the area’s best vegan and vegetarian dining experiences.
The best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in St Tropez
Rivea by Alain Ducasse
Humble vegetables are raised to new heights having soaked up the Mediterranean sun. At Alain Ducasse’s Rivea, at Hotel Byblos, nature’s garden is the inspiration for many of the dishes. The tempura courgette flowers are a delight, whilst the casserole of cereals and legumes offers a unsurpassed depth of flavour.
La Villa Belrose
The vegan and vegetarian menus at La Villa Belrose can be enjoyed in a relaxing, convivial atmosphere, with dishes including anything from carrot soup with olive oil and mandarin to a sweet risotto with basil and strawberries.
La Table du Mas
La Table du Mas offers a beautiful vegetarian menu inspired and named after the Saint Tropez icon Brigitte Bardot, a vocal advocate of the movement. Mouth-watering dishes are designed to celebrate the simple, seasonal ingredients. Entrees include ‘Tomato’, the Coeur de boeuf tomato as a tartare, in its shell, served with a cold puree or zucchini with pesto, tomato and basil sherbet and citrus powder, as well as ‘Avocado’, served as guacamole with grilled pumpkin and sunflower seeds, pickled vegetables and bulgar with candied lemon and herbs.
Hotel de Paris Saint Tropez
Standing tall in the centre of the village on the Place de la Gendarmerie, Hotel de Paris Saint-Tropez offers a delicious vegan menu including tempting options such as chilli sweet potato spaghetti and quinoa tabbouleh. Its unique flavour combinations are what makes it stand out amongst the array of vegetarian and vegan restaurants St Tropez plays host to.
Vague d’Or
At the Vague d’Or, a vegetarian menu is played out in 5 ‘acts’, described as ‘A rousing symphony through Yann Menard’s kitchen garden, accompanied by ingredients forages by the botanist Bodo….for vegetarians and diners who enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer.’
