French bistroChef Jacques and Laurent Pourcel€€€ÉcussonDaily 12:00-14:15 and 19:30-22:00
La Canourgue is the Pourcels' bistronomic second room at Hôtel Richer de Belleval in Montpellier, Mediterranean plates served daily on the plane-tree square.
Tip: Open every day, rare in this city; it is the easiest route into the Pourcel kitchen without the starred bill upstairs.
MediterraneanChef Jacques and Laurent Pourcel€€Port MarianneTue-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 20:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-14:00; closed Monday
Terminal #1 fills a former wine storehouse in Port Marianne, Montpellier, the Pourcel brothers' neo-industrial bistro of Mediterranean sharing plates.
Tip: Menus land between 33 and 59 euros, a fraction of the Jardin des Sens bill; the vast room still books out on weekends.
Modern FrenchChef Clément Gueudr退€ÉcussonDaily 12:00-13:30 and 19:30-21:30
Le Petit Jardin serves Clément Gueudré's seasonal gastronomy under century-old trees facing Saint-Pierre cathedral, a garden hidden in the old town.
Tip: Book the garden terrace, the point of the address; the group's glacier and cooking school sit across the lane at number 25.
Modern FrenchChef Éric Cellier, Charles and François Fontès€€€Port MarianneTue-Fri 12:00-13:30; Tue-Sat 19:30-21:30; rooftop bar Tue-Sat 18:00-01:00
L'Arbre seats Éric Cellier and the Fontès brothers at the foot of the Arbre Blanc tower in Montpellier, French classics below a 17th-floor panoramic bar.
Tip: The ground-floor restaurant takes bookings; the 17th-floor bar is walk-up only and pours tapas and cocktails until 01:00.
French bistro€€€Port MarianneRestaurant Tue-Sat 19:00-23:00; rooftop bar daily from 15:00; brunch Sat-Sun 11:00-14:00
Miranove stacks a bistronomic dining room and an open-air rooftop bar on the top floors of its Port Marianne hotel in Montpellier, pool and skyline included.
Tip: Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday only, but the rooftop pours seven days and the weekend brunch is served 11:00 to 14:00.
French brasserie€€€ÉcussonTue-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:30-23:00; closed Sunday and Monday
Pampa Bar & Brasserie occupies Montpellier's 1770 bathhouse behind the Comédie, palm-shaded courtyard dining in the old shower cabins of Les Bains.
Tip: This is the address locals still call Les Bains; ask for the courtyard under the palms, and note the bar runs late Thursday to Saturday.