Modern FrenchChef Marina Davilla€€€ÉcussonMon-Tue and Fri-Sun 19:00-20:30 seatings; closed Wednesday and Thursday
Artisane runs one hidden evening menu a night in Montpellier, Marina Davilla's chef's table on Rue du Palais des Guilhem built from ethical producers.
Tip: Everyone eats the same 92 euro menu, announced at the table; the five-glass pairing adds 50 euros.
Modern FrenchChef Sébastien Perrier€€ÉcussonTue-Sat 12:00-13:15 and 19:30-21:15; closed Sunday, Monday and Wednesday lunch
L'Artichaut holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand on Rue Saint Firmin in Montpellier, Sébastien Perrier's seasonal set menus at honest old-town prices.
Tip: Book ahead: the Bib Gourmand badge and a tiny dining room mean tables vanish, especially at weekend dinner.
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 is the Pourcel brothers' bistro in a converted Port Marianne wine storehouse in Montpellier, sharing plates under steel, stone and timber.
Tip: Sunday lunch is a local ritual here; the vast room absorbs groups the Écusson's small dining rooms cannot.
Modern FrenchChef Clément Gueudr退€ÉcussonDaily 12:00-13:30 and 19:30-21:30
Le Petit Jardin hides a tree-shaded garden restaurant off Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau in Montpellier, Clément Gueudré cooking seasonal French menus.
Tip: Ask for the garden terrace facing Saint-Pierre cathedral; the bistrot side of the house shares the kitchen at lower prices.
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 puts Éric Cellier and the Fontès brothers under the white balconies of Montpellier's Arbre Blanc tower, French classics with a 17th-floor bar above.
Tip: Eat downstairs, then ride up to the walk-in rooftop bar for a nightcap over the Pic Saint-Loup skyline.
French brasserie€€€ÉcussonTue-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:30-23:00; closed Sunday and Monday
Pampa Bar & Brasserie serves brasserie classics in Montpellier's 1770 bathhouse off the Comédie, courtyard tables under century-old palms at Les Bains.
Tip: The former shower cabins around the courtyard are the most-requested tables; the bar side runs late Thursday to Saturday.