Italian€€ÉcussonOpen daily for lunch and dinner service
La Maison d'Anna is a family trattoria on Rue des Trésoriers de France in Montpellier, orecchiette and slow ragù cooked from recipes della nonna.
Tip: The dining room is tiny and the pasta is made in small batches, so book or arrive when the doors open.
Italian€€Saint-RochSun-Thu 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-14:30 and 19:00-22:30
La Mamma St Roch runs a mozzarella bar and wood-blistered pizzas near the station in Montpellier, imported Italian cheeses over gnocchi and pappardelle.
Tip: Start at the mozzarella bar before the pizzas; it is one of the few kitchens in the quarter serving every day.
French bistro€€ÉcussonTue-Sat 12:00-19:30, Wednesday until 22:30
Les Canons pairs a 150-bottle natural wine cellar with market bistro lunches near Saint-Pierre cathedral in Montpellier, most vegetables local and organic.
Tip: Lunch menus run 11 to 18 euros and any cellar bottle opens for 10 euros corkage; Wednesday is the late night.
French bistro€€ÉcussonDaily 08:30-00:00, continuous service; brunch daily 10:00-17:00
Ma Première Cantine keeps school-canteen nostalgia and continuous service running on Place Jean Jaurès in Montpellier, breakfast through midnight daily.
Tip: Service never breaks between meals, which makes this the reliable answer at 16:00 or 23:00 on the busiest square.
Italian€€Port MarianneDaily 09:30-14:30 and 20:00-23:30
La Vita Al Dente rolls fresh pasta every morning at the Halles du Lez in Montpellier, lasagne, ravioli and burrata plates from an Italian counter kitchen.
Tip: Watch the pasta being sheeted at the counter, then eat it in the Halles du Lez hall; evenings run late for the quarter.
MediterraneanChef Jacques and Laurent Pourcel€€€€ÉcussonTue-Thu 20:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 20:00-22:00; closed Sunday and Monday
The Pourcel twins cook their Michelin-starred Mediterranean register at Jardin des Sens, inside the Hôtel Richer de Belleval on Place de la Canourgue.
Tip: Dinner is the full theatre under the frescoes; Friday and Saturday lunch is the shorter, gentler way into the room.