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.
French bistro€€€Port MarianneRestaurant Tue-Sat 19:00-23:00; rooftop bar daily from 15:00; brunch Sat-Sun 11:00-14:00
Miranove runs a bistronomic dining room, a weekend brunch and a rooftop pool bar on the top floors of its Port Marianne hotel above the tram line.
Tip: Go up for the rooftop at golden hour even without a dinner booking; the bar pours seven days a week.
French bistroChef Jacques and Laurent Pourcel€€€ÉcussonDaily 12:00-14:15 and 19:30-22:00
La Canourgue is the Pourcel brothers' every-day bistronomic room at Hôtel Richer de Belleval in Montpellier, Mediterranean plates on the shaded square.
Tip: It serves seven days a week, a rarity in this city of Sunday closures; the courtyard tables go first in summer.
Mediterranean€€ÉcussonMon-Tue 19:30-23:00; Wed-Sun 12:00-14:30 and 19:30-23:00
Le Paresseur cooks grandmother recipes with Italian flair and Sétois heritage under vaulted stone on Rue Jules Latreilhe in central Montpellier.
Signature: Gnocchis à la betterave
Tip: One of the few good Écusson kitchens serving Sunday and Monday nights; the vaulted cellar room downstairs suits winter, the terrace summer.