La Petite Plage

If you happen to be in Juan-les-Pins, and are looking for a place to eat and perhaps have some drinks, one place I’ve been to a several times already is La Petite Plage.   Set along the seafront, this gay-friendly beach restaurant certainly draws in a crowd; in fact it’s so popular that it is open year round.

La Petite Plage

La Petite Plage can easily be found along Boulevard Guillaumont, amongst the other seaside restaurants close to rue Saint-Honorat.

Stepping off the busy boardwalk down into the restaurant area, you will find yourself on the main terrace being welcomed by genuine smiles coming from the gorgeous staff, and beyond that is the beach where sunbathers are enjoying a drink while they lounge in the sun, with the gentle sea lapping practically at their feet.

As evening sets in the lounge chairs are neatly stacked away and tables are set up on the actual beach and all the tables in the restaurant are decorated with candles making for a very romantic atmosphere, especially as you are watching the sun set.

It seems no matter what time of day or night you arrive, this restaurant is very beach chic, this is not some little shanty trying to make it through the high season, yet you’ll find Le Petite Plage won’t break your bank account either.

I’ve been told that sometimes there will be a DJ spinning off to the side to add to the beachside experience and it’s certainly easy enough to figure out who owns La Petite Plage as the charming, handsome owner (with an extremely hot son) also likes to play a selection of music from time to time.

The menu selection is vast and varied, and although I’m not what you would consider a ‘foodie’, there seemed to be a lot of delicious items to choose from, along with the daily suggested menu, the food comes with a bit of a twist too, as a friend of mine had a hamburger but it had sautéed foie gras on top of the burger.  Really, everything we ate was wonderful and filling.

The same goes for the selection of drinks, we enjoyed our wine but one evening a couple of friends were changing up their drink choices and my mouth still waters visualizing the Pina Coladas they ordered at one point.

It’s been some time since I have seen staff work so hard to maintain and keep the flow of a restaurant going, on my first visit I immediately noticed the staff all had these super tight bodies and I just took that to be what it can be like on the French Riviera with many people being fit and into the outdoors, I also noticed how cheerful they all were, constantly on top of things and helpful.

The second visit confirmed it for me, taking care of the guest needs at each table, especially those staff working on the beach would get you toned legs in no time, add to that carrying the trays to and from the kitchen would totally work out your upper body.  These boys were tight!  And I’ve got to say, the women were hot as well!

A sign to me that a restaurant must doing well is when I see a consistent flow of patrons and those patrons are leaving with a smile on their face.  At La Petite Plage they don’t treat you like a tourist who will go to their restaurant once and that is it, this is a family run business and they treat you like you are a guest at their home, it’s more personal.

There is something wonderful about being in the French Riviera, spending time at a great restaurant and seeing groups of people laughing and chatting away, yet it is also nice when there is room for couples to enjoy an intimate meal and drinks.
All this and more you can experience for  yourself at La Petite Plage.