The highly subjective rating of Larvotto beach restaurants

In my personal, and hence a very biased rating, La Note Bleue holds the first place among all eating & sun-bathing places at Monaco’s main and only Larvotto beach area. This place is equally good for a weekend in high season, or a stop by on a fresh rainy night when my son plays rugby around the corner, and only a couple of tables are busy at the restaurant’s terrace.
They have excellent service here – do not neglect to introduce yourself to the staff, and they will have your table ready, and a complimentary sincere smile for you. Inside the restaurant there are white couches, books and magazines – and live music at night in high season – the owner of the place is really passionate about jazz. The schedule of performances can be found in the place and online.
The food is great here, and is different from the traditional beach pizza-pasta choice. Go for a simple but tasty dorado sashimi with truffle oil, arugula, and parmigiano, or quinoa with feta to name a few of my preferred choices, while the kids love the standard macaroni-and-cheese or an Asian plate of sushi and sashimi. The best dessert ever is a ‘home-style’ apple tart tatin with an ice-cream. Rosé by the glass or by bottles is very popular once it gets really hot out.

You can either spend all day here – the beach loungers with umbrellas are at your disposal (the fee is 35 euro per couple for a full day, or 28 euro for half a day from morning until the afternoon) – the food and drinks will be delivered right to where you are staying on the beach; or have lunch in the restaurant area while enjoying the sight of the sea and that of the vacationers. No one will rush you, and so you can spend up to several hours here, too, while suntanning and enjoying la dolce vita. There is a small area with sand and toys for children, and they try to seat the parents with kids close to it.

The kitchen re-opens for dinner at 7:30 PM – one can spend an excellent night here, and we suggest dressing up in case you later on decide to continue your party in one of the Monaco night places.
This place is very popular in high season, and on the weekends especially, so it’s recommended to call and make reservations in advance – the staff speaks English.

The second place in my rating is occupied by the Miami Plage which is located immediately behind La Note Bleue. My son would disagree with me – he always asks me to bring him over here because they serve excellent pizza prepared in a wood stove. If I happen to be here I usually order either the Fritto Misto – a mix of battered seafood (tiny fish, calamaries, and octopuses), or the artichoke salad with lemon and parmigiano. It is probably because of the pizza that the place is so popular among parents with kids who often organize children’s parties here. By the way, the restaurant and the beach territory are pretty large in size, so there is enough space for everyone. One of the flaws of the place is that they do not have a separate changing room, so one has to use the bathroom for changing.

Similarly to La Note Bleue, you can either spend all or half of the day here by renting the beach loungers with umbrellas, or simply have lunch and dinner at the restaurant. The service is upscale, everyone speaks English, and the seats are available only upon reservation in high season.

La Spiaggia is a flamboyant Italian beach that gets the third place in my rating. It is located in the very end of the beach, and this place gets most of the sun. There are many tall buildings in Monaco, as you know, so by 6:00 PM the central part of the beach will have been in the shadow already, while it will still be sunny here. La Spiaggia arouses very mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, it is the only place to serve pizza, salads, and even minestrone soup at any time of the day even when not in high season – as you know in other places the kitchen is closed after lunch at 2:30 – 3:00 PM and is open again after 7:00 PM. They serve pretty good pizzas here. On the other hand, all service and entourage of the place are typically Italian, and this means that you will have to chase after the waiters yourself in the hope of understanding, which one of the tables is available. You might just as well seat yourself at any table, and wait until a waiter stops by you. On the bright side, here one can enjoy the sight of energetic Italian families and the beautiful Italian women who put all their diamonds on and show their Hermes handbags off. The children love La Spiaggia for the huge trampoline – pay 5 euro at the box office, get a ticket, and an excessively tanned Italian man will send your offspring right into the air.
The total bill can vary depending of the level of your or your friends’ relation to the owner of the place – tall beautiful blondes are said to have an advantage.

Beaches of the Hotels

If you prefer an organized hotel resort with all modern conveniences you can spend your time at the beaches belonging to the hotels – La Meridien Beach Plaza, the Monte-Carlo Bay, the Monte-Carlo Beach. The guests from the Hotel de Paris and the Hermitage always arrive at the beach of the Monte-Carlo Beach – this is the most expensive and prestigious beach in the Principality, taking into account the fact that technically it is located in France. If you have a chance to rent a “cabin” here for the season – you’ve got life ;).

Which private beach restaurant at Larvotto do You like most and why?