"One Michelin star for Aurélien Véquaud's Riviera seafood, served on Belles Rives' Art Deco terrace — book it for an anniversary."
About La Passagère
Aurélien Véquaud grew up on the Atlantic coast, and he cooks fish the way someone raised beside the sea does: leerfish, mullet and blackfish that most Riviera kitchens skip. His one-Michelin-star room, La Passagère, sits inside the Art Deco Hôtel Belles Rives at 33 Boulevard Édouard Baudoin in Juan-les-Pins, the villa where Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald spent their summers in the 1920s. The tasting menus run €195 and €250, eaten on a terrace that looks across to the Lérins Islands.
The Kitchen
Aurélien Véquaud holds the one Michelin star at La Passagère, listed again in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide for France, and his cooking turns on the Mediterranean and Atlantic catch. The signature is a soft esquinado cannelloni — spider crab bound in unpasteurised cream, with verbena foam and fennel — a plate that reads light but carries real depth. Around it the menus lean on day-boat seafood and the produce of the Côte d'Azur, plated with restraint rather than spectacle.
The two tasting menus are €195 and €250, the longer one titled 'Invitation au voyage', with a shorter market menu at lunch. The dining room was reworked by designer Olivier Antoine, and because the fish comes off the day boats rather than the wholesale market, the menu shifts with what lands. Véquaud frames the cooking plainly: "cooking is about love, sharing and emotion." It is a kitchen that trusts its raw material more than its tricks — the right approach for produce this good.
The Room
La Passagère sits on the waterfront at Juan-les-Pins, and the draw is the terrace: tables set above the Mediterranean with the Lérins Islands on the horizon and Cap d'Antibes to the side. The Art Deco interior, redesigned by Olivier Antoine, keeps the 1920s glamour the Belles Rives is known for. The mood is romantic and quiet, the lighting low, the spacing generous; the sunset seating is the one to book. Dress is smart, no jacket required, and the room is intimate, seating only a handful of tables.
Best for an Anniversary
Book La Passagère for an anniversary because the setting does half the work: a sunset table on the terrace above the sea, a room steeped in Jazz-Age romance, and a tasting menu paced for a long, unhurried evening. Reserve the early-evening seating to catch the light over the Lérins Islands, and ask for a terrace table when you call. For more romantic rooms, see the global best restaurants for a proposal and the best seafood restaurants worldwide.
Not for
Not for a quick or casual meal. This is a hotel-restaurant tasting menu at €195 and up, paced over several hours, and the bill climbs fast with wine. Skip it if all you want is a simple plate of grilled fish by the water.
Frequently Asked
Is La Passagère worth it?
Yes, for the right occasion. La Passagère holds one Michelin star, listed again in the 2026 Guide for France, and chef Aurélien Véquaud cooks precise Mediterranean seafood. What you pay for is that cooking combined with a terrace table above the sea at the Art Deco Belles Rives. As a destination dinner it earns its price; for more options see the best French restaurants.
How hard is it to book La Passagère?
Plan ahead in summer. The terrace is small and Juan-les-Pins is busy from June to September, so weekend and sunset seatings book out one to two weeks in advance. Reserve through the Belles Rives hotel, request a terrace table, and aim for the early seating to catch the light. Shoulder-season weeknights are far easier. See more in our Antibes dining guide.
What is the dress code at La Passagère?
Smart. There is no jacket requirement, but this is a one-star hotel restaurant on the Riviera, so guests dress for the setting: a collared shirt or a summer dress rather than beachwear. Resort-elegant is the right register, matching the Art Deco room and terrace, polished but not stiff. Most diners treat the evening as an occasion.
What is the average meal price at La Passagère?
The tasting menus are €195 and €250 per person before drinks, the longer one titled 'Invitation au voyage', with a shorter market menu at lunch. With wine, a couple should plan for roughly €600 to €800. It sits firmly in destination-dinner territory, priced in line with other starred hotel restaurants on the Côte d'Azur.
Is La Passagère good for an anniversary?
Yes — it is one of the most romantic tables in Antibes. The terrace looks across to the Lérins Islands, the Belles Rives room carries real 1920s glamour, and the long tasting menu paces the evening for two. Book the early seating for sunset and ask for a terrace table. See our best restaurants for a proposal for more.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at La Passagère
Via Hôtel Belles Rives · book 1–2 weeks ahead in summer
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Practical Information
Address33 Bd Édouard Baudoin, 06160 Juan-les-Pins
NeighbourhoodJuan-les-Pins, Antibes
CuisineMediterranean seafood
Tasting Menus€195 · €250 (Invitation au voyage)
Dress CodeSmart, resort-elegant
ReservationVia Belles Rives hotel
MichelinOne star (France 2026)
