Yannick Alléno has held more Michelin stars than almost any chef alive, and Pavyllon Monte-Carlo is where he runs the gourmet-counter format he built in Paris — you sit at a long bar facing the pass and eat his cooking at close range. It opened at the Hôtel Hermitage in spring 2022 and took a Michelin star within a year, held in the 2025 Guide France. This is the room to book when you want Alléno's name on the evening without committing to a multi-hour, four-figure tasting across the square at Le Louis XV.
The Kitchen
Alléno built his reputation on sauces — his "extraction" technique concentrates flavour without flour or reduction — and the counter is the best seat to watch it land. Order the tasting menu at €235 and make sure the artichoke tofu with smoked pike roe is on your run; it is the signature, a French-Japanese hybrid that shows the technique better than anything else on the board. The cooking leans into plants, seafood and low-sugar desserts rather than a foie-and-caviar reflex, and it changes with the Mediterranean season.
The wine list runs deeper than a casino-town reputation suggests, and the sommelier pairs alongside the menu rather than after it. Most bottles sit under about €120, with a short reserve of statement labels for anyone who wants to spend. Take the pairing if the night is on an expense account; take a single thoughtful bottle if it is your own.
Practical Info
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The Room
The counter is the room: a sleek, low-lit bar facing the open kitchen, with a handful of tables behind it. Sound stays at an easy hum, so you can talk across the counter without raising your voice, and the service is polished without the stiffness of the grander SBM dining rooms. Dress smart — Monte-Carlo dresses up, and a jacket reads correctly even at the counter. Ask for a counter seat when you book; the table-against-the-wall option misses the entire point of watching Alléno's pass work.
Best for Impressing a Client
Book this counter to impress a client because three things line up: an Alléno star at the Hôtel Hermitage signals you know Monte-Carlo, the counter format keeps conversation flowing instead of forcing a formal across-the-table dinner, and the €235 tasting is serious money that still reads as restrained next to a Louis XV blowout. Sit side by side at the counter, let the kitchen carry the spectacle, and keep the talking to the deal. For more rooms that pull this off, see Best for impressing clients and the Monte-Carlo dining guide.
Not for: a big, raucous group or a long, lingering night — it is a counter built around a fixed tasting at a set pace, with limited table seating and no room to spread a party of eight across the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pavyllon Monte-Carlo worth it? Yes, if you want Yannick Alléno's cooking without the formality of his grander rooms. Pavyllon Monte-Carlo holds one Michelin star (2025 Guide France) for a gourmet counter at the Hôtel Hermitage, where you sit facing the kitchen and eat dishes like the artichoke tofu with smoked pike roe. The tasting menu is €235. It is Alléno's sauce-driven precision at counter pace — serious food, less ceremony than Le Louis XV across the square.
How do you book a table at Pavyllon Monte-Carlo? Book through the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer site or by phone to the Hôtel Hermitage; the restaurant sits inside the hotel by the place du Casino. Reserve two to four weeks ahead for weekend dinners and Grand Prix or yacht-show weeks, three to seven days for a weeknight. Ask for a counter seat when you book — facing Alléno's pass is the point of the room, not a table against the wall.
What should I order at Pavyllon Monte-Carlo? Take the tasting menu at €235 to see the full argument, and make sure the artichoke tofu with smoked pike roe is on your run — it is the signature, and it shows Alléno's extraction-sauce technique better than anything else. Lean on the sommelier for pairings; most of the list sits under about €120 a bottle with a few statement labels above. Desserts run low-sugar and seasonal, in keeping with the plant-and-seafood focus.
What is the dress code at Pavyllon Monte-Carlo? Smart. There is no hard jacket rule at the counter, but this is a Michelin-starred room inside one of Monaco's grand hotels, so a jacket reads correctly and trainers do not. Treat it as a proper dinner — Monte-Carlo dresses up, and you will feel out of step in casual kit. For a client or a date you want to impress, err toward the sharper end.
Is Pavyllon Monte-Carlo good for impressing a client? Very. A one-star Yannick Alléno address at the Hôtel Hermitage signals that you know Monte-Carlo without overspending on a four-figure blowout. The counter keeps conversation easy, the cooking does the talking, and the bill — €235 a head for the tasting — is serious but defensible on an expense line. See our impress clients guide for more rooms that pull this off.