The best beach bars / restaurants in Languedoc

We cherry-pick the best beach restaurants from the scores that pop up like mushrooms all along the Languedoc coast each summer.

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing… and drinking, and dining, down on the beach.

Every year from May to September, Languedoc’s coast plays host to a collection of 'private beaches', many of which come complete with full-on restaurants, cocktail bars, lounge areas and dance floors, and some of which are populated by Beautiful People. By day, you can rent sun loungers (known as transats) and umbrellas (parasols), have the beverage of your choice brought to your lounger-side table, bask in the Mediterranean sun, treat yourself to a plate of freshly-caught seafood for lunch, and work on your tan/book/Voici magazine (the French equivalent of Hello). What’s not to like?

When the sun is over the yard arm, down a couple of cocktails, dip your toes in the water and enjoy the cooling breeze coming in off the sea. Dine while the sun sets over the waves. As the stars come out, the party people rock up. There’s lounging, posing and smoking (France’s national pastime) to be done. The beach bars are great for people-watching. Dig the décor, too – we’re talking casual-chic, creamy white canvas, sun-bleached drift wood, rattan armchairs and sofas, and sea grass-a-go-go. On weekends after dark, the music gets cranked up and the fun really starts (themed parties are The Thing down here).

We’ve cherry-picked our favourites, and given you the low down so you can choose the beach bar that best suits your style. Our list isn’t exhaustive though, so please feel free to send us your reviews of other seafront hot spots.

OUR FAVOURITE:   LES VAGUES, CAP D'AGDE Chemin du Littoral prolongé (On Rochelongue Plage), Le Grau d'Agde Tel. 04 67 39 08 63 or 06 23 03 07 47 (Restaurant open Feb - Oct) Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Extremely good food - served in extremely pleasant 'Indonesian-esque' surroundings with lots of carved dark wood. You can go for the more expensive 3-course menus, or just choose something lighter from the lunch menu - such as sandwiches and salads. The €8 burgers are very good. There's an excellent beach bar too - where they serve great mojitos and other cocktails. Superb service too. The summer months get very busy, so it is advised to get there early or ring ahead, opening times of the restaurant are 12.00 ‘till 2pm and 7pm ‘till midnight. The beach bar is open all day. They also have Thursday night parties - which as great fun. There is a car park here too. Everything. The best beach-bar food in Languedoc, and one of the best beach bars for cocktails too. Thierry the owner/chef is one of the best chefs in the Agde area. Much better food than nearby Jungle Beach - and it's also on a nicer beach. Book your sunbed for the whole day, and have drinks brought to you. You can even treat yourself to a massage. Then reture back to the shade of the beach bar, where you can lounge on sofas sipping a long drink.   THE OTHERS   COMPAGNIE DES COMPTOIRS – COTE PLAGE Route du Grand Travers, acces 63. Tel. 04 67 12 13 69 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Brought to you by the same people who run the restaurant of the same name in Montpellier (the ubiquitous, Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers, so the food’s not too shabby. According to the local press, the hot new dish here is hamburgers. Are these people serious? This season they’ve ditched the tired Moroccan look and opted for some eye-dazzling, fluorescent Philippe Starck stuff. Think modern, think pop, think pink. Boys who like boys, girls who like boys who like boys, and their friends of either persuasion. People who dig Philippe Starck design. People who can’t afford Effet Mer. Younger people. A fun new look, and the cheapest champers on this stretch of the beach (€50 a bottle) can’t be bad. Côté Plage isn’t really about eating – it’s about BEING THERE.   EFFET MER Route du Grand Travers, opposite La Dune nightclub Tel. 04 67 56 02 14 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Les freres Pourcel, again. Only this time, they’ve gone more upmarket, and more expensive. Sunday brunch is €32, Achingly trendy. Distinctive, camo-print fabric is used for the windbreaks, sofa covers and cushions. Sun loungers are €17 a day. Business people with expense accounts, Ladies who Lunch, and monied clubbers. Big DJ names Stephane Pompougnac (Hotel Costes, Paris) and David Guetta (Les Bains, Paris) are booked to play for the opening and closing nights (June 9 and August 14, respectively). If you’ve got the cash to splash and the right sort of haircut, you’re in, but leave the flip flops and cut off jeans at home. I made the mistake of coming here once with my breastfeeding baby. I felt like a fish out of water.   LA BAIE DES ANGES Esplanade Jean Baumel, La Grande Motte Tel. 04 67 29 28 14 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Neo-baroque, over the top decor. Massage on demand (in exchange for payment, natch). Huge, quadruple-size sun lounger-beds for 60 € a day (do you know three other people you’d want to get on a bed with?). Neo-baroque, over the top decor. Massage on demand (in exchange for payment, natch). Huge, quadruple-size sun lounger-beds for 60 € a day (do you know three other people you’d want to get on a bed with?). Best for those on a slurge – or on expenses. DON’T come here with your parents, your boss, or a long-lost friend for a cosy chat. DO come here with your best (rich) mates for a day of sea, sex and sun, or a major night out. When La Baie des Anges opened in 2006 it was THE place to see and be seen. Saint Tropez meets Miami, with bells on. The theme night parties are well worth catching – check their website for dates. Some of the women rock a “Donatella meets Pamela Anderson” look, but don’t be scared: there are plenty of babes of both sexes.   LA PLAGE DES BIKINIS La Motte du Couchant, opposite the Residence Les Jardins de la Mer Tel. 04 67 56 10 40 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Glasses of very drinkable house wine for only €3, cocktails for €9 - a bargain for a Grande Motte private beach. The cuisine is Catalan-influenced and tasty (spicy seafood, grilled fish, and a variety of tomato, herbs and curry-flavoured sauces – you get the idea), served from midday to midnight. Huge, light and airy, under vast expanses of white canvas. Like being in an enormous, open sided tent, but better. Loungers are a reasonable €13 a day. Best for a quiet drink, mid-week. Lots of comfy sofas, plenty of space, inobtrusive service and pleasant music. Ideal for entertaining that Older Gentleman (or jeune femme) you’re hoping to seduce. Where Men of a Certain Age (or Women of Indeterminate Age) have pre-dinner drinks. Nice for a relaxing day, or evening (and I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise).   LA PAILLOTTE BAMBOU Route du Grand Travers Tel. 04 67 56 73 80 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... A midday menu for €16, a three-course menu for €30, or the sunbed + salad + drink package for €20. Gorgeous fish and seafood. Everything is good quality, and it won’t break the bank. A very large bathroom (perfect for wheelchairs, buggies, nappy changing and anything else that needs a bit more space). The shower on the sand is good for cooling down fractious kids. Friendly bar staff. Some lively night time action. . Yummy mummies, DJ dads, and anyone pushing forty who still wears trainers and Carhartt jeans. Friends of Dorothy. Our all-time family favourite. Because they’ve got that huge bathroom, because they bring the children’s dishes faster than you can say “pasta”, and (not least) because the sun bed boys are easy on the eye. This place rocks.   LA VOILE BLEUE Route du Grand Travers Tel. 04 67 56 73 83 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... « gastronomic brasserie » is how the Voile Bleue defines its cuisine, and who am I to argue ? Dining costs from €12–35, or the “lounger + salad + drink” option is €19. La Voile Bleue hosts some fun soirées. Dates for your diary include Champagne Night on August 3rd, and the annual Soirée Blanche (dress in white – and we don’t want to see your underwear through those linen trousers, thank you) on August 25. More couples, less kids. Where we go when we fancy a change from La Paillotte Bambou. Just as nice, but a tad less child friendly, in my experience.   LE WINDSURF Plage de Maguelone (Maguelone beach), 34250 Palavas les Flots Tel. 04 67 68 01 57 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Good, fresh salads served throughout the day, hot food served from midday to 3 pm. . Sunbed with parasol €8 a day, €9,50 at weekends, or try the Windsurf’s value-for-money deal: bed, parasol, salad and drink for €20. Less expensive than most. Good for families and those who want better value (Palavas is cheap n’ cheerful). Less swanky than the beaches near La Grande Motte, but still very pleasant. Bucket and spade brigade meets le midi. Le Windsurf gives visitors a rebate on the cost of the obligatory public car park – a nice touch. Quieter than other spots (it’s the only one of its kind in this area).   JUNGLE BEACH Plage Richelieu Est , Cap d'Agde Tel. 06 72 24 91 05 Wining & Dining What else? Best for... We say... Relatively inventive modern cuisine that looks better than it tastes. A little over-priced, but you're paying for the spactacular view and cool decor. Sunbed with parasol €12-14 a day, €9-10 for half-a day. On-beach massage, call for prices. Drinks brought to your sunbed. Lounge areas and showers also available. Cool singles and couples. 20-50. Seems to attract a 'look-at-me' crowd. The waiters are bronzed, muscled and gorgeous... Stands out from its down-market competitors - a welcome touch of glamour for the Béziers beach region. The decor is Indonesian-chic, a little heavy-handed in places, but fun.

- Louise Hurren