It’s official. One of the best restaurants in the world is right here on the French Riviera. La Liste yesterday unveiled its prestigious Top 1000 list; and tied in first place is La Vague d’Or in Saint-Tropez at Le Cheval Blanc luxury hotel.
This will come as no surprise to chef Arnaud Donckele‘s loyal diners (and fans) who flock to the venue at Plage de Bouillabaisse throughout the summer! La Vague d’Or – which means The Golden Wave in English – has already won several accolades, including being awarded three Michelin stars. (So talented is Donckele that his Parisian restaurant, Plénitude, is also on The List, in second place.)
La Vague d’Or specialises in creating a “symphony” of Mediterranean and Provençal culinary delights. The hotel and restaurant are currently closed for the winter, but will be open again to welcome you in May 2025.
This year, La Vague d’Or shares the top spot with eight other restaurants from seven countries, which La Liste said illustrates “the richness and diversity of the world’s haute gastronomy”. All nine scored 99.50%.
One of the others in the top spot is chef Guy Savoy whose restaurant in Paris won for its eighth consecutive year. (Just two weeks ago Savoy was elected as an open member to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, in a major nod of recognition to gastronomy as an art form.)
French Riviera (& Surrounding) Restaurants Featured in La Liste’s Top 1000 for 2025
If you are living or holidaying on the Côte d’Azur, and wish to dine at one of the finest restaurants on the planet, here are some of the exceptional establishments selected by La Liste. (Please remember that some may only be open in the summer.)
- La Vague d’Or – Le Cheval Blanc in Saint Tropez (99.50)
- Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse in Monaco (99)
- Mirazur in Menton (98)
- La Villa Madie in Cassis (95)
- La Chevre d’Or in Eze (94)
- Le Petit Nice in Marseille (94)
- La Table du Castellet in Le Castellet (92)
- Le Cap au Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat – in Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat (91.50)
- Blue Bay in Monaco (89)
- Flaveur in Nice (88.50)
- Villa Archange in Le Cannet, Cannes (87.50)
- Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac in Monaco (84.50)
- La Voile – La Réserve Ramatuelle in Ramatuelle (77)
La Liste Special Awards
La Liste also announced a range of Special Awards for gastronomic excellence (including sustainability). A couple of winners in the south of France whose restaurants you may want to experience include:
- Coline Faulquier was named one of the New Talents of the Year for his Provencal fine dining at Signature in Marseille.
- Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne (in the department of Aude in southern France) was one of the Artisan and Authenticity Award winners for their world showcase of Auguste Escoffier cuisine. (Narbonne is not on the Côte d’Azur, but the late great Escoffier was from the French Riviera. He is credited with updating traditional French cooking methods and inventing culinary art in the 19th century which propelled French cuisine to the global stage).
What is La Liste?
La Liste ranks the best restaurants around the world, and has an app which lists over 35,000 restaurants in 200 countries. It aims to become the ultimate reference for gourmet travel and luxury hospitality; and now also includes the world’s 3,000 best patisseries and 7,000 best hotels.
How are the Top 1000 restaurants chosen?
La Liste uses an algorithm to analyse more than 1100 sources. These include guidebooks, newspapers, magazines, customer feedback, and blogs. The system also takes into account establishments’ environmental and social commitments.
Philippe Faure, La Liste Founder and CEO says “La Liste draws on the methods of artificial intelligence to synthesize thousands of opinions and reviews. Our methodical approach offers as objective a view as possible of the global culinary landscape.”
P.S. English expats living in the south of France may be proud to hear that England was named New Destination Champion!
View La Liste’s full Top 1000 Restaurants 2025 on their site here.
