The countdown is on to the Michelin Guide France & Monaco ceremony in Monaco on 16th March, and last week Michelin whetted appetites by revealing its 2026 Bib Gourmand selection. Two restaurants on the French Riviera have earned the coveted distinction, which recognises quality dining at accessible prices.
The Bib Gourmand rewards establishments that maintain high-quality cooking with genuine attention to products and execution while keeping prices reasonable. This year’s French selection includes 75 new addresses, bringing the total to 430 accessible restaurants across the country.
Café des Musiciens, Nice
Australian chef Christopher Edwards, who came from Paris, runs CafĂ© des Musiciens in Nice’s Musiciens quarter. The restaurant offers a short menu dictated by market availability, featuring dishes such as autumn terrine with figs, Niçoise tripes, and PĂ©rigord sausages with fregola sarda.
Edwards’ partner Charlotte manages the dining room and oversees a well-curated natural wine selection. Served in a simple setting, writes the Michelin Guide, lunch offers exceptional value while dinner provides more ambitious fare at still-reasonable prices.
L’Orangerie, Menton
This discreet restaurant in central Menton delivers what Michelin calls “a culinary gem”. Run by a Japanese chef who previously worked as right-hand to Bruno Cirino at CafĂ© de la Fontaine, L’Orangerie presents addictive Mediterranean cuisine combining local short-circuit produce with well-judged Japanese touches.
Ultra-fresh products, precise cooking and balanced seasoning define the menu, which includes artichoke hearts Ă la barigoule with cured ham chips, salmon tataki with marinated vegetables, and sirloin with yuzu kosho. The veranda terrace overlooks a pedestrian street.
National trends
The 2026 Bib Gourmand selection highlights accessible gastronomy’s vitality across France. Four regions show particular dynamism: Auvergne-RhĂ´ne-Alpes, Occitanie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and ĂŽle-de-France, with Paris and surrounding areas adding 12 new addresses.
Diverse culinary styles feature throughout, from bistros serving French classics to Japanese, Korean and Indian flavours. In smaller towns, inns and bistros are being revived as gathering places, energising local economies and rebuilding social connections.
The complete Michelin Guide France & Monaco, including star awards, will be revealed at the ceremony in Monaco on 16th March.
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Photo credit: Quentin Baret, Unsplash