La Grignotière - Restaurant Villefranche-sur-Mer

Friendly restaurant in an alley. Comparing to the ones along the coast, this one was more casual and welcoming. We both ordered spaghetti grignotiere and one portion escargots for the table. The escargots were tender. The seasoning was amazing. Mussels and shrimps were very fresh. The tomato sauce of spaghetti was the highlight.

About as authentic as you will find anywhere in the old town, without the seaside prices. We had classic escargot with lots of baguette garlic and oil as well as pasta with mussels and a perfect bouillabaisse with all the accoutrements including aioli, croutons fromage and a bulb of raw garlic, clearly the real thing. We enjoyed our lunch very much.

Soo delicious! Loved the ambience and the service was great! 4 stars out of 5, just because I wished my seafood pasta was a bit more "al dente" 🍝

Bouillabaise was great but spagetti vongole disappointed

Absolutely unacceptable behavior from staff!! We had a reservation and arrived on time, with a couple of our group joining just a little later. From the moment we walked in, the woman working there was shockingly rude. When we politely asked to place our orders, she shouted at us, rolled her eyes, and gestured aggressively as if she was completely uninterested in serving us. Her attitude was so disrespectful and unprofessional that we told her directly she was being rude—and we left the restaurant. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially not paying customers. Terrible experience. We will never return, and I strongly advise others to think twice before dining here.

AMAZING! Must have the bouillabaisse here!!! So good and the service is outstanding!

Escargot and bouillabaisse was good, although needed a slight bit of salt. The salmon pie was great. Overall really tasty & hit the spot.

Absolutely superb. Great service with restocking French cuisine. Fantastic wine menu. Couldn’t recommend it enough, we only wish we’d been able to go there more!

We came here b/c we were staying locally and it had good reviews. I can confirm the owner has impeccable good energy/vibes and the food is delicious. Worth the stop while you are in the area. For outdoor seating, make a reservation or arrive just before they open. 5 stars. Highly recommended.

We had a delightful lunch sitting outside. The food was great and the staff could not have been kinder. Why not 5*? I didn't feel we ate enough to make a five star award. I had no complaints whatsoever. My octopus salad was delicious. Ditto my wife's Greek salad. It was too hot outside for me to order the fish soup and snails (what I really wanted) but the table next to us had both and they looked great. Definitely worth a stop in VFSM.

This restaurant is in an adorable alley full of restaurants, but it caught our eye because the woman who worked there (who I presume is the owner) had the most amazing energy! Super charming, warm, friendly and funny. The fantastic food doesn't hurt either! And bonus, they have a printed menu in English which is very helpful. The food just wowed us. We had Greek salad, warm goat cheese salad, steak, lasagna and seafood pasta. All delish but the standout was the goat cheese salad. Ohmygod!!!!

Efficient service and food was well prepared and with nice presentation. A small cozy atmosphere with tables inside or outside.

This place was awesome! The food was great, the staff was amazing, and the business owners/neighbors all seemed to know each other. There were kids playing in the walkway and a friendly guy walking around playing guitar (not for money it seemed, he was just a guy who liked to do it for fun) who serenaded my baby. THE WAIT: None around 5:30pm on a Thursday. We were the first customers, in fact, for this early dinner. By the time we left, they were pretty busy, but there was no wait. THE SERVICE: There was one older woman who served all the tables. She had a pretty strong, assertive personality, but she was also incredibly nice and genuine. She loved our baby as well! The menu had limited English translations, and that server knew limited English (though we were able to communicate fine), but all that added to the experience being local and authentic. THE FOOD: * Médaillons de Foie Gras 16 - 5 stars Fabulous foie, but the charred toast was a little too soft. It was all great w/ the chutney. * La Grignotiere Pizzas 14 - 5 stars Fantastic thin crust with a slightly charred edge that had just enough crunch and hold. Toppings were great. * Spaghetti de la "Grignotiere" - 4.5 stars Probably the best mussels I've had in my life - incredibly juicy, they almost pop in a delight of flavor in your mouth. The shrimp was also good (and bonus, peeled! Minus the tail and head). The sauce was more like a soup, not very thick, but had tasty chunks of tomato/herbs (not what I expected but it worked, probably just the regional style). Only complaint is the pasta was very al dente. Cafe (espresso) - 4.5 stars Very intense, very tiny shot, but there was a good punch to it. Nice foamy thick, yet smooth texture.

This is the forth time we have been in Villefranche and the forth time here. La propietaire is congenial and very helpful to all tourists. She greets you with a smile. She attentive to your needs, and it's not put on. This night we had mushroom ravioli in a nice sauce of extra mushrooms and the special was tuna and swordfish with vegetables. Both were outstanding. We had a pichet of rose wine. The prices are very reasonable. What made the experience memorable was the attentiveness and friendliness of Madame la Proprietaire. Merci

Each dish was an absolute explosion of flavors. If you want to experience the best of the best, this is it. A hidden gem that defies the stereotypical tourist trap. Extraordinary culinary delight, you will not be disappointed.

Ordered the Spaghetti La Grignotiere and Goat cheese salad for lunch. Both were outstanding.

I have spent my summer vacations for the last 4 years in Villefranche sur Mer, in fact renting a place right above La Grignotère and never been there..... until last night!!! Boy do I regret it! All of the great reviews here are correct: the service is very convivial, the food was amazing. My son had escargots for the first time and loved it, I had about the best Greek salad ever, fresh and healthy with an amazing dressing and the Nice pizza was better than other pizzas we've had in other local Italian restaurant. The whole meal was accompanied with really nice rosé wine to make for a fabulous meal while watching all the people walking by and taking in a slice of nightly life in this magical place. Quaint and warm atmosphere. Highly recommended.

A simply perfect dinner. We had the nicoise pizza and a nightly special, they were fantastic. The people running the place were super kind and light spirited. Love this place. This was a great end to our vacation. If we come back, it will include a stop here. It felt like we were given a glimpse in the local life.

The food is amazing and great service! I had a sea bass as a special and it was delicious. My daughter had the best spaghetti ever.

Amazing. Food was phenomenal, service was even better. Owner spiked broken English (good sign for us) but menu was translated. We laughed and had fantastic food at very reasonable prices. Totally recommend

Excellent French cuisine. Great setting in the middle of shopping. The salads were unbelievable and the lunch menu was better than expected. We had a party of 13 and every one of us raved about our meal!

Excellent venison and lamb - ambiance is warm and friendly. We had eaten here Five years ago and remembered how good it was. STILL GREAT !

Recommend by our local friend as a nice restaurant with reasonable prices, we were impressed. The staff is efficient and friendly and their English was very good. The food was great and I'd recommend the prix fixe menu for 16€, but only if you are very hungry!

This place was magnifique. Although the hostess didn't speak a word of English she was friendly and warm and attentive. Food was incredible. And they had a cute puppy!

Lunch service was exceptional. Pours were large on the wine. Kids loved the Margherita pizza. Nice old town setting.

Great food. Server was wonderful and went out of her way to show us several of their different dishes. Strawberry dessert was awesome.