My go-to beach is the one at Port Chichoulet in Vendres. Its wide beach is less frequented than neighbouring Valras-Plage, and there is only one beach restaurant. Simply called Chichoulet Plage and open from May to September, it is one of my family’s favourites. A beach restaurant that serves home-cooked food is a rare diamond. And when it is just a stone’s throw away from the Mediterranean Sea, we have a winner!
Easy Breezy
Chichoulet Plage is the type of restaurant that the French call a ‘paillote’. These temporary constructions sell food and drinks and pop up along the coast during the summer months. The one at Vendres Plage features an easy-breezy style, with fishnet barriers held up by driftwood surrounding the terrace. The wood on the floor adds to the relaxed vibe, although the nautical-style chairs are rather fancy. It’s the mix between cool and elegant that makes me feel at ease. Another plus is the possibility of renting a sunbed with a parasol to make the most of your day. Chichoulet Plage is open daily from May to October from 10h00 to midnight.
Seaside
The new 2025 team, led by Guillaume, includes a collaboration with the talented chef Takeshi Toyoda. They take pride in featuring the treasures of the Mediterranean, and looking at the fully booked restaurant on a Tuesday evening, Guillaume and his team are succeeding. The menu offers tapas-style starters, filling salads, meat classics, and, of course, freshly caught fish that daily inspires the chef. From our previous visits, we knew that the main courses are very generous. Therefore, the family and I started light by sharing a ‘Bikini’: a croque monsieur with truffles (12 euros). I had to be quick taking the pictures to go with this post, as the kids wanted to attack the gourmet toastie right away. A promising sign, as it meant that the food was too good to wait for.
Sweetness
The main courses were also too good to wait for. Chichoulet Plage is a no-burger restaurant, so the kids had to be a bit more inventive than their usual pick. All three of them, together with Chéri, opted for a large plate of prawn linguine (26 euros). I tried the Indonesian salad (22 euros), filled with plenty of fresh vegetables, mixed greens, bean sprouts and finished with a lovely satay dressing and krupuk (called ‘croopcroop’ by the twins). The dessert options on the menu offered precisely what we adore. The twins chose a huge Dame Blanche ice cream (10 euros), while Oldest and Chéri spotted the tiramisu prepared with speculoos (9 euros). And I couldn’t resist the tarte meringuée au citron (9 euros). It made everybody happy. You will find Chichoulet Plage on the left of Vendres’ marina, where the Aude river flows into the Med. Life is simple in this paradisiacal spot!
