Best seafood in Menton: restaurants, oyster bars and fish shops

Menton is a good town for seafood lovers, but not every seafront restaurant is equally focused on fish. The strongest choices fall into several categories: specialist seafood restaurants, oyster bars, Mediterranean restaurants with daily fish, Italian kitchens, sushi and fishmongers.

For the strongest experience, ask what arrived that day rather than ordering only from a permanent printed menu. Whole fish, local catch, oysters and shellfish can change with season, weather and supply.

Start with Lyõde for oysters, shellfish and a specialist seafood meal. Try L'Ambata for a broader waterfront seafood dinner, Le Galion for a polished harbour evening, Le Petit Port for a smaller local fish meal and Trattoria La Mamma for Italian-style fish when local catch is available.

For sushi and raw fish, use Le Sasano. For seafood at the apartment, go to La Pescaria inside Marché des Halles. For a nearby scenic beach lunch, check Le Cabanon at Plage du Buse when it is open.

Use Lyõde when seafood itself is the point of the meal: oysters, shellfish, seafood platters and daily fish. Use L'Ambata for cooked fish, crustaceans and larger waterfront meals. Use Le Galion for a more polished Port Garavan dinner with harbour atmosphere.

Le Petit Port, Trattoria La Mamma, Le Martina, Le Carnival, Le Cosy and Côté Sud are useful when you want fish within a broader Mediterranean or Italian meal rather than a strict shellfish experience.

This is one of the best advantages of staying in an apartment. At La Pescaria inside Marché des Halles, you can buy fish, shellfish, prepared seafood or a platter, then eat on the balcony or terrace without committing to a restaurant dinner.

Go in the morning for the widest choice, bring an insulated bag in summer and ask whether the fish is already cleaned, descaled and ready to cook.

For a scenic seasonal beach lunch, Le Cabanon at Plage du Buse in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is the most natural short trip. The setting is the point: small bay, steps down to the beach and a relaxed summer feel.

For a special Italian dinner, Casa Buono in Ventimiglia is a more ambitious option. Reserve ahead and treat it as an occasion meal rather than a guaranteed shellfish platter stop.

Depending on the season, look for whole sea bass or sea bream, octopus, squid, clams, oysters, prawns, seafood pasta, fish soup, carpaccio or tartare. The best option is often the simplest fish offered that day.

A good rhythm is one specialist restaurant dinner, one harbour or old-town fish meal, one seafood platter from the market at the apartment and one short coastal trip to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin or Ventimiglia.

Sea View Balcony Studio works especially well for oysters and prepared seafood on a balcony. Beachside Apartment with Terrace & Parking suits families, market shopping and Garavan or Italy trips. Panoramic Sea View Studio is useful for a shorter stay built around the sea, market food and one special restaurant.