Beach clubs in Leucate - Catrines reiser

Leucate can boast about plenty of great restaurants. (Unfortunately) a few of them are only open during the summer time. They set up on the beach during the month of May and pack it all down again in September. These restaurants or beach clubs are called “restaurants éphémères” in French, translating to “short-lived or ephemeral restaurants”. And that’s exactly what they are.

During the rest of the year, there are no traces of these restaurantes, while during the beach season, they have a full restaurant-style professional kitchen, bars, toilets and showers and a lot of other things. They serve lunch and dinners for sun-seekers and party-goers. Most of them also rent out sunbeds and some of them turn into night clubs after dark.

What unites them all, that they have good food and great, fresh fish and seafood and cold and crisp local wines.

We have visited all of the restaurants in Leucate and some in neighbouring Le Barcarès and have a few favourites.

Heavenly Dix Vin

This restaurant was a favourite for a long time. Unfortunately the owner has sold the spot/materials so we are eagerly awaiting what the new owners will do. This place has the best food, and we have been told they will keep the chefs, so we are crossing our fingers. Dix Vins was a bit further away from the waters edge, making it a calm spot. This is not the party place or where the families gather since you cannot see your kids in the water from the sunbeds.

The restaurant is by the ponton de Leucate Port, the iconic “oil rig” pier. There’s a huge parking lot and we have never had a problem with finding a parking space. Maybe if you arrive in the afternoon on a public holiday but we tend to go before lunch and we have always found parking even in July and August.

The perl La Perla

La Perla has become our second favourite. Very nice ambiance with plants and flowers and colorful sofas. The food is always great and the owners actually owns their own vinyard so you get great wine as well. We headed over to their domaine in Rivesaltes to buy a few cases. You can visit Domaine Boudau directly to enjoy the fresh rosé wine at home as well.

La Perla is amongst the lower priced beach clubs with regards to the price of the sun beds. In 2024 we paid 12 euros for the whole day and the price is even lower if you’re just there for the afternoon.

You should call in advance to make a reservation: 0033 (0)6 87 12 23 70

They are rarely packed and it’s lovely to not have loud music and a crowd of people surrounding you, even if they do fill up during the high season.

The parking here is good too, along the road on a small parking lot. It’s a short walk of a few minutes to get to the restaurant. Along the same road, facing the huge Aqua park you can find three other beach clubs besides La Perla, namely OhLaLa Beach, Baobab and Maivy’s.

Kule, crazy Biquet

Biquet might be the “cool kid in town”. Here you’ll find sharks, mannequin parts, military effects, carousel horses and dinosaurs. Amongst other things!

Biquet is very popular amongst the younger crowds, because they do parties avery night with DJ’s etc. This is the place to be if you’re in your 20s and in need of a beach party. They do concerts as well. Follow them on Instagram to be up to date about the happenings.

The food does not change much from year to year. The do mostly tapas and small dishes to share, so everybody will find something. But they also do fresh seafood like all the restaurants. Biquet is often packed, so you do need to book both tables and sun beds if you want to spend the day here.

This is a popular spot and amongs the more expensive places. I think the sunbeds are 25 euros per day.

You can reserve a table and sunbeds online. You cannot reserve a sunbed without booking a table for lunch. You book your table and add a note about also wanting sunbeds (max 5). You can also send an sms +33 (0) 769608363 or book via email mangeralaplage@gmail.com

Chill out at Le Poulpe

Le Poulpe is kind of cool to, but more chill than cool if you understand. It’s a lounge style place with very low and flat sunbeds with a pillow to support your back/head and not for the elderly. You can hang in comfortable sofas while having cocktails. You can watch the fresh seafood being made in the kitchen just of the dining area.

You can rent sunbeds both here and at Biquet or you can find a spot on the beach just outside the restaurant and still have lunch here. Often you cannot reserve a sunbed without also booking a table for lunch, but the opposite works fine. Lunch at the beach is definately not just for the beach goers.

Le Poulpe also offers a mix of main dishes and smaller tapas dishes to share or to enjoy alone. The sunbeds cost 25 euro per day.

Le Poulpe can be reached by phone +33 (0)6 11 20 47 66 or you can book online.

IG favourite Playa Amor

Playa Amor is really the perfect spot for instagrammers. No “harsh” colours, but white, beige and natural colors and driftwood makes this a really pretty place. You almost feel like you’re ruining the estethics by bringing colourful beach towels.

The food is good, but this is not the cheapest beach clubs. They are appealing to a younger crowd and I have a feeling this is a place you go to be seen. The sun beds are 25 euro for a day, 65 euro for a large bed with room for 3 people or 45 euros for a double bed.

Good food and the prettiness of the place makes it worth a visit and thick mattresses on the sun beds is a plus. It feels a bit chaotic still, even if they have now 2 seasons behind them. But it’s a place we want to visit at least once during the summer.

Another plus is that they have a small shop with dresses, hats, bags and jewellery. All you need after a day of sun and rosé wine!

You need to call them to reserve a table and/or sunbeds +33 (0)6 60 61 00 05.

Baobab Paillote

A bit further south in Port Leucate, not too far from La Perla, you’ll find several beach clubs along the same strech of beach. Baobab Paillote are so called because of the paillotes, the stationary parasols made of wood. These stay put even if the wind is strong (which happens regularely in this area). Might be ok to be on the beach anyway, since the restaurant buildings shelter a bit from the wind from the west. Then you need this kind of parasols.

The sign says: Do not throw your sigarett buds on the ground. The fish comes out of the sea at night to smoke and we’re trying to help them quit.

Here as everywhere else, the food is good, whether you prefer fish or meat.

This place also have a small snack bar accessible for people not eating at the restaurant or prefering a sandwich to a full meal. You can use this both if you have rented sunbeds or if you are on the public beach.

The sunbeds at Baobab costs 20 euros for the whole day, 15 euros for the afternoon.
You can reach them on +33 (0)6 63 10 07 57

Maivy’s

Maivy’s use a camouflage net to shield the diners from the sun. That gives the whole area a nice vibe. You feel like you’re sitting outside without having the sun beating down on you. But please remember your sunscreen. This place also have the sturdy, fixed parasols that can withstand even the hardest gusts of wind.

This has become another favourite with really good food. Great salads and very good seafood.

Maivy’s is also among the lower priced places. The comfortable sunbeds with thick mattrasses cost just 15 euros per day. We have never seen this place very crowded or overbooked so this is a place to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. The phone number for Maivy’s is +33 (0)7 69 34 78 37.

Ohlala Beach

Ohlala Beach is just on the north side of the border between Aude and Pyrenées Orientales, so between Leucate and Le Barcarès. They are just next to La Perla, so the same parking spot. It’s not fancy decorated, but the entrance is quite special with an arabic looking door. other than that, simpel wood and white mattresses and tables. The comfortable sun beds are right on the water’s edge.

Henri à la Plage

This is a simple restaurant with grey, weathered wood and simple table and chairs and no real “style”. But you get what you need, sunbeds, shade and good food here as well. They were quite busy when we were there, but managed to keep people happy. Henri à la Plage can be found on Facebook. These newer places tend to be a bit more family friendly compared to the super popular and fancy places like Biquet and Le Poulpe and chances are that they have a spot for you if the others are fully booked. Here you might also find live music at night or a yoga class in the morning.

And a bit of luxury

For those with a bit of cash to spare you can really enjoy the luxury life at l’Hospitalet Beach outside Narbonne. The restauranten is run by the Château L’Hospitalet, which is owned by the famous Gerard Bertrand. He is probably the biggest wine producer in Languedocs with his 15 properties and huge amounts of different wines. He’s even made a wine with Jon Bon Jovi.

The beach club is quite recent but is really luxurious. The price of the sunbeds goes with the territory. 100 euros per day for a double bed. The “normal” beds cost only 35 euro.

But here like the other beach clubs, you can just come for a meal. We had dinner here at sunset and the food was heavenly. And the wines of course. And a girl can dream, right?