Le Melice is a warm café-bar-restaurant in Port Marianne, one of Montpellier's liveliest districts, just by the Bassin Jacques Cœur. The menu is deliberately concise, focused on the essentials: homemade, fresh, healthy dishes designed so that everyone — carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike — finds something to love. The card evolves with the seasons to showcase simple produce that's often organic and always local, guided by a genuine philosophy where "local," "short-circuit," "organic," and "health" all overlap. The idea is that each plate tells a story — of the product, the producer, and the care put into it — without ever sacrificing flavour or pleasure. The chef has a real gift for marrying flavours and cultures into cooking that's both inventive and authentic.
By day the kitchen serves starters like black-sesame tempura asparagus with a Grana Padano and smoked-then-confit egg yolk, low-temperature grilled octopus glazed with mirin and a chilli-corn cream, or an Asian-style chicken ballottine with a peanut-and-orange vinaigrette, followed by mains such as linguine verde with basil-peanut pesto and burrata di bufala, a spring salad, beef-and-bacon or veggie burgers with house fries, 12-hour braised pork ribs in flower honey, low-temperature duck, or grilled sea bass with a citrus-herb crumble. From 6pm the mood shifts to refined sharing tapas — house fries with melted Bethmale, fried smelts with garlicky mayo, pan con tomate, charcuterie and cheese boards, the generous Planche Gourmande, truffled Grana Padano fries — perfect during the daily Happy Hour (5–7pm). Desserts run from a white-chocolate-and-speculoos jar and a revisited île flottante to a lemon-yuzu-matcha creation and an all-chocolate plate, alongside house cocktails, local craft beers, and a largely regional wine list spanning Pic Saint-Loup, Faugères, and the Terrasses du Larzac. On Sundays, the chef's all-morning brunch reflects his full savoir-faire, from matcha waffles and pistachio brioche perdue to eggs Benedict, pulled-pork bao, and beetroot trout gravlax.
What really sets Le Melice apart is that it's a true lieu de vie where something is always happening. The events calendar is packed: Friday-night stand-up comedy with the South Comedy Club, improv theatre, mentalism evenings, "Tournez Manège" dating shows, murder-party dinner-spectacles, speed dating, all-you-can-eat aligot nights, paint-and-cheers and cocktail workshops, oenology tastings, live football and rugby on HD screens, a travelling escape game, and full privatisation for private or professional events. Open every day of the week, Le Melice is the perfect spot for a meal, a drink, or a night out with family or friends — somewhere to discover, savour, and share in the heart of one of Montpellier's most vibrant neighbourhoods.