Les Pilotis, 11370 Leucate Plage

A clear evening sky, a stretch of sandy beach with a few surfers trying their luck with the somewhat infrequent waves and a restaurant, built on stilts right on the beach and open on three sides  to the stars – something out of a tourist brochure?  But  no, it really exists:  the restaurant Les Pilotis, located on a small out of the way beach on the outskirts of the main resort of Leucate -Plage, and well attended by all those in the know!

The menu consists mostly of seafood – we had mussels, gambas, anchovies and squid- followed by a  Catalan dessert called Pa Dous, which is a sort of fruit bread and a coffee ice cream souffle.  The starters range in price from 8 to 10 euros,  the main dishes from 16 to 20 Euros and the desserts are 6 euros. We chose a crisp  white wine, Blanc d’Oeuf,   from  Le Mas des Caprices, .an excellent producer in  Leucate-Village, at  24 euros.  His cave  is well worth a visit, as he has an extensive range of sophisticated  wines and is very enthusiastic in explaining the intricacies of his wine-making.

Les Pilotis  is open for lunch and also serves snacks to its customers enjoying the parasols and beach chairs set out on the sand literally on the water’s edge.  In the evening the restaurant opens at 8 p.m. precisely and the customers were lined up outside by 7.45 p.m.!

An idyllic setting and good seafood.