Since the first lockdown in 2020, the number of restaurants in Biarritz, in the French Basque Country, has soared. From 2021 to the end of 2025, the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry recorded the opening of 91 new establishments in the seaside city, bringing the total number of dining venues to 190, not including fast food. Many of these newcomers have bet on bold, plant-based concepts that respect local marine ecosystems, turning the city into a kind of virtuous culinary laboratory. This might come as a surprise in a region known for celebrating tuna, sometimes imported from the Pacific, and kintoa, the Basque pork.
“The Basque Country has very meaty roots,” admitted chef Adrien Witte. “But in Biarritz, there is also a great open-mindedness among the local population, and a mix with new residents from Paris, Toulouse, England and the United States.” A hard worker, Witte took over the bistro Chéri Bibi, in the Beaurivage neighborhood, in 2022, and for four years championed inventive cuisine, serving up to 100 diners on the terrace on beautiful summer evenings. Now, he is leaving for chef residencies abroad, but has no regrets about his time in Biarritz. “There aren’t many places where you can put vegetables so front and center and have the trust of customers from the moment you open.”
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