Le Club 55, the legendary beach club in St. Tropez

On a beautiful stretch of white sandy beach near Saint-Tropez, there are restaurants and bars that line up along the shore. Club 55, situated on this very beach, is the most famous of them all. Legendary in St. Tropez, this institution was named after the year it was founded. Despite being a celebrity hotspot on the luxurious sands of Pampelonne Beach, it still remains delightfully down-to-earth as an ode to its humble beginnings.

In 1953 Bernard de Colmont, the father of Patrice (the current owner), built three beach cottages for his family without electricity or running water. There was a large wooden table in front of one of these huts which had people believe it was an informal restaurant. In 1955, the film crew of And God Created Woman, starring Brigitte Bardot, called de Colmont asking to book the space for three weeks for 80 crew members. Incredibly, Geneviève de Colmont happily obliged and prepared the daily meals for the crew on one gas stove. Brigitte Bardot and her husband at the time, director Roger Vadim, continued to visit the beach shack even after the film’s wrap. Soon after, the family formerly registered Le Club 55 as a business. The following year, in 1956, the finished film became a success and Brigitte Bardot and St. Tropez were international stars. To this day royals, rock stars, actors, and jetsetters from all over the world hang out at Le Cinquante Cinq.  

Le Club 55 boasts a casual al fresco restaurant with white chairs and blue table linens on sand, a beach club, and even a boho gift ship. The menu includes classic French dishes as well as a variety of salads and freshly grilled seafood. To access the restaurant you enter through a small wooden pathway lined with overgrown bamboo or you can arrive by boat and have the restaurant’s private dinghy bring you to their pier.

During the summer months, we highly recommend reserving well in advance for a table at the restaurant or for sunbeds on the beach.