Updated on May 12, 2026
Highlights:
With La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo, Simone Zanoni has opened a summer spot inspired by Italy, combining Mediterranean cuisine, a warm, welcoming atmosphere, and ocean views. The chef aims to offer a lively and generous dining experience, true to the spirit of the Monte-Carlo Beach.
At Monte-Carlo Beach, La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo is the new restaurant from Simone Zanoni, who has been chef at George* at the Four Seasons Hotel George V (Paris) since 2016 and chef at L’Italien par Simone Zanoni at La Mamounia (Marrakech) since 2025. The restaurant is open seven days a week, offering a casual atmosphere at lunchtime and an elegant ambiance in the evening.
What does the opening of La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo mean to you?
Simone Zanoni: It’s a major milestone. I was very happy in Paris, at the George V, with my family, my teams, and my routines. But then, gradually, I felt the need to return a bit to the light, to that Latin side that’s part of me. After seventeen years in Paris, I longed for sunshine, blue skies, and the Mediterranean. The adventure at La Mamounia marked this change of course. Today, the Monte-Carlo Beach continues this journey southward and represents a magnificent opportunity. I was familiar with the property, having stayed there a few nights, but I’ve come to understand the significance of “The Beach” in Monaco’s collective memory.
Does that add extra pressure?
Simone Zanoni: Yes, and that’s what makes the project both wonderful and demanding. At first, I didn’t fully grasp the Monte-Carlo Beach’s place in local life. Then several of my clients in Paris or Marrakech told me they’d spent their summers here with their families for years. I realized that taking the reins of La Vigie restaurant means committing to respecting a place steeped in history. La Vigie is a legendary place; you have to approach it with humility. We bring our energy, our cuisine, and our vision, but we can’t act as if nothing existed before us.
Tell us a little about your professional background.
Simone Zanoni: I was born in northern Italy, near Lake Garda. I grew up in an environment closely connected to nature, local produce, and farm animals. Then I moved to London, where I worked for twelve years at Gordon Ramsay. I started there as a commis chef; I left as the head chef of a three-star restaurant. Then came the Trianon Palace in Versailles, with its two Michelin stars, and finally Le George, at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, with one star. That’s where I was able to express a cuisine that was more Mediterranean, more Italian, and more focused on sharing.
Will we see something of the spirit of Le George in Monaco?
Simone Zanoni: Le George has a bit of a rock ’n’ roll vibe: the chef wears sneakers and creates a Mediterranean cuisine that’s accessible and generous. At La Vigie, I want to maintain that freedom. The idea is to offer Italian cuisine as seen through my own sensibility, from northern to southern Italy, without limiting myself to a single region. A cuisine meant for sharing, easy to understand, yet exclusive in its pairings and very precise in its flavors.
And what role will Italy play?
Simone Zanoni: A central one! We want to bring an authentic Italian spirit, with rich flavors, not just a superficial image. Many Italian restaurants today operate as visually appealing concepts, but sometimes lack substance. We’re looking for flavor, generosity, and cuisine that’s both welcoming and refined. There will naturally be Italian products: olive oil, Parmesan, hams, pasta.
Sharing: the key word?
Simone Zanoni: Yes, but without ever imposing a concept on the customer. If two people want to each have their own plate, they can. If they want to share, the dishes will be served in the center of the table. You can come for a plate of pasta with a glass of wine, or spend three hours at the table with friends over more spectacular dishes. Luxury is choice.
What will be the signature dishes at La Vigie Zanoni?
Simone Zanoni: We’ll be bringing a few signature dishes that we already serve in our restaurants, such as our Milanese cutlet—which is very thick and quite different from the usual version—tortellini carbonara, and braised veal agnolotti. But we’ve also created dishes specifically for La Vigie, notably tagliolini with champagne and caviar, served in an actual caviar tin to add a touch of glamour. The idea is to take pleasure and generosity to the extreme, without resorting to unreasonable prices.
Speaking of which, how do you approach the issue of pricing in such an exclusive setting?
Simone Zanoni: A top-notch restaurant in an idyllic setting doesn’t preclude the desire to offer true value for money and the opportunity for the guest to choose their level of dining experience.
Between sky and sea, the new restaurant La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo is located at Pointe La Vigie, a unique spot perched above the waves at the tip of the Monte-Carlo Beach peninsula.
How important is service to you?
Simone Zanoni: It’s incredibly important. It’s the service that turns a meal into a memory because it adds emotion to the experience. Here, several people on my team have worked with me before. They know my vision. Service must be human, simple, generous, very professional, but never stiff. The person sitting at the table is still a human being who needs to be treated as such.
Why do you place so much importance on service?
Simone Zanoni: You can buy beautiful decor, beautiful plates, beautiful ingredients. But people—you can’t buy them. They’re passed on. It’s as if I were taking a small piece of my DNA and giving it to every person who works at the restaurant. If the place is magnificent but the staff don’t have that warm demeanor, that sincerity, then the experience falls flat.
La Vigie is also a place for regulars at a beach club. In that sense, you’re the guest…
Simone Zanoni: Exactly. We’re not just coming home—we’re being invited to Monte-Carlo Beach. Many families have known La Vigie for generations. That’s why we’ve brought on board a local team member who knows the families and the place. She’ll help us understand local customs and ensure a smooth transition.
How do you envision the restaurant’s atmosphere?
Simone Zanoni: I want a lively place. I love restaurants that are bustling, where you can feel the energy of people. At lunchtime, the atmosphere will be casual, with wooden tables and relaxed service. In the evening, I want something more sophisticated: tablecloths, carefully designed lighting, a more subdued atmosphere. The idea is to be in a modern, elegant, cheerful restaurant, with music, smiles, and real energy.
Will there also be a central theme centered on beekeeping, which you’re passionate about?
Simone Zanoni: I have beehives at my home in Versailles, as well as a chicken coop, rabbits, dogs, a greenhouse, vegetables, and fruit trees. I wanted my children to experience this connection with nature. To me, the bee is a model of perfect organization. At La Vigie, we plan to set up a few beehives in the natural areas overlooking the property. Eventually, we’ll be able to produce our own honey. Right at the start of the meal, we’ll offer a honey blended with mustard, served with focaccia.
Will you be serving “nature-inspired” cuisine?
Simone Zanoni: We’re lucky to be arriving during an incredible season for Southern produce: tomatoes, vegetables, salads, white or flat peaches… Even within the season, we’ll respect the right moment. For example, our Bellini cocktail won’t be available until mid-July, when the peaches are truly ripe.
Will you be aiming for a Michelin star at La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo?
Simone Zanoni: Like a trattoria, La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo is designed to be the kind of Italian restaurant people love to visit and return to again and again throughout the summer. That’s not the same approach you take with a Michelin-starred establishment. Besides, the Monte-Carlo Beach already has its own Michelin-starred restaurant with Elsa Marcel Ravin. La Vigie needs to be something else: a very welcoming, lively, festive place, offering top-tier culinary experiences, but in a more relaxed setting.
With you often described as “the star chef of social media,” is La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo set to become an Instagram hotspot this summer?
Simone Zanoni: We’ll be making recipe videos and taking photos of the venue. The kitchen has a breathtaking view of the sea: it’s a fantastic setting to showcase what we do. We’ll bring our Italian DNA, our joie de vivre, and our down-to-earth, cool, friendly, unpretentious style. We feel that Monaco is waiting for us. Now, we have to rise to the occasion.
- La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo is Simone Zanoni’s new summer destination at Monte-Carlo Beach.
- The restaurant showcases a warm and generous Italian-Mediterranean cuisine.
- The experience is as much about the food as it is about the service, the atmosphere, and the ocean view.
- The chef aims to create a lively, elegant, and accessible space, true to the spirit of the Riviera.
La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo thus stands out as a summer destination where Simone Zanoni’s Italian heritage meets the elegance of Monte-Carlo Beach, in a warm, sunny atmosphere focused on sharing.
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