The French Riviera has a way of following its favourite restaurants around the map, and one of its best-loved tables is now setting up on the Costa del Sol. La Petite Maison, an icon in the old town of Nice, has chosen Puente Romano Marbella for its latest home, bringing three and a half decades of Mediterranean cooking to the Golden Mile.
The new restaurant sits within the resort’s grounds and comes with a bar and a Riviera-style pool, each framed by open views of the sea. Much of the look and feel of the original has travelled south largely intact, from lunches that stretch into the afternoon to evenings that run on late as live music plays and the light fades over the water.
Behind it is the Rubi family, who opened the first La Petite Maison in 1987 and turned it into one of the Riviera’s most familiar names. Nicole Rubi built the restaurant’s reputation on honest Mediterranean food and generous service, and her daughter Anne-Laure now carries that forward, with the Marbella opening created alongside restaurant group DB Group and the team at Puente Romano.
A Riviera address
The restaurant has taken up residence within Puente Romano Marbella, the beachfront resort on the town’s Golden Mile. Guests will find a full dining room, a signature bar and a Riviera-style pool, all set out to make the most of the sea in front of them. Sweeping Mediterranean views run through the whole address, indoors and out.
Much of the original’s character has made the trip from Nice, from the elegant design to the warm, generous welcome that built the name. Its sun-drenched joie de vivre runs through everything here, so lunches are unhurried and evenings carry the same easy sense of celebration. The address keeps its own rhythm, from lunch through to dinner and late into the night.
At the table
Mediterranean cooking sits at the centre of everything here, served in the attentive and characterful style that built the reputation in Nice. The menu keeps the classics that regulars know by heart, among them the Nicole-style sea bass fillet, snails à la bourguignonne and rigatoni with truffle. For a table of two, the salt-baked sea bass arrives whole and is carved at the table, making a proper occasion of lunch.
The cooking leans on good produce and a light touch, the sort of food that suits a long afternoon in the sun. Portions and pace are built for sharing, and the kitchen keeps things generous without tipping into excess. Familiar to anyone who has eaten at the original, the food should settle in quickly on the Andalusian coast.
The bar works as a destination in its own right, whether before lunch or as the day cools. A Côte d’Amour Spritz makes a fine start to the afternoon, while a Tomatini suits the later hours as the light begins to soften. Live music carries into sunset, keeping the festive Riviera mood the restaurant is known for.
By the pool
The pool captures the Riviera at its most inviting, laid out with elegant parasols, sun loungers and Balinese beds that look straight out over the Mediterranean. It works as a destination on its own, with a dedicated menu to match the setting. Light Niçoise dishes lead the list, among them Niçoise salad, pissaladière, pan bagnat and tuna tartare, alongside a run of delectable desserts.
Families are looked after too, with a children’s menu that keeps younger guests happy while the afternoon drifts on. Access to the pool is reserved for hotel guests and only by prior reservation, which keeps things calm through the day. The effect is a private stretch of the coast, framed by the water and easy to lose an afternoon in.
The Marbella opening is the product of a partnership formed in 2023 between the Rubi family and restaurant group DB Group, working with the team at Puente Romano. Founded by David Barokas, the group sits behind some of the Mediterranean’s best-known dining names, among them La Guérite, Palm Beach Cannes, Medusa and Shellona. The collaboration first took shape at Palm Beach Cannes, which drew a global following and set the template for taking the restaurant beyond France.
“With the tremendous success of La Petite Maison Palm Beach, it’s fundamental that our brand remains authentic. Thanks to the latest opening in Cannes, we’re confident that together with David Barokas and his team, we will successfully roll out our brand in markets beyond France with care and savoir-faire.”
Nicole Rubi, Founder, La Petite Maison
From the first restaurant in the old town of Nice, opened in 1987, the name has grown into a fixture of the French Riviera. Marbella follows the original and Palm Beach Cannes as the next chapter, with it’s arrival on the Golden Mile.