Biarritz's most famous, classic tapas bar and restaurant is located across the street from the bustling market Les Halles and draws a nice mix of locals and visitors. Come for tapas (they are open all day starting in the late morning and into the night), wash it down with a regional white wine, and watch the fun scene as it unfolds.

This is the perfect choice for a seafood feast, which is exactly what you want in the seaside town of Biarritz. Situated in the charming Port des Pêcheurs, Chez Albert specializes in wild fish from the French Basque coast and has a nice terrace in spring and summer. It’s easy to while away your day with some oysters and rosé.

This is the kind of congenial place that makes you long to be French — local wine and heaping platters of charcuterie (or foie gras) are served on overturned wine barrels, as everyone crowds into this corner spot near Les Halles market. Those lucky enough to score a stool, sit, while everyone else stands. So if you're looking for a relaxing, quiet scene, this is not it. The crowd is local and young, and most come for an apero and then move on to dinner elsewhere. Bar Jean is down the street.

The so-called crampotte that line the cute Port des Pecheurs (fishermen's port) are small wooden buildings that were used for storing equipment. There are 72 crampottes in Biarritz and the waiting list to use one are enormous. This lovely little tapas place is the first building when you enter the Port des Pecheurs. You dine al fresco on rustic benches (no backs) or small tables, and the food is mostly charcuterie, cheese and some small tapas that the chef invents nightly based on what he finds at the market. There is no kitchen in the crampottes, so serious innovation is the norm. It's a great little place for regional wines and tapas. And, judging from a recent dinner, the jambon and fromages plates are so copious that a snack here can easily replace dinner altogether. Crampotte 30 has no indoor seating, so it's only open from late spring through early October.

On a coastal bluff in Biarritz’s Côte des Basques neighborhood, Etxola Bibi is a favorite spot for locals to watch the sunset.

Not only does the grand dining room in the Hotel du Palais have sweeping views across the sea, it also sits in prime sunset viewing position, making a meal here particularly romantic. Everything is old-school, from the army of wait staff and the oversized menus, as large as a newspaper, to the glass-domed chariot des fromages and the perfectly tiny petit four delivered with coffee. The multi-course affair is a bit of a commitment, but for a special occasion, the setting is unbeatable. The chef has a Michelin star.

Only surfers will make it to the La Cote des Basque beach, which is further south from the center of town (swimmers prefer the Port Vieux, while the rest mingle on Grande Plage). But if you do, then have lunch at this cool local spot with primo sea views. On second thought, sitting in the dining room decorated with surfboards and surfing paraphernalia, is also fun for those who just want to watch the action. Le Surfing opens at 9am and keeps going until way past midnight.

Longtime ex-pat Wendi Galligan Abeberry heads this friendly coffee shop near the historic center of Biarritz. The contemporary interiors, peppy young staff and congenial vibe would not feel out of place in San Francisco or Brooklyn. It's decidedly different from the classic French bistros and has been wholeheartedly embraced by locals who come for coffee, lunch and the occasional work session with a laptop (which you would never, ever see on top of a round bistro table). Wendi, who originally hails from Wisconsin, is often on the premises. She and her family also head a successful stand in the market Les Halles. True to her heritage, Wendi sells cupcakes and cheesecake alongside the classic French patisserie offerings.

Founded in 1872, this venerable tea room has old-world interiors and a glorious encased terrace that overlooks the sea. It's the resort town's classic spot for an afternoon pastry and high tea. The tartes, especially, are almost too pretty to eat.