Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo, an Asian supper club inside the Casino

Buddha-Bar is one of those names people search for before they know what it is. In Monaco it’s a restaurant with a bar and a club atmosphere, tucked inside the Casino building, and I think it’s one of the most theatrical dinners in Monte-Carlo. Below you’ll find the room, the hours, the food and the night I’d pick.

From a 1900s cabaret to an Asian temple

The SBM’s account of the place appeals to me more than the brand itself. The bar occupies the spot where, at the start of the last century, the Cabaret Monte-Carlo entertained guests at the heart of the Casino. Today the room has seven-metre ceilings, carved wood, sculpture, cornices, stucco and gilding, and a colossal meditating Buddha from Asia watching over it all. Outside there are two open-air terraces for summer evenings.

It turned 15 on 20 June 2025, which means it opened in 2010. More recently it added a private room, Le Salon by Maison Moghadam, with bespoke onyx pieces made by that Monaco-based house, for groups who want to dine on their own. If you’re curious about the building around it, I cover it properly in my Monte-Carlo Casino guide.

What’s on the Buddha-Bar menu?

The cooking is Asian with a French accent. The SBM puts Thai and Japanese dishes at the centre, alongside sashimi, maki and sushi, and recipes from China and South-East Asia. The kitchen is run by Éric Guillemaud, a chef born in Monaco and grounded in Mediterranean cooking, and the idea is to marry those recipes with French technique. To drink, sake or signature cocktails.

The house tags its menu as sharing plates and finger food, and that changes how I’d order. I’d come as a group, order several things for the middle of the table and leave individual mains to whoever is properly hungry. It’s a dinner for grazing and talking, not a long tasting menu with fresh cutlery for every course.

A price is the one thing I can’t offer you. Neither the SBM nor the tourist office publishes the menu with prices, and the figures floating around online have no source. My advice is to ask for it when you book. If you’d rather spend big with the bill fixed in advance, Le Louis XV by Alain Ducasse, a few steps away, does publish its menus.

Opening hours, bookings and the best night to go

It opens Monday to Saturday, 18:00 to 3:00. Sunday isn’t on its timetable. You book with the button on the SBM page or by phone on +377 98 06 19 19, and there’s valet parking, step-free access and a shisha area. Dogs aren’t allowed.

On some Fridays a DJ takes over. In summer 2026 there were four dates between 10 July and 28 August, and on those nights the mood shifts. For me that’s the time to come if the plan is dinner followed by drinks without moving on. For a quieter meal, I’d go on a Tuesday or Wednesday and ask for the terrace.

Is there a dress code or a minimum age?

The SBM publishes neither for the Buddha-Bar, and I won’t invent one. What it does say is that children are welcome, so this isn’t an adults-only venue. My rule is the same as for the rest of Monte-Carlo after dark. Long trousers and proper shoes, which also means you can cross into the Casino afterwards, where T-shirts are refused from 19:00.

Is it worth it?

I think so, as a one-night experience, as long as you know what you’re paying for. The setting, the Buddha, the music and the novelty of dining inside the Casino count as much as the food. If that appeals, few dinners in Monaco put on more of a show. If it doesn’t, you’ll feel you’ve paid for the room rather than the plate, and I’d rather tell you that now.

I wouldn’t send someone who has come to Monaco to eat as well as possible above all else; for that there are nine Michelin-starred restaurants in Monaco. And if you want to keep going until 5:00, Jimmy’z, the Sporting’s nightclub, is a short taxi ride or a decent walk away. The full plan for the evening is in my guide to Monaco nightlife.