Chef Juan Arbelaez Sublimates Copal Beach in Cannes

The new Copal Beach on the Croisette invites you on a journey into the colourful world of South America, created by the famous chef Juan Arbelaez.

Copal Beach : the highly talented Colombian chef Juan Arbelaez has designed the menu for Copal Beach in Cannes, with its resolutely South American decor. Drawing his culinary inspiration from his native Colombia, he has devised a menu that is both friendly and refined, with dishes to share and delicious creations to savour in the colourful, adobe-toned world of the new Copal Beach on the Croisette. An unforgettable sensory experience and irresistible gastronomy will transport you to the warmth of South America with your feet in the Grande Bleue!

Juan Arbelaez ©AnthonyOberst

Decoration in warm adobe tones

Copal Beach catches the eye with its decoration in the colours of adobe, the clay used to build houses and haciendas, shaped into sun-dried bricks. These shades of pinkish ochre are matched by the purple of the bougainvillea flowers and the bright colours of a wild bestiary of pre-Columbian inspiration: crocodiles, jaguars, snakes… Everywhere there are plant decorations, natural materials and wooden tables. On the sand, wide white deckchairs invite you to relax and unwind under pale adobe parasols, while yachts and jet skis cruise on the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. At the entrance, a cool gurgling fountain faces a piano, played on festive evenings.

Chef Apostolis Gamvroulis ©YesICannes.com

New flavours to share

Juan Arbelaez’s menu at Copal Beach is fresh and colourful, creative and gourmet, with the enchanting flavours of South America to share and intensify the pleasures of the table. The chef’s dishes reflect the lights and colours of the enchanting landscapes of his native land and the shores of the Mediterranean, as well as the fragrances of their cultures. Always more new and original flavours in colourful, spicy – but harmonious – dishes served with pleasing combinations of textures. Blending his sparkling Latin roots with the captivating authenticity of the Mediterranean, Chef Juan Arbelaez’s cuisine sublimates the flavours of noble products, such as the day’s catch, with straightforward, deliciously distinct tastes.

Kitchen brigade at Copal Beach ©YesICannes.com

Apostolis Gamvroulis ©YesICannes.com

Plates bursting with sunshine

Generous plates, inventive combinations of flavours, taste of good produce and a perfect mastery of cooking and seasoning – the contemporary menu at Copal Beach, bathed in the sunshine of the Midi, is brought to life every day by Chef de Cuisine Apostolis Gamvroulis, whose Greek origins add a Mediterranean touch. Copal’s speciality is ‘ceviche’ with Leche de Tigre, a Peruvian ceviche marinade based on a fish stock with lime, flavoured with ginger, lemongrass and various chillies and herbs from Latin America. Its fresh, spicy flavour enhances the delicate flesh of fish or prawns, without excessive acidity. On the crunchy side, you’ll be delighted with Tuna Tartar Tacos or Beef Barbecue Empanadas.

Apostolis Gamvroulis ©YesICannes.com

Exceptional dishes every day

Every day, the Chef offers exceptional dishes such as Wagyu sirloin, Galice rib steak, lobster or a whole bass prepared in two ways: the first half is prepared as sashimi with the dressing and seasoning desired by the customer and the other half of the fish is grilled with a garnish of your choice. The desserts are all about fruit, with the Tropico Passion (white chocolate and passion fruit) or the Lemon Tart with hints of basil, or the superb, colourful fresh fruit plates.

Copal colourful fresh fruit plates (18€)

Cocktails creations

To get their meal off to a good start, guests can enjoy a delicious cocktail such as the Carajillo: Liqueur 43, iced coffee (€16); Italicus: Spritz: Prosecco, Lillet blanc, swheppes tonic (€18); Mezpritz: Mezcal, Cointreau, orange bitter, Prosecco, Soda (18€); Bloody Clams: Vodka, lemon juice, iodised Clamato juice, spicy Tabasco, celery salt Worcestershire sauce (18€); Zacil Ha: Gin Bombay Sapphire grapefruit, hibiscus syrup, Swheppes tonic; Margarita Spicy: Tequila Patrón Reposado, Tequila Olmeca, lemon juice, Cointreau, jalapeño pepper, chilli syrup (€20); Guarani: Gin Bombay Sapphire, lemon juice, Chambord, strawberry puree, egg white, pineapple juice, lavender syrup (€22); Zaci: Santa Teresa rum, Cointreau, orgeat syrup, lemon, passion fruit juice, vanilla espuma (crème fraîche and vanilla) (€25); Dos Ojos: Patrón Reposado tequila, Saint-Germain, Suze, lemon juice, swheppes ginger beer, dash of honey (€25).

©YesICannes.com

Dishes tasted (photos YesICannes.com)

Cocktail with alcohol: Spicy Margarita

Non-alcoholic cocktail: Virgin Mojito Passion

Multicoloured Tomato Salad from our Gardens (20€)

Tuna Tartar Tacos (19€)

Prawn Ceviche (21€)

Barbecued Beef Empanadas (18€)

Ceviche Fish of the day (18€)

Amberjack Tiraditi (26€)

Pimientos de Padron (14€)

Tropico Passion (22€)

Lemon Tart (15€)

Juan Arbelaez, a talented young chef

In 2007, at the age of 18, Juan Arbelaez left Bogota, where he had studied at the Lycée Français Louis-Pasteur, and arrived in France to pursue his dream of cooking in Paris. He enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu, founded in 1895 by Marthe Distel, a French journalist. He honed his culinary skills in Paris with some of the greatest chefs: Pierre Gagnaire in his 3-star restaurant on rue Balzac, Éric Briffard in the kitchens of the George-V and, in 2011, he joined Éric Fréchon‘s brigade at Le Bristol. After taking part in the Top Chef programme on M6 in 2012, he went on to work with Jean Imbert, chef of L’Acajou restaurant in Paris, who won season 3 of Top Chef in 2012, before succeeding Alain Ducasse at the Parisian palace Plaza Athénée (and who has been chef of the restaurants at the Martinez hotel in Cannes since May 2023).

Apostolis Gamvroulis & Juan Arbelaez ©AnthonyOberst

©YesICannes.com

And a media darling!

In 2013, he opened his first restaurant, Plantxa, in Boulogne-Billancourt, then created the Nubé restaurant at the Marignan Champs Elysées hotel. From 2015 to 2016, he was a cookery columnist on Stéphane Bern‘s magazine Comment ça va bien! At the same time, he teamed up with Mauricio Zillo to open the A Mere restaurant in Paris, then created a concept based around bread and wine, Levain in Boulogne-Billancourt. Juan Arbelaez’s talent has led him to appear regularly on a number of TV programmes, as a food commentator, on the Internet and on Instagram. Since September 2023, he has been a guest on Les Grosses Têtes TV show.

Creating memories and memorable moments

Juan Arbelaez comments on his idea for Copal: “There is a strong tradition in Latin American countries of reproducing these rituals that purify souls and places. Copal is one of these traditions, an incense that has been revered since ancient times and whose aromatic resin comes from certain trees in Central America. Its smoke purifies interiors and eliminates negative energies. It is used in syncretic rituals to bless seeds, ask for rain or show gratitude for harvests. On the beach that bears its name, we want to draw inspiration from this cultural richness, these notions of union and sharing that exist throughout this part of the world. Having a beach in Cannes has always been a dream of mine, and the idea came to me to make it a reality in partnership with Romain Gaudré (Must Group), who is a friend of mine and with whom I share the same vision of the business. We want our customers to go to Copal not just to consume cocktails or plates, but to create memories and memorable moments.”

Open summer and winter

Open 300 days a year, from 10am to 2am, summer and winter, from sunny December lunches in the Côte d’Azur’s mild climate to scorching summer days when life can only be imagined on deckchairs, Copal Beach (formerly the 3.14 beach) is one of those places with good energy, where every detail – from the spicy smells to the original décor, not forgetting a real commitment to gastronomy – is an integral part of the journey.