Nice, France, dining recommendations

[Aerides]

I have a tripped planned next month, and have most of our itinerary done, but would like to plan some dinners for the "can't miss" stuff. We are not huge foodies, but we tend to enjoy memorable dinners on trips almost more than some of the actual places.

Looking for recommendations!

Price is not an issue, not looking for budget stuff, this is time to BTD (but I would still like places that have decent wines for $100 or less most nights). We're staying near Old Town, and will venture out a bit, but our days are pretty full so I imagine we'll want to stay somewhat local for most nights. No particular limits on diet stuff, oh and if there's a lunch place that's great too.

I hate to google those "best places to..." because they often are the best places for tourists to go, vs. true local immersion.

 

[oiseux]

We've been going back and forth to Nice for eight years since buying there, and have spent 3 weeks there already, with two months coming up.

BTD:
* Jan* - in the port area, French interpreted by a South African chef. One of the top in the city.
* Flaveur** - in the center, near Place Durandy (Tram Ligne 2). Top choice in the city.
* Pur et V* - owned by a sommelier named the best in France a few years ago. More casual.
* Chantecler* -- in the Negresco hotel, for a more formal experience with the art-filled hotel as the draw.
Except for the Chantecler, these are based solely on tasting menus and often with suggested flight pairings.

High quality but lower priced, and a la carte menus when you don't want to sit for hours through a multi-course tasting menu
* Bistrot d'Antoine - classic french bistrot with a menu that changes daily. (Comptoir du Marche is similar, from the same owner). Old Town.
* Olive et Artichaut - smaller restaurant, a little more modern take on dishes. Old Town.
* Bar des Oiseaux - from the same owner as the first one, but more pasta and pan-med centric. Old Town.
* Cantine du Meme -- small innovative modern menu from a Paris transplant, in the Carre d'Or
* l'Alchimie -- a short three course set menu, in the Carre d'Or
* La Merenda -- a very small, rustic restaurant that is the measuring stick for classic Nicois specialties. Run/owned by the former 2 Michelin * chef of the Negresco.

Great views
le Plongeoir (at the far end of the port) -- famous for the perched platforms on rocks jutting in the bay. Food is just OK - lunch is a good choice for the daytime water views. Instagram has driven the reservation to months in advance.
Les Baie des Anges -- at Castel Plage, but separate on platforms cut into the rocks at the far end of the Promenade des Anglais, with views down the entire beach. My discerning friends like the fish-centric food here better.
Taulissa: at the top of the new Maison Albar Le Victoria hotel, with expansive views over the city and the sea. Modern take on Provencal cuisine.
You can also dine at any number of beach restaurants. Le Galet is my go-to for Italian-leaning lunch. The pebble beaches give the restaurants a perched position above the water, along much of the Prom.

Many of these can be reserved online at their website or via The Fork/La Forchette.

 

[rodi]

Not a fancy place but amazing to-go tuna sandwich that I still dream about 15 years later. J multari in Old Nice. We spent a week in nice and would pick up sandwiches on our way to the beach.

Like I said, not fancy, not sit down... But I still remember the sandwiches.

 

[audreyh1]

Food is great in Nice. Our favorite in France. We visited in 2016. We came after visiting many Provence locations which were great and food in Nice topped it all.

We stayed at the Hotel Mercure Nice Centre which was a great walkable location equidistant from the train station and the beach.

Nearby were two sister restaurants: Le Petit Cafe and Le Sejour Cafe. These were both fabulous. They are very small restaurants so reservations recommended. Galician style food, outstanding. I got these from trip advisor reviews for our hotel.

Another one we really enjoyed I think it was La Maison de Marie, a traditional Nice restaurant. This was recommended by the hotel. Really excellent and we would have returned if a bit more time. Hotels can be a good source of recommendations.

The Provence rosé wine is produced here and is very good. Everyone drinks it here. I believe that Bandol is a recommended wine region in particular.

There are so many fantastic things to do/see in the area, and much easily accessible by train or bus. Otherwise small group minivan day trips abound. We particularly enjoyed the Picasso Museum in Antibes, a neat building and cool coastal town to explore, took the train. And the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, spectacular house, gardens, and setting on the Cap Ferrat peninsula, took a bus.

We used a small group day trip tour to visit one of many famous perfume factories in Grasse, inland in the mountains. This also toured a small olive oil producer and mill, and visited the famous Matisse Chapel in Vence, also one of the many cool hilltop towns in Provence. And tried lilac ice cream on the way, interesting. Just four of us on this trip so it was great. Extremely scenic.

And the open air market in Nice downtown near the beach, Cr Seleya, it may be shown as the flower market but has food, produce, crafts too. Great place to pick up olives, dips, fruit. Great walking area too.

We visited many more locations, that’s just a sampling

 

[oiseux]

Not a fancy place but amazing to-go tuna sandwich that I still dream about 15 years later. J multari in Old Nice.

A "pan bagnat", the classic sandwich of Nice, and a go to for a quick and not-so unhealthy lunch (like a true salade nicoise on a roll). J. Multari has multiple locations around the city and has good version. I love the version at "Pan", a small shop just off the Prom near the Westminster. They do elevated sandwiches. Listing of some places, including Pan (main picture) and TinTin, the famous kiosk near the local's market.

I really like Le Sejour cafe, as Athena mentioned. A real well executed bistrot. I think the sister restaurant closed after the pandemic.

Bandol is perhaps the top regions for rose; some excellent choices from St. Tropez and in general, Cotes de Provence. There is a small region in Nice, called Bellet, and the roses can be quite good.

I find in general the Nicoise cuisine and nearby Provence (and Liguria) align well to my style of eating -- fresh, local, seasonal, atrong role for vegetables/legumes, olive oil instead of cream and less meat overall (though the French influence remains).

 

[pb4uski]

No recommendations, but a story to share. DW and I first went to France in 1986. I asked DW to go to our credit union and get USD$300 worth of American Express Traveler's Cheques in French francs and she had told me how much in francs we had.

On the plane over we were seated next to another couple our age and we chatting away. They had been to Paris several times. I asked them what it cost to go out for a nice dinner in Paris and they responded with about the number of French francs that we had in traveler's cheques. I was flabergasted and said "You meant it costs $300 for a nice dinner in Paris?" and they responded "No, no, it's only about $30".

Well it seems that the teller at the credit union slipped a digit and instead of having USD$300 of French francs we only had USD$30. We arrived in Paris after normal business house and killed that $30 for the cab ride from the airport to our hotel and for a late dinner had to limit ourselves to restaurants that took credit cards until we could get to American Express and get more French francs the next day. And then we had to get it all sorted with the credit union when we got back to the US.

 

[Zona]

We stayed in Nice for four weeks a couple years ago. Our apartment was a few blocks from the Negresco. While we did not go to Chantecler, we did have a wonderful prix fixe lunch at La Rotonde, which is the Negresco non-Michelin-star restaurant. The meal and service was excellent, cocktails were very well-made as well (DH's smoked negroni was quite impressive). We mainly booked a meal there so that we could go early and walk around the hotel which is a work of art.

I know you are mostly looking for dining recommendations, but if you enjoy absinthe there is a wonderful bar/museum in Antibes with extremely knowledgeable staff. Pretty sure it is just called "Absinthe Museum" but the bar is downstairs below street level and very memorable.

 

[audreyh1]

Nearby were two sister restaurants: Le Petit Cafe and Le Sejour Cafe. These were both fabulous. They are very small restaurants so reservations recommended. Galician style food, outstanding. I got these from trip advisor reviews for our hotel.

Oops! I meant they serve cuisine from Britany, not Galician. Was thinking from the north coast, but wrong country!

 

[oiseux]

Oops! I meant they serve cuisine from Britany, not Galician. Was thinking from the north coast, but wrong country!

I was wondering about that.... nothing struck me as Galician in the restaurant, just a more northern-leaning cuisine, although still very local and market-fresh.

I was reading an article in a national (french) newspaper about the new wave of cuisine in the city, fueled primarily by a few pioneers and now accelerated by chefs coming from Paris and from the top starred kitchens. In there, they noted as of 2023 there were now nearly 3500 eating establishments in the city, a huge number for the size. That was over 500 higher than in 2018, so inclusive of closures in the pandemic. I would say anecdotally the trend is continuing, with many new openings and new concepts in 2024 and 2025.

 

[audreyh1]

I was wondering about that.... nothing struck me as Galician in the restaurant, just a more northern-leaning cuisine, although still very local and market-fresh.

I was reading an article in a national (french) newspaper about the new wave of cuisine in the city, fueled primarily by a few pioneers and now accelerated by chefs coming from Paris and from the top starred kitchens. In there, they noted as of 2023 there were now nearly 3500 eating establishments in the city, a huge number for the size. That was over 500 higher than in 2018, so inclusive of closures in the pandemic. I would say anecdotally the trend is continuing, with many new openings and new concepts in 2024 and 2025.

So you have been to those restaurants? Neat!

I just love the blend of Mediterranean flavors in the Nice version of French cuisine. Tomatoes, eggplants, lots of other fresh veggies, those oil-cured black olives, etc.

We are in Catalonia Spain at the moment, stuffing ourselves here.

 

[kevink]

Not high-end by any means but we had lovely pizza and pasta at Sentimi two years ago and the wine list was well-chosen and good value.

 

[oiseux]

So you have been to those restaurants? Neat!

I just love the blend of Mediterranean flavors in the Nice version of French cuisine. Tomatoes, eggplants, lots of other fresh veggies, those oil-cured black olives, etc.

We are in Catalonia Spain at the moment, stuffing ourselves here.

I have been to several in the article but there are some new ones I have not tried. There really are some interesting places popping up, even on a small scale with artisanal bakers, wine bars, etc. The nicois cuisine (and some adopted Provencal dishes) in many cases is an embodiment of Med cuisine, with bolder flavors, seasonal fresh produce, olive oil, seafood and less heavy preparations overall. Of course you can still get burgers and northern food (like steak frites with herb butter) but the main cuisine is pretty healthy yet flavorful.

 

[Aerides]

Just back from out trip and wanted to circle back and thank everyone for their recommendations.

You almost can't go wrong picking anywhere blindly walking around in Nice, but I wanted a plan and wanted to hit some "experience" types of meals, and this list served that right up. It was nice to have reservations ready vs. spending part of every day working with the concierge or finding we'd have no way to get in.

We also enjoyed stopping at artisanal ice cream shops (one on every block basically) on the walk home from dinner each night.

The only one we missed that we wanted to try our first night was Bar des Oiseaux - but didn't want to schedule in case our timing was off with the travel. We ended up picking somewhere in the Market area that was just the right fit.

Our absolute will-go-back favorite was Pure Et V. We lucked out as the owner's sommelier and head chef were both away for the week, so she was our hostess, server, and sommelier all in one, she was lovely and chatty and clearly passionate. I've done wine flight pairings with nicer dinners before, but never have they felt so much like a uniquely perfect extra ingredient to the meal.

Chantecler was a lovely experience, super fancy (the wine menu book is so big they present it on its own stand...), service a little spotty and hit my pet peeve - waiting far too long after the meal is over to get the check and get on our way.

Le Sejour, very good, we sat outside on their little platform, very attentive and very nice seafood.

Oh Taulissa, lol... we were at the Meridian and looked out over in its direction from our terrace "that looks pretty I want to go there!" - so happy I found I already had it booked, amazing views.

Les Bains at Castel was nice, but mainly for the location, and a menu on an ipad drives me nuts.

Le Maison Marie also very good, a lovely setting under the canopy.

And yes I got the tuna sandwich at J Multari. If I had a shop like that at home I'd get that on the regular!

Thanks all for the help!

 

[oiseux]

Sounds like you had a good time! Thanks for reporting back. I believe the owner of Pur et V is a sommelier, and was named Michelin's Sommelier of the year for all of France a few years back.

I stayed in le Meridien, the day before we took possession of our place several blocks away. The balconies can be quite nice as well, but the new Maison Albar Victoria and Taulissa sound great.

 

[Aerides]

Sounds like you had a good time! Thanks for reporting back. I believe the owner of Pur et V is a sommelier, and was named Michelin's Sommelier of the year for all of France a few years back.

I stayed in le Meridien, the day before we took possession of our place several blocks away. The balconies can be quite nice as well, but the new Maison Albar Victoria and Taulissa sound great.

Yes I googled her, she's had quite a success for being so young when she opened the place.

Meridien is nice, functional, and the location is great. Our room was small, but the terrace was almost the same size and we spent most evenings out there after dinner. Too bad there's no better Bonvoy property in the area.

 

[rodi]

I'm getting hungry just reading your report, Aerides.

 

[BigNick]

Chantecler was a lovely experience, super fancy (the wine menu book is so big they present it on its own stand...), service a little spotty and hit my pet peeve - waiting far too long after the meal is over to get the check and get on our way.

You didn't say how long you waited, or how many times you asked for the check, but in general European restaurants are not in a hurry to bring it to you, because you have the table for the whole evening. This applies even more as you go upmarket. Only in quick-to-medium service places, and at the very busiest times of day, and in the peak of the tourists season, will you ever be nudged along.

American-style service, where in my experience the check appears as soon as the server guesses that you have stopped ordering, would be regarded as actively rude and hostile in Europe. In other words, our (European here) definition of good service is not just different in degree from yours, it may be actively the opposite.

Don't get me started on tipping...

 

[Aerides]

You didn't say how long you waited, or how many times you asked for the check, but in general European restaurants are not in a hurry to bring it to you, because you have the table for the whole evening. This applies even more as you go upmarket. Only in quick-to-medium service places, and at the very busiest times of day, and in the peak of the tourists season, will you ever be nudged along

Oh for sure I appreciate not being nudged, and we never felt that anywhere during our stay. This was definitely outside the norm, and it seemed complicated as the host had to bring the check, vs our server` Oh well! Still a lovely night.

 

[audreyh1]

Restaurants here as well which following the Mexican tradition of not bringing the check unless asked to do so.

 

[oiseux]

Yes I googled her, she's had quite a success for being so young when she opened the place.

Meridien is nice, functional, and the location is great. Our room was small, but the terrace was almost the same size and we spent most evenings out there after dinner. Too bad there's no better Bonvoy property in the area.

Technically, the Hotel du Couvent is a Bonvoy property as well, in the Luxury Collection. It is new renovation that took like 10 years top complete -- an old convent and garden now a luxury, but minimalist/monastic resort nestled in the lower part of Castle Hill .