Restaurants & Cafés Near Your Nice Apartment
Nice's cuisine is reason enough to rent a Nice apartment and visit this sun-kissed city. Unlike northern France, the local diet largely ignores heavy ingredients like butter, foie gras and beef. Instead, it relies on produce from the local hills and shores, including superb olive oil, garlic, fish, wild mushrooms, squid, figs, tomatoes and other market-fresh vegetables.
Restaurants sit on literally every street corner in Nice, wherever you choose to rent a holiday apartment. Food styles vary from classic French bistro fare to haute cuisine, sushi to new wave Provençal cooking. Included in the mix is fabulous pizza and pasta from just over the Italian border. Most of the restaurants in Nice have open-air terraces allowing guests to dine under the sun and the stars.
Prices vary from €10 lunches to Michelin-starred blowouts. Most restaurants sell wine en pichet (by the jug), which is an inexpensive way of sampling Provence's award-winning harvest. Better still for families, restaurants in Nice are extremely child-friendly, with special menus, seats and attention for little diners.
All of our holiday rental apartments in Nice are close to convenience stores, bakeries and at least one large supermarket, as well as a legion of cafés and restaurants. And as there's so many to choose from (and boy, did we have a hard time researching!) we've divided our list into our favourites from each area of central Nice: Massena, Carré d'Or, the Promenade, the Old Town, Port and Musiciens. Bon appétit!
RESTAURANTS AROUND PLACE MASSENA & PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS
“This zone has its share of Nice's classiest dining rooms. There are many more down-to-earth eateries dotted around, including excellent sushi, pizza and inexpensive Provençal cooking. And the Old Town's multitude of restaurants is a short stroll away!”
This tiny Japanese restaurant oozes class from its décor, service, the highly original place settings and, of course, its food. Perfect for a romantic night out. Most diners opt for the three course €33 set menu, which includes five starters, four mains and dessert. Dishes range from daikon chips and silk tofu to reams of nigiri, sushi and classic noodles dishes. Try the chef's more unusual version of the Niçois staple, petit farcis. Closed Sunday, plus Monday and Wednesday lunch.
Boasts a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest seafood restaurants in Nice. It's a must-visit for fish fanatics who delight in overflowing platters of oysters, shrimps, lobsters and every sort of freshly caught local fish. Non-fish fans can dine on excellent classic Italian dishes. The paella touches perfection. Three course meals between €35-75. Open daily.
A must-try venue for foodie visitors to Nice. Famous for serving their choices of starters, mains and desserts by the bols, or small platters, the menu is simple yet full of flavour with a sprinkling of fun. The Italian-influenced menu changes daily but popular dishes are white truffle risotto, artichoke and Parmesan salad and their hot plate grilled meat and fish dishes. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Hugely popular with local residents, La Casa is also one of our office's favourite lunch spots. A piadina is an Italian flatbread made using just flour, water and a little olive oil. These are then filled with your choice of fresh fillings, such as salad, Italian cheeses or grilled meats. Cooked and prepared freshly while you wait, they make a perfect light lunch.
Popular with locals and in-the-know tourists, La Cave d'Origine dishes up platefuls of the finest classic French products from olive tapenade to regional salami, accompanied with one of their carefully selected wines. In the kitchen you'll find chefs who learned from the best at La Petite Maison (Nice) and Le Chateau de la Chevre d'Or (Eze), two renowned regional restaurants, so it's no surprise that the food is imaginative and tasty. Closed Sunday and Monday, plus Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
Cosy and welcoming, this café is popular with a younger crowd but attracts anyone with a sweet tooth. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen are temptation itself! Pick up a bagel or salad to take away or relax on one of the comfy sofas with a latte and a muffin or cookie. The day's specialities are written on the blackboard; cupcake Wednesdays go down particularly well and the Nutella muffins are to die for! Kids will love it, and there's free Wi-Fi too. Alberti – closed Sunday, Prefecture – closed Monday
Since 2008, Flaveur has been a place of pilgrimage for food-loving visitors to Nice. Hip decor is coupled with contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, often with hints of unusual Asian spices. At lunch you can dig into a main dish with glass of wine and coffee for just €15, a veritable steal. Dishes include steak tartare with panisse (chickpea) chips. Closed Sunday and Monday, plus Saturday lunch.
Great for kids and adults alike, Tat-O-Titon makes delicious crepes with a variety of fillings. Nutella features heavily on the menu; choose from tiramisu au Nutella, milkshakes and Nutella coffee. The weekend brunches are great. You can opt for Nordic (pancakes or crepes, smoked salmon and eggs), British (with eggs and bacon) or a more continental choice with unlimited crepes and jams. Closed Sunday lunch and Monday
A Michelin-starred restaurant that dishes up contemporary French cuisine without breaking the bank. Sumptuous seafood menu items include sautéed langoustines with fresh coriander. The decor of canvasses and modern sculpture add to the plush dining experience. The best bit? Their lunchtime set menu for €20, a great chance to try haute cuisine on a budget. Three courses from €42. Closed Sunday.
Click here to see our apartments around Place Massena
Click here to read more about Place Massena
Click here to read more about the Promenade des Anglais
RESTAURANTS IN CARRÉ D'OR
“Our holiday rental apartments in the Carré d'Or are close to a huge variety of restaurants, not least the ones in Massena and the Old Town, which are a short stroll away. Aside from the classy – yet inexpensive – neighbourhood bistros, Carré d'Or is noted for its haute cuisine and its upscale Italian restaurants: a legacy of the many wealthy Italian residents who have made this area their home. And who can blame them?”
We love this little lunch bar-cum-restaurant owned by a friendly Danish couple, Kim and Ellen. Their full menu includes salads, sandwiches and great value plats du jours, along with grilled salmon and tuna steaks. Mains are served with vegetables or come encased in a doorstop sandwich with chunky oven roasted frites. Scandinavian specialties include gravadlax and smoked herring. Closed Sundays.
Having trained with several highly regarded chefs including Alain Ducasse, it's little surprise that Luc Salsedo offers some of the best contemporary French cuisine in Nice. Asian-influences are everywhere, and the service, wine list and elegant crisp surroundings all add to the class. The menu changes every ten days, with seasonal produce being tossed into squid risotto, polenta and roast duck. A solid recommendation. Three courses from €44. Closed Wednesday, plus Thursday and Saturday lunch.
Modern yet completely authentic Italian restaurant, with a focus on northern Italian cooking. No pizzas here; the owners concentrate on simple pasta and meat dishes including escalope Milanese (a hearty breaded veal dish). As with any good Italian chef, the success lies less in the originality of the dishes and more in the quality of the fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked pasta. Dishes average around €13. The wine list, as they say, is tutto Italiano.
Click here to see our apartments in Carré d'Or
Click here to read more about the Carré d'Or area
RESTAURANTS IN OLD TOWN
“To put it bluntly, if you can't fine a good meal near our holiday rental apartments in Nice Old Town you need your head checked! Fabulous restaurants sit on every street corner. Most of them have outdoor tables in summer, and cosy interiors in winter. Cuisine varies from the supremely classy on the Cours Saleya (the Old Town's main thoroughfare and site of its daily farmers' market) to the cheap and very cheerful on the teaming back streets. These reviews are a small selection, but we could have gone on forever!”
Open lunchtime only, and ever popular with the locals, Bar de la Bourse is a seriously no-frills dining experience. Ridiculously cheap and plentiful local cuisine includes onion tarte, daube stew, grilled red mullet and hunks of steak. Three courses costs less than €15 and the atmosphere is truly a one-off (be prepared to shout over the din!). Arrive early or you'll probably have to wait for a table. And don't be put off by the tiny entrance – just push on through. Closed Sunday and Monday, plus evenings.
A local institution that guarantees a great pizza. Prices hover between €8 and €12, and the pastas and killer salads are also recommended. Best value are the ‘kits', essentially a set menu of food and drink. Try the €14 Kit Provençal for a Provençal pizza (our favourite) and a half litre of red wine, plus a goat's cheese and honey dessert. This friendly bistro also does pizza to take away and decent cocktails.
What was one of the best-kept secrets in Nice Old Town now books out solidly even on Tuesday lunchtime. It took us eight attempts to get a table in this rustic restaurant, but it was worth the wait! The best tables are upstairs or right outside on pretty Rue de la Prefecture. The Bistrot offers wholesome French cuisine with a northern twist: dishes include sausage and lentils served in its own Le Creuset pot, and marinated tongue (nicer than it sounds!). Dishes range between €10-20.
This welcoming bistro has the most colourful interior and alfresco terrace in the Old Town, and offers contemporary French cuisine with fresh and often organic ingredients. Expect traditional French cuisine such as lentil sausages, fish soup and foie gras with a modern, Provençal twist. They certainly know their wines, which are decanted into jugs at your table. Three course menu €35. Closed Wednesday.
Dominic Le Stanc left his job at the Hotel Negresco's famous Chantecler restaurant to take over this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Using only the freshest market ingredients, and the skills derived from working for years in Michelin-starred kitchens, he prepares oh-so-fine versions of Niçois classics like chitterling sausages, courgette fritters, black pudding and beef stew. The only way to pay for your food here is good old-fashioned cash. A la carte only, around €12 a dish. Closed Saturday & Sunday.
Part-shop, part-restaurant, this is an olive oil lover's fantasy, where you can buy, sample and dine out on unique oils from Provence and farther afield. Proprietor and olive oil fanatic Nadim lovingly prepares every dish, and each one is carefully selected to complement the aroma and taste of an individual olive oil. Sample an olive oil to be used with a tomato and avocado starter, another for goat cheese, and another for lasagne. There's even an oil for tiramisu! Dishes from €14.
An institution in Vieux Nice, this family-run restaurant of 80 years standing recently caught the attention of the New York Times. Now, more than ever, it's a prize indeed to secure a table at this tiny, unpretentious eatery. Serving very simple Niçois cuisine, your order is taken and shouted back to the kitchen. And you are often so close to your dining neighbours that meeting new friends is inevitable. Three courses costs just €13, so most diners are opt for the bargain set menu.
The rich and famous frequent this establishment eatery, and President Sarkozy and Elton John are both regular visitors. It's renowned for its refined but animated atmosphere and excellent Provençal cuisine, which includes fresh shrimp salad and scrambled eggs with truffles. Book well ahead, and expect to pay for the privilege of getting a table. But it's worth it! Closed Sunday.
The cheapest meal in town and a real bonus if you're with children. It's a self-service restaurant so the kids can pick what they want for themselves. It serves regional fare including the Niçois socca, a chickpea pancake that's one of the best local dishes for younger palates. Also on the menu are petit farcis, Niçois salads, fish fritters, pizza, tarts and pasta. Dishes around €2-8.
A bar-cum-restaurant backed up by food-loving British chefs who are serious about their profession. Every day diners will find up to nine choices of tapas, which are sold individually or on huge tasting platters. They also have an a la carte menu with starters and desserts from €5 and mains from €15. In true British fashion, the chefs also purvey a fine Sunday Roast that keeps local expats coming back for more. Open daily.
Sometimes the simple menus are the best, and this is one of those times. The family-run business that serves the famous Alziari oil offers up mouth-watering lamb daube, as well as pâtes au pistou, tuna and white bean salad, sardines farcis and braised veal. The homemade chocolate cake is also yummy. The best thing about La Table Alziari is, of course, the can of Alziari oil that sits majestically on your table. Grab a vol-au-vent and drizzle away to your heart's content. Closed Sunday and Monday.
La Taca does classic country cooking at honest prices, must to the delight of several local top chefs, including La Merénda's Dominic Le Stanc. Unpretentious and a little rough round the edges, La Taca serves up traditional wholesome dishes, concentrating on fish and Niçois specialities, from platters of lightly grilled red mullet to spicy aioli dip. Closed Monday.
This cosily romantic bistro is perfect for dinner à deux. Its two dining rooms and outdoor dining terrace are habitually packed with locals and well-versed tourists alike. The menu is weighted towards rich dishes from southwestern France, including cassoulet and scallops in white wine sauce. More adventurous Arabian-influenced ideas include as lamb and apricot tajine. Three course set menus from €29. Open daily.
La Voglia and its counterpart La Favola on the Cours Saleya are by far the most popular restaurants in this neighbourhood. Queues for tables start at 7pm, and there's no secret why. Superior quality and generous servings of Italian favourites make up the menu here. Tuck into one of the best pizzas in Nice or a delicious fish bowl sized platter of seafood pasta. Neither restaurant accepts reservations, so leave your name with the maitre d' and he'll give you a shout when the table's ready – you can always have a quick drink around the corner while you wait. Open every day.
Click here to see our rental apartments in the Old Town
Click here to read more about the Old Town area
RESTAURANTS IN NICE PORT
“A long, wide ring of restaurants wrap themselves around Nice's historic port. One of the joys of dining in this area is meandering along the quays, reading the evening menus and peeking at what other diners are eating (a sure way to find a good place!). The port's cosmopolitan nature translates into a fine supply of restaurants influenced by cuisines from across the world: Italian, Indian, Japanese and Moroccan among them. Prices are normally less expensive than restaurants in Massena, Carré d'Or and Musiciens, and wine is usually available by the pichet.”
Stroll down and admire the stunning array of yachts in port before dining on sea bass on a bed of fresh asparagus, turbot with salmon eggs, or fresh lobster cooked in multiple ways. It's an upscale restaurant, classy and sophisticated, that has earned a Michelin star. Three courses range from €55-88. Closed Wednesday.
The relaxed atmosphere, long opening hours (8am until 12.30am Monday to Friday), good food and great wine are a few of the reasons this bistro-bar is a favourite for guests at our holiday rental apartments in Nice Port. Whether you are after tapas, traditional French cuisine, simple pasta dishes or just a great bottle of wine to share, Café Borghese will deliver. The hip interior bathes under the glow of a far-out Murano glass chandelier; outdoors the terrace is a great place to eat lunchtime specials or sip a cocktail. Closed Sundays.
This novel bistro stands apart from the others on pedestrian-only Place Garibaldi, as it offers inventive takes on traditional dishes and wow-factor plat du jour lunches. If you have always wanted to try the more adventurous famous French dishes such as buttered snails or pork belly, this is the place for you. Our personal favourite is their mouth-watering salt-crusted sea bass. Three courses weigh in around €45. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
This slick 30-seat bistro is always packed with the contented vibes of chattering diners. It infuses Spanish-style tapas with a Niçois twist, and there are mini-dishes of duck, tomato, basil, plus artichoke and bruschetta bites. It's worth noting that the chef, Anthony Riou, did a stint at the Hotel Negresco before moving here, so quality is assured. Eight tapas dishes cost €28, or you can eat à la carte for €4-6 a dish. Closed Sunday and Monday evenings.
Pizza chef Pascal Fritsch had his pizza campagnarde commended as the best pizza on the Côte d'Azur – and the second best pizza in France – in 2006. Baked in a real wood stove (Au Vieux Four means "by the old oven"), the reasonably priced pizzas come out with a delicious paper-thin crust. There are also tasty meat dishes – again cooked in the wood-fired oven – and fantastic scallops. Whoever makes the tiramisu should also win an award too. Temptingly displayed in the chiller cabinet, it is absolutely melt-in-the-mouth delectable and should not be missed. Closed Sundays, plus Monday evenings.
Pumpkins and their courgette cousins are the order of the day at this hugely popular vegetarian restaurant nuzzled up against the Port. The interior is eccentrically decorated with dried pumpkins and opera posters: indeed the Italian proprietor and head chef is a distant relative of Luciano Pavarotti! There is a no nonsense (and no choice) five or six course tasting menu offered for a fixed price of €29. With cheese also featuring heavily, you will look a little pumpkin-esque on your way out. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Click here to see our apartments in the Port
Click here to read more about the Port area
RESTAURANTS IN MUSICIENS
“Musiciens is a smart residential neighbourhood. Its wealthy residents will routinely dine out a few times each week, and we expect our rental guests staying in the area will probably do the same! Although the area is dotted with several excellent neighbourhood brasseries and great bakeries, most locals meander down to Massena or the Old Town for dinner. However, there are three or four excellent restaurants that attract residents from across the city.”
Smart, informal neighbourhood brasserie that prides itself on a well-priced plat du jour dish or two each lunchtime. Cuisine is both simple and locally inspired: try beef bavette with onions and frites, or grilled duck breasts tossed on a green salad. Bistro tables and chairs outside on the quiet street.
For high-end seafood, hit Viviers's formal restaurant on the right; for its less expensive little brother, choose the bistro entrance on the left. Both share a steamy kitchen steeped in fish stock, where classics like soupe de poissons, crab salad, platters of oysters and grilled sea bream are dished up to customers in both establishments. The bistro serves a €15 lunchtime set menu; the restaurant takes things up a notch with lobster dishes, salt-crusted sea bass and skate wing with lemongrass. Closed Sunday, plus Saturday dinner.
Zen is a modern Vietnamese/Japanese near Avenue Jean Médécin, in an area that abounds with many great ethnic restaurants from Laos, Cambodia, Morocco and beyond. Entrees include crispy seaweed salads and soy-seared scallops in their shell. Mains are less elaborate but extremely tasty, with spicy shrimp soup and wasabi beef cuts on the menu. Parties are catered for alongside the tepanyaki hot plate: fried tofu and langoustine are tossed into the mouth of diners by the dexterous chefs.
Click here to see our apartments in Musiciens
Click here to read more about the Musiciens area
