Food is one of the great joys of travel and our roving retirement. In Nice, the food is primarily a mélange of French, Italian, and Nicoise styles, with a generous sprinkling of foreign cuisines. As with many towns in France, attention to detail, freshness, and quality is the norm.
Near Place Masséna
Les Sens
A fine dining restaurant right around the corner from our apartment. This was our first dinner upon arrival in Nice in September. They set a high standard. In addition to the prix fixe we ordered from, we had wonderful bread and an amuse-bouche. I wish we had returned before confinement resumed and they closed their doors.
Le Cenac
A Bistro a few blocks away. I had a truffle ravioli, need I say more? Diana’s veal with mushroom gravy was not too shabby either.
La Maison de Marie
The sign on Rue de France, a pedestrian street nearby kept calling to me, but it took nearly four weeks for us to go in. I wish we hadn’t waited that long. A small alley leads to a beautiful restaurant with well prepared, refined food in a quiet atmosphere. When the weather is nice, they have a lovely dining patio.
L’Aromate
A Michelin One-Star restaurant that is actually in our building! Their menu the day we were there had at least five courses. The wonderful and innovative food (lots of foam), was expertly prepared by a husband and wife team. We paid half the price of a similar experience in California. I hope they can survive the latest round of confinement.
Old Town Finds
The old town is a five to 10-minute walk from our apartment that takes us through a lovely park.
Lou Pistou
An impossibly charming bistro recommended by our Airbnb hosts. Good food and a very friendly atmosphere.
Bistrot d’Antoine
Another charming bistro in the old town. Great flavors and presentation. Diana opted for a yellow carrot salad. Yum!
Chez Acchiardo
Lucky us. The daube with ravioli was fantastic. They added tables in the street and up the steps on the side as the crowd swelled over dinner.
Lunch and Beyond
Aux Deux Palmiers
We took the same route nearly every day to school for a few weeks. During our walk back from school around lunchtime, Diana noticed this bistro was always crowded. We finally went just before confinement. I originally ordered some pasta, but quickly switched to a burger when one arrived at the next table. It was very good. Good beef burgers can be hard to find here. The French can’t seem to resist putting some spin on the concept. Sometimes, you just want it seasoned with salt and pepper. Let the beef do the talkin’.
Deli Banh Mi
Constant French and Italian food can get tiresome (gasp!). This Vietnamese breakfast/lunch joint one block away serves wonderful, made to order banh mi and bo bun. A great way to cleanse your palate for another run at the pasta or daube.
Armand
Diana’s favorite patisserie. The baguettes are (almost) always great and there is a nice if pricey, selection of pastries.
Also of Note
There are lots of beautiful custom chocolate shops near our apartment and they must be classified as essential services because they are still open during confinement. We still have time to check them out.
Pizza is a ubiquitous food. We have found pizza in every country we have visited in the last 10 years. Most of the pizza here in Nice is Neapolitan style with a very thin crust but they don’t skimp on the toppings. Fortunately, most of the pizza places are open for takeout during confinement.
Here is a list in Gmaps for these restaurants and more places we enjoyed in Nice.
Which of these places makes your mouth water?
3 comments
Neapolitan style is NY style as per the picture, so it looks just fine to me, especially with the eggplant. All the food sounded wonderful!!!
Thanks a lot! I’m now starving!
Food as art. A long way from one of those 72 ouncers in Texas where it’s free if you can eat it within an hour. Plus all the side dishes.