Showing 1-18 of 18 results
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11e Art
A relative newbie on the contemporary dining scene, this hybrid lounge-bar-restaurant is a smart, chic affair with steely bar stools out front and sofa seating in an ultra-cool air-con interior.
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Blue Beach
Much of the seashore is backed by beach restaurants offering predictable Mediterranean cuisine and the chance to dip between courses. Food at Blue Beach is a cut above the rest, plus it hosts free jamming sessions with musicians performing at the Nice Jazz Festival and interesting dinner conferences on Niçois history and culture in July.
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Chez René Socca
Perfect for filling a hungry moment coming from the beach or any time of day are a bunch of battered local specialities, especially common in Vieux Nice, where Chez René Socca dole them out to a merrily munching, family-friendly, fun-loving crowd packed around shared bench seating on the street. Order drinks separately from a passing drinks waiter.
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Karr
Hugely popular for lunch with working 30-somethings, this spacious contemporary eating space with crowded street terrace is just the ticket for dining with a difference: think mussel soup, warm oven-baked goat's cheese with honey and almonds, lobster risotto or veal escalope with a stuffed artichoke (in season).
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Kei's Passion
He might only be 26 years old but Japanese hot shot Keisuke Matsushima, alias Kei, makes heads turn at Kei's Passion, a minimalist space dedicated to gastronomy and crowned with a shiny Michelin star within a year of its opening. Cuisine is overwhelmingly Mediterranean (lots of Italian influence in there) with a subtle dash of the Orient, while the wine cellar, notably, is predominantly organic.
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L'Escalinada
Little has changed at this enchanting old-town auberge (think red-and-white checked tablecloths) for decades: all the old Niçois favourites are cooked up here alongside a clutch of more adventurous specialities, pig nose salad and breaded sheep testicles (sweet breads) included. Get here early to snag a table on its candlelit street terrace. No credit cards.
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La Cantine de Lulu
Lulu - Lucien Brych - is the name behind this illustrious bistro where local specialities and all the great French classics are eaten with vigour by an appreciative, regular crowd. Friday is aïoli, stockfish and bouillabaisse (order in advance)day. Lulu's Canteen is small; arrive on the dot.
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La Merenda
Infamous for having no phone, no credit cards, and (obviously) no phone reservations (but beloved nonetheless), you'll need to try for a reservation in person for Le Merenda's regional comfort food such as stockfish, a local specialty soaked for days in running water to triple its size, then simmered with onions, tomatoes, garlic, black and green olives, bell peppers, olive oil and potatoes.
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La Taca d'Oli
No wonder the bagna cauda (raw mixed veg dipped into a pot of warm tangy anchovy paste known as anchoïade )at this tiny old-town bistro dating to 1947 is so legendary: the same chef has been making it here for the past 17 years! A shared portion of bagna pan (raw red mullet and sea bream fillets dipped in hot fish soup) ordered alongside it makes a perfect supper for two.
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Le 3e
If the sheer length of dish names defeats you (or you simply want to lunch), opt for simpler Le 3e. Inside Palais de la Méditerranée, it's the lounge bar across from the terrace pool. Enjoy meats barbecued à la plancha (on the griddle).
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Le Nautique
Decked out in gleaming polished timber like a grand old yacht sailing its way around the Med, this vast place appears to merge with the boat-filled port directly in front. Over four separate dining rooms, the order of the day is, appropriately enough, seafood, with a selection of salads (such as octopus salad with local olive oil), pastas, and premium plats like grilled giant tiger prawns. Vegetable and meat dishes also feature.
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Le Padouk
A big address houses culinary giant, chef Bruno Sohn, who stuns palates with a cuisine oozing originality at Le Padouk, on the third floor of Palais de la Méditerranée. Be it octopus and red mullet prepared like stockfish or a sweet feast of almond jelly, roasted apricots, exotic sorbet and basil syrup, Sohn insists on throwing an imaginative twist into his cooking pot.
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Les Épicureans
If you don't have time to visit the glamorous, pint-sized principality of Monaco, 18km east of Nice, this wood-and-white-tableclothed place overlooking a pretty fountained square brings Monégasque cuisine to you. What's more, it's so expertly prepared that Monaco's monarch, Prince Albert, comes to dine here. House specialties include barbajuans (tiny fried ravioli with gaspacho sauce) and cocottes (cast-iron casserole dishes).
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Pasta Basta
Nice's proximity to the border means you can count on Italian restaurants here to be bellissimo . This inexpensive old-town place dishes up authentic pasta and primo pizzas on stylish plates. There's a canopied front terrace, intimate main room, and upstairs dining room that attracts lively groups.
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Restaurant du Gésu
Locals rave about this no-frills eating house, run with dynamism and a huge dose of wit by the most gravelly-voiced patron on the Riviera. The menu is simple - Niçois beignets (fritters) followed by pizza, escalope or homemade pasta with a choice of sauce, house speciality sauce daube (a meaty broth sauce) included. Find Gésu tucked on an old-town square in the shade of a church.
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Voyageur Nissart
No frills, just good solid portions of traditional Niçois fare, served speedily and with a smile ensure this small three generation-run family bistro near the train station makes it in practically every travel guide. Going strong since 1908, its clientele nonetheless remain fairly local.
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Zucca Magica
Zucca Magica (The Magic Pumpkin) You'll either love it or you'll hate it…the idea of someone else deciding what you eat. Bursting with vegetarian surprises and guaranteed to thrill, top Italian chef Marco Folicardi moved from Rome to Nice to open this much-vaunted 'veg, egg and cheese restaurant' - the only one of its kind on the Riviera - where one fixed menu confiance is served, dictated simply by the market and la fantasie du chef.
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Showing 1-18 of 18 results
