You want to go all out and experience the very best dining in Nice? Here are the seven best restaurants in Nice, all awarded Michelin stars. You'll notice that local chefs are committed to using locally sourced products even though the seasoning may be inspired by flavors around the globe. What to wear? You can't go wrong with smart casual. Reserve in advance for all.
(Looking for top dining on a budget? Check out these great lunch deals in Nice)
Flaveur **
No molecular cuisine for these two young chefs, Mikael and Gael Tourteaux yet their cuisine is delightfully inventive. After training at the Hotel Negresco under Alain Llorca, they enjoyed a rapid success, receiving their first Michelin star in 2011. Their second Michelin star was awarded in 2018.
So what defines the “Tourteaux touch”? A willingness to take measured risks but with flavoring that always makes sense. Their cooking embraces both local produce and distant influences. A scorpion fish from Nice might meet a deeply aromatic broth flavored with aromatic Indian spices. From start to finish, this is fine, assured cooking with real personality.
Price: A four-course lunch is €180; a six-course dinner is €220.
Chef Mikhael Gracieux has studied with a number of top French chefs (Plaza Athénée, Le Bristol, Louis XV) but now he could teach them a thing or two. The modern and creative cuisine is based on top-quality produce from the Mediterranean, particularly the fish and seafood.
Price: Five-course menu €130; 7 courses €180.
Chantecler *
Located in the iconic Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais, its Michelin star is well-deserved. Normandy-born Virginie Basselot is at the helm now and steers her kitchen to highlight the freshest fish, seafood, chicken and meat. The relationships she's forged with local suppliers insure the highest quality.
Price: Five-course menu €210; 8-course menu €280.
Vegetarians aren't an afterthought here. The entire menu is vegetarian, prepared with imagination and care. Chef Bruno Cirino is a vegetable whisperer with a passion for organic and locally sourced produce from the fields surrounding Eze and La Turbie.
Price: Menu €85.
ONice *
Lorenzo Ragni and Florencia Montes are an Italo-Argentinian couple who enjoyed a brilliant career in Michelin-starred restaurants before opening this intimate space. The emphasis is on seafood which are dressed up with local flavors. Check out the tagliatelle of cuttlefish with lemon dressing or the seabass in a champagne emulsion.
Price: Five-course menu €125; 7-course menu €145.
This contemporary bistro is run by Samuel Victori, formerly second chef at Passage 53. He focuses on precisely cooked dishes with restrained seasoning and an emphasis on texture, and often explains the composition of his plates directly to diners. The kitchen works exclusively with local suppliers, producing original recipes with distinctive combinations and imaginative titles. Check out What the Sea Gave Us, featuring a fillet of poached sea bass served with kochihikari rice, thinly sliced raw turnip and seaweed, accompanied by a beurre blanc made with bonito-infused dashi.
Price: Weekend lunch and dinner menu €105; 8-course dinner menu
Jan *
South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, formerly a private yacht chef in Monaco and a photojournalist for a leading magazine, now runs a small, intimate restaurant near the port. He offers a single tasting menu of creative, personal dishes that explore sweet-and-sour contrasts alongside smoky, spicy and acidic flavours, drawing on South African culinary influences. Cheese is served at a dedicated bar opposite the restaurant, featuring a buffet of around twenty cheeses, accompanied by drinks, preserves and dried fruit.
Price: Classic dinner menu €165; Signature dinner menu €195
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Hi! I'm Jeanne Oliver--tour guide and author and I've been living on the Riviera for years. With my local insights your trip will be easy and fun. And, do check out my book Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City.
