Top Food Spots in Nice, France
Top Food Spots in Nice, France
We were going to title this article “Top Food and Drink Spots in Nice, France,” but we found it redundant as every spot is a good drink spot if you believe in yourself.
All of our chosen food spots are in Vieux Nice (Old Nice) because our apartment is located there. Btw, Old Nice is a MUST-SEE. New Nice has more of a big city vibe and thus doesn’t possess the charm that this tinier old town does, with its winding alleyways and quaint restaurants, bars, and shops. I suggest getting an Airbnb in Vieux Nice and spending the majority (if not all) of your time there.
Most of these spots are right near the Palais du Justice, the center of Old Town. However, one of our chosen spots is on Cours Saleya, an epic strip of restaurants and bars a street over from the Palais, where the flower and food markets are held daily. In addition to our recommendations, we highly suggest picking a random restaurant along this strip at which to dine.
There’s a heavy Italian influence here because the city was once under Italian rule, so expect a confluence of French & Italian cuisine and cultures (i.e. amazing Niçoise salads, but also bomb pizza & Aperol spritzes).
We hope you enjoy our sacrifice—we ate at bad restaurants so that you don’t have to.
Best Cafés: Emilie & The Cool Kids, Boulangerie du Palais
These spots are perfect for a grab & go situation.
Emilie & The Cool Kids
This café was designed to be Instagrammed, with its trendy vibes and eclectic decor. Casually order at the front and then choose your seats. They offer outdoor and cozy indoor options (we’re talking maximalist wallpaper, cute velvet couches and mismatched chairs).
If you choose to eat inside, make sure you throw away your trash in the poorly-marked trash area. We had to ask the server where to put our food once we were done eating and she replied “In the trash…in France we clean up after ourselves.” I’m not bitter (I’m bitter).
This café has an extensive menu, with items including coffee (obviously), milkshakes, salads, bagels, sandwiches, and daily baked goods — i.e., there’s a little something for everyone. I personally loved the clever word play. They have a lox bagel called the Salmon & Garfunkel. My LA people, if you’re missing avo toast, this is your spot.
Also, this was the closest we got to iced coffee. Ask for a “Café Glacé” and they will hand you a blended coffee that’s basically an espresso and milk frappe. Delicious. But definitely not iced coffee.
Nice try, France.
& there’s WiFi! Quel rêve, as we say in French.
There is a HUGE selection of coffees here, which is not typical of the area.
Nutellacino— yes, please.
Bury me in this salad bowl. This one of my favorite dishes I had in France. When I studied abroad, I used to order it all the time. It has tortellini, salad, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and cheese (feta? goat? Who cares.) YUM.
This lemon cake bar (with gold sprinkles, omg) changed my life.
Boulangerie du Palais
While we’re all about that two hour European leisurely dining life, we think it’s important to have a reliable spot that you can run into for a quick espresso, croissant, or sandwich. Enter Boulangerie du Palais: the grab & go spot of our dreams.
They have a large daily selection of breads, pastries, sandwiches, and pizza by the slice, all of which looked AMAZING. We had literally the best burger and chicken sandwich of our lives here, both of which I forgot to take photos of because I was so ravenous. I also got the sandwich three days in a row (no shame).
Because it was a grab and go rushed situation each day we went here, we forgot to take a picture of the outside of the boulangerie for you guys. Sorry. Worst bloggers ever.
These pain au chocolat were delicious. We also got plain croissants with Bon Maman jam. These madeleines (below) were a gift from my host parents who visited us from Aix-en-Provence.
How cute is our little French kitchen?
We may have overdone it on croissant pictures.
Best Restaurants: Le Safari, Da Giulia
In case you want to get your boujie on.
Le Safari
With its white table clothes, expansive outdoor seating, and omnipresent cigarette smoke, Le Safari is the quintessential French dining experience. Located on Cours Saleya, this bustling spot offers classic French (and Niçoise) cuisine.
Our property manager recommended Le Safari to us, so we ended up dining here on our first night in Nice. Luckily, they were able to seat all five of us sans reservation on a busy Friday night. They have a wide selection of food, which includes some of the best veggie pizza that we’ve ever had. They make a mean Aperol spritz (and we are connoisseurs).
And finally, the famous Nicoise salad.
Caprese salad, always.
This was one of the best veggie pizzas EVER.
My dad got salmon. How good does this look?
Da Giulia
Da Giulia, aka Da Most Delicious Spot (Dad jokes? We’re versatile, I know). This Italian restaurant has the atmospheric charm of an indoor/outdoor French café, with the delicious staples of Italian cuisine. The servers were also extremely friendly and happy to converse with us in French. Between the pizzas, Aperol spritzes, and salads, we were in absolute heaven. In fact, we went three separate times during our trip.
This veggie pizza and burrata, prosciutto and fig salad CHANGED me.
A close up because how sexy is this?
Does anyone else have that brother who orders a chicken caesar salad everywhere you go? No? Just I?
Best Happy Hours: Wayne’s Bar, La Lupita
For small bites and large glasses.
Wayne’s Bar
Run by an Irishman, this dive bar attracts a lot of Americans, Brits, and Irish. It’s perfect for when you’re fed up with French people responding to your French with English. They have awesome happy hour deals, like five Euros for a Stella and two Euros for a shot. Later in the night, good deals include dancing on the table for free. They also have live music and live sports almost every day. If getting weird with mates is your thing, Wayne’s is the only place to go.
A lot of famous guests have frequented this bar throughout the years (Snoop Dogg and us included).
Random teens signed the wall.
Thriving.
What a vibe.
La Lupita
This Mexican-inspired restaurant is right next to Wayne’s (convenience is key— bar hopping should be easy). It’s probably (and I’m just guessing) the only restaurant in Nice that has “Taco Tuesday.” This place also has an awesome happy hour with cheap tequila shots. But don’t ask for Casamigos, you will look dumb.
Pro tip: We found that abroad, a tequila soda isn’t a commonly known drink. At La Lupita we ordered a tequila shot and Perrier to make our own concoction.
Sarah and I also ordered Micheladas, which are a glorified (and spicy) Bloody Mary. They made the most perfect batch— Micheladas are hard to get right.
Kat being gorgeous at La Lupita.
Sar being more gorgeous at La Lupita.
Fun fact: these colorful bracelets were made during an anxiety spiral à la pandemic. They pair nicely with the Chanel watch and Michelada.
Fish tacos.
Chicken tacos.
Al Pastor tacos.
Beef tacos.
Veggie tacos.
Nachos, post being destroyed by our hungry selves. I know guys, I know. Worst food bloggers ever. Your girl was starving.
Thanks for reading (or for just looking at the pretty pictures, if that’s your thing).
Until next time,
Kat & Sar x