The 10 Best Restaurants in Nice (2026)

Updated November 2026 · 10 picks

The best restaurants in Nice in 2026 are Jan and Flaveur for a Michelin-starred dinner, La Merenda and Chez Acchiardo for real Niçoise cooking in the old town, Bistrot d'Antoine for a great-value bistro meal, and Chez Pipo for socca by the port. Book the starred tables weeks ahead; the old-town classics often take no phone bookings.

Niçoise cooking is its own cuisine, closer to Liguria than to Paris: socca (a chickpea pancake baked in a wood oven), pissaladière (onion tart with anchovies), petits farcis (stuffed vegetables), daube, and pasta with pistou. The old town (Vieux Nice) has the classics, the port has seafood and the best socca, and the city center around rue Gubernatis and the Carré d'Or has the ambitious chefs. Many small places close at weekends, and some still work on cash and walk-in bookings, so check before you go.

1. Jan — Port (Lympia)

A Michelin-starred tasting menu from a South African chef, the most personal fine dining in Nice.

$$$$ Splurge

Jan is the restaurant of South African-born chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, a few steps from the port. The cooking is French technique with South African memories, served as a tasting menu in a small, warmly decorated dining room, and the restaurant presents itself as Michelin-starred.

It is the pick for a special-occasion dinner in Nice that does not feel stiff. Seats are few, so book well in advance, particularly in summer and around the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix.

Good to know: Book through the restaurant's own site as soon as dates are fixed; mention dietary needs when booking, as the menu is set.

12 Rue Lascaris, 06300 Nice

Google Maps Website

2. Flaveur — City center (Gubernatis)

Nice's two-Michelin-starred table, with bold, spice-driven Mediterranean cooking.

$$$$ Splurge

Flaveur is run by brothers Gaël and Mickaël Tourteaux and describes itself as holding two Michelin stars. The cooking leans on Riviera produce and spices from further afield, served as tasting menus in a contemporary dining room near the Place Garibaldi side of the center.

Go for the full menu if it is a celebration; lunch is the gentler way in. It is the most ambitious cooking inside the city itself.

Good to know: Closed at weekends for much of the year; check the days on its site before planning around it.

25 Rue Gubernatis, 06000 Nice

Google Maps Website

3. La Merenda — Vieux Nice

A tiny old-town room serving the definitive Niçoise classics.

$$ Mid-range

La Merenda is a handful of tables in the old town, cooking the dishes Nice is proud of: pasta with pistou, stockfish (estocaficada), stuffed sardines, daube and petits farcis. The menu is short, chalked up and changes with the market.

It is a lesson in what Niçoise food really is, not a polished night out. The room is cramped and stools are basic, and it has long taken bookings only in person and payment in cash.

Good to know: Walk past earlier in the day to reserve, bring cash, and expect it to be closed at weekends.

4 Rue Raoul Bosio, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

4. Chez Acchiardo — Vieux Nice

A family bistro on rue Droite, run by the same family since 1927.

$$ Mid-range

Chez Acchiardo has been a family-run neighborhood restaurant in the old town since 1927, and it still feels like one: shared tables, regulars at the bar, and a short list of Niçoise and Italian-leaning home cooking — daube with ravioli, petits farcis, tripes, pasta with pistou.

Prices are fair for the old town and portions generous. It is the place to eat where Niçois families eat, without a tourist menu in sight.

Good to know: Open weekdays only; recent guides say it works on cash and walk-ins, so go early.

38 Rue Droite, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

5. Bistrot d'Antoine — Vieux Nice

A lively, great-value bistro with a chalkboard menu, a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick.

$$ Mid-range

Bistrot d'Antoine on rue de la Préfecture is the old town's best-value proper bistro, listed by Michelin as a Bib Gourmand. The chalkboard menu changes with the seasons: terrines, slow-cooked meats, Niçoise vegetables and classic French desserts.

It is busy and convivial, with a terrace in good weather, and suits a relaxed dinner after a walk through the old town.

Good to know: Book for dinner; it is usually closed on Sundays and Mondays.

27 Rue de la Préfecture, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

6. La Petite Maison — Vieux Nice (by the Opéra)

The original of the LPM restaurants: Niçoise sharing plates and a glamorous crowd.

$$$$ Splurge

La Petite Maison, run by Nicole Rubi, is the Nice original whose name became the international LPM brand. The menu is Niçoise and Mediterranean, made for sharing: tomatoes with olive oil, fried zucchini flowers, pissaladière, whole fish and roast chicken.

It is a see-and-be-seen room as much as a restaurant, popular with the Riviera's visitors and celebrities. Come for the atmosphere and the simple dishes done well.

Good to know: Book ahead and dress smart-casual; it has traditionally closed on Sundays.

11 Rue Saint-François-de-Paule, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

7. Chez Pipo — Port (Lympia)

The best socca in Nice, baked in a wood-fired oven near the port.

$ Budget

Chez Pipo has been baking socca near the port for about a century, and it is still the benchmark: thin, crisp-edged and smoky from the wood oven, served on a plate with black pepper. The menu adds pissaladière, tourte de blettes (a sweet chard tart) and other Niçoise snacks.

Order a plate of socca per person and a glass of rosé and it is one of the cheapest good meals on the Riviera. Seating is at shared wooden tables.

Good to know: It opens in the late afternoon for most of the year; check its site, and expect a short queue at opening.

13 Rue Bavastro, 06300 Nice

Google Maps Website

8. Le Plongeoir — Port / Rauba Capeu coast

A restaurant built out on a rock above the sea, the most dramatic table in Nice.

$$$ Upmarket

Le Plongeoir sits on a rocky outcrop just east of the port, on a site that was once a diving platform, with the sea on three sides. The menu is Mediterranean, with fish and seafood to the fore.

You are paying for the setting, and it is worth it at sunset or for a celebratory lunch. Tables on the platform itself are the ones to ask for.

Good to know: Book and request a table on the rock; in rough weather the outer terrace can close.

60 Boulevard Franck Pilatte, 06300 Nice

Google Maps Website

9. Olive et Artichaut — Vieux Nice

A small, modern old-town bistro cooking local, seasonal produce.

$$ Mid-range

Olive et Artichaut is a small bistro on rue Sainte-Réparate, near the cathedral, with a short menu built on local farmers and fishermen. It sits between the old-school classics and the fine-dining tables: modern plates, Niçoise roots.

It suits a relaxed dinner for two, and the lunch menu is good value.

Good to know: Seating is limited, so reserve for dinner, especially at weekends.

6 Rue Sainte-Réparate, 06300 Nice

Google Maps Website

10. Lou Pilha Leva — Vieux Nice

The old town's quick socca and street-food stop.

$ Budget

Lou Pilha Leva is a corner counter in the heart of the old town selling socca, pissaladière, beignets and other Niçoise street food, eaten standing or at shared tables outside.

It is the fast, cheap way to taste the local snacks while you sightsee. Food comes from the counter and you find a seat outside.

Good to know: Go mid-afternoon to avoid the lunch queue.

10 Rue du Collet, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What food is Nice famous for?

Socca (a crisp chickpea pancake), pissaladière, pan bagnat, petits farcis, salade niçoise, daube niçoise and ravioli. Chez Pipo and Lou Pilha Leva are the best-known places for socca; La Merenda and Chez Acchiardo serve the classic dishes.

Which Michelin-starred restaurants are in Nice?

Flaveur on rue Gubernatis describes itself as two-Michelin-starred, and Jan near the port as Michelin-starred. Both need booking well ahead, especially from May to September. For the wider Riviera, Mirazur is in Menton, about 40 minutes east by train.

Do I need to book restaurants in Nice?

For dinner in summer, yes, and for the starred restaurants by several weeks. La Merenda and Chez Acchiardo are tiny and have long worked without phone bookings, so go in person earlier in the day or arrive at opening time.

Where should I eat in Vieux Nice?

La Merenda, Chez Acchiardo and Olive et Artichaut are the strongest sit-down meals in the old town; Lou Pilha Leva is the quick socca stop. Avoid the menu-board places on Cours Saleya if you want food locals eat.

How much does dinner cost in Nice?

A socca and a drink costs a few euros, a bistro meal roughly €30–€50 a head without wine, and a tasting menu at a starred restaurant well over €100 a head. Service is included in French bills; rounding up is a courtesy, not an obligation.

1. Jan — Port (Lympia)

2. Flaveur — City center (Gubernatis)

3. La Merenda — Vieux Nice

4. Chez Acchiardo — Vieux Nice

5. Bistrot d'Antoine — Vieux Nice

6. La Petite Maison — Vieux Nice (by the Opéra)

7. Chez Pipo — Port (Lympia)

8. Le Plongeoir — Port / Rauba Capeu coast

9. Olive et Artichaut — Vieux Nice

10. Lou Pilha Leva — Vieux Nice

Frequently asked questions

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