Felix on Avenue Felix Faure faces the Coulee Verte in Nice's Carre d'Or, the historic city brasserie reopened under a new name with French Mediterranean across five rooms and a terrace.
Signature dishes: Brasserie classics, Niçoise salad
Must order: The classic salade nicoise at lunch; pizza, pasta and wine by the glass anchor the menu.
Tip: Open 7 days a week, 11:45 to 01:30; continuous service through the afternoon, rare in Nice.
Address: 12 Avenue Felix Faure, 06000 Nice
Little Boho on Place Garibaldi is the boho chic daytime room Melissa and Jean opened in the Petit Marais of Nice, terrace tables on the yellow arcaded square with a short Mediterranean menu.
Signature: Daily lunch plate, Apero board
Order: The daily lunch plate at the terrace, then an apero board on the square at sunset.
Tip: Continuous service through the afternoon; closed Monday. Good fallback when Cafe de Turin is full.
Cave de la Tour on Rue de la Tour has poured local wines in Vieux Nice since 1947, four generations of the Gazan family and the home of the world petits farcis championship since 2012.
Signature: Petits farcis, Stockfish, Bellet glass pours
Order: A plate of petits farcis and a glass of Bellet white at the granite counter.
Tip: The petits farcis championship runs every autumn at the bar; book a stool the same morning.
Chez Pipo on Rue Bavastro has fired socca in wood burning ovens since 1923, the canonical Nicois address for the chickpea flour pancake the city invented between Place Garibaldi and Port Lympia.
Signature: Socca, Pissaladiere, Tourte de blettes
Order: Two slices of socca and a glass of Bellet rose at the bench seat.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 22:00; no reservations, cash and card both accepted.
Lou Pilha Leva on Rue du Collet runs the Vieux Nice street food counter for socca, pan bagnat and pissaladiere, the tiled cafeteria with shared tables in the heart of the old town.
Signature: Socca, Pan bagnat, Pissaladiere
Order: A socca, a pan bagnat tuna sandwich, and a slice of pissaladiere on shared paper trays.
Tip: Open daily 09:00 to midnight; cash and card. Order at the counter, sit at the tiled shared tables.
La Merenda in Vieux Nice is Dominique Le Stanc's bench seat Nissard kitchen on Rue Raoul Bosio, the chef who walked away from Le Negresco for grandmother recipes.
Signature: Stockfish, Petits farcis, Beef daube
Order: The stockfish stew (estocaficada) and the petits farcis at lunch.
Tip: No telephone, cash only, two sittings per service. Book at the door earlier the same day.
Acchiardo on Rue Droite in Vieux Nice has cooked the family Nicoise canon since the close of the First World War, four generations and a single lunch sitting under the family name.
Signature: Petits farcis, Beef daube, Tarte de blettes
Order: The petits farcis and the beef daube; the lunch service is the canonical one.
Tip: Closed Saturday and Sunday; book by phone several days ahead for lunch.
