Le Safari on Cours Saleya in Vieux Nice has cooked the canonical Nicois lunch since 1972, the Cuisine Nissarde label and terrace tables across from the flower market.
Signature dishes: Pissaladiere, Stockfish, Daube
Must order: The pissaladiere and the stockfish; the daube is the dinner anchor.
Tip: Open 12:00 to 23:00 daily; book the terrace at lunch during morning market hours.
Address: 1 Cours Saleya, 06300 Nice
Cafe Marche on Rue Barillerie just off Cours Saleya is Emilie Bargin's morning room in Vieux Nice, the Sunday 09:00 to 17:00 brunch the city's most reliable weekend booking.
Signature: Sunday brunch, Eggs and toast plate
Order: The Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, jams and honey toast, club sandwich and salads.
Tip: Open Sunday when much of the city is closed; arrive by 11:00 for a terrace table.
Le Bistrot du Port on Quai Lunel runs Jose Orsini's Mediterranean seafood room on Port Lympia, large terrace tables and a kitchen built around the daily catch off the docks.
Signature: Daily catch, Whole sea bream
Order: The whole sea bream from the morning catch; the wine list leans Bellet.
Tip: Book a quayside table for sunset. Closed Mondays; busy at lunch with port traffic.
Cafe de Turin on Place Garibaldi has poured oysters on the Nice arcaded square since 1908, the Roumegous oyster the house pearl in an eighty tonne annual shuck.
Signature: Roumegous oysters, Shellfish platter
Order: A dozen Roumegous oysters and a glass of Bellet white at the sidewalk counter.
Tip: Open 10:00 to 22:00 daily. No reservations; arrive early or at 16:00 between services.
Le Boccaccio on Rue Massena in Nice's pedestrian Carre d'Or runs a 17th century sailing ship interior across two floors, seafood and paella from a big terrace in the shopping streets.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Paella, Whole grilled fish
Order: The bouillabaisse for two and the paella for three; the family tables run them in tandem.
Tip: Open 12:00 to 22:30 daily; the terrace is the dining room. Family sized portions for sharing.
Peixes in Nice's Carre d'Or near the Opera is Armand Crespo's Mediterranean seafood counter of ceviche, tartare and tataki on the daily catch from the Cours Saleya fish market.
Signature: Fish ceviche, Local fish tataki
Order: The ceviche of the day; the morning Saleya catch is in the menu by noon.
Tip: No reservations; arrive by 12:30 or 19:30 to land a stool. Tapas from EUR 7, mains around EUR 25.
Cafe Marche on Rue Barillerie just off Cours Saleya is Emilie Bargin's morning room in Vieux Nice, the Sunday 09:00 to 17:00 brunch the city's most reliable weekend booking.
Signature: Sunday brunch, Eggs and toast plate
Order: The Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, jams and honey toast, club sandwich and salads.
Tip: Open Sunday when much of the city is closed; arrive by 11:00 for a terrace table.
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: Brasserie classics, Niçoise salad
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.
