La Petite Maison in Nice's Carre d'Or has cooked Nicole Rubi's Mediterranean room since 1999 on Rue Saint Francois de Paule, the home of the Nice school of cooking now exported to London and Dubai.
Signature dishes: Tomato tart with truffle oil, Whole sea bass
Must order: The tomato tart with truffle oil, Rubi's signature plate the international branches copy.
Tip: Book at least a week ahead for dinner; lunch tables are easier to land.
Address: 11 Rue Saint Francois de Paule, 06300 Nice
Peixes in Nice's Carre d'Or near the Opera is Armand Crespo's Mediterranean seafood counter, a tiled blue and white room of ceviche, tartare and Japanese tataki on the daily catch from the Cours Saleya fish market.
Signature: Fish ceviche, Local fish tataki
Order: The ceviche of the day; Crespo's team works the morning Saleya catch into 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.
Le Plongeoir in Nice's Mont Boron sits on the helical diving board at Cap de Nice, the most photographed dining room in the city and a Mediterranean menu that changes with the morning market.
Signature: Loup de mer, Riviera seafood platter
Order: The whole loup de mer for two with Bellet white; the cove and the bay are the dining room's other half.
Tip: Book the sunset service for the bay light. The lounge bar below the restaurant is the cheaper way to sit on the rock.
La Merenda in Vieux Nice runs Dominique Le Stanc's bench seat Nissard kitchen on Rue Raoul Bosio, the chef who walked away from a Michelin star at the Negresco to cook the city's grandmother dishes.
Signature: Stockfish stew, Petits farcis, Beef daube
Order: The stockfish stew (estocaficada) and the petits farcis; Le Stanc holds the canonical versions.
Tip: No telephone, cash only, two services. Book in person 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 under the Acchiardo name and a single sitting at lunch.
Signature: Petits farcis, Beef daube, Tarte de blettes
Order: The petits farcis and the beef daube; lunch is the canonical service.
Tip: Closed Saturday and Sunday; book by phone several days ahead for lunch.
Olive et Artichaut on Rue Sainte Reparate in Vieux Nice holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand for a farm to table Nicoise kitchen, the chef from Nice working market vegetables and Riviera fish across a short menu.
Signature: Modern petits farcis, Local fish of the day
Order: The fish of the day from the morning market; the menu changes weekly with the catch.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; Tuesday to Saturday lunch and dinner. Book a week ahead in summer.
Bistrot d'Antoine on Rue de la Prefecture in Vieux Nice has cooked Armand Crespo's two storey neo bistrot since 2006 in the shell of a 1904 cafe, a Michelin Bib Gourmand for honest French cooking near Cours Saleya.
Signature: Bistro classics, Daily blackboard
Order: The blackboard plat du jour; Crespo writes a new menu every day from the morning market.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Book at least three days ahead, even at lunch.
Peixes in Nice's Carre d'Or near the Opera is Armand Crespo's Mediterranean seafood counter, a tiled blue and white room of ceviche, tartare and Japanese tataki on the daily catch from the Cours Saleya fish market.
Signature: Fish ceviche, Local fish tataki
Order: The ceviche of the day; Crespo's team works the morning Saleya catch into 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.
