Little Boho on Place Garibaldi is the boho chic daytime room Melissa and Jean opened in the Petit Marais quarter of Nice, terrace tables on the arcaded yellow square and a short Mediterranean breakfast and lunch menu.
Signature dishes: Daily lunch plate, Apero board
Must 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.
Address: 4 Place Garibaldi, 06000 Nice
Chez Pipo on Rue Bavastro between Place Garibaldi and Port Lympia has fired socca in wood-burning ovens since 1923, the canonical Nicois address for the chickpea flour pancake the city invented.
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.
Flaveur in Nice's Carre d'Or holds two Michelin stars under brothers Mickael and Gael Tourteaux, the only two star room in the city and a contemporary Riviera Caribbean tasting kitchen.
Signature: San Remo caramote prawn, Nicoise peach bouillon
Order: The San Remo caramote prawn starter from the tasting menu, the dish that secured the second star.
Tip: Reservations 4 to 6 weeks ahead; closed Sunday and Monday. Two tasting menus only; no a la carte service.
Le Chantecler at Hotel Le Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice holds one Michelin star under Virginie Basselot, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2015, in the Belle Epoque dining room since 2018.
Signature: Local sea bream, Souffle au Grand Marnier
Order: The seasonal tasting around local sea bream, the Riviera producers Basselot champions.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The Salon Royal is the summer room; book Louis XIV indoors in winter.
JAN in Nice's Port district holds one Michelin star under South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, the first South African chef to earn the award, in an intimate 20 seat room that opened in 2013 and took its star in 2016.
Signature: Single tasting menu, Cheese course at Maria
Order: The single tasting menu only; van der Westhuizen plays sweet, sour and the smoke of the Karoo across the courses.
Tip: MARIA, the cheese bar across the street, opened 2017 and serves 91 plates of cheese and homemade preserves.
Pure et V par Maison Joia in Nice's Musiciens quarter holds one Michelin star under chef Julien Pilati and Laetitia Pilati, the farm to table Riviera kitchen on Rue du Lycee with three Gault Millau toques in 2026.
Signature: Seasonal tasting menu, Organic produce gastronomic plates
Order: The seasonal tasting at dinner; Pilati's organic produce and Reine Sammut pedigree are the draw.
Tip: Closed Mon and Tue; dinner only Wed to Sat, plus Sun lunch and dinner. Reserve a week ahead.
L'Aromate in Nice's Carre d'Or near Place Massena holds one Michelin star under Mickael Gracieux and Elise Morselli Lourtet, the husband and wife room they opened in 2018 on Rue Gustave Deloye.
Signature: Seasonal tasting menu, Local fish course
Order: The seasonal tasting menu; the Riviera produce on the plate is what Gracieux organises the kitchen around.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book a window table for the Place Massena light at lunch.
