The smart pedestrian quarter between Avenue Jean Medecin and the Promenade. Hotel restaurants, La Petite Maison on Rue Saint Francois de Paule and the city's fine dining anchor.
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.
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.
Keisuke Matsushima on Nice's Rue de France runs Kei Matsushima's modern French Japanese kitchen, the room awarded a Michelin star in 2006 and known for minimalist plating across two decades.
Signature: Tasting menu, Riviera fish with Japanese accents
Order: The chef's tasting menu; Matsushima leans French technique against the umami of dashi.
Tip: The room is small; the weekday lunch tasting at the counter is the value play.
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: Tomato tart with truffle oil, Whole sea bass
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.
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.
Lou Balico on Avenue Saint Jean Baptiste has cooked the Nicois family canon since 1979, the Cuisine Nissarde label across stockfish, homemade ravioli, ratatouille, stuffed courgette flowers and the sweet chard tart.
Signature: Stockfish, Homemade ravioli, Tarte de blettes
Order: The homemade ravioli with daube sauce and the tarte de blettes for dessert.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday evenings. Generous portions; doggie bags accepted.
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 built into the heart of 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.
L'Alchimie on Rue Maccarani in Nice's Carre d'Or holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand under Arnaud Collin, the modern bistro popular with city locals for sensibly priced honest cooking and a particularly good lunch menu.
Signature: Daily blackboard, Wine list by the glass
Order: The lunch menu blackboard; Collin moves the kitchen daily with the produce that lands.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 18:00, Thursday and Friday after work until 23:00. Book ahead at lunch.
Felix on Avenue Felix Faure faces the Coulee Verte garden in Nice's Carre d'Or, the historic city brasserie reopened under a new name with French Mediterranean across five rooms and a large outdoor terrace.
Signature: Brasserie classics, Niçoise salad
Order: The classic salade nicoise at lunch; the pizza, pasta and wine by the glass anchor the value menu.
Tip: Open 7 days a week, 11:45 to 01:30; continuous service through the afternoon, a rare thing in Nice.
Lou Balico on Avenue Saint Jean Baptiste has cooked the Nicois family canon since 1979, the Cuisine Nissarde label across stockfish, homemade ravioli and the sweet chard tart.
Signature: Stockfish, Homemade ravioli, Tarte de blettes
Order: The homemade ravioli with daube sauce and the tarte de blettes for dessert.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday evenings. Generous portions; doggie bags accepted.
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.
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.
Felix on Avenue Felix Faure runs Carre d'Or weekend DJ sets after the brasserie kitchen closes, the Place Massena room with continuous service to 01:30 and a DJ behind the bar on Fri-Sat.
Tip: Friday and Saturday after 22:00 is when the DJ takes over the front bar; the side rooms quieter for dinner.
Moon Bar at Hotel Aston La Scala on Avenue Felix Faure runs live music nights Friday and Saturday from 19:00 on the seventh floor rooftop, panoramic view of Vieux Nice across the city.
Tip: Friday and Saturday evenings feature live concerts; bring a layer once the mistral picks up at the rooftop.
Moon Bar at Hotel Aston La Scala runs the city's most cited rooftop terrace on the seventh floor of Avenue Felix Faure, panoramic view of Vieux Nice and Mont Boron with a swimming pool and palm trees.
Tip: Live concerts every weekend Friday and Saturday; afternoon visit for the swimming pool and solarium access.
Smarties on Rue Defly is the canonical Nice gay bar and dance club in the Carre d'Or, the late opening room on the city's small but established LGBTQ nightlife circuit with pop and dance DJ sets.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 22:00 to 04:00; the dance floor peaks after 01:00 on weekends.
Le Glam on Rue Eugene Emmanuel is the Nice late night gay club in the Carre d'Or, the room with the city's most consistent drag programming and house DJ sets through to 05:00 on weekends.
Tip: Open only Friday and Saturday from 23:30 to 05:00; the drag programming runs special nights advertised on Instagram.
Le Trap on Rue Chauvain is the daily Nice LGBTQ neighbourhood bar in the Carre d'Or, the early-opening room with karaoke programming and pop DJ sets across a long evening to 02:30.
Tip: Open daily from 18:00; karaoke night runs Tuesday and the cabaret evenings rotate Wednesday and Thursday.