Reams have been written about Nice’s waterfront, French windows, and its beaches, but most people seem to gloss over the delectable food on offer in the city.
Nice’s location on the south-east coast of France ensures a colourful cuisine peppered with Mediterranean influences.
We do not recommend renting a car in Nice as it can get very crowded in the city centre. Instead arrive in style in a limousine like this one here – after all you are in the French Riviera, one of the most stylish areas in the world.
Once there, steer clear of restaurants offering “French Food”. Local cuisine in Nice offers much more than typical French dishes such as crepes, cassoulet, or coq au vin. Here is our list of must eats in Nice :-
1) Socca Wrap
Head straight to the dimly-lit streets of the Vieille Ville (Old Town) for Socca Wraps. This Nicoise speciality is essentially a pancake made from chickpea flour, olive oil, and water. It is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
2) Pizzas
Nicoise Cuisine uses products produced in the neighbouring regions of France. As a result olive oil, anchovies, local cheeses, and a variety of meats frequently make an appearance on menus. The best way to sample everything at once? A Nicoise pizza, of course 🙂
Nice’s proximity to Italy and the high quality of local produce ensures excellent pizzas in restaurants. In fact, The New York Times recently wrote a lengthy piece on scrumptious pizzas of South France. We suggest trying thin-crust pizzas at La Pizza Cresci or Pizza Pili – you will definitely go back for more.
3) Unique produce at Farmers Market
There is no better way to spend a day in Nice than strolling through the expansive Cours Saleya. This working market is every gourmand’s dream come true. It is easy to spend hours admiring colourful Provencal fruits and vegetables, learning about local cheeses, and sampling various olive oils at Cours Saleya.
It is the perfect place to try local produce in South France. Make sure you try the Pissaladière, a pie made from onions and anchovies.
4) The best ice cream of your life
In Nice, we discovered ice cream that is creamier and tastier than any other ice cream in the world. At Glacier Fenocchio there are dozens of flavours to choose from, including the weird (cactus ice cream anyone?) and the wonderful (orange-blossom ice-cream). We liked it so much that we wrote an entire article on it. We challenge you to find better 🙂
5) Absinthe
If you’ve sampled one wine too many and are craving something more potent, it is time to step it up a notch. Enter Absinthe. This highly-alcoholic spirit might be banned in a number of countries, but it is freely available in South France. Our favourite Absinthe Bar is in Antibes, a short drive away from Nice.
Have you been to Nice? What is the tastiest thing you ate in the city?
I haven’t been to Nice before.
I love your photos and Absinthe is lovely, you have to be careful with it though!
Aye one needs to be VERY careful with Absinthe 😉
These delicious ice-cream and French pizza would be definitely on my list of food to try in Nice. I’m a healthy eater, but would give up my healthy eating habits for a little treat!
Agness you MUST make an exception for that ice-cream, it’s mind-numbingly scrumptious 🙂
Pizza and Ice cream! There is hardly anything you need other than that 😀
Lol – touché 🙂
How easy it is to drive from Nice to Monaco, Vence, St. Paul de Vence and Villefranche? I am staying in Nice and thinking of renting a car to go to these places. I will have free parking where I am staying and will leave the car there the days I will be visiting Nice. Would you suggest public transportation over renting a car? I’d like to know where did your park in Monaco and Eze when you went there and if tolls are paid by cash or the day the car is returned. Thanks
Hi Rose,
Although driving in French Riviera was not the easiest (due to smaller roads), we were definitely glad we chose to drive. It’s not very difficult and lets you explore places you might not be able to using public transport.
There are parking spots in Monaco and Eze so that was never a problem. We paid toll in cash but please check the latest rules as they might have changed over the years 🙂
Have a great time and definitely visit Antibes too.
Cheers!
Thanks so much for your advice. I have included Antibes and Peillon in my itinerary. I noticed that you drove on the Grande Corniche while you were there. I don’t want to use it and I’d like to know if there’s any road signs for the Grande Corniche that way I can avoid it while driving there. Thanks again!
Hey Rose,
You’re welcome. From what we can recall, there are signs for Grande Corniche so you can definitely avoid it 🙂 Are you planning on driving one of the other Corniche roads?
Have a fantastic trip 🙂
Savi & Vid – big fan of yours !!! planned my Spain trip with your help and it was excellent.
Rose – Rented cars are always good. Bust bus travel in Nice is hassle free and much cheaper. Nice to Eze, you can get bus number 112 or 82 from Vauban and will cost you just EUR 1.5. Make sure that you sit on the right side, and you can see the stunning scenery on the way. Nice to Moncao again EUR 1.5. If you are planning a day trip, you can spend 3-4 hours in Eze and then proceed to Monaco. The last bus leaves at 8. If you are late, you can always catch a train. The last one is at 11 and costs 5-7 EUR. From Eze you can can continue for another 10 minutes on Bus #112 to Monte Carlo in the same direction that you arrived (leaving Eze at 11:30am, 2:30, 4:40 and 7pm). It will take you to Monte Carlo, where you can explore and then catch the Bus #100 back to Nice, which leaves every 15 minutes until 8pm (again EUR 1.5).
Thanks for the info Shivangi – really helpful 🙂
Hey ! so we gonna be visiting Nice this July. Wondering if we should stay around the city centre to enjoy the bars and eateries or should we stay near the promenade ? We would be renting a car & looking for AIRBNBs with free parking. How difficult is it to find parking in Cannes & Monaco.
Parking can be a nightmare in Cannes and Monaco to be honest. Even in Nice we’d suggest staying a bit out like in Vence otherwise you’ll end up paying through your nose just for parking.
Hello Savi & Vid,
You guys are doing a great job. All your blogs are super helpful.
Shivangi. Thank you for the info . It really helped. May i ask you (Shivangi) to share your email adress to get in touch with you directly?
Thanking you in advance.
Best Regards,
Sonal
Thank you Sonal 🙂
Great and informative article about the food suggestions in Nice! I really love the Socca and I’d like to share with you a link for all those who are interested in knowing the history and origins of the famous Socca in Nice. Amazing:) I hope it may be of interest to you! Here is the link: https://doeatbetterexperience.com/blog/socca-de-nice-recipe-and-facts/
Thank you!
Hi
I wanted to understand from you which areas and what hotels would you recommend?
Hey Pranay – read this article for suggestions 🙂 https://www.bruisedpassports.com/wheres/french-riviera-road-trip