Top 10 Restaurants in Nice, France 2026
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The top table in Nice is Flaveur, the Tourteaux brothers' two-Michelin-star room near the city centre. The essential counterpoint is La Petite Maison, the Niçoise institution copied from London to Dubai.
On the Cours Saleya the socca cools on copper trays while two-star kitchens a few streets away plate langoustine. Nice rewards range, and these six rooms cover it, from Mediterranean haute cuisine to the most-copied Niçoise table in the world.
How Nice Eats
Nice has its own kitchen, distinct from the rest of France: socca, pissaladière, petits farcis, salade niçoise as it is actually made here, with no potato and no green bean in the strict version. The best rooms either honour that tradition or build modern cooking on the same Mediterranean larder.
The six picks below split between the two. Flaveur, JAN and Le Chantecler carry the city's Michelin weight; La Petite Maison, Olive et Artichaut and Aphrodite cover the Niçoise and market-driven end. All sit within the city, most within walking distance of Vieux Nice.
The Best Restaurants in Nice Right Now
The Tourteaux brothers grew up partly on Réunion, and that Indian Ocean memory runs through a fiercely Mediterranean kitchen: local fish and vegetables lifted with spice and acidity you do not expect on the Riviera. It is the most ambitious cooking in the city and the hardest seat.
The langoustine course and the chef's full tasting menu.
The Tourteaux brothers' two-star room and the most ambitious cooking in Nice. Book several weeks out for a dinner worth the planning.
Jan Hendrik is the first South African chef to earn a Michelin star, and his small room near the port threads Cape memories through French technique. The cooking is personal and narrative, each plate tied to a place or a relative, served in a jewel-box dining room.
The smoked-fish course and the milk-tart-inspired dessert.
A one-star room threading Cape Town memory through French technique near the port. Reserve it for an intimate dinner with a story behind every plate.
The Negresco's dining room is the grandest in the city, all panelling and chandeliers, and Basselot, one of the few women to hold the Meilleur Ouvrier de France title, cooks to match it. This is classical French luxury on the Promenade, not reinvention.
The seasonal Mediterranean tasting and the cheese trolley.
Virginie Basselot's one-star room inside the Negresco, the grandest table on the Promenade. Take a client here when the setting carries the meeting.
This is the original, the room every international “LPM” franchise imitates, run by the Rubi family at the edge of the old town. The format is a long table of warm and cold hors d'oeuvres followed by simple grilled fish and the famous baby chicken with foie gras.
The spread of Provençal hors d'oeuvres, the whole sea bass, and the stuffed baby chicken.
The original Niçoise institution that the global LPM copies cannot match. Book ahead for a long, generous lunch in the old town.
A small bistro on a narrow old-town street that cooks the daily market with a light, modern hand: local vegetables, line-caught fish, and a short blackboard that changes constantly. It is the value pick on this list and a reliable Vieux Nice dinner.
Whatever fish is on the board, and the seasonal vegetable starter.
A modern bistro cooking the Nice market on a narrow old-town street. Try it for an honest, good-value dinner without a reservation battle.
Faure runs the most playful kitchen in the city, leaning on technique and the occasional surprise course while staying rooted in Mediterranean produce. The terrace off Boulevard Dubouchage is one of the more pleasant central spots for a leisurely tasting.
The chef's surprise tasting menu on the terrace.
David Faure's playful, modern table off Boulevard Dubouchage. Pick it for a relaxed tasting menu that does not take itself too seriously.
Who These Picks Are Not For
If you are after a quick beachfront cocktail or a budget plate of pasta, skip Flaveur, JAN and Le Chantecler: these are multi-course rooms that expect time and a reservation. And do not come to La Petite Maison expecting cutting-edge cuisine; it is deliberately simple, ingredient-led cooking at a premium price, which frustrates anyone hunting for technique over produce.
How to Book a Restaurant in Nice
Flaveur is the hardest table in the city and should be booked several weeks out, especially in summer and during festival and Grand Prix season on the coast. JAN, Le Chantecler and La Petite Maison fill on weekends; Olive et Artichaut and Aphrodite are easier but worth reserving a few days ahead in high season.
Lunch is the smart play for the starred rooms, with shorter, cheaper menus and easier tables. Nice dines a little earlier than Paris, with first seatings from around 19:30, and the old town stays lively late. For a wider Riviera trip, our Monte Carlo guide covers the principality an hour along the coast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team from named published sources (Michelin Guide, The World's 50 Best, James Beard Foundation and local critics). Prices and reservation windows current at the last update above; confirm with the restaurant before you book.