Nice's best culinary specialities

Socca is THE speciality of Nice! It resembles a very thin pizza or an oven-baked pancake, prepared with chickpea flour and olive oil. Served in cut-up pieces from the large round baking tray, socca is eaten hot and quickly.

In the past, vendors would sell their cones of socca to humble workers or those looking for a snack. Nowadays, enjoying this speciality is a moment of sharing, in all simplicity and haste.

For a traditional crispy socca with a soft centre, head to Chez Pipo! Just off Port Lympia, this authentic address also offers other Nice delicacies to share, or not...

📍 Address: 13 rue Bavastro, 06300 Nice

⏰ O pening times: 11.30am - 2.30pm / 5.30pm - 10pm Wednesday to Sunday and Tuesdays during the summer season

In Paris, you'll find the legendary jambon-beurre, while in Nice it's the pan bagnat. Made with tuna, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, garlic, olives and peppers, this soft, round bread snack is best eaten on the go. Some ingredients may vary according to custom, but it would be sacrilege for the people of Nice to add chicken or mayonnaise.

Originally, pan bagnat was a salad! A mixture of raw vegetables was prepared with pieces of stale bread, which was softened in water to give it its soft texture. To make it easier to transport, the bread was left uncut and the mixture was mixed in... the Nice sandwich was born!

At the Kiosque Tintin, pan bagnat is enjoyed in its proper context: as a no-fuss snack. Perfect for a lunch break during a stroll in the Mediterranean sunshine.

📍 Address: 3 Place du Général de Gaulle, 06100 Nice

⏰ O pening times: 06:00 - 15:00 except Mondays

Don't make the unforgivable mistake of adding green beans or potatoes to your Niçoise salad! The real version of this recipe includes tomatoes, green peppers, fava beans, anchovies, boiled eggs, artichokes, cucumbers, tuna, black olives, celery... the list goes on.

Like many typical recipes, it was a rather modest dish. The plate was garnished with just three ingredients: tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil. Today, this fresh, well-balanced dish is a festival of flavours.

If you'd like to sit on the terrace in Vieux Nice and enjoy a Niçoise salad prepared according to*tradition, head to L'Escalinada with its menu that gets everyone on the same wavelength and dishes served with a lilting Provençal accent.

📍 Address: 22 Rue Pairolière, 06300 Nice

⏰ O pening times: 11.30am - 2.30pm / 6.30pm - 10.30pm except Tuesday and Wednesday lunchtimes

Derived from pizza and topped with onions, anchovies, pissalat and olive oil, pissaladière is best enjoyed with a few extra local black olives. Whether served hot or cold, it can be enjoyed at any time of the day, much to the delight of the people of Nice... and the tourists!

The fact that it looks so similar to the famous Italian dish is no coincidence, since it is thought to share the same origins. Its link with Nice is thanks to pissalat, a condiment made from salted fish, the secrets of which have been handed down from generation to generation.

Right in the heart of Old Nice or on the Cours Saleya market, the best pissaladière in town can be enjoyed at Chez Theresa! The combination of expertise and equipment that has stood the test of time ensure the exceptional taste of this highly respected speciality.

📍 Address: 28 Rue Droite, 06300 Nice

⏰ O pening times: 09:30 - 15:00 except Mondays

Petit farcis originated in the hinterland of Nice. Traditionally, this dish, which can be eaten hot or cold, is made with leftover meat, bread or cheese, depending on the season and the quality of the vegetables.

Unlike most of Nice's dishes, there's no set recipe for stuffing, which has to be followed to the letter, as the locals used to cook it using produce from their vegetable garden, to liven things up without going to waste. To each his own stuffing and to each his own vegetable!

Alongside the seaside, the Le Safari restaurant offers a full menu of Nice specialities, including the multi-flavoured petits farcis.

📍 Address: 1 Cours Saleya, 06300 Nice

⏰ O pening times : 12h00 - 23h00

Provençal daube is traditionally made in a daubière, a round glazed earthenware dish. The pieces of beef, seasoned with garlic, parsley, carrots, celery and juniper berries, are simmered for long hours (between 4 and 6 hours) by the fire to bring out all the flavours.

This dish, accompanied almost exclusively by pasta, preferably fresh pasta, was originally intended to feed the peasants. The stew is now an integral part of the city's history.

At Lou Balico, daube is served with fresh pasta, ravioli or gnocchi, as tradition demands. A good comforting dish on the rare rainy days in Nice.

📍 Address: 20/22 Avenue Saint Jean-Baptiste, 06000 Nice

⏰ O pening times: 11am - 2.30pm / 7pm - 10.30pm except Sunday and Monday lunchtimes