For some chefs, including local ones, the golden age of Nice's culinary scene is over. With Michelin stars in their eyes, they still recall the year when the fiery Jacques Maximin won two at Chantecler, the gourmet restaurant of the Negresco palace. That was in 1980. But what about today? It's hard to be in the spotlight when you're surrounded by giants. The most media-savvy chefs are no longer in the city, but on its doorstep. Nearby Monaco concentrates a dizzying number of starred chefs per square meter: Alain Ducasse (Le Louis XV), Marcel Ravin (Blue Bay), Yannick Alléno (Pavyllon Monte-Carlo). To the east, Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur) makes Menton shine. To the west, trendy young head chefs are now setting up shop in Cannes, during the Festival.

What if, however, a livelier, more diverse and above all accessible scene had emerged in Nice? The local culinary scene is booming. According to France's national statistics institute, in 2023, foodies could visit some 3,491 establishments, 549 more than in 2018! Of course, much of the offering remains firmly rooted in tradition. A "Cuisine Nissarde" label has been created by the Nice-Côte d'Azur Metropolitan Tourist Office to distinguish restaurants, merenda e goustaroun ("snacks and takeaways," in Provençal) and coum'en maioun ("caterers") that bring ancestral flavors back to life.

Chef Pierre Altobelli left the big gourmet tables to take over the restaurant founded by his grandmother, Davia, where he concocts the best barbajuans (fried ravioli stuffed with chard) in town. At La Merenda, Dominique Le Stanc works miracles in his tiny kitchen, from which pissaladières, niçoise-style veal tripe and Provençal-style daubes emerge. And it's always a delight to bite into a steaming socca (chickpea galette) at Marie-Thérèse Pisano's, while strolling through the Cours Saleya market.

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