Restaurants & Dining in Nice — 4 of Our Favourites

Asian Fusion restaurants

Monaco offers exceptional Asian Fusion dining in elegant, high-end settings, with options ranging from bento-style lunches to elaborate tasting menus to match your bank balance.

Cafes and bakeries

Stop in at one of the many bakeries where you can buy a warm fresh barbajuan, quiche or pissaladerie and find somewhere to sit in the sun and munch while looking out over the sparkling sea.

Child friendly restaurants

Stars'n'Bars specifically markets themselves as a family-friendly restaurant. Not only do they have a kids menu, but there is also a playroom for little ones, a games arcade for teens and plenty of Americana-themed memorabilia to keep everyone entertained. They also organise birthday parties on request.

French restaurants

This tiny country has a few local dishes, and there’s a few restaurants up in the old town on ‘the Rock’ that specialise in them and other more rustic fare.

Try the pissaladerie, a pizza tart with anchovies, onions and olives, or the barbajuan, a big fried ravioli stuffed with egg and vegetables.

When choosing a local restaurant in this area, U Cavagnetu is probably the pick of the bunch - this is really reasonably priced food, with a good atmosphere and an outdoor terrace.

Mediterranean restaurants

Monaco has something for every mood, whether it’s cosy pasta and pizza in laid-back local favourites or gourmet seafood with stunning views over the port. You’ll find warm, welcoming spots serving up fresh Italian fare at great prices, and elegant terraces offering Michelin-starred dishes if you're after something special. From casual takeaways to fine dining with soufflés and sea views, there's plenty to tempt your taste buds.

Michelin starred restaurants

It’s impossible to overstate the influence of the majestic Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, or the culinary influence of the Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse restaurant within it. In 1987 Prince Rainier II of Monaco charged chef Alain Ducasse with opening a restaurant in the iconic hotel. The result was a triumph: less than three years after opening, the restaurant was the first hotel restaurant in the world to be awarded 3 Michelin stars, and has not lost a single one at any point in the intervening years.

The opulence of the décor beggars belief; ornate high vaulted ceilings drip with chandeliers and gold trim, frescoes of cherubs and royal portraits line the walls among giant vases of flowers and candelabras. It is often compared in magnificence to the Palace of Versailles; you even eat off golden chargers with golden cutlery. The large French doors leading out to the terrace are dressed in light silk sashes, you can wander out there to enjoy a champagne or cigar between courses and marvel at the glittering Mediterranean stretched out below.

The menu is surprisingly simple given the intense visual luxury all around, but it is no less beautiful for it - and it is extremely difficult to find fault. Those of us who enjoy pushing the culinary boundaries could perhaps accuse the food of being a touch unexciting, but it is magnificently executed, and its sense of perfect technique and tradition somehow fits perfectly with this setting that harkens back to an age of luxury long past. If you have ever dreamed of dining in a palace, come to this place. It will cost you, but then so does fixing a dent in your car.

The Joel Robuchon Monte Carlo at Hôtel Métropole is another restaurant that certainly deserves its Michelin stars, although this time (quelle horreur) there’s only two. This sumptuous restaurant is owned by chef Joel Robuchon, who has been awarded a staggering 26 Michelin stars, more than any other chef in the world. Under Robuchon’s direction, the executive chef Christophe Cussac executes modern French food with stunning skill and imagination. Fresh, seasonal produce is the philosophy, all prepared in an open kitchen where guests can see these megastar chefs at work. While the prices are not as eye-watering as Louis XV (you can even get a lunch menu for 55 euro) it’s still far from cheap - you will normally expect to pay into the hundreds of euros.

A lovely lunchtime treat awaits you at Elsa, a chic beach club restaurant with a Michelin star. Fresh, light, and 100% organic produce makes up the exquisite menu designed by rising chef Paolo Sari, based on the cuisine of the French and Italian Rivieras. Start with something light - delicate artichoke carpaccio or raw red prawns, moving onto ‘gold’ risotto, wild citrus sea bass or juicy roast suckling pig with caramelised shallots - all organic, bien sur. This restaurant is part of the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel, so why not get a lounger by the pool and make a day of it, enjoying the elegant yet relaxed vibe. Meals range from 30-65 euro, there are also wonderful tasting menus available.

Dine up high with a spectacular view of the port and the famous rock at Le Vistamar, at the decadent Hotel Hermitage. Take a table on the terrace at lunchtime and indulge in the gourmet seafood menu that earned chef Joel Garault a Michelin star. This restaurant excels at sophisticated seafood dishes like lobster with truffle jus, bacon and leek, or their famous bouillabaisse serves over three courses; there’s also a small selection of sensational meat dishes. To finish, you will be hard pressed to resist one of their signature hot dessert soufflés. You can get a menu at lunchtime for between 44 and 110 euro, while a la carte mains fall in the 50-65 euro range.

Modern European and international restaurants

The Buddha Bar is a visual and musical treat, where you can eat Asian food in a grand old converted concert hall, with cavernous ceilings and a giant Buddha watching over the plush lounges and the DJ spinning the world music that has made this venue famous. As you’d expect, the prices are a bit steeper than what you’ve probably come to expect for Thai and Chinese food- mains come in at about 28-40 euros, while a bowl of steamed rice will set you back 6 euros. But when you think of all the Asian restaurants you’ve sat in your life, munching on prawn crackers and looking at the salmon fan-fold napkins while listening to tinny Chinese music from a tiny wall speaker…well, there is simply no comparison. Buddha Bar is lavishly decorated yet manages to be very chic. It is a spectacle.

Craving ‘normal’ food at ‘normal’ prices? So, the rich French food has finally got to you. You can’t eat any more rich stews, creamy sauces, and certainly no more caviar and truffles. Lobster perhaps? Ça suffit! It’s time for a burger.

For a comfortingly international menu, head to Stars'N'Bars, an American-themed restaurant and sports bar which sprawls over three levels with a big outdoor terrace. It offers sensational views across the port, the odd bit of celeb spotting and a great range of burgers, Tex-Mex and chicken wings. There’s a lot of sporting memorabilia here, there’s even a genuine F1 car hanging from the ceiling - so it’s a great place to bring the kids (and the big kids.)

For burgers and club sandwiches but also a good range of cheeses, salads and bruschettas, then head to the Brasserie de Monaco, a stylish brewery bar and restaurant that still brews its own beers. Very decent food and a good snack menu, all with a spectacular view of the yachts.

Finally, for the late night munchies in a local place, then head to Monte Carlo Bar, which serves food and drink 24 hours a day in a venue almost entirely devoid of style or pretention.

Pubs and gastropubs

For decent pub food, head to McCarthy’s Irish Pub, which serves up surprisingly good nosh in a friendly, glitter-free environment. There’s live music on weekends and it’s a good place to relax, have a Guinness and catch up on the sport. No pomp and ceremony here, and there’s certainly no chandeliers and gold cutlery, which after a few days in Monaco can be quite a relief.

Steaks, burgers, grills and BBQs