Finally, the summer is here and you decided to pay a visit to the beautiful French Riviera. The whole Riviera is composed of many attractions and places to visit including Marseille, Nice, St. Tropez, Cannes or Monaco. While you are visiting, you have to make sure you are eating the best food possible. Fortunately, it is not hard to eat well in the French Riviera. Here is our guide on where to eat famous French Riviera Food!
Being in the seaside region makes the seafood the base of your cuisine. In the Riviera, it is possible to see many kinds of fish according to the season, shellfish, mollusk, and oysters! Fisherman of this area actually are the creators of Riviera cuisine. The food is comforting food at its best, you will feel a warm and soothing feeling when you taste the food here. In other words, you feel like you are eating a home-cooked meal.
The Riviera offers you plenty of seafood dishes, a very famous fish stew – bouillabaisse and also the world-wide known dish ratatouille. However, make sure you enjoy the local bites and snack food here like socca or pissaladiere – you’ll be amazed at how good they are. The dishes from the French Riviera will open new doors of taste to you, Bon apétit!
Don’t forget to check out our French Rivieria Pocket Guide!
1. RATATOUILLE
Thanks to the famous animation movie, one of the most famous French dishes is Ratatouille. The dish actually was a staple for country folk. Mostly the local variety of vegetables are used to make a vegetable stew made with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and sometimes with green or red peppers and onion. In the region, it is known as ratatouia as well. It is a very earthy dish but very vibrant and fulfilling at the same time. Le Rossettisserie is known for its roasted chicken and beef with ratatouille, you won’t regret having the second plate here.
Address: Rue Mascoinat, 8 – 06300 Nice
Phone: +33 4 93 76 18 8
2. SOUPE AU PISTOU
Nice is also known for its basil – which is one of the main ingredients of Pistou soup. Nice is also very close to Genova which is also famous for its basil and pesto. However, unlike Pesto Genovese, Provençal Pistou only contains basil, olive oil, and garlic. So there is no hard cheese or pine nuts in the recipe. The broth of the soup can have any kind of vegetable that you want to put in it. Generally, the recipe calls for white beans, tomato, carrots, potato and a pasta of your choice for the soup. You can simply adapt the recipe according to your wish but a whole spoonful of pistou on top of the soup is a must here! Pistou based dishes are definitely a must at Le Merenda, a great place to enjoy local cuisine.
Address: Rue Raoul Bosio – 06000, Nice, Côte d’Azur
3. FOUGASSE
Fougasse is actually a type of bread, not a dish. However, it is a traditional food in the Provence region and should not be missed! Typically, the dough is shaped into the lattice, it can be a leaf or a wheat stalk. The shaping makes it possible to pull the bread into smaller pieces. Fougasse contains olive chunks and a mixture of fresh herbs according to the season. In Monaco, Fougasse is rather sweet and topped with almonds and nuts. Boulangerie Veziano is an old French style bakery that offers many types of bread. Grab a fougasse here if you want to have a traditional touch.
Address: Rue de la Pompe, 2 – 06600, Antibes
Phone: +33 4 93 34 05 46
4. SALAD NIÇOISE
The salad Nice is another very famous dish from Nice! Even though the ingredients seem quite different from each other, the whole mixture of them creates a unique balance. Salad Niçoise is a mixture of tomato, tuna or anchovies, olives, green French beans and a boiled egg – which should be the only cooked ingredient in the salad. The other ingredients are simply referred to as crudités meaning that they are raw. If you are having Pan Bagnat -which is a sandwich filled with salad Niçoise you can also taste some vinegar inside along with olive oil. Lou Balico serves both of the specialties, salad, and the pan bagnat. The restaurant is famous for real Niçoise cuisine so you can’t go wrong!
Address: Avenue Saint Jean Baptiste,20 – 06000 Nice
Phone: +33 4 93 85 93 71
5. SOCCA
Obviously, Socca is not the best-looking food in Provence. However, it might be your favorite street food if you visit Nice. Socca is a pancake-like dish, which uses chickpea as the main ingredient. The batter is thicker than regular pancakes and it should be baked over a fire. This cooking technique gives a nice and brownish crust to the dish itself. It is the ultimate snack food in Nice as you most probably won’t find anything similar in France. Eat Socca from Chez Teresa, an old-time favorite of both locals and travelers in the city.
Address: 28 rue Droite – 06300 Nice
Phone: +33 4 93 85 00 04
6.BOUILLABAISSE
If there is one dish from the French Riviera that has been known all over the world: It’s Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse was actually first made by fishmongers who were simply trying to use up the fish that they couldn’t sell as a fish stew. The dish can be seen all over the seaside however, it originates from Marseille. There is not a strict rule for which fish can be used in Bouillabaisse but most recipes call for local Mediterranean fish such as racasse, conger, and grondin. The rich seafood broth is served separately and the fish and boiled potatoes are served with a side of rouille – which is a garlic mayonnaise seasoned with saffron. You have to be in good hands if you want to enjoy a good Bouillabaise, taste it at Chez Fonfon – a famous local restaurant in Marseille.
Address: Rue du Vallon des Auffes,140 -13007 Marseille
Phone: +33 4 91 52 14 38
7. TARTE TROPEZIENNE
Tarte Tropezienne has an amazing story! A polish pastry chef who continued his work life in St. Tropez created a dessert from classic French brioche. He simply split the brioche horizontally and filled with vanilla and lemon cream then topped it with hard sugar crystals. Apparently, when Bridget Bardot came to town to shoot a movie, she tasted the dessert and fell in love with it. Then the popularity of the dessert grew so quickly that it became a part of cuisine there. Of course, you should try this dish in the right place which is in Saint Tropez. You don’t have to look far to find the best place to eat it, as the pastry shop has the same name as the dessert.
Address: Places des lices – 83990 Saint-Tropez
Phone: +33 04 94 97 94 25
8. TAPENADE
Tapenade is one the easiest recipes from Provence, it is very popular and seen as a staple there. The base of a tapenade is olive and capers and in the end, you will have a spread of that mixture. The essential ingredients are olives, capers, olive oil and lemon juice. Of course, nowadays it possible to see many different ingredients in tapenade and they are available everywhere including supermarkets. The best way to enjoy it is over a thin cracker or a thinly sliced and toasted sourdough bread. There isn’t any place specialized on tapenade as it is consumed during happy hour or picnics. The best way to get it is at open-air markets where you can buy a jar for yourself. Make sure you take a good walk to find the best at Cours Saleya Flower and Vegetable Market!
Address: Cours Saleya -06300 Nice
9. PISSALADIERE
Another fast and snack like food from the Riviera is Pissaladiere. Just like Socca, Pissaladiere is meant to be eaten quickly and while standing up. The dish is also super simple, it is a dough like bread, a bit similar to pizza, although the dough of Pissaladiere is rather flaky and more buttery than a pizza dough. The topping is a generous amount of onion along with anchovies and black olives. It is usually cut in big rectangles and then cut into squares. You are warned, this is quite addictive! Try Pissaladiere at Chez Pipo and try their other snack foods as well!
Address: Rue Bavastro,13 – Nice
Phone: +33 04 93 55 88 82
10. DAUBE PROVENÇALE
Daube is actually a stew, however, the Provençal version of the stew contains herb de Provence, Niçoise olives, wine, garlic, a variety of vegetables and it is usually served with rice. This recipe calls for home-style cooking as it needs both a long marinating time and cooking time. Another version called a l’Avignonnaise calls for lamb meat and also for white wine. It is possible to see a different style of Daube in every place as ingredients and cooking style change depending on the region. Try it at La Cantine de Lulu, it’s a small but gourmet eatery that focuses on traditional Provençal cuisine.
Address: Rue Alberti, 26- 06000 Nice
Phone: +33 4 93 62 15 33