Best Cafés in the Old Town

Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur, in need of a jolt, or just want a great place to watch the sidewalk-parade, here’s a selection of great spots…

 

 

Best Coffee, period:  The Brulerie des Cafés Indien roasts their own beans, so even for the smell alone, it can’t be beat.   Mostly a bean-seller, they have a little coffee bar so you can try before you buy, or just enjoy the most aromatic cup of coffee in Nice.   Find them on rue Ste Réparate and also on Rue Pairolière.

Best Morning Cafés:  Anywhere along Cours Saleya is wonderful in the morning: coffee, sun, and the fabulous market ambiance.  The earliest coffee is at Café des Fleurs on Cours Saleya which starts serving the brocanteurs and market vendors at 5am.

But some of the best cafés for breakfast are actually bakeries, as the croissants and pain au chocolates will be far superior to what you will get in a bar.  My favorites in Old Nice are:

  • Au Ble d’Azur on the corner of rue de Marche and rue Moulin…  They have the best croissants and pain au chocolate in Old Nice and I especially like their almond croissants.  This is one of the few bakeries that also has little outside tables and makes coffee and cappuccinos.
  • Multari on Jean-Jaures near Place Garibaldi, is another with coffees, outside tables, and excellent pastries.

Best Cafés for a Starbucks fix:  As of a few months ago, the first Starbucks in Nice opened in the giant Cap 3000 shopping center.  But unless you are also craving mall-frenzy, here are a couple of low-key spots in Old Nice that know what you’re looking for:

  • Café Marché is tucked away on a side street just steps from its namesake, the Marche Cours Saleya.
  • Emilie’s Cookies has a cool coffee-house vibe and great coffees. There’s one at the Port, rue Albertini, and Vieux Nice at Palais de Justice.  …Oh, and don’t forget dessert!

Best Winter Cafés: 

  • The perfect winter warm up is an Italian-style hot chocolate.  This amazing pudding-like cup-of-heaven is just starting to migrate over the border, and you can find it at Brulerue des Cafés Indien,  Café Antonia terrace on Place Rossetti, and…
  • …my favorite place for a coffee in the winter: Tucked away in the little chocolate shop just off Place Palais du Justice, L’Art Gourmand, you’ll find a little upstairs mezzanine Salon d’Thé that is not only warm and cosy, but has the aroma of chocolate.   Perfect for a coffee on a chilly winter afternoon.

Best Tea Houses: 

  • For the new age crowd, it’s Nocy Be on rue Jules-Gilly just off Cours Saleya, hands down.
  • If you prefer chairs to sitting on poofs, then the Brulerue des Cafés Indien on rue Pairolière might be a better choice.
  • The Scotch Tea House on Nice’s most high-end shopping street, rue de Suède, is number one with the ladies-that-lunch crowd.

Best Coffee with light Dessert:  A ‘Café Gourmand’ is an espresso served with 3 mini-desserts, a Parisian innovation that is happily starting to proliferate in Nice.   Have one at Café Marché just off Cours Saleya in the Old Town and at Café Sud on blvd Felix Faure.

See Related Pages: Café Life for how to ‘café’ like a pro, how to order and what to try,

Photo Credits:  Coffee Heart by Nevit Dilmen, Latte Macchiato by Aleph, Tea Pot by Kristina Walter all three licensed under Creative Commons, and Coffee and Croissant with permission from Blue Walk European Walking Tours.