Best Wine Bars in and around Old Nice
With interactive map!
Best Hidden Terrace: La Treille is a relatively new wine bar, set under the vines that completely engulf the wine bar’s exterior… a one-of-a-kind setting immortalized by the artist Raoul Duffy in the 1950’s. It is right in the heart of Old Nice, but completely hidden from the main street so just Google Map La Trelle to find it… it is quite a surprise! Their chalkboard features a nice selection of local-style small plates to share as well. 7 Rue Saint-Augustin, Tramstop Garibaldi or Cathedrale
Most Authentic: Cave de la Tour, a family-run for over 70 years, catering to a mostly local clientele right out of a Pagnol film. Enjoy a coup de rouge at the little wine bar or sit at one of the wine cask tables, where you can also have a little home cooked lunch. In fact, things haven’t really changed much here in 70 years. 3 rue de la Tour in Old Nice, tram stop Cathédrale.
Most Sophisticated: Another new-on-the-scene is Maison Corail, with organic-only fine wines in an airy curated Country French decor, with waifting lounge music and delectable platters to share. The owner is a German enophile, and he totally nails the Euro-chic vibe. 2 Rue Sainte-Claire, reservations recommended, especially for Fridays in Summer when they feature a live manouche jazz aprero from 7pm. Tramstop Garibaldi or Cathedrale.
Heading towards the other side of Old Nice…
Best Kept Secret: The Cave du Cours is an off-beat, almost hidden wine cellar in Old Nice, tucked into an obscure side street and rarely open, which blossoms into a packed wine bar in the style of Italian aperativo at the end of the week for those in-the-know. 24 Rue Barillerie, tram stop Opera.
Most Historic: The venerable Cave Bianchi is a 150-year-old family wine merchant, the oldest in Nice, and in the middle of the shop is a round tasting bar where you can taste selected wines by the glass. 7 rue Raoul Bosio, tram stop Opera.
Best Spot to Splurge: Maison Pellegrino – Most wine sellers have one retail price if you buy a bottle to go, and another, higher, restaurant price if they open it for you and and serve it to you on the premises. At Maison Pellegrino you can drink that bottle for the retail price without the restaurant mark-up, even with a meal, so this is the place to splurge on that Grand Cru! They feature a small kitchen and lots delicacies to nibble as well. Easy to spot with their atypical historical façade of Lisbon-like tilework. 9 rue du Marche, tram stop Opera.
Best Wine Bars from Garibaldi to the Port
Here are two new fantastic wine and tapas bars that you might not stumble across on your own: From Place Garibaldi, follow the tree-lined street that winds around the back of Chateau Hill… here you will find…
Les Oeillets Nice used to be the carnation-growing capital of France, and this wine bar is named for that unassuming but hearty bloom. The nightly crowds can attest to the quality as they pack the terrace’s utilitarian school desks and chairs, sipping natural wines and sharing simple food on mismatched small plates found at the neighborhood antique markets. 26 Rue Catherine Segurane, tram stop Garibaldi
Continue on the same street, and just out of sight lies Nice’s newest, hippest wine bar Rouge. Literally carved into the stone walls of the Chateau, their improbable location does not stop their enthusiastic millennial-leaning clientele from overflowing out on the sidewalks. Vast selection of wines, paired with an equally impressive menu full of creative tapas that have earned them a prestigious Michelin ‘bib’ award. Open 7/7 noon-11pm, 2 Rue de Foresta, tram stop Garibaldi or Port
In Nice’s Petit Marais neighborhood on the rollicking rue Bonaparte (from Place Garibaldi, it’s the street to the left of the Hotel Geneve sign), you are spoiled for choice. On one end you have the lively Posto 17 with packed outdoor café seating, serving affordable Italian wines and street food. On the other end you have Nabulio, the new cool kid on the block, with a designer interior, chic cocktail party vibe, techno soundtrack, and a tony clientele. In the middle there’s Cave de Papa (dad’s wine cellar) which is literally and figuratively between the two. For all, tram stop Garibaldi.
Favorite Downtown Wine Bar
La Part des Anges is an organic-only wine shop with a large wine bar in the back offering a rotating selection of 10 wines by the glass, but what I love the most is the little cantina kitchen in the back where they serve up one homecooked starter, one main and one dessert. That’s it: no menu, no choices, and not posted anywhere on social media; the only way to know what they’re cooking is to pop by and check out the blackboard… And they’re packed every day with loyal locals, so reservations are a must at +33 4 93 62 69 80. 17 rue Gubernatis, tram stop Durandy; closed Sundays.