Results from an ad hoc croissant crawl. I crawled many of the bakeries in the area to find a croissant I liked. Went to bio brod, b baker, Maison Armand, maitre Pierre, cafe vergano, Celine, and Philip Tayac
Bio brod wins. More of a utilitarian croissant and not as designer or instsgrammy as tayac or Celine but with ample amounts of butter flavor, crisp exterior, and soft pillowy interior it was by far the best and I had them two days in a row. Tayac and Celine were surprisingly weak given how great they looked all looks no substance . Both of them had gummy interiors indicating non-freshness or poor moisture control and tayac had barely any butter flavor. They were also close to 3 euros a piece.
B baker gets a shoutout for their almond croissant they seemed to be the only one that used day old croissants that you can’t find in the USA flattened in shape and twice baked.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to order more but the quality of the cooking was there and I would’ve liked to order additional dishes but sometimes circumstances don’t allow for eating the whole menu lol. I don’t think I’ve had squash blossoms prepared in this manner, usually fried or cooked on pizza, not sure if they were quickly blanched or just raw but they were very good stuffed with olive tapenade, goat cheese and pesto. A great spot that is in a back alley in old town nice.
I’m glad you enjoyed l’Alchimie, and thanks for all the pics. My only hope is that the ones you enjoyed most don’t get too flooded and I have to start reserving even further in advance. Let that be the warning to the readers of the thread (j.k)
I agree Bio Brod is the best in that section of the city and also the best value, and the owner(s) are super nice. Their organic goods, all made upstairs, are sometimes less pricey than other place’s regular (and inferior) goods. Their gluten free section is a bit hit or miss, but their traditional viennoiserie is very good. I think the organic butter they use might be the difference.
The stuffed zucchini flowers sound intense. The owner has like 10 establishments (including Bar des Oiseaux, Bistrot D’antoine, Comptoir du Marche, Peixes, Type 55) that are known among locals for quality to price. As a sign of year round popularity, they shut down two weeks in August to take their summer holiday.
Cantine de meme- had an outstanding meal. Not the same level stratospheric high as l’alchemie but very top tier cooking. Service was also super friendly and knowledgeable. The muscat based white wine they paired for my dinner was eminently drinkable and matched the small fruit medium acidity that I was looking for. It’s highly commendable that they change their menu every 15 days. If I lived in nice I probably would visit once a month.
The veal and smoked herring tartare topped lalchemies tartare offering and was phenomenal. It looked a very unappetizing gray but looks aside the smoked herring was a perfect complement to the veal.
The cod was mild but I suspect the whole fish was restrained as to not outstrip the flavor of the fish which was perfectly cooked.
The duck breast ate like a steak and my wife raved that the carrots were maybe the best carrots she ever ate. Perfect bite was duck, carrot, pineapple with the agrodolce sauce and a crispy carrot on top.
The duo of crumble was also delicious as a dessert!
My personal picnic odyssey was a bit absurd today. Happened to wake up early because of jet lag and enjoyed a cappuccino and croissant at bio brod and grabbed a baguette to go while doing some basic supply shopping for our road trip to provenance. Meanwhile I waited at a cafe down the street near the boucheries and nerys fromagerie to open and had another espresso.
Ended up buying house made ham, a parsley terrine, and pate at La maseleria boucherie. All were outstanding but the ham and pate were my faves.
Then bought some cured anchovies and sun dried tomatoes from l’italien which were also delicious.
Nerys still hadn’t opened by their stated opening time so I decided to go procure some organic produce and butter near tayac. At that point I decided to walk to sl epicerie which is on the otherside of the tourist district for some bordied butter. But upon arrival the man working the counter said he was “finished with bordier butter” not sure if he meant he stopped carrying it or was out needless to say I was a bit bummed out lol. So then I decided to walk all the way back to nerys to check to see if they were actually open today. Thankfully nerys was open and I was able to buy some echire salted butter and upsold a pomerol soft cheese which was fantastic. I also procured a baguette from matre piere which I liked more than the bio brod baguette
Moral of the story call ahead to avoid walking over 3ks to search for some butter. Picnic turned out great though!
Blockquote Thanks for sharing your local recs to a tourist like myself it’s much appreciated and made nice infinitely more enjoyable
You are welcome and enjoy your trip to Provence. I’m sorry your search for beurre was unproductive but I hope the other things were tasty. I should have warned you about Nery’s somewhat imprecise hours. I am pretty certain SL meant to say they are sold out or emptied out. I personally buy some different brands (unavailable in the US) for daily use.
Thanks for all these reviews! And to Gooster for all the recommendations. We’re moving to Nice later this year (but haven’t been there in 3 years) so happy to get these updates.
Hey VaPaula, see you later in the year. You will be shocked how many Americans have followed the path and continue to move (or at least part time). And lots of new places to try.
So, what is the best option for bread (not pastry) in Nice or nearby in your opinion?
I recall Fournil Zielinska in the old town offering some interesting bread.
What type of bread are you seeking?. Zielinski is a good choice for more rustic and naturally leavened breads. For a traditional baguette, Bardonnet in the Port or Maitre Pierre. I’ve heard Mama Baker is good but have not been, as when I’m looking I often just source “une tradition” or other in the neighborhood, unless I am passing through.
Let that be the warning to the readers of the thread (j.k)
