No reservations required: these are the places to try when you don't want a formal sit-down meal.
Meal time in France is serious business, and the French Riviera is no different. Lunch is usually from 12 to 2pm, many restaurants offer a set two or three-course menu, and the whole meal can easily take 90 minutes to two hours. Dinner is similar. Most people don't even think about sitting down until at least 7pm, and more realistically 8pm, and once you're there, you can plan on staying for most of the evening.
And while I love a long French lunch or a proper dinner out, some days you just want something easier. Maybe you don't want to plan your entire day around eating. Maybe you forgot to make a reservation. Or maybe you're walking around Nice, suddenly starving, and need something good that doesn't require a full sit-down meal.
Luckily, Nice has plenty of casual food spots that are perfect for a quick lunch, takeaway meal, or easy bite between sightseeing. These are the places I recommend when you want something quick, satisfying, and actually good.
Bubu Burger
Something not everyone realizes is that French people love a good burger. While the world may think of burgers as American fast food, you'll find burgers on menus all over France. Lately, thinner smashburgers have been especially popular, and Bubu Burger has quickly become a local favorite in Nice.
The line often starts forming before they even open, but it usually moves quickly. There is limited seating inside, so I usually take my burger down to the Promenade des Anglais or the beach and find a spot to eat by the sea.
The burgers here are pretty much exactly what you want from a smashburger. They're thin, slightly caramelized around the edges, and still juicy instead of dry. They use quality ingredients, freshly baked buns, and the menu also includes vegetarian options for non-meat eaters.
Junk
Continuing with the smashburger theme, Junk is another great option, especially because it's open all day and available for delivery. I don't even want to know how many of these burgers I've eaten since moving to Nice. They are very easy to become addicted to.
The burgers are great, but the fries are also worth mentioning. Somehow, they've figured out how to make fries that still arrive crispy even when you order delivery.
And then there are the cookies. Big, soft, buttery cookies with lots of melted chocolate inside. They are absolutely my weakness, and it is very hard not to add one to your order.
Junk is a good option if you want something quick, casual, and reliable, especially if you're looking for food delivery in Nice or a casual meal outside normal restaurant hours.
Kalōs
If I'm out and about in Nice without a lunch plan, Kalōs is one of the places I'm most likely to stop. While they do generally follow the usual French dining hours, the tables turn over pretty quickly, which makes it much easier to get a seat than at a more formal restaurant. You can also order takeaway.
Here, you can choose between a plate or a pita sandwich. The options usually include chicken, falafel, beef kefta, or pulled pork. The plates are slightly larger and come with hummus, baba ganoush, and fresh vegetables. The pitas include many of the same ingredients, plus feta cheese, all stuffed inside warm pita bread.
They also have plenty of seating along pedestrianized Rue Bonaparte, which makes it a great spot for people-watching while you eat.
Panivore
Panivore describes itself as simple and healthy, but I'm not sure I'd call a tonkatsu-style sandwich with breaded pork cutlet, ginger miso mayo, and bright purple marinated cabbage "simple." What I would call it is very, very good.
They have a number of similarly tempting sandwiches on the menu, along with a few small sides. The focaccia is made in-house, and they also have vegan options, which can sometimes be difficult to find in France.
Panivore is open from 8am to 4pm, which makes it especially useful if you miss the typical lunch window but still need to find something good to eat. It's a great option for a quick sandwich in Nice that feels a little more creative than your standard grab-and-go lunch.
The Original Foca
At first, I was a bit skeptical of The Original Foca because it's in such a touristy part of the city. But the reviews were good, so I gave it a try anyway. Luckily, it turned out to be delicious.
They have a fairly large menu of Italian focaccia-style sandwiches, and at around 8 euros each, it's a very good deal for the quality. You'll find more classic flavor combinations here than you would at Panivore, but these sandwiches are classics for a reason.
If you're near Place Masséna and looking for a quick bite, The Original Foca is a great option. It's easy, affordable, filling, and much better than settling for one of the more touristy restaurants nearby.
LÜKS Kebab
I think that one of the truest statements about travel is that no matter where you are in the world, you can almost always find a kebab shop. Nice is no different.
LÜKS Kebab, though, is a step up from your standard late-night kebab spot. In Turkish, "lüks" means "luxury," and that pretty much sums up the concept here; kebabs, but make it gourmet.
The kebabs are stuffed with your choice of meats and vegetables, and they come absolutely overflowing with ingredients. You can stop by the shop or order online, and they're open until midnight most nights, making this one of the better late-night food options in Nice.
Lunicco
Lunicco is another place I was originally skeptical about. A sandwich shop inside a shopping mall? How good could it really be?
But with a 4.9 rating on Google and over six thousand reviews, it seemed like they might be onto something. And it turns out, they are.
The sandwiches are genuinely very good. You can choose from different types of Italian bread, including piadina, puccia, or tigella. The menu includes classic Italian combinations, some options that feel a bit more French, and vegetarian choices as well.
They're open from morning until early evening, so no matter what time of day you're hungry, you can stop in for something fresh, quick, and reliably tasty.
Bacio
Another sandwich shop to add to the list, Bacio. This shop has Italian style sandwiches, stuffed with great meats, cheeses and fresh vegetables. Depending on the day they might also have pasta dishes, and salads. They have a cozy space, but also offer everything for takeaway. On the weekends, they're more than just a sandwich shop, they also have small aperitivo plates, wines and cocktails.
Roly's Coffee and Slice
I was really excited when this shop opened in Nice, featuring NY style pizza by the slice. These types of slices are one of the foods I miss most from the US. After trying it, I can confirm it is the best NY style pizza I've ever had in Europe. Roly's will now be my go-to spot when I'm craving a pizza that tastes like home.
When all else fails, head to the bakery!
Nice, like most French cities, has bakeries everywhere. You're never more than a few blocks from a boulangerie, and bakeries aren't just for croissants and pastries. Most also make very good sandwiches.
If you need something quick, affordable, and easy to take away, you can almost always stop into a bakery and grab a sandwich, a slice of focaccia, a quiche, or the Niçoise classic, pan bagnat. It's one of the easiest ways to eat well in Nice without spending much money or making a reservation.
Whenever I'm traveling in France, and it's an odd hour with not many food options open, I usually head to the local bakery. It almost always works.
You can find my list of favorite bakeries in Nice here.