Le Panier — Restaurant in Nice

SIMPLY FANTASTIC!

Le Panier is truly a hidden gem in the heart of Nice’s old town. Don’t be discouraged by the fact that there is no à la carte menu—trust the chef and let yourself be surprised, course after course.

I chose this restaurant to celebrate my anniversary with my girlfriend, and I couldn’t have made a better decision. We went for the 7-course tasting menu (€79), and here’s what we enjoyed:

Amuse-bouche Polenta chips, eggplant pâté, rabbit liver – an explosion of flavors that immediately set the tone for the evening.

Starter 1 Guacamole with olive crumble, cucumber, smoked scamorza foam, grilled green tomato, and a quenelle of green olive ice cream. Entirely vegetarian, balanced, and creative. The olive ice cream was an unexpected and delightful surprise.

Starter 2 Parmesan and black sesame cream, duck tartare, tuna tartare, radish. One of the highlights of the night—the tartares were seasoned to perfection, showcasing the freshness of the ingredients. I especially appreciated the bold pairing of meat and fish in the same dish, in perfect harmony.

Fish Course Seabass fillet with saffron soup, butter-glazed smoked potatoes, fennel foam, saffron-garlic mayonnaise, and fennel chips. For me, this was the absolute star of the dinner: perfectly cooked fish and an outstanding broth that I could have eaten a whole bowl of. The fennel added freshness and balance, elevating the dish even further.

Meat Course Pork belly with fermented red cabbage, blackberry gel, garlic gel, served with sides of broccoli, kale, cashew nut milk, and Corsican charcuterie. The pork was cooked to perfection, with the fruit and garlic gels adding just the right contrast. The shared sides complemented an already complete and delicious dish.

Pre-Dessert (Cheese Dish) Blue cheese with mirabelle chutney and pepper pudding, recommended to be eaten together on bread. A delightful combination, with the pepper pudding being a pleasant surprise.

Dessert 1 Yuzu cream, beetroot ice cream, oat biscuit, compressed grapes, and fermented lemon juice. Refreshing and well-balanced, the perfect palate cleanser before the final course.

Dessert 2 Roasted apricot, honey cake, rosemary foam, and black combava ice cream. A bold and aromatic ending—combava has an intense citrusy flavor that was new to me and truly fascinating.

To make the evening even more memorable, the staff surprised us with a Polaroid photo of the two of us, given as a complimentary keepsake of our anniversary dinner. A thoughtful gesture that perfectly reflects the impeccable and attentive service.

In summary: • Thoughtful explanations of each dish • Seasonal, local, and fresh ingredients • Creative, balanced, and beautifully presented plates • Elegant, spotless location • Warm, professional, and attentive service • Outstanding value for money (€79 for 7 courses)

This was our first time at Le Panier, but it will certainly not be the last. I truly hope they maintain this pricing because, in my opinion, it makes Le Panier the best restaurant in Nice in terms of quality-to-price ratio.

Simply fantastic!

PS: In winter, it’s possible to sit at the counter facing the open kitchen—an experience I can’t wait to try on my next visit, along with the chef’s new...

Thís hidden gem restaurant is a must visit when you come to Nice. We had a wonderful night with full of surprises and joys. The tasting menu gave us the best chance of trying what ind of food Le Panier offers. Starting with Peas Mousse, what a delightful dish! It was refreshing, creamy but light. Few bites of crunchy Peas and garnishes just added whole lots of flavours and contrast. We continued with Poached White Asparagus with Shellfish, Squid ink and Wild Garlic dipping. Again, it was full of flavours and contrast! The Asparagus was poached perfectly; crunchy to bite in but very tender and sweet. The dipping was slightly warm and delicious with hint of the sea. The dish that we was most excited about was La Mafé Malick which had been recommended with passion to us at the beginning by the waitress. And it was exquisite! It included quick sealed beef with charcoal Cassava Vegetable, Seaweed sheet and Peanut Butter sauce. The tender raw beef with hint of charcoal taste surrounded with creamy sauce and peppery garnish just gave me so many layers of taste. Each bite gave me more and more surprise and excitement. We had another two dishes were Cod & Monkfish in Lobster Jus and of course crispy Duck Breat with Red Wine jus. They were both fantastic but I'll let the to you to find out yourself. Service is another aspect to enjoy at Le Panier. We served by three different waiter, waitress. They were absolutely wonderful, friendly, warm, caring and totally passionate about showing customer the food. Every time I travel to a new place, I always try to find at least one great restaurant with high skilled of cooking, authentic, delicious and friendly, genuine service. Here in Nice, the Le Panier was just fit perfectly to my must visit restaurant list. Merci, merci...

Disappointing dinner experience. The host was rigid and not very friendly. My friend & I got there early for our reservation & after waiting a while, we were seated. The host seated us at a table next to heavy smokers. We understand in Europe, outdoor seating means there can be smokers but the couple was heavy smokers. We saw empty tables so we requested to have another table. The guys put up a fuss saying they were all booked. Only after speaking with the manager, it turned out there were some non-reserved tables & we got moved. We double ordered everything off the menu - one set for each of us. The food was generally fine with a few misses with the best dish being the pork. It was super tender & delicious. The most disappointing was the beef strips - I guess it's seared, slightly cooked on the outside but rawish in the middle. Both my friend & I had the same. His was great - tender and silky. Mine was tough, chewy & cannot be digested. After bringing it up with the waiter, he sent it back to the kitchen, they "recooked" it but it was still not edible. He graciously replaced it with a new one but sadly, it was the same. We let him know & sent it back as there were other dishes we can enjoy from the set we ordered. From my experience, most find dining establishments would be embarrassed & would offer to take it off the bill. We would have declined anyway knowing everyone is trying to survive during the pandemic. Surprisingly, we were not made that offer. The fun in trying these experimental or fusion restaurants is discovering something delightful. The restaurant gave us an experience that was far from that. I wish them well but will not be...