Restaurant Chez Davia — Restaurant in Nice

This restaurant was recommended as having authentic cuisine and I was looking forward to the dinner. We had a reservation. I arrived 15 minutes early and it was challenging getting someone’s attention to let them know I was here. The native speaking patrons were being instantly greeted and treated warmly. After I did make contact with the host I was seated about 5 minutes later at an inside table and the room was steamy. I asked for a beer right away and got it. Somewhat promising start but unfortunately the beer was warm. My wife arrived in about 5 minutes and we were not even looked at by another waiter for 1/2 an hour! When we did finally get service, since there was no English translation on the menu (which is fine), we politely asked for a few English translations. The waiter seemed impatient and not knowledgeable to boot so we ordered the best we could and added wine and water. Our first courses were just ok and we never got water, which was essential given the heat. Once again, I couldn’t get anyone’s attention to bring water. I’m not a paranoid person, but it seemed like we were purposefully being ignored. Fed up and not wanting to spend any more money in a place that acted like they didn’t want me there anyway, I left my table and found a woman who stood in the back and seemed to be functioning as a cashier. I asked her if I could please pay our bill asap as the service was horrible, and to cancel my main course. She did nothing but nod and I returned to my seat. 5 minutes later she came over with the bill to review. Thankfully, she had crossed out the main course but the water, which we never got, was on the bill! After she corrected that I paid and was about to leave when a waiter I had never seen before came over to apologize and said they were short staffed as someone called in sick. I’m not sure I bought that as others seemed to have attentive service. Further, our waiter didn’t even look our way and said nothing to us. This experience ruined our night. We were in France traveling for 6 weeks and by far this was the worst experience of the bunch. Otherwise, I found the French people warm and helpful and it was a...

For those seeking local tastes of Nice (and elsewhere along the Côte d’Azur) prepared with great creativity, precision and finesse, Restaurant Chez Davia does not disappoint. In a pleasantly nostalgic, unpretentious yet well-appointed space (check out the Murano glass chandelier) with tables outside as well, chef Pierre Altobelli prepares meals with luscious seafood and meats and gorgeous vegetables. Altobelli trained with some of France’s most renowned chefs; he is also the third generation of his family to head the restaurant, which is named after its founder, his Italian grandmother. The menu changes regularly with the seasons, so what I will describe below from my party’s meal will likely not be what you eat. But rest assured that so much is well-prepared at Chez Davia that you are unlikely to go wrong whatever you choose.

Our meal included an outstanding Niçoise salad, a large appetizer plate of delectably fried squid, shrimp and small fish, and a deliciously hearty spinach tagliatelle with a smattering of brown beans. We also ordered the anchovies with onion and basil and the aïoli cauliflower and white fish plate, as well as the impossibly fresh baked vegetables (onion, tomatoes, and zucchini) stuffed with ground lamb. Each dish was wonderfully light, befitting the warm summer weather, yet totally satisfying. We had the house speciality lemon tart and the delightful lavender crème brûlée for dessert.

The prix fixe menu is worth it, although you may see something on the à la carte menu you especially wish to try. Overall, the prices here are very reasonable, by my standards, for this level of cuisine.

The wine selection was also terrific, even by the glass. I loved the tasty champagne, my companion enjoyed a rosé. The house bread was a seriously good sourdough boule.

Don’t miss this restaurant if you are in Nice, but be sure to make a reservation. The night we went (a Friday) the restaurant was packed — a bit too packed, indeed, for the wait staff, who were on point but slightly harried. I can’t recommend Chez...

I have to say I was looking forward to it, but was left disappointed.

We ordered a carafe of water(free) and got a water bottle instead (costs money). And this was not a question of a language barrier because my partner is French.

We were also served dishes sort of haphazardly. My partner got his appetizer like a minute before me, which was still fine, but by dessert, I got mine first and then he had to wait for at least five minutes more than me. And I noticed we were not the only table where this happened. The service just seemed to be all over the place. Taking dishes to tables, then noticing it was not the right table and then trying to figure out where to take it instead.

Also my appetizer was a big disappointment. I got a melon with wine, but what I got was essentially just a melon cut in half. Some of the tables got a nicely cut melon with a sort of like decorative cut, mine was just literally cut in half, with the wine leaking out of it and eventually pooling on the plate. It tasted only of melon, and I could have gotten the same experience by just buying a half a melon in a grocery store, except it would’ve been easier to eat. Because the wine pooling on the plate made the melon very difficult. I slipped twice with my spoon and knife, which meant the melon slapped some of the wine from the plate on the table. It got the table all dirty and it made me feel like a pig.

It was my birthday dinner, and I cried during it, because I got so embarrassed about getting the table all dirty with the melon wine. :(

The rest of the food was pretty good, but the melon catastrophe and the below the average service really ruined the dinner for me and I kind of do not understand the bib gourmand this place apparently has. Out of all the bib gourmand restaurants I’ve been to, this was the most disappointing experience and it’s a shame it was on my...