From salad and juice bars to excellent sushi, there are a number of interesting and high-quality vegetarian and vegan places to eat at in Nice.
With the arrival of a few new cafés and restaurants, it is now far easier to find wonderful vegan and vegetarian options in Nice. While some serve fish, many use only vegetarian or plant-based alternatives to meat. There are delicious breakfast and brunch meals on offer, as well as lunch and dinner.
Husband-and-wife team Willy and Camille, who are both vegan and keen chefs, established Vegan Gorilla as the go-to plant-based restaurant in Nice. The ingredients they use are also 100% organic and lactose-free. Eat stuffed vegetables with roast potatoes or pepper and tomato gazpacho at canteen-style tables or in the little lounge, where there are comfortable seats made from old packing crates.
For a meal to remember, consider visiting the home of local Japanese chef Etsuko Fuhazawa. For €20 per person, she’ll prepare around five or six vegetarian and/or seafood dishes using ingredients she has sourced that morning from Niçois fishmongers and vegetable growers. Specialities include a salad of chard, apple, nori seaweed and green peas or mackerel in ginger and soy sauce.
Vegan couple Julien and Callie run Caju Vegan, which is in the heart of Nice’s Old Town. Gorgeous salads and plant-based burgers are served with beetroot crisps and, if you still have room, choose from gluten-free cakes or a black bean brownie. They also have fresh smoothies and healthy teas and chai, which they serve non-stop on their small terrace throughout the day.
Badaboum is a juice bar and cafe that regularly holds poetry jams and supper clubs. The delicious, healthy snacks served here include fresh salads, soups and sandwiches and homemade hummus – all of which are made in the open-plan kitchen. The hot drink menu is extensive, with a range of teas, coffees and tisanes (caffeine-free fruit flavoured tea). They also sell vegan wine and locally crafted artisan beer.
Coralie and Ben used to run a tea shop in Antibes before deciding to launch a vegetarian and vegan cafe in Nice. They don’t use any cow products – milk, butter or yoghurt – and find alternatives such as coconut or almond milk, although they do use goat’s cheese in some dishes. Paper Plane is also open for breakfast – think bowls of delicious homemade muesli with chia seeds and cashew milk – and they regularly post interesting healthy eating articles on their website.
Established by passionate foodies Melina and Nicolas, Koko Green is a small gourmet restaurant specialising in vegetarian and raw food. Expect such delights such as a vegetarian sushi dish with black rice, edamame, avocado and wasabi cream, or courgette spaghetti served in a creamy cashew and mushroom sauce. The menu changes weekly and they also offer great vegan or gluten-free cakes, drinks and desserts.
Restaurant, Juice Bar, French, European, Gluten-free, Vegan, Vegetarian, $$$
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So Green is a build-your-own salad and juice bar. Choose a salad base – lettuce, pasta, rice or noodles – and then add dressing plus additional extras like mushrooms and peppers. They also have two or three different soups each day. This healthy fast food spot is in Nice’s very grand square, Place Masséna, a lovely spot to take your salad and sit at one of the outside tables and watch the world go by.
