Visited 5/25/2022 (afternoon snack) & 5/28 (breakfast)
Le Grande Café de France is located right on the main strip of the hotels and restaurants in downtown Nice. It is definitely a ‘tourist trap’ of a restaurant, but I can say happily that it lured me in, not once, but twice for a quick snack.
I suppose I should start with that I appreciate France for it’s outdoor cafés and when I see one with the white wicker and classic vibe, I have a hard time resisting to sit down at least for a cappuccino.
The menu at Le Grande Café de France has everything you’d expect from a Parisian tourist restaurant. Croissants in the morning, Aperol spritz in the afternoon, and Italian / sea food in the evening. The prices are a bit elevated from those of restaurants not on the ‘main street’, but the lure & draw is that you are in the mix of it all while you sit and enjoy your meal.
The ambiance of the café is so cute. Outside, which is where I sat both times, is under a covered awning. You sit and face the walking traffic, so you get some nice people watching as you sip your Aperol or enjoy your meal. I am very sad I did not take a photo of the inside, but if you do visit, please go inside and check it out. There is a grand spiral staircase that takes you upstairs (to where the restrooms are). Across from the restrooms is a beautiful bar, a chandelier, and seats with a terrific view. Plus, the staff were attentive as well.
When I stopped by the evening of May 25th, I wanted just a snack, so I ordered the cheese and fig plate. It came with so much cheese! There were brie, gouda, and cheddar. There were dried apricots and figs intermixed as well. In the center was a mixed greens salad with some pine nuts. While very cheese heavy, it was a nice snaking plate as I relaxed.
I popped over again for a quick snack (aka croissant breakfast) before my flight on the 28th. I ordered a couple croissants (one for now, one for take away), a cappuccino and a mimosa! Basically all the delightful things. While I was only there for about 25 minutes, the croissant was buttery, flakey, and perfect. Ugh it was great! And the mimosa sure hit the spot. Cappuccino is hard to go wrong in general, but this one was darker than the one I had the previous day while out and about, which I appreciated because of the brightness of the mimosa.
Similar to the previous visit, I was able to people watch during my snack and get one last piece of the French experience before my flight back home.
Solid 4-stars.
~Jeremy
