Visited for Breakfast – May 28th, 2022
My friend and I were staying in a cute hotel near the center of Nice and were looking for a place to grab a pastry and an americano for a snack, when we stumbled upon Les Petits Pains de Méditerranée. It is a small venue, right off the main area of downtown Nice. If you’re spending the day shopping, you likely will walk past it. On the street, the cafe is marked by the marble sign and café tables out front – so it’s one of those rare places that you could easily walk past, but you’d be sad if you did! Keep an eye out for the marble sign and you’ll find it just fine 
The shop is longer than it is wide and has an assortment of savories up in the front, with sweet pastries in the back. The ambiance is not of a café where you’ll likely sit and hang-out, but more of a grab and go, or a grab and sit for a few minutes. There are a handful of café tables out-front, but the inside is small and really just for ordering & paying.
When you enter, you’re greeted by a lovely little lady behind the counter, who definitely has her work cut out for her in serving the long line of patrons. When we arrived, there was one group of folks in front of us, but when we left there was a bit of a line out the door. So, this must be a popular spot.
The clientele were a mix of locals and tourists, which (to me) means it’s getting good support. In terms of options, they have options for whichever mood you’re in! Looking for a lunch sandwich? Got it! Want a beignet? Done! If you’re indecisive, you may walk out with more than you bargained for.
We opted for one savory and two sweets with two Americanos.
The Americanos were done well, no complaints. They came straight out of the nespresso 
, but came with a cute candy.
The savory we went with was the vegetable quiche, which came with squash, tomatoes, onions, and rosemary. It was a skinny/flat quiche from the ones I’m used to from the US. It had a crispy crust (just a touch overbaked), and due to the extra crisp on the crust and all the veggies on-top was a touch dry, but still fresh tasting. It left me feeling like I had gotten my veggies in for the day and also had a solid base to go from.
My friend is really into lemon and so we ordered the pastry that looked like a lemon tart. We were correct! It was nice, flakey and just the right amount of filling. Definitely the perfect bake on the crust! We may have fought about who got the last bite 😛
I couldn’t walk out of the café without ordering a beignet! There was only one left in the case and it looked so fluffy and tasty. In typical style, it was lightly dusted with sugar and nice and puffy. It was a bit dry though, like it may have been the last of the batch. So, while I got my sweet sugary fix, I wouldn’t give it a great rating. If freshly out of the oven, I think it would’ve been great!
Overall, if you’re looking for a quick café and pastry or a sandwich to -go, Les Petits Pains de Méditerranée is a solid stop to make. They have an incredible selection, kind staff, and impeccable location. The only reason for the slight drop in rating is due to the two slightly dry pastries, but depending on the timing of your visit (& the bake), you may get a 5-star experience!
3.5-stars
~WFD
