Nice institution since 1947 in the Vieux Nice, pouring local and broader French wines by the glass with a shaded terrace and full-day service.
The list: Founded in 1947, one of Nice's oldest wine bars, with French regional wines by the glass and the bottle and food to soak them up. Shaded terrace and long-haul service from breakfast to evening
Tip: Closed Monday; the shaded terrace is the place to be for an early-evening glass before dinner in Vieux Nice.
Address: 3 Rue de la Tour, 06300 Nice, France, Provence
A Vieux Nice Vietnamese-French fusion spot with a curated natural-wine list and a quiet evening soundtrack.
The list: A Vietnamese-French fusion spot in Vieux Nice with a curated natural-wine selection across the evening, the local listening-style spot for a low-key wine-driven dinner
Tip: The natural-wine list is short and rotates; let the room recommend a pairing to the banh mi rather than ordering blind.
A doorbell-entry, communal-table Marseille spot from former musician Erika Blu, serving cucina povera with Italian wine and lo-fi music.
The list: An Italian-led communal-table room from former musician Erika Blu, pouring Barolo and other Italian bottles to a cucina povera menu in a Persian-rug-and-old-stove setting
Tip: You ring the doorbell to get in; the room is small and the meals are communal, so book ahead and plan for a slow, conversational evening.
A Rue Fontange La Plaine cafe-bar from Axelle Poittevin and Thomas Benayoun, pouring natural wines into the evening alongside competition-level sandwiches.
The list: A Rue Fontange cafe-bar that opens early for La Marzocco espresso and stretches into lunch and evening with a sandwich menu and an evolving by-the-glass natural wine list
Tip: Razzia is a morning-to-evening La Plaine spot; the boeufato tonnato sandwich at lunch and a chilled natural rose at sundown are the two visits to plan.
A two-story near-Vieux-Port spot with 60s lighting, banquettes and a tiled bar, with seasonal cooking and natural-wine pours.
The list: A two-story spot near the Vieux-Port with 60s lighting, banquettes and a delicately tiled bar, with seasonal lunch menus and a small natural-wine list across the evening
Tip: The veggie option on the lunch menu is the canary for the kitchen's seasonal sourcing; ask for the wine pairings from the natural list.
A Vieux Nice Vietnamese-French fusion spot with a curated natural-wine list and a quiet evening soundtrack.
The list: A Vietnamese-French fusion spot in Vieux Nice with a curated natural-wine selection across the evening, the local listening-style spot for a low-key wine-driven dinner
Tip: The natural-wine list is short and rotates; let the room recommend a pairing to the banh mi rather than ordering blind.
A Rue Venture intimate room with zinc bar, speckled floors and Italian-leaning small plates with a by-the-glass list to match.
The list: A charming Rue Venture spot with a long zinc bar, speckled floors and small-plate cooking like vitello tonnato and braised beef cheek; the by-the-glass list leans Italian and small-grower
Tip: The small terrace on Rue Venture spills onto the street; book ahead for a corner table or wait for the second seating in summer.
A dark-green Rue Saint-Pierre dining room with open kitchen and a market-driven tasting menu with grower-wine pairings.
The list: A small dark-green dining room with a long zinc bar and open kitchen on Rue Saint-Pierre, with the Sarah Chougnet-Strudel and Lucien Salomon duo serving market dinners with a daring grower-driven wine list
Tip: Regain is one of Marseille's most discussed kitchens; reserve weeks ahead and order the surprise tasting menu with the matching wine flight.