Food Specialties to Try When Visiting the French Riviera

The French Riviera isn’t just a feast for the eyes; it’s a palate-pleasing paradise.

From sun-soaked seaside towns to family-run cafés and bustling markets, the food of the French Riviera is a blend of Mediterranean freshness, Italian pedigree, and Provençal tradition.

These food specialties are a must-try addition to the delicious dining experience you’re going to have.

Socca

A Niçoise classic, but found in Menton and other towns close to the Italian border, Socca is a thin, crispy pancake made from chickpea flour, olive oil, and water. Baked in a wood-fired oven until blistered, it’s best eaten hot, straight from a street vendor.

In Nice, drop by the Cours Saleya market to try it right from the pans that are delivered by bicycle from Chez Thérésa, a local institution.

The Cours Saleya market in Nice and the socca from Chez Theresa is a gourmet must. Photo by Jeff Whyte — *Some of the best food specialities, like Pissaladière and Socca, are found at local markets*

Pissaladière

I’m not a fan of anchovies, so I don’t eat pissaladière myself. But this savory flatbread, similar to a pizza, is a popular snack and street food, topped with onions, anchovies, and black olives.

You’ll see it served in square pieces, or sometimes round tartes, in bakeries and at markets all along the French Riviera.

Fougasse

This beautifully shaped bread is quintessentially Provençal and often flavored with olives, herbs, or cheese. The olive is my personal favorite, dipped in local olive oil or a spicy tomato sauce.

Often shaped like a leaf, or twisted into some kind of decorative loaf you don’t dare try at home, fougasse is eaten by tearing and sharing. I can’t leave the marché without nibbling a few pieces on the way home.

Vocab lesson: The word fougasse comes from the Latin pain focacious, meaning hearth bread

It also sounds a bit like focaccia, non?

Barbajuan

Visitors to the French Riviera flock to Monaco for its glitz, yachts, casino, and Michelin restaurants that reflect the Principality’s cosmopolitan character.

You’ll find lots of global cuisine and fine dining from chefs such as Alain Ducasse and the late Joël Robuchon. But I prefer something simpler: a trip to Condamine Market and freshly made barbajuan from A Roca. I could eat them by the dozen.

This deep-fried pastry fritter is stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta, is Monaco’s national food, and is often enjoyed as an appetizer or snack, especially on Monaco’s National Day, November 19th.

Crispy outside, soft and warm on the inside, and oh-so delicious. Traditional restaurants in Monaco, such as U Cavagnetu, will serve them too, but I still think A Roca is tops.

Vocab lesson: Barbajuan means Uncle John in the Monagasque language

Bouillabaisse

The French Riviera’s most iconic fisherman’s stew is made with several types of Mediterranean fish, saffron, garlic, and tomatoes. If done right, a restaurant will serve it with crusty bread and rouille, a garlicky, spicy condiment made with breadcrumbs, garlic, chili peppers, and olive oil (and sometimes saffron for color and flavor).

The rouille is then spread on toasted baguette slices and floated on top of the bouillabaisse.

Marseille’s Old Port is the traditional place to try it, and Chez Fonfon is a living ode to bouillabaisse, but you can find it in many restaurants along the French Riviera.

Salade Niçoise

Although this salad seems to have made its way onto mainstream menus in the USA, it is a dish deeply tied to Nice (hence its name).

Refreshing and filling on a hot day, the salad is a meal in itself, featuring tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies or tuna, and crisp vegetables, often green beans, all dressed and tossed in olive oil.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a brasserie in Nice that doesn’t serve a Salade Niçoise.

Petits Farcis

These are my go-to when I can’t think of anything to make, or I just want something comforting, and I make them at home in the USA too. I love them.

The little vegetables, like round zucchinis, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and sometimes eggplants, are hollowed out and filled with a savory stuffing of ground meat (pork, beef, or veal), garlic, and herbs. Sometimes rice or cheese is added, but I prefer them without these additions.

Pop them in the oven with a little extra tomato sauce drizzled on top and bake until the vegetables are soft and the mixture is a little charred.

Vocab lesson: Petits Farcis means little stuffed ones

Pan Bagnat

A classic French sandwich from Nice, it’s basically a Salade Niçoise in a bun.

Street vendors and bakeries in Nice sell them grab-and-go style, which makes them perfect for beach picnics or hikes into the hinterlands.

Vocab lesson: Pan Bagnat means bathed bread

Panisse

Like French fries made with chickpea flour, water, salt, and olive oil.

The mixture is cooked into a thick meal, similar to polenta, then chilled, sliced into square sticks, and finally fried or baked until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. In the USA, you’ll sometimes see Panisse “fries” on a menu. T

hey are delicious when dipped in aioli or a creamy sauce.

Ratatouille

Yes, it’s a cute movie, but on the French Riviera, it’s also a rustic, slow-cooked vegetable medley of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes— another comfort food staple.

Provençal bistros across the French Riviera, especially in smaller inland villages, often make it as a homey side dish to fresh fish and meat.