Vieux-Nice – Sugar, spice & everything Nice!

When you think of Nice, France, you think about the Promenade des Anglais, Cours Saleya, and all those lovely cafés and bistros. And oui, it is all of that. But, if you want to explore Nice like a local, then take off that 1980’s fanny pack, get off the tourist track, and head to Vieux-Nice.

Lou Pantai – 8 rue de la Poissonnerie

Just off the Cours Saleya you’ll find this gem of a spice shop and so much more. You’ll find flavored salts, sugars, rows of whole fresh spices, olive oils, tisanes, and bins full of unique and special ‘house’ blends. Of the 100 varieties of gourmet specialties for sale, wasabi and truffle salts are some of the best sellers.

Spice mixtures for soups, veggies, breads, and pasta, or whatever you want are available. You can buy them in bulk, in a grinder, whole, and in powder form. You can also find more common spices, too. Here, the prices are good and the store offers so many items that they have tables wrapped around the outside of the shop.

Melissa, on staff at the shop, took time out to walk me through and explain all of the blends and mixtures and what they could be used for. I had no idea how much you can find here. If you don’t find it here, bonne chance on finding it at all. This is a gem to be discovered by all, no matter what your diet or food habits are. Everyone needs a little sugar and spice in their life.

Lou Canice – 7 bis rue Mascoinat

How much do I love this place? Well, sit back and let me tell ya!

Opened in 2006, this beautiful and spotless shop holds some of the best regional products in all of Nice. I love these support-the-locals kinds of shops.

They specialize in olive oils, tapenades, olives, pastis, beers, mustards and some privately handmade cookies (made free of chemicals and preservatives). You can also find pebbles of Nice chocolate, candied fruit of Nice, and fruit jams and preserves, many of them with unique flavors.

Walls of gorgeous Nice olive oils line the shelves here. Would you like your olive oil straight up or with a truffle twist? For me, BOTH, s’il vous plaît.

Dena, another employee, discussed all the products with me and guided me through the store. She was very helpful and offered suggestions for uses for various products. Any questions that you have will be answered here, so don’t worry. I have to say, I took home some super fab tapenades and a fig confiture that’s beyond yummy. I’m a frequent shopper here, so I wonder if I’ll get a discount, now?  Hey, a girl can dream!

If you are looking for an amazing local olive oil, tapenade, mustard, confiture, beer, pastis – anything – go here. Even some of the cookies they make are gluten-free. REJOICE!  And don’t forget to check out the basket by the register, it’s filled with discounted goodies – just save one or two items for me, merci beaucoup.

L’Art Gourmand’- 21 rue Marché

Literally, I was a kid in a candy store here. This is a gourmet treasure for lovers of sweets and chocolate. The chocolate is full-bodied with a high cocoa content. The dark chocolate here gets a big thumbs up for its smooth texture. They have ice creams, cookies, marzipan, candied fruit, nougats, caramels, and so much MORE. There’s even a small lounge upstairs for tea, hot chocolate, coffee, and even wine tasting, to go with your pieces of heaven. Wine tasting and chocolate: sign me up!

There are so many choices and so little time … speaking of time, don’t be in a rush here or you’ll miss something. There is plenty of variety when it comes to goodies so everyone will be able to enjoy something in this shop of sugar. It’s a self-serve type of place so grab some bags and tongs, and load up. There are plenty of friendly staff members to give you some advice on vegan, gluten-free and lactose intolerant options, so don’t you worry. Get yourself on a sugar rush in the middle of the afternoon just because you’re worth it!