La Terrasse
Price guide: Expensive
Hotel Méridien, 1 Promenade des Anglais, Nice, 06000
Loading map...
#6 of 20
expert-rated restaurants in Nice- Recommended for:
- Business travellers, Couples, First-time travellers, Mature travellers, Seasoned travellers, Great views / scenery, Relaxation, Romance
Best for Outdoor dining - Expert review of La Terrasse
The height of good taste: we have lift-off (or a lift up, anyway).
I don’t believe I ever feel more privileged in Nice than when eating at La Terrasse. The food is excellent, (though will never trouble the Michelin people for three stars; it’s not intended to). The service is smart, smiling and respectful. And the company is invariably good; I choose carefully.
But the clincher is the position. I am 10 floors up, on top of Le Méridien hotel and, on a clear day, can see forever: the Med, the hills, everything. Not only that, but there’s that sense of having withdrawn from the ordinary world to somewhere slightly superior which altitude often generates. One looks down upon life way below on the beach and the Promenade des Anglais with the detached interest of a noble looking down upon the other classes.
This is decidedly fleeting, but it’s fun while it lasts. The presence, along the roof-top terrace, of a swimming pool trimmed with some of Nice’s prettiest women in no way detracts from the experience.
Food and drink:
The best location in town doesn’t need overwrought complexity on the plate. That would get in the way. What it needs is elegant simplicity, and that’s what it gets. Grilled sea-bream, full fresh lobster risotto, fillet of beef or chicken breast braised with thyme … such dishes are a fine accompaniment to staring out to sea or, indeed, into the eyes of a loved one. (Best not let those eyes stray to the swimming pool surrounds, mind. If your wife’s been eating spinach, it’s a long way down from the 10th floor.)
Ambience:
Teak all over the place, and cream sail cloth to boot: the terrace has a deck-like feel. Perfect, then, for a calm collection of cooler tourists, and Niçois professionals trying to think of reasons not to go back to work.
Service:
Smart and smiling, as you’d expect in the restaurant of a four-star hotel.
Location:
Brilliant – 10 floors above the Med, on the corner of the Promenade des Anglais and Albert I gardens.
Price advice:
None of this comes terribly cheap. Mains from about 28 euros. You could probably get out at around 45 euros for a full meal, if you chose carefully.
More information on La Terrasse:
- Price guide:
- Type:
- Bistro, Restaurant
- Food:
- French, Mediterranean, Modern
- Address:
- Hotel Méridien, 1 Promenade des Anglais, Nice, 06000
- Telephone:
- 04 97 03 44 44
- Website:
- http://www.lemeridiennice.com
- Serves:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Opening times:
- 12-10pm, March-Sept; 12-4pm,Oct-Feb.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Reservations:
- Suggested
- Free tags / Keywords:
- Al fresco
