We didn't have a reservation so we're lucky to get a table. We were within view of the pizzas being hand made which was very fun. The pizza was thin crust and good. We thought we were going to order two mixed salads and one pizza to share. But the waiter - while admitting he wasn't doing a good job as a salesman - said the salads were very large and we should just share one. Once he understood we were also sharing the pizza - he took away our plates and had them split the pizza and plate it before bringing it to our table. We appreciated that. And the salad was huge - we ended up sharing and still leaving about 1/4 in the bowl. The only mistake was mine. They brought 2 oils and 1 vinegar to the table to dress the salad. The larger oil was filled with herbs and looked interesting so I put that on my salad. Holy mother of fire eaters - that was the spicy hot oil meant to be put on the pizza if so desired. Thank goodness we had ordered a pichet of rose so I was able to quench the flames spewing from me. Overall - great service, fine ambiance, and good food. read more

My family and i just had dinner here tonight. We were lucky that they seated us even though we didnt have a reservation, a good start to our night. We ordered the local specialties: stuffed veal, meat balls with pasta, gnocchi, ratatouille and stuffed veggies. All the food we ordered were spot on. I was surprised with the veal, it had crunchiness on the outside and the ratatouille paired the veal perfectly. My family enjoyed the food they ordered as well including the crème brûlée and tiramisu. So glad the food came in fast as were hungry from an all day trip outside of Nice. Service was the best part of the experience. The servers were attentive and kind. I would eat here again when i come back to Nice. read more

If you go to the old town in Nice , there are many little restaurants proposing "specialties" of Nice In general they are often tourist traps and the food is neither fresh nor tasty L'Escalinada used to be an exception but unfortunately it has also succumbed to the touristic trend It is not a rip off though and the food served generously , is honest , not bad but not delicious either: The homemade ravioli are stuffed with shredded beef but then the meat reduction sauce is thrown on it without restraint : $25 The boeuf en daube ( niçoise beef stew ) usually braised for hours until fork tender was tougher than expected ($25) and lacking aromatics. With the meat , they served a single piece of carrot surrounded by gnocchis that were actually quite good. The rose wine of the Provence region was not special The service is nice and fast My bill was $60 for an average meal read more

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Part of our three week trip in France included a three day stop in Nice. Fortunately, we elected to stay at a place that was near the heart of it all including a vast array of restaurants. Among them, L'Escalinada. A quaint restaurant with the quintessential sidewalk seating area, L'Escalinada (L'E) has old world charm. As we approached, we mistakenly assumed L'E was like all of the other restaurants nearby, stroll up, grab any open table and await your order to be taken. However, when we selected a table outside we were promptly greeted with a curt waiter asking if we had a reservation. Surveying the surrounding area, plenty of tables were open and available but since we did not have a reservation that was allegedly required, we were seated inside closest to the pizza oven on an already hot day. Our waiter stopped by, got our food and drink orders and cleared butter knives from two of us who ordered pizza. As he walked away he loudly and very annoyingly clanged the butter knives together as if sending a signal to the open kitchen right behind us. Paranoia? Perhaps. Conspiracy theorist in the blooming? Maybe. But never having this experience in any other area restaurant or in all of France over a three-week period makes one feel rather suspicious. Of course I know all of the classic torts trolls will bring to this conversation but don't because you were not there to experience it for yourself! All of that aside, the Escalinada pizza I ordered eventually arrived and while edible it was the furthest thing from the best pizza I've ever tasted. Over saturated with standing pools of moisture, soggy dough in the middle, and less than underwhelming flavor. If it were me, I would gladly pass up L'E for any of the other great choices around the area. Lastly, while all of this may be standard practice for this particular restaurant, the quality, taste, and value of the food is the cake and the guest's experience is the icing. Therefore, a rather lackluster performance on all accounts. read more

L'Escalinada - Nicoise Near Me - Nice, 06

I tried out the pasta with meat sauce here. While the pasta seemed fresh, it was pretty pricy all things considered that there was barely any meat, or sauce for that matter, and there was just a slice of carrot. I also had some fried courgette slices, which unfortunately appeared to be more batter than vegetable. Location wise it's based right in old town, the restaurant being spread out between two buildings. There's not too much space inside, so expect to be sat outside with people maneuvering around close by. The staff were pretty accommodating considering that we arrived quite close to closing for lunch (they did turn people away after us), and some small appetisers and rosé wine were included as starters. They did however forget our drinks orders, which I had to clarify to remove from the bill. Maybe a less pressing time would have been better for this place than a late lunch. J'ai essayé les pâtes avec des sauce à la viande. Malgré le fait qu'il semblait frais, c'était un peu dispendieux. Il n'y avait pas assez de viande ou sauce, et il n'y avait que un seul morceau de carotte. Aussi j'ai pris des courgettes frites, mais il semblait plus les pâtes que les légumes. Le restaurant est basé dans la vielle ville, installé entre deux bâtiments. Il n'a pas beaucoup d'espace dans l'intérieur - vous pouvez vous attendre à être assis dehors avec beaucoup de gens traversant la rue. Les serveurs étaient très accommodant, malgré que nous sommes arrivés près de la fin du déjeuner (les autres après nous ne pouvaient pas dîner), et ils ont apporté des quelques apéritifs et des petits verres de rosé. Malheureusement ils ont oublié nos commandes de boissons, et j'ai dû clarifier sur l'addition. Une autre fois moins pressé peut être plus mieux pour cet endroit que un déjeuner tardif. read more

L'Escalinada - Pasta with meat sauce - Nicoise Near Me - Nice, 06

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Pretty damn good, but watch out for the bill... Years ago my wife went on a girls' trip to Nice, leaving me to fend for myself in dreary Paris. She did, however, return with some food for me - most of which had survived the 6-hour train ride - and I was smitten. She'd noted a few places, one of which was L'Escalinada, mostly because she'd enjoyed a plate of fried mutton testicles there. Yes, it's that kind of place. And I wanted to try it for myself. Fast forward to 2013: I finally have a chance to go to Nice, and first on my list is this place where I can hork down some sheep balls. Lo and behold, it was still on the menu, though at higher prices than before. You can thank the New York Times for that, who in their article on dining in old town Nice say: "The good restaurants in Vieux Nice are truly authentic, not even remotely fancy, though a couple are lovely, especially if the weather allows you to sit outside. By fortunate coincidence, they're also notably inexpensive, though all of them would remain worth a visit if they doubled their prices." Fuck you, New York Times, you ruin everything. Truth be told, the sheep testicles weren't all that expensive (€15) nor were the gnocchi in daube sauce (€14), and the chickpea salad, pissaladière (onion tart), and kir apéritif are on the house - though many dishes go pas the €20 mark, something not entirely appealing when dining atop plastic patio furniture. And they were all delicious, anyway. Not mind-blowing, but perfect examples of regional cuisine "comme chez grand-mère" as one would say here. We did, however, get royally fucked on wine. There is noticeably no chalkboard menu or printed wine list, so we did as you do in Nice and ordered a bottle of rosé. No better than the €13 bottles we had elsewhere, the numbers were transposed at the end, a whopping €31 for pink table wine. Thanks for nothing, New York Times. That said, the newspaper of record is spot on in saying that it's lovely to sit outside - L'Escalinada really is a great place to soak up the Nice atmosphere, sipping (not) cheap rosé and slurping up fried sheep nuts. So, yeah, I'll go back, but I'm gonna booze it up beforehand and stick to "une carafe d'eau" to go with my cojones. read more

This was, last year, one of my favourite restaurants in Nice, serving authentic and fairly (though not particularly) inexpensive Niçois food. Little touches, like a small kir served as you take your seat and a small serving of local chick-pea salad on the house, made this place stand out from the rest. Upon spotting a review in the Guardian earlier this year, I groaned, suspecting that the restaurant would surely go downhill. This year, the quality of service has deteriorated (cocky teenage staff) and gone were the chickpeas and the food was mediocre. The 'curse of the Guardian review' has also affected Lou Nissart, another traditional restaurant near the Cours Saleya, also a previous favourite, although while the service has slowed to a snail's pace, the food remains splendid. So if you're patient, you'll get a better and cheaper meal there. read more

love the traditional dish Daube sth.(beef with wine sauce)!! All plates are very fulfilling and in gigantic portion. Waiters super friendly. This restaurant is def highly recommended. read more

L'Escalinada - Ribambelle - Nicoise Near Me - Nice, 06

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Ate here twice. This little charming place was just outside our apt. we stayed at. Wood burning pizza oven and amazing food. The desert was so so but the appetizers and entree fantastic. Service good and reasonable price. read more

Despite the free appetizer & digestive, the food was mediocre at best with over salted Nicois squid, poor appetizer sampler and bad Petit Sales. Overall, skip this place if you can. Tourist trap! read more

So very lovely! We stumbled upon this gem as we were walking and it was such a pleasant surprise. The service is exceptional and also quite funny. The salmon tartare has so much flavor and is really nice in the afternoon as it's light. The pastas are also delicious! If you're looking for a nice spot with very relaxed good energy, go to L'Escalinada! The staff is really quite lovely. read more

Referred by hotel for "what the locals eat". Makes me sad, though, to think the locals eat this. Flavorless gnocchi in flavorless sauce. My friend ate slightly gamey veal in a similar sauce. Note, this is not Marsala as she had ordered. Anyhow, so disappointed by the food in France. read more

this restaurant is located in the old town district, a little difficult to find but by asking around we managed to find this awesome place. Food was exceptional and so was the service. Typical Nice food, a must to try it if you are in Nice. Beautiful quiant restaurant and it was packed, locals go there too, we were seated right away, a chickpea salad was servied on the house. Great great service, a MUST try. read more

Food is completely without inspiration. Most dishes comes with the same standard sides. Wine list is not very comprehensive and the wine the waiter recommended for our meal was, clearly, not a good value for the money. The place is heavily promoted and the waiters very busy and not very attentive. All in all a bad experience we would not recommend. read more