The charcuterie board cannot be beat. They bring huge chunks of meat, you cut off what you want and pay only for what you eat. Fantastic! Great variety of cheeses. A better experience with more than 2 people because there's more variety. Service was awesome. We spent a great afternoon here. read more

Made reservation on Friday at 7:30pm. Got both email and text confirmation. But the restaurant was closed when we get there. Ridiculous this was the first meal after we landed. read more

I was an American tourist, wandering the Nice streets looking gorgeous a neighborhood restaurant. L'Ovale was that place. Small menu, owner running front of house, crowded tables. I don't know what is authentic but i do know it was excellent food. Had the cassoulet wife had duck. So tasty, simple ingredients and priced well. Maybe not the ritziest but great food. Find it and you will have a great meal with read more

I'm giving this review 5 stars because I hope folks will read it. We walked to L'Ovale at 7:30p on Sat 10/11 & Sun 10/12 @7:00p. Closed both times & no sign on the door for hours, holiday, emergency, etc. Very disappointed, we really wanted to try this place. read more

Here's a photo of the filthy tablecloth next to me. Follow it up with ants in water glasses and being served the wrong food because it's "what they had." If only zero stars were a choice! read more

L'Ovale - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

Wow! What a meal! This little restaurant was super close to my apartment, so I decided to try it out. There are two options for three course meals. The first option begins at 17.50 euro and the second option is 22.50 euro. We ordered three three course meals and two bottles of wine. We were not disappointed. The amount of food that we received was ridiculously fair for the price that was paid, and the quality was very good! The service was friendly and lively. Our server was kept checking on us constantly and offered plenty of suggestions. This restaurant is also vegetarian friendly. A definite recommend and easy five stars for this place! read more

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Food was pretty good, and prices are very reasonable. Came for lunch, and they had 2 set menus (3 courses each) which we selected. For each menu, you get a few choices for each of the 3 courses. For the 22.9 euro menu, we got -fois gras: this was fairly tasty and probably the highlight of the meal. It was a generous serving too -duck castoulon: this was also good, although quite heavy and a little too salty. I did enjoy the duck though -Creme brûlée: underwhelming. Can get better at most places in the US 17.9 menu: -sausage platter: this comes with a lot of meat, but actually it isn't that great. There really are just 2 types of salami type meat. And you don't want to eat too much of that -veal: this was decent -Creme brûlée read more

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If you want to get fat or full, eat here. This was our first meal coming to Nice and we could have ordered one of the 3 course meals to share. Instead we ordered 2 and way too much food for what we could handle and I like to eat! Each of us ordered the charcuterie to start and that came with bread as well. There was 7 or 8 types of meat and I tried to eat as much of it as possible. Couldn't finish. Next was a beef dish with potato, veg and fois gras sauce(300grams) and the other was the pork dish with potato and veg. Almost couldn't do it. Lastly was dessert which as a chocolate soufflé and an apple pie. The soufflé was delicious, but I wished the apple pie was warm. The 3 course was 18 euro and 22 euro. The staff were very attentive and friendly. The negatives were that we sat inside but had a swarm of fruit flies, which was very off putting. read more

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This little hidden gem tucked away in Nice is a bit of a walk away from the main strip, but is worth the walk. Do not be deceived by the charcuterie board. It is huge, enough food to feed 4+ people and will definitely fill you. I can sit there and nibble on this stuff all day. I was feeling full that night so only had the duck salad which was one of the best salads I've ever had! It is a salad packed with flavor. Dessert was my favorite part. A huge creme brûlée that officially made me a fan of creme brûlée. The place seems like a mom and pop so it definitely gives off the homey vibe. The food is also very comforting and homey. Nothing fancy but very local and casual. The prices are also very reasonable. read more

This place is incredible! We just randomly saw the review on Google and yelp and decided to get in. This place is far away from the tourist area so my family kinda doubt the quality of it (area is a bit sketchy). The restaurant was empty. But we still decided to get in base on the reviews. They have menu for 22.9 euro, which is pretty affordable. The portion is so big considering that we are Chinese. My dad ordered a meat and sausages platter, it was huge like a main course. There were 9 kinds of sausages. My sister ordered 6 snails and they were big. My mom ordered the green salad and the duck breast and foie gras were fresh, with a variety of veggies. I ordered duck foie gras, which was a cold dish and very strong taste. For main dish, my dad ordered a steak (butchers choice of meat) with foie gras sauce, which is super nice and juicy. The flavor went well together. My mom ordered the traditional duck confit, which is a bit salty but very authentic (one of the most popular dishes here). I ordered the duck breast with blackberry sauce. The duck beast is over cooked so it was a bit dry. But the sauce was good. My sister ordered the veal with grandma's recipe, which was super tender and the portion was big. For dessert, we ordered 2 creme burlee and 2 tirimusu. Both are good but the tirimisu was more special and flavorable. read more

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Really wanted to like this place. Price was good for a 3 course meal (22.9 euros) had the food been good. Fois appetizer was pretty good but cold version like a smooth pâté. Just spread over the french bread and add a bit of the sweet onion. Steak entrée arrived medium rare, as ordered, but super tough -couldn't chew it. Had to spit out the few bites I took from different areas to make sure the whole steak was tough. Told server it was tough since he saw I didn't eat, but don't think he understood, though he did take it to toss into the trash. Chose creme brûlée for dessert, another let down. See my pic, sugar on top were still in granules. Using wrong type of sugar, should be fine rather than coarse. What was melted became an uneven thick shell, over what tasted more like flan than creme brûlée. Not the creamy silk like texture it should be. 1 course out of 3 made my dinner here overpriced! :/ read more

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Love this place, the guy works there is super friendly. Of course the food and coffee is tasty, but we had to leave there. Hope can go there again! read more

The food here is great but even better are the prices. For either 17€ or 22€, you get a 3 course meal with top choices. We tried the following: Niçoise salad, Charcuterie board, foie gras, steak tartare, steak au poivre, duck magret, duck cassoulet. The salads were great, the foie gras was a huge portion and so rich, the charcuterie board could've fed the entire table (they serve a selection of 5 or so salamis along with pate and other sausage), the steak tartare was a huge portion and so refreshing, the steak and duck dishes were fantastic. Service can be slow as they get busy, but the food and price is well worth it. Great French cuisine at an even better price. read more

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This is a remarkable place to eat traditional food. The flavors are amazing, potions more than fair, the value is outstanding.

Excellent French dinner for a reasonable price! This is a great place only a few streets away from the traditional touristy spots, so you can escape the hustlers. They offer two fixed menus (in addition to usual individual items), one for €17.90 and one for €22.90. With that, you can choose one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. Definitely a deal. The portions were hefty and the food was authentic. I had the foie gras for my first course. It was beautifully presented and tasted even better, so creamy and delicious! For my second course I had the coq aux vin, a traditional French dish of chicken or rooster braised in red wine with carrots and potatoes. It was perfectly cooked and came out piping hot. Lastly, for dessert I chose the citron tart. It was tangy, sweet, and light. I could hardly finish it after everything else, but it was so good I persevered! Overall - this is a must go for authentic French food on a budget. read more

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I went here two nights in a row. The first night I had the three course meal. I believe the price was 22.90 euro. I got the all you can eat Charcuterie board, the Cassoulet, and the Tiramisu. The Charcuterie board is a beautiful thing. There are 5 or 6 different types of cured meats, a few slices of 'summer sausage' type of meal and a slice of mixed meat pate type of thing (sorry, not exactly sure what it was, but it was tasty and it was consumed). See pictures for what the meat board looks like. One thing to note is that it is sort of tough to cut the meat. One huge tip. Everyone seems to just handle the meat with bare hands and meat you don't use is passed on to the next person, so tear off the casing before you eat your slices of meat. It is hard to know when to call it quits on the meat portion, b/c I could eat cured meats with bread and mini pickles (cornichons) all night long! After I had numerous slices and went through a basket and a half of bread, I reluctantly decided to throw in the towel (my hands were also getting a little cramped from the slicing and casing peeling). I was not prepared on how decadent and mind shattering and smile provoking and head nodding that the next dish would be. Voila! (I love when food is delivered or presented with a verbal voila) A small pot of cassoulet was dropped off in front of me. "Bon Apetit" It was a bowl of white beans with some duck and some breadcrumbs, how good could it be? Oh my god. I was not prepared. It was amazing. There were slices of duck breast, I found a duck leg or wing, there was a sausage, it seemed after every couple of bites, I would discover a new morsel of hidden meat. The beans were probably some of the best beans I've ever had in my life. Also no gassy side effects and that is always a plus when it comes to beans! Anyway the meal was memorable and I want it again if I come back. I might come back to Nice just in part to have this again. The second night I was a little disappointed with my butchers choice steak. It was tender and beautifully presented, but there were a couple of parts that didn't cut or chew well. Part of the disappointment was that it wasn't the cassoulet of the night before. My duck salad appetizer partially made up for it, b/c it was wonderful! It had a fat slice of fois grois on it and previously I didn't care much for fois grois, but after having it in the salad, I may be a convert. Maybe it was a little sweet or something, and that gave it a different taste than I had had before. It was house made, it was a generous portion and it was divine! The creme brulee had a little lemon in it and I appreciated the way that it helped cut the sweet. The lady who is probably the owner is all smiles and aims to please. They will be friendly to you even if you don't speak French. Give this place a try, you will not be disappointed. read more

This unassuming local spot was one of our most memorable meals in Nice. Nice, being so close to Italy, has a ton of Italian places and we ended up eating way more Italian here than anticipated. We wanted a French meal, and luckily L'Ovale was close to Star Hotel, where we stayed. We ordered the duck cassoulet, fois gras, and salad with goat bacon.and gizzard. and when we saw another table with the Planche de Charcuterie, we added that to the order. It was an enormous amount of food for 3 people, but amazing. The charcuterie came on a large wooden cutting board and was a ridiculous assortment of black sausage, terrine, and the like. The portion we ordered was for 2, but it could have fed the 3 of us. The duck cassoulet was perfect. Very rich, with the white bean cooked in duck fat and chunks of duck meat all throughout the dish. We devoured it even after the charcuterie plate. The salad was also amazing -- that goat bacon was unbelievable and the gizzard was salty bites of goodness with each bite of salad. And of course you can't go wrong with the house wines. Highly recommended. read more

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I'm not sure why, but all over France we were looking for that one mind blowing food experience to knock our socks off, and while most food places were good, very few were offered that unique dining experience. The type that you'd want to fly back for. This restaurant was the most memorable for our trip to Nice. We ordered one Proscitto appetizer (called jambon here), the Charcuterie board of cured meats and Foie Gras from our prefix menu selection. When each of these items came out, our eyes and jaws opened wide in joyful disbelief. It was like a small glimpse at what it must be like to sit at Thor's table, in Asgaard, for lunch. Geeky reference, I know, but I always allude to his epic table flip in the movie that and/or reference eating like a Viking or Thor. Usual charcuterie boards have a few sample slices of a few selections. Our board came out with multiple tangled links of cured Salami, pig head cheese (not cheese spread but more a gelatin like deli meat made from various parts of the head), 2 types of pâté, a cured sausage made from beef liver/kidney and another liver like spread I couldn't make out. When we asked "umm do we eat all this?" our server mentioned to freely cut and eat what we want. What we don't finish of the salami, they take back. The prosciutto came out on a big plate with salad and balsamic reduction dressing. The Foie gras, never been an obsession of mine, was quite the generous amount. Oh and all served with a fresh baked baguette. This by the way was before our main dinner. Dinner was equally as incredible. The duck confit is one of the best I've ever had! I had the beef carpaccio with a pesto sauce over mixed greens and W. ordered the Cassoulet (duck, lamb, sausage) and it was the best I've ever had. They had this crisp crust over the entire dish that just gave the savory beans, the perfect amount of texture. The servers were friendly, they play great music, their pricing is beyond fair and the food is really fantastic. Oh and their expresso is nicely deep, rich and bold. read more

L'Ovale - The Carpaccio covering an arugula salad. The fries were just ok, but just the meat alone on this dish was fantastic. - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

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A surprising find located a bit off the beaten path! L'Ovale was a great choice for lunch the other day. We were warmly greeted at the door by our server who spoke very good English ( so much better than my French!)'so between the two of us- I was able to get exactly what I wanted to eat. The menu is on a chalkboard that he brought over to my table. He then went through each offering explaining it to me and telling me I can have it without the sauce etc. I ended up ordering the steak and mashed potatoes. The steak came out just a little more rare than I would have liked so if you go you may want to order if one level more cooked as medium rare was pretty rare. But the food was tasty, the house wine plentiful and it tuns out the server had just returned from Miami giving us something to talk about. Lunch was reasonably priced and quick so I was in and out in no time! Know if you go that they stop serving food around 2:30. A very good choice if you are looking for good food in the area. read more

Upon landing in Nice and dropping our bags off at our hotel, we made a quick trek to L'Ovale to experience the awesomeness made apparent in the Yelp reviews. Sadly, once we got there, we were told that they had stopped serving food - we were a few minutes late. We left, vowing to come back another day, and come back we did! On our last day in Nice we came right at opening time and were greeted with great warmth and hospitality. After looking at the menu, I went with the steak tartare stuffed with goat cheese and hubby went with the veal. We also ordered a charcuterie plate to share. Now, I've had my fair share of charcuterie plates in my life but never have I had one in this size or format EVER. A few minutes after placing our order, a platter of 6-10 sausages was plopped down in front of us. SAUSAGES not slices (see pic). We were expected to cut them up ourselves which took some hard work and muscle! Each sausage was labeled so you knew what the flavor was and every single one was delicious. To make sure we would have room for our mains, we only ate half the platter. Soon after the mains arrived (see pic) and the portions were HUGE. Sadly my steak tartare was a bit bland yet interesting with the cheese infusion. The salad and potatoes were on point. Hubby's plate was excellent and I frequently reached over to steal nibbles so I can attest to the yumminess! In typical Niçoise fashion, we couldn't finish a single plate because portions were so large. All this and wine came up to 35 Euros which we felt was really cheap given the quality and portion of food provided. I would wholeheartedly recommend L'Ovale. Top notch service, food, ambiance and prices would bring me back any day. Come in to try this place! I'm sure your belly will thank you! Overall review is a 4.5 but since we still cannot assign half stars (hint hint Yelp admin!), a 5 it shall be. read more

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Probably the best lunch I had in Nice. 22 euro set lunch price for an appetizer, main course and dessert. Went with foie gras for the appetizer. Served chilled, super fresh and with a slight bit of fat. Sauces include caramelized onions and a vinegar reduction. Really liked both, can't decide which one I preferred. The onions were slightly more flavorful and will add more texture though. The vinegar will be on the lighter side, in comparison. The cassoulet was definitely one of the best I've had. Chicken, sausages, fat, and beans. Meat was super tender, with the meat breaking off the bones with the slightest touch. Sausages were not salty at all. Most importantly, the beans soaked up all the fat and flavor. Mushy texture like soaked beans with a nice meaty taste, I usually dislike beans due to bean taste. Opted for creme brulee as dessert. Really standard, nothing outstanding, but portion size was huge. The one slight disappointment I had here was the totally subpar espresso. Really bitter. Service was top notch here. Waiter went out of his way translating and explaining the entire menu. Attentive service and really friendly. read more

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My third time in Niece and the second time at L'Ovale. The menu is all about classic French cuisine in a very traditional way. So you should come here when you expect heavy food presented in an old fashioned way. So much about the atmosphere at this place. The furniture must be at least 20 years and if you enjoy the old style you will like it. The food is good - not great. I would come here again- for the sake of the old times. read more

L'Ovale - Restaurant interior = really old but classy - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

L'Ovale stands for the shape of a rugby. While this is most definitely a restaurant and you can eat here anytime, you really should try to come in when there's a rugby match to truly experience one of the joys of French culture. That said, the service is very friendly and the food is absolutely unbelievable! Make sure to order the "Planche de Charcuterie" which is basically a wooden board filled with a plethora of yummy charcuterie (saucisson, sausage, terrine, etc...) Of course, they also serve cold beer to wash the meal down. read more

L'Ovale - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

Great food for a great price! The restaurant doesn't look very special from the outside or on the inside, but the kitchen sure delivered! Ordered the charcuterie for starter and you get a massive amount of delicious selections of sausages that you simply can't finish! We then had the duck and the steak tartare for main - both were delicious and the big size of the portions was applicable also to the main dishes. Over all a great place and I would not hesitate to go there again if visiting Nice again in the future! read more

L'Ovale - Steak tartare was delicious and HUGE! - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

Surely 5-star recommended for those who fancy good foie gras. My wife and I were craving for foie gras to finish up our 3-day Nice trip, and we heard from our hotel reception guy that this restaurant does good traditional French food. With absolutely no ideas of how local people define 'traditional' French food, we gave a try. To be honest, the restaurant didn't really stand out from outside and the menu looked rather 'humble'. After consulting a young black-haired waiter (he was very passionate and understood the menu very well), we chose their three-course, 22 euro / person. Obviously their foie gras is a must to start with: we had foie-gras frais maison (homemade foie gras) and salade sudOuest magret et foie gras (Southwestern style salad with foie gras). These two dishes were perfectly complementary to each other and the size of the first foie gras was stunningly massive. In addition we both loved the bread, which went very well with the foie gras + jam. For mains, again the portion was really big. I had the 300g steak with pan-seared slices of foie gras. There are several choices of sauce and of course I chose the foie gras sauce recommended by the guy. That was really tasty and big and I would never believe I was nearly unable to finish it (by the way that went perfect with the strong-ish red wine he recommended). My wife had their traditional dish duck cassoulet with white beans which they are also proud of. It was the first time in my life to try this dish, and it tasted amazing. We both think the way they cooked those white beans with oil from the duck is really brilliant- as if giving new life to those plain beans. Finally and needless to say the dessert was great (although their menu didn't have dessert written and so I got all the info from the guy). As always, creme brulee in this country never disappointed me. My wife had a chocolate-cake-in-a-jar, which they had considerately pre-heated for us. Overall, it was wonderful foie gras experience for our finish-up dinner in Nice. Considering the potion, the service, the 'French traditionality' and of course the taste of foie gras it's totally worth a go! read more

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Really nice! Food people atmosphere, everything! Good portion, great taste, reasonable price. read more

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Wanted an authentic experience and it definitely was. Fantastic Coq au Vin. Prices very reasonable and the service was good - especially since there was only one server and what looked like only one person in a very small kitchen. Toilet in rest room wasn't working very well, so beware. That was the only drawback to a wonderful meal. read more

This restaurant is slightly off the tourist beaten track and so probably caters more to the local market than to the tourist market. To that extent, diners are likely to get more authentic prices and menus. The food was wholesome, filling and nicely presented. Staff were friendly and attentive. I came on a wet and rainy Armistice Day, for lunch, so it was fairly quiet. read more

Fenomenal food! Don't miss the all you can eat charcuterie plate. All the dishes we tried were delicious. Fast and friendly service. Relaxed pleasant ambiance. The best one we tried in Nice so far. Prices are surprisingly modest. read more

An excellent choice. Cassoulet was fantastic. Service was prompt and friendly. Good value for money. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner there.

Duck confit is my favourite French dish and I order it anytime it appears on a menu, no matter what. On our first night in Nice, I was craving something French and this little joint fit the bill. First off, you'll probably miss this restaurant if you're not looking for it. It's nondescript and slightly shabby. I'm glad to report though, the duck confit ROCKS. The skin was crispy and salty, the meat tender, and I love that it came with vegetables and not potatoes. It's hard to get your veggie intake on vacation sometimes. The house red was also great and worked well with the duck. The owner was so kind and her little puppy sat on a stool and watched us eat, which was beyond adorable! If you're in Nice and want well-made authentic French food, give this place a try. read more

It's been 5 months but I still dream about the casouulet that I ate here. Enough said... visit this hidden gem in Nice.

Loved the place! My wife and I stopped in while in Nice for a great French dinner. Not touristy, local spot, and pretty easy to communicate with if you struggle (like we all do) with French. Had pan seared duck, and duck cassoulet, both excellent plates. Highly recommended. read more

This is one of those places I never would have found without the help of Yelp and I'm SO glad I did. From the outside it doesn't look like much, but the food is absolutely delicious. One of the best meals I had while I was in France. The ambiance is very unassuming - nothing fancy, but feels authentic and definitely not presumptuous (this is France, so that can be hard to come by). I wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking for something with a view, but if you want delicious food, this is the place. One of the men I saw (maybe an owner?) was there with his cute little dog who was trotting from table to table, making friends. It seemed like a very friendly place that has plenty of loyal customers. I got the duck cassoulet and devoured it. Nothing left but the bones. I would have gone back again, but they were closed the other nights I was there. Great spot! read more

Can't beat this place for value. Good food, really good. I had steak. My wife had Coq Au Vin. Both were tasty and the portions are generous. Very reasonable prices. GREAT service. Friendly, helpful (got us on wifi) and attentive. Nice neighborhood brasserie. You really feel a warm welcome here even if you are not a local. No rushing. Hang out and watch soccer on their TV? No problem. Not a tourist place. I highly recommend this restaurant. Matthew was our waiter. He is both professional and warm. If you are lucky he will serve you on your visit to L' Ovale. read more

L'Ovale - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

Excellent food in the south-west France tradition. Recommend making a reservation as this restaurant fills up fast around 2000 (8 pm). The service was great -friendly with great recommendations. The food was what we hoped for while visiting France - fresh, flavorful, perfectly cooked. read more

This place is somewhat hidden, but worth the find. Prices are standard. Service was really good. Our waiter spoke fairly broken English (they do have English menus), but was very patient with us ignorant tourists. The staff was all very friendly and helpful! The food was really good. I ordered a duck steaklet, and it came with roasted potatoes and some mixed greens. I highly recommend this dish. The potatoes were spiced very well and not too salty. The meat itself was very tender, and each steaklet came with the strips of fat on top, but you can easily cut it all off if you want. A very good place to eat especially if you're looking for a place with a more local vibe and not super touristy. read more

l'Ovale is a classic French establishment. Good food and good wine. No muss no fuss in here. And the service is good The food can be hit or miss, but its worth a visit if you are in Nice and in need of a good lunch or dinner spot. Their set menu is usually a good bet. If you like cassoulet and duck you are in luck. If you are a vegetarian, hope for pasta or go for an omelette. If feeling adventurous order the charcuterie as a starter if you like meat you will be in heaven. read more

Great service. Very authentic food. Reasonable price. Big food portion. Ordered the steak and cassoulet, they were all very good. read more

L'Ovale - French Southwest Near Me - Nice, 06

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Easily the most authentic and delicious French food in town and excellent service from Michael and amazingly well priced.My partner had duck castoulon and fois graie salad and it was the best ever.And my rump with bernaise sauce and veg and chat potatoes was perfectly cooked and the desserts were also as good.The local rose wine was a great choice from Michael as was his service and passion for the industry. We travelled from Brisbane Australia and would make this a must for all visitors. A food lovers delight in Nice! Merci. read more