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    L'Ovale

    4.1 (108 reviews)
    ModerateFrench Southwest
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 6:30 PM - 1:30 AM (Next day)

    L'Ovale Photos

    L'OVALE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - L'Ovale

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    Reviews With Photos

    Bridget G.

    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!

    Foie gras
    Thomas H.

    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!

    Angelo B.

    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

    Steve W.

    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.

    Meat platter (starter)
    Hilary C.

    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.

    Cold fois appetizer
    Sabi M.

    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! :/

    Steak tartare
    David H.

    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.

    Foie gras
    Simonne D.

    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.

    duck cassoulet
    Lu H.

    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.

    The Carpaccio covering an arugula salad.  The fries were just ok, but just the meat alone on this dish was fantastic.
    Di L.

    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.

    Veal dish for lunch - delicious
    Noha G.

    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.

    Leo C.

    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.

    Restaurant interior = really old but classy
    Wilhelm B.

    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.

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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.

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    7 years ago

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

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

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    La Cave du Fromager - Beef stew !!!!

    La Cave du Fromager

    4.5(293 reviews)
    0.6 km
    €€

    I came here 2 nights in a row. First solo, and then with friends because I'd enjoyed it so much…read more Firstly, the atmosphere is lovely. The restaurant has a humble exterior (largely blocked by gelato customers), but once you descend the stairs into the dining area you are in a sheek, romantic, cellar. Intimately small but comfortable. The walls are lined with stone and endless wine bottles. The starters were all quite good. We had the snails, squid, and cheese plait. As a bonus, my waitress recommended an excellent wine to pair with the squid. It was spot on. My group shared the beef and tartafelle (forgive my spelling). The beef was succulent, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I had no idea what to expect with the second dish but it was delicious and I would certainly order again. The prior night, I had the bakes camembert when eating solo. The dish is exactly as described. It's tasty, but I'd recommend it for a group since eating an entire block of melted cheese solo is challenging. Last but not least, the wait staff were wonderful! We really enjoyed chatting with our 2 waitresses, who went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed ourselves and our election of drinks. As a tourist, you really hope to stumble on a gem like this were the locals charm you and really guide your dining experience. If ever back in Nice, i'll certainly go again!

    Came here dinner. A bit hard to find as an underground restaurant. Pure French restaurant. Limited…read moremenu and they only except cash. Also note there is no cell service or WiFi service in the restaurant. Nice ambiance in the restaurant and away from the hustle and bustle of Nice. We ordered the squid, Foie Gras and Filet Mignon. All 3 were very good though I am not a fan of the Fois Gras but it came with a nice salad and bread. The squid was seasoned well and cut thin and flash fried. The filet was sliced and cooked perfect The potatoes were great and also nice salad came with it. Service was ok. Prices Moderate.

    Photos
    La Cave du Fromager - Old cheese cellar converted to a restaurant

    Old cheese cellar converted to a restaurant

    La Cave du Fromager - Croquettes

    Croquettes

    La Cave du Fromager - White wine made specially for La Cave du Fromager

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    White wine made specially for La Cave du Fromager

    L'Ovale - sud_ouest - Updated May 2026

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