Capital of the French Riviera, Nice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Whether wandering the quaint cobblestone streets or strolling the famous Promenade des Anglais, visitors will be delighted by the beauty, culture, and ambience of Nice. ... A city of history, culture, art, creation, events, leisure, nature, and culinary flavors, Nice combines an authentic charm with the conviviality of the Mediterranean by offering a host of activities and sites to visits.It is easy to understand why Impressionist painters and English aristocrats were drawn to Nice. With its sunny weather and stunning seaside scenery, this picturesque city seems to mesmerize its visitors. Surrounded by the serene blue waters of the Baie des Anges and sheltered by the foothills of the Maritime Alps, Nice has a mild climate year-round. The city was originally discovered in the 1820s by the British as a winter resort. The city has a distinctive Italian character that's especially visible in the Old Town. Here is a link to Nice's transit system. There is almost NO beer in Southern France, so I hope this is of help's the if you find yourself in the French Riviera soaking up the sun . Updated July 2022
Blue Coast Brewing Company, 18 chemin de Saquier
Open: Mon 0 Fri 14.00 - 16.00 Sat -Sun Closed
Given that there are almost no microbreweries in the Nice area, it is great that Blue Coast exists. They make three Artisan beer at there best. The brewery is a refurbished warehouse with a a cool indoor bar with an outdoor terrace. Plus they do have occasional street food venders on site. However, is located in the middle of nowhere and is somewhat confusing to find/access the first time. Great tasting beer created by Roberto kindly and his team who will provide a tour of the brewery and explain the whole process. The brewery is impeccable and there is plenty of space to sit comfortably. Be careful it is good, very good so stay flexible on the elbow!
La Brasserie Artisanale de Nice, 14 Avenue Villermont
Open: Tues-Fri 17.00 - 19.00 Sat 10.00 - 12.00 & 16.00 - 19.00 Sun-Mon Closed
A brewery with a small tasting room / shop with limited opening hours. The owner is nice and passionate and aim's to expand his business. He gives a superb welcome and is happy discuss the brewing processes and offer tasting's. Well worth seeking out.
Beer District, 13 rue Cassini
Open: Daily 18.00 - 00.15 Closed Sunday
A great location, just between Place Garibaldi and the Port. They have 16 taps with beers local and from around the world, a crazy interesting beer line up that you’ll find only in this bar. Bravo! Amazing staff who are very knowledgeable about beer, a cool atmosphere (beer pong) the food is also good. The interior is very modern with a no frills bar with all the taps on the back wall and pine tables and chairs reminiscent of a Bier-Hall? You can try a sample the beers before you decide (always a plus).
Beer District Libération, 1 place Philippe Randon
Open: Daily 18.00 - 00.30
The sister bar to the above ^^ Beer District. It also has 16 taps including locals and foreigns as well. The bartender is a great guy, atmosphere is cool and they offer tastings before buying, which makes having beer unique in France! The interior is more or less exactly the same. Although slightly better opening times.
Vini Mundo, 32 avenue de la Republique
Open: Tues - Sat 10am–2pm, 6pm–10pm Sun - Mon Closed
Located North-east of the old town, on the now tram only Avenue de la Republique street lined with shops on either side for its full length, it’s best just to follow the rails if you’re unsure how to find this place. It’s a restaurant in a shop unit that unlike the dawn to dusk places in the tourist areas of the city, only opens at the usual French eating hours, but you’ll be able to get a decent lunch or evening meal here and the food is good. There’s no menus, just what has been chalked up on blackboards which will be brought to you if you require a further look once seated. Wine is the main tipple here and they are very knowledgeable, and a small ground floor vault area holds a big selection that takes up a slice of the available table space, but is visible from the street to give you a taster of what you can expect inside. The small craft beer selection, all from Nøgne Ø are also on show here and most of the Norwegian brewers core bottled ale selection are here, although it will probably only take you half a dozen visits to get through it all. It’s not exclusively a restaurant and people use it as a wine bar too if you’re not interested in eating here. Overall a nice place in Nice, nice people and good selection of craft beers so highly recommended.
L’Oxford, 4, Rue Mascoïnat
Open: Daily 18.00 - 04.00
Open from early evening to the early hours of the morning! It’s a very small square room in the narrow passages on the Old Town in Nice, but on one of the main tourist drags so you should be able to find it eventually. The small wooden tables are outnumbered by the small chairs that surround them an pack the floor leaving very little standing room space with the bar on the right as you enter. The back wall includes a large screen for sport and a smaller monitor in one corner. It has a pseudo Irish bar feel to it. There’s a number of taps, and although the selection is not that exciting it has a couple of interesting beers for the visitor to France. The pricing is rather fair and staff are OK. Live music and sometimes rather crowded. Quite different than most of the pubs in the area.
De Klomp, 6, rue Mascoinat
Open: Daily 09.00 - 00.30
Located next to L’Oxford in the narrow passageways of the Old Town not too far in from the main street which the tram traverses, this bar opens late in the day and allows revelling until the early hours of the morning. It’s bigger than its neighbouring bar occupying a couple of the ground floor units that would surely be used for selling tat to tourists if it wasn’t a pub. It’s Flemish name doesn’t mean too much at the end of the day as it’s more of an Irish bar in look and style with a central serving area and seats all around on three sides in a dimmed environment with a few neon lights creating an ambiance. They have have a dozen taps although there’s not a lot to get excited about in its selection which includes a decent amount of bottled choices too.
Mori’s Bar, 5, rue de France
Open: Daily 19.30 - 02.00
A couple of blocks inland from the seafront road in Nice, the Rue de France on which it is situated is a very busy pedestrian street full of shops and shoppers and tourists during the very long summer season. Without its fairly dense patio presence jutting out into the pedestrianized street it would be a small place, but given the amount of people frequenting this part of the city it has no problem filling the tables and chairs, especially on a hot day, which is not unusual in this part of the world. It’s very much a French cafe in style, not really a pub, but its beer selection, although not overly interesting and mainly Belgian (but hey this is about as good as it gets in this town!) is OK as the food is good.
Le Grand Café de Lyon, 33 Av. J. Medecin
Open: Daily 07.30 - 20.30
On the main avenue in Nice that is lined with shops on either side of the central tramway, this large French cafe in style is midway between the main station area and the public park where it ends fairly close to the seafront and Old Town. It’s fairly sterile looking inside but when the weather is nice hardly anyone sits in here, however the terrace area facing into the main street gets packed and you’ll be lucky to find a table right away in the summer months. The beer selection from 6 taps and a few bottles is fairly extensive, although probably bland in most Frenchmen’s eyes, however for foreign visitors it will probably turn up a beer or two of interest that’s hard to find outside of France, none of which could be described as cheap or good value for money!
Les Distilleries Idéales, 24, rue de la Préfecture
Open: Daily 09.00 - 00.30
Located on the way from the arch entrance to old town and Albert Hotel in old town Nice. There is a medium sized plush indoor bar area and also A nice outdoor seating area. There is around a dozen beers on tap and half dozen bottles, so range is not massive but certainly enough for a visit. Service is good, and the place has a good vibe with a mix of age ranges of tourist and locals. Worth a look when in Nice. Prices seemed reasonable.
Allez Hops! Cave à Bière, 15 Rue Defly
Open: Daily 10.00 - 20.00 Closed Sunday
This store had the best range of French craft beer on the French Rivera. A tidy modern interior with all of the merchandise neatly displayed. The proprietor is very helpful and obviously a native English speaker. Make sure you stop in here when in Nice.
Aperitiv, 4 Rue Cassini
Open: Daily 10.00 - 13.00 & 14.30 - 19.30 Closed Sunday
A cozy little place. Located just off the pretty and energetic Garibaldi Square on the main Rue running down to the port area beyond the Old Town. It’s right next door to Bio City so you’ll probably combine a visit here with that place. This one has the greater selection with some more down-to-earth brews, mostly from France and the Low Countries but the selection is several notches above that you’ll find in the supermarkets in France. The owner is very polite and informative, and speak's good English, and is happy to recommend the beers.
Bio City, 6, rue Cassini
Open: Daily 09.00 - 20.00 Closed Sunday
Next door to Aperativ between the Port and Place Garibaldi, although much closer to the latter of these two, this is an organic store which stocks around 15 different beers from across Europe. A lot of the ones from other countries have been re-branded for a French market, but the selection is eclectic enough to please and warrant a look.
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A vote santé Otto