Restaurant in Nice, France
MOF chef, serious wine list, dinner only.
Le Chantecler is Nice's strongest case for formal French fine dining: MOF chef Virginie Basselot's Mediterranean-driven cooking, a 16,000-bottle cellar with particular depth in Burgundy and the Rhône, and the grand setting of Le Negresco. Dinner-only, Wednesday to Sunday. Book for a special occasion when both food and wine matter.
Le Chantecler is the right choice if you want serious French fine dining in Nice with a wine list that can hold its own against anything in the South of France. At €€€€ pricing for dinner-only service, this is not a casual stop — it is a deliberate evening out inside one of the Riviera's most storied hotel dining rooms. The combination of Virginie Basselot's MOF-level cooking, a 16,000-bottle cellar, and the setting within Le Negresco makes it the highest-stakes reservation in Nice. Book it for a special occasion or a long dinner where the wine list matters as much as the food. If you want something equally ambitious at the same price point but in a smaller, less formal room, [L'Aromate](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/laromate-nice-restaurant) is the closer alternative to consider first.
Le Chantecler operates inside Le Negresco, the Belle Époque palace hotel on the Promenade des Anglais at 37 Promenade des Anglais. The setting is opulent by design — this is a hotel that has occupied its seafront address as one of Nice's most recognisable landmarks for over a century. The dining room carries that same weight: formal, grand, and built for occasions that require a backdrop to match.
Virginie Basselot, who earned the Meilleur Ouvrier de France designation in 2015, leads the kitchen. That credential matters in the French fine dining context: the MOF competition is among the most rigorous culinary assessments in France, and Basselot is one of very few women to have received it. Her approach at Le Chantecler leans into Mediterranean ingredients sourced from local artisans, translated through a modern, precise technique. The menu is built on clarity rather than complexity , dishes are constructed to highlight the ingredient rather than layer flavour upon flavour. Mediterranean monkfish prepared with lemon balm and Var lemon butter, and red mullet with combava-flavoured cabbage purée and a liver-based seasoning, reflect this direct style: each component has a defined role, and nothing is decorative for its own sake. For the food-focused traveller exploring the Côte d'Azur, [Mirazur in Menton](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mirazur-menton-restaurant) is the only nearby restaurant operating at a clearly higher tier; Le Chantecler is the strongest option within Nice itself.
The wine programme is a genuine reason to choose Le Chantecler over its peers. Wine Director Jean-Gabriel Siviragol oversees a list of 2,570 selections and a physical inventory of over 16,000 bottles , a scope that puts this among the more substantial cellar operations in the South of France. The list earns a White Star recognition from Star Wine List and draws particular strength from Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhône, and Bordeaux. At $$$ wine pricing, expect many bottles above €100; this is not a list built for casual by-the-glass drinking, but for those who want to pair a serious bottle with serious cooking. If the wine list is a priority, few restaurants at this latitude can match it. The corkage fee is set at $50 for those bringing their own bottles, which is worth knowing if you are travelling with wine.
For context within the broader French fine dining circuit, Le Chantecler sits comfortably alongside mid-tier Michelin-recognised restaurants in terms of formality and ambition. It ranks #156 in the Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe 2024 list , a useful marker that places it within the top tier of classically-oriented European restaurants while indicating there are more decorated rooms elsewhere. Travellers moving along the French fine dining corridor can cross-reference with [Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/allno-paris-au-pavillon-ledoyen-paris-restaurant), [Flocons de Sel in Megève](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/flocons-de-sel-megve-restaurant), [Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles in Ouches](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/troisgros-le-bois-sans-feuilles-ouches-restaurant), [Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/auberge-de-lill-illhaeusern-restaurant), and [Bras in Laguiole](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bras-laguiole-restaurant) for the full picture of where Le Chantecler sits nationally.
This is a dinner-only restaurant. Operating Wednesday through Sunday from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, Le Chantecler does not offer a lunch service , so the question of which meal represents better value is resolved before you arrive. There is no daytime menu, no lighter prix-fixe at midday, and no option to visit casually over a weekend lunch. If you are looking for a high-end midday meal in Nice, you will need to plan elsewhere; [ONICE](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/onice-nice-restaurant) or [Chabrol](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/chabrol-nice-restaurant) are worth checking for daytime availability in the city.
Within the dinner window, timing your booking matters. The 9:30 PM last seating is relatively early for a European fine dining room, which means long, extended evenings stretching past midnight are not the format here. Plan for a 7 PM or 7:30 PM start if you want maximum time with the meal and the wine list. A two-hour-plus dinner with a serious wine selection is the format this kitchen is designed for, and the early close means that format works leading when you arrive promptly rather than late into the service window.
Le Chantecler is located at 37 Promenade des Anglais within the Le Negresco hotel, one of Nice's most recognisable addresses on the seafront. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday, dinner only, from 7 PM to 9:30 PM. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. At €€€€ pricing, budget for a two-course meal above €66 per person before wine, and considerably more with bottles from a $$$ list where many selections exceed €100. Booking is rated easy relative to the calibre of the restaurant, but given the limited service days and a single nightly service, reservations in advance are the sensible approach. No phone or website is listed in our current data , book directly through Le Negresco's reservations contact. The dress code is not formally specified in our records, but the room and price point suggest smart dress is appropriate. For more places to eat, drink, and stay in the city, see [our full Nice restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/nice), [our full Nice bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/nice), [our full Nice hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/nice), [our full Nice wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/nice), and [our full Nice experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/nice).
Service at Le Chantecler is described as slick and polished , a formal front-of-house operation with a defined sommelier team including Matthieu Ghezouli and Emma Orlando working under Jean-Gabriel Siviragol. General Manager Lionel Servant oversees the floor. For a solo diner or a couple, the level of service attention in a room of this type tends to be high; for groups, the formality of service suits structured occasions more than loose, convivial dinners. If you are bringing a party that wants a more relaxed atmosphere alongside the cooking quality, [L'Alchimie](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/lalchimie-nice-restaurant) or [La Réserve de Nice](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/la-rserve-de-nice-nice-restaurant) may offer a better fit in terms of tone.
Le Chantecler holds a Google rating of 4.5 from 285 reviews , a score that reflects consistent satisfaction at this price and formality level, where expectations are high and variance tends to be punished more harshly than at casual restaurants.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Chantecler | Modern Cuisine | Le Chantecler is a restaurant in Nice, France. It was published on Star Wine List on April 19, 2025 and is a White Star.; Category: Remarkable; WINE: Wine Strengths: Champagne, Burgundy, Rhône, Bordeaux, France Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $50 Selections: 2,570 Inventory: 16,185 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: French, Seasonal Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Dinner STAFF: People Siviragol Jean-Gabriel:Wine Director Wine Director: Siviragol Jean-Gabriel Sommelier: Matthieu Ghezouli, Emma Orlando Chef: Basselot Virginie General Manager: Servant Lionel; Le Negresco regally occupies its seafront location on Nice’s iconic Promenade des Anglais. "MOF" 2015, Virginie Basselot, is at the helm of its fine dining restaurant, Le Chantecler. In this swanky setting, the Normandy-born chef makes no secret of her ambition to craft a creative, modern score using first-class ingredients, cherry-picked from local artisans with whom she has forged strong ties. Each dish tells a story of purity and simplicity, illustrated by Mediterranean monkfish in a lemon balm and Var lemon-laced butter, or red mullet with combava-flavoured cabbage purée and a seasoning made out of the liver. Slick, swish service.; Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Ranked #156 (2024); Michelin 1 Star (2024); Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Flaveur | Modern French, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| L'Aromate | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| JAN | Modern French, Modern European, Creative | Unknown | — | |
| La Merenda | Niçoise, Provençal | Unknown | — | |
| Pure & V | Neobistro - Nordic, Modern Cuisine | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Nice for this tier.
Solo dining is workable here but not the primary format. The formal palace-hotel setting inside Le Negresco suits pairs and small groups more naturally. That said, a solo guest booking a counter or table for one at a €€€€ dinner-only restaurant with a 2,570-selection wine list will find the sommelier team — Matthieu Ghezouli and Emma Orlando — attentive enough to make the experience feel personal rather than awkward.
Book at least two to three weeks out, more for weekend evenings. Le Chantecler operates dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, which gives it a narrow booking window — five services a week. Demand for a €€€€ restaurant led by a MOF 2015 chef in a landmark hotel on the Promenade des Anglais means tables move. Don't leave it to the week of travel.
For a more relaxed price point without sacrificing local ingredient focus, Flaveur is the obvious move — it punches above its price in the Nice fine-dining tier. JAN is worth considering if you want a chef-driven tasting menu with a different personality. La Merenda is the counter-argument entirely: low-cost, cash-only Niçois bistro cooking that has nothing to do with fine dining but is far more representative of the city's food culture. Le Chantecler is the choice when the occasion calls for a palace setting and a serious French wine list.
Yes — this is one of the clearest yes answers in Nice. The Belle Époque setting inside Le Negresco, a MOF 2015 chef at the kitchen pass, a wine list ranked as a White Star on Star Wine List with 16,185 bottles, and formal polished service make it a legitimate special-occasion destination. Ranked #156 in Opinionated About Dining's Classical in Europe list (2024), it has the credentials to match the price.
Small groups of two to four are the natural fit for a formal palace restaurant at this price level. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels via Le Negresco — private dining arrangements are standard in hotels of this category, though no specific private room details are in the public record. Groups expecting a relaxed, informal evening should consider whether the €€€€ tasting-menu format and dress expectations align with the group's preferences before booking.
Dinner is the only option — Le Chantecler does not offer lunch service. The restaurant operates Wednesday through Sunday, 7 PM to 9:30 PM exclusively. If you're in Nice for a midday meal at this level, L'Aromate or Flaveur are more flexible alternatives.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
