Restaurant in Nice, France
One menu, all-vegetable, genuinely worth booking.
Racines is one of Nice's most compelling value plays: Michelin-recognised vegetarian cooking built on local organic produce, served at €€€ when most comparable tables charge €€€€. The single set menu format and intimate room make it a strong choice for a quiet special-occasion dinner. Book ahead — the room is small and fills fast Thursday through Saturday.
Racines is the right table for a couple or small group who want a genuinely considered special-occasion dinner in Nice without paying fine-dining prices. If your idea of a celebration meal involves technical cooking, local organic produce, and a room where service is warm rather than theatrical, this is where to go. It is not the place for meat-focused celebratory feasts or anyone who needs à la carte flexibility — the format here is a single set menu, vegetables only, and the kitchen decides what is on it.
Bruno Cirino and José Vidal run one of the most credibly focused restaurants in Nice. The concept is direct by design: one set menu, entirely vegetarian, built around seasonal Mediterranean produce picked at peak ripeness. The Michelin recognition this has earned is a genuine signal of quality, not a marketing badge. For the price tier, this is among the most compelling value propositions in the city — comparable kitchens with similar recognition, like Flaveur or L'Aromate, operate at €€€€ price points. Racines sits at €€€, which means you are getting Michelin-level craft at a tier below what most of its peers charge.
The room is small , this is a genuinely intimate setting, and the atmosphere runs closer to a quiet neighbourhood dinner than a formal tasting. Noise levels are low, which makes it a good choice for conversation-heavy occasions: a birthday dinner for two, an anniversary, or a business meal where you actually need to hear each other. The energy is calm rather than buzzy, and that suits the food's philosophy. This is not a place that performs hospitality; it delivers it without fuss.
The service deserves specific attention because it is one of the reasons this restaurant holds its reputation. Smiling, unpretentious, and clearly proud of what comes out of the kitchen , the team here do not make you feel like you are being processed through a luxury experience. For a special occasion, that human quality in the room matters. At restaurants like Le Chantecler or ONICE, service is more formal and the room carries more ceremony. Racines is warmer and less studied, which for many guests will be the more enjoyable evening.
Kitchen focuses on what Cirino calls "kitchen garden cuisine" , ingredients sourced locally, organically, or sustainably, used only when fully ripe. The Michelin description references dishes such as a soup of red spring onions and basil, purple artichoke with a cheesy emulsion, compressed root vegetables in the style of sculptor César Baldaccini, and baked miniature apple with burnt barley ice cream. These are not details you need to commit to before booking , the menu changes with the season , but they illustrate the level of invention applied to an entirely plant-based format. For context, this kind of rigour around vegetable-forward tasting menus is rare outside a small group of French restaurants: Arpège in Paris is the obvious benchmark at a far higher price point and formality level. Racines operates with similar conviction in a considerably more accessible format.
Wine list is described as a fine, reasonably priced selection of vintages. For a vegetarian tasting menu in this style, pairing choices matter, and the pricing appears to stay consistent with the kitchen's value positioning rather than marking up aggressively.
For readers interested in how Nice's dining scene fits into broader French cooking, see our full Nice restaurants guide, or explore where to stay, where to drink, and what to do in the city.
Reservations: Booking recommended , the room is small and fills quickly, especially Thursday through Saturday. Easy to book when you plan ahead, but do not rely on walk-ins. Hours: Dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, 7 PM to 9 PM. Closed Sunday and Monday , plan your trip accordingly. Format: Single set menu, vegetarian, no à la carte. Price tier: €€€ , below most comparable Michelin-recognised tables in Nice. Dress: No formal dress code specified, but the room's calm atmosphere suits smart casual. Address: 3 Rue Clément Roassal, 06100 Nice.
There is no ordering , Racines runs a single set menu that changes with the season. The kitchen determines what is served based on what is ripe and locally sourced. Past dishes have included a red spring onion soup with basil, artichoke preparations, and a baked miniature apple with burnt barley ice cream. Trust the menu; that is the format here.
Yes, provided the occasion suits an intimate, vegetarian tasting menu format. The small room, low noise level, warm service, and Michelin-recognised cooking make it a strong choice for a birthday dinner or anniversary. It is not the right pick if someone in your group needs a meat course or wants à la carte flexibility. For a more formal celebration with a broader menu, consider Flaveur or JAN instead.
Book at least one to two weeks ahead for a midweek table; aim for two to three weeks if you want a Friday or Saturday seat. The room is small, demand is consistent given the Michelin recognition, and there is no phone or online booking link published , contact the restaurant directly. Walk-ins are not reliable.
The entire menu is vegetarian by design, so plant-based diners are well served here. Beyond that, the restaurant runs a fixed single menu with no à la carte alternatives, which limits flexibility for specific allergies or intolerances. If you have a serious dietary restriction beyond vegetarianism, contact the restaurant directly before booking to confirm they can accommodate you. No phone or website is currently listed in our database, so reach out via email or in person.
Racines serves dinner only , Tuesday through Saturday, from 7 PM to 9 PM. There is no lunch service. If you are planning a daytime meal in Nice, look at La Merenda for Niçoise classics at €€, or consult our full Nice restaurants guide for daytime options across price tiers.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racines - Bruno Cirino | €€€ · Vegetarian, Mediterranean Cuisine | Bruno Cirino and his faithful right-hand man, José Vidal, regale diners with a bargain-priced single set menu composed entirely of local organic or sustainably grown fruit and vegetables in their small eatery. They propose "kitchen garden cuisine" using ingredients that are picked only when perfectly ripe. Their talented craftsmanship shines the spotlight on characteristic Mediterranean produce, like garlic, olive oil and basil. Dig into a soup of red spring onions and basil; purple artichoke with a cheesy emulsion and grilled spiny artichoke; compressed root vegetables à la “César Baldaccini”; baked miniature apple and burnt barley ice cream… Fine selection of reasonably priced vintages. Smiling service. Booking recommended. | Easy | — | |
| Flaveur | Modern French, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| L'Aromate | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Pure & V | Neobistro - Nordic, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown | — | |
| JAN | Modern French, Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown | — | |
| La Merenda | Niçoise, Provençal | €€ | Unknown | — |
How Racines - Bruno Cirino stacks up against the competition.
There is no ordering to do — Racines runs a single set menu, composed entirely of local organic or sustainably grown fruit and vegetables. Bruno Cirino and José Vidal build the menu around produce picked at peak ripeness, so the dishes shift with the season. Previous menus have included red spring onion and basil soup, purple artichoke with cheesy emulsion, and baked miniature apple with burnt barley ice cream. The wine list is reasonably priced and worth letting the kitchen guide you on.
Yes, particularly for couples or small groups who want a considered dinner without the formality or price of a conventional fine-dining room. The format — one focused menu, intimate space, smiling service — suits a birthday or anniversary where the food itself is the point. It is not the right call if your group wants à la carte choice or a lively atmosphere; the room runs quiet and the experience is structured around the single menu.
Book at least a week out, and further ahead for Thursday through Saturday, when the small room fills fastest. The kitchen is only open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 PM to 9 PM, with Sunday and Monday closed, so your window is narrow. Walk-in chances are low given the size of the room — don't rely on turning up.
The menu is already entirely plant-based, built around organic and sustainably sourced fruit and vegetables, so this is a strong option for vegetarians who want a serious kitchen behind their meal rather than an afterthought menu. For specific allergies or intolerances, check the venue's official channels when booking — the set-menu format means substitutions may be limited.
Dinner is your only option — Racines does not serve lunch. The kitchen runs Tuesday through Saturday, 7 PM to 9 PM only. Plan accordingly, and book in advance rather than assuming availability on the night.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
