Vegan
American
Macrobiotic
Organic
Beer/Wine
Take-out
A small and cosy almost hidden cafe is run by an ex patriate Californian lady. Food is earthy and healthy. Small menu changes daily and usually includes combinations. Reported closed, Dec 2017.
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7 Rue Lamartine (at behind Etoil shopping Center, Cote Dazure, Alpes Maritime), Nice, France, 06000
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Last update on 11 Dec 2017 by Logge
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55 Reviews
First Review by Marco
ForestQeeper
Points +389
well... An experience. - Edit
Don't go there for the food. Unless you call boiled water with a spoon of miso into a glass a "soup". The price is not high but higher than it should be. Food preparation is slow and the taste often disappointing, but if you're a "vegan places hunter" like I am, go there to experience this intimate vegan place, and have a talk with the owner, an American Lady who will tell you (if you like) her stories about food, spirituality, conspiracy theories and more.
Read moreWorth going.
Pros: Atmosphere
Cons: Quality of cooking
JonJon
I experienced exactly the same!
Read moreGuest
susieveg
Points +123
April 2013 - Edit
The owner is a lovely lady who means well but I have to say if we could have got back out the door and escaped we would have ! The glasses were too dirty to drink from and what we were shown what was available for dessert, my stomach was turning at the state of the little glass dishes the desserts were in. I ate the main course but did fear i would get sick afterwards. I'm sorry to write this because she does mean well but I wouldn't go there again.
Read moreGuest
mistochele
Points +54
A fantastic evening - Edit
The perfect place for veggie lovers.
Read moreMore than a restaurant, it is the opportunity to meet the owner and see all her passion in action, with her healthy, genuine, authentic menu.
Everything is carefully thought: from the type of the water offered to the choice of sweetener: based on love for animals, quality of ingredients and attention to health... not based on the maths to maximise the profits like many other places.
I often travel for work, and it was so nice to feel home once, while having my ideal veggie dinner and a nice chat as well.
It is not a 5 start restaurant; it is not really a restaurant; maybe it is not really a business: take it as a place to relax with the food you would cook home if you had all that time,and done much better by Jane!
Pros: Quality of ingredients, Ambience, authenticity
Guest
Quamox
Points +33
Go to Le Speakeasy - you won't be disappointed. - Edit
The food and service were excellent. I highly recommend eating here. It's a small place with only about 4 tables but I found it to be cosy, rather than small. The menu changes on a daily basis and everything I had was great!! :-)
Read morePros: Great food, Great service, Good price
Guest
Mirkosun
Points +28
I LOVE this place! - Edit
The love and care of this wonderful lady is included in the price :-) you'll hardly find Such a place with this simplicity and genuinity. I always feel home and the food is delicious. Do not miss this experience!
Read moreGuest
xxx_mement0_m0ri_xxx
Points +19
Nice food in Nice! - Edit
The restaurant is little and cozy and the food served is really delicious! The proprietress is an old, friendly lady doing all the service alone despite her age. She speaks English and French. The restaurant is small, located in the centre and the atmosphere is familiar. The choice of the menu is not too big but all food is really tasty. You can have a whole menu for about 15 euros. If you're in Nice, it's really worth a visit!
Read morePros: price, quality, friendliness
Guest
zuure004
Points +13
Surprising - Edit
We've visited Nice a few days ago and we find the small restaurant Speakeasy. It was a surprising place, small but cousy and we feld comfortable. The food was good and various, with great understanding and hospitality. We will recomment this place surely.
Read morePros: Various meals, Vegan, Good value
Cons: Small place
Guest
sirena23
Points +77
Good Food - Edit
Stopped in here for lunch and had really good food. The portions are huge and home made. The owner is a lady from San Francisco who has lived here since the 70s. I had a fresh green salad, lentils and brown rice mixed with eggplant and an almond sauce. All vegan. The flavors were really good and it was a reasonable price. Its not a fancy place by any means but definitely worth going to. Not to mention, an organic store-la vie claire is on the same street and there is a fresh juice stand inside the mall behind the restaurant at Nice Etoile.
Read morePros: Good Food, healthy, good size portions
Guest
shirley1
Points +340
homely food - Edit
My husband and I were recently in Nice and found this restaurant on happycow so we made a reservation and went for dinner.
Read moreThe actual restaurant is no bigger that a 1 car garage and is quiet cluttered but has a good atmosphere. It is owned and run by and American expat therefore english is spoken. You feel like you are in her home as a dinner guest.
The menu is very limited but there was more than enough to eat.
I started with the miso soup which I found a bit salty but had a lot of flavour.
My husband had the veg pate and some delicious bread, the pate was made of chickpeas and cashews....it was very yummy.
I had the potato leak pie which came with a salad that had avo and tomatoes and the owner brought over a bowl of marrinated olives and put a huge spoonful on my plate.
My husband had seitan with a cauliflower millet and a salad. both were very good and also gluten free. Mine was a bit sallty but was very tasty.
We took our desert with us as we were full and it was 2 little fruit pies .
I would return to Le Speakeasy if I was returning to Nice
Pros: very good food, nice and friendly, big portions
Guest
Alyne
Points +28
A meal AND a learning experience - Edit
Wow. This place was stellar. I was a little worried I'd be fed sprouts and seeds based on the other reviews, but NON PAS. We were the only guests, and she was SO lovely and kind, the owner works everything herself- she moved here from Caliornia 36 years ago and has been a vegan for...40? As a budding vegan I was secretly hoping I'd be able to gain wisdomosity from her, and gain I did! She was a gem, sitting with us, asking what we wanted, etc. YES the menu was...well...not really a meny, but it didn't matter as it was all delicious! I got the full menu, which I'd only ever do (because I am a poor, "starving" student) at a great vegan/vegetarian place. The first course, a potato pate using brewers yeast was thick and creamy, she even brought me rice cakes as a bread alternative. Then when I received my main, a sweet potato pie, I almost DIED from happy, due to its thickness and flavour. It came with a MASSIVE unexpected "side" salad, with fresh avocado and tomato. Dessert was a banana date sorbet, which I didn't really like because I am used to the ones I make at home, which are THE BEST. and unbeatable
Read morePros: Interesting Dynamic owner, great flavour , nice atmosphere
Cons: not enough sugar? :D
Guest
Michelle Mayhew
Points +21
Good, Old School Vegan - Edit
The owner offers a fairly limited menu of all vegan dishes. Lots of sprouted grains and beans and raw veggies. While I like more savory food, the dishes were extremely healthy, fresh and tasty. The owner is delightful and very health conscious. This was the meal that I needed after 6 weeks of travel through Europe.
Read morePros: healthy food, good sized portions, fresh
Cons: dining room outdated
Guest
BlokefromBristol
Points +91
Strange little place - Edit
Myself and my partner are both veggie and this was the first vegan restaurant we have been too. You are unlikely to stumble across this place, so make sure you have marked it on a map if are trying to find it.
Read moreAs mentioned in other reviews the restaurant is very small and is a strange little place and looks like it could actually be her home as well.
There was one other table taken when we turned up on a Friday lunchtime and I advise it maybe worth booking if you want to turn up in the evening. We both had three courses which were about 15 euro each, so good value compared to most places in Nice. There was about four choices for starters so we had the Provençal pate and the miso soup. Both were very nice and the bread supplied was good as well.
My partner had the veggie pie for main, which I tried myself and it was very nice. I tried the only other option and regretted it straight away, not sure what it was called but it consisted of a grain (which had a texture of porridge) and zucchini. To say it was bland was a understatement and Jan knew it as well, as she suggested using various oils to make it taste of something.
We both had tarts for dessert one topped with apple and the other with jam both were pleasant to eat.
Overall it was worth visiting the restaurant and Jan was very friendly and explained everything on the menu very well. I would suggest dropping that main I had and maybe replacing with a ratatouille or maybe even a curry dish.
Pros: Friendly, Good Value, interesting
Guest
VeganTex
Points +215
Le Speakeasy - Edit
Small Vegan restaurant in Nice; owner is very friendly....has a 'home cooked' feel.
Read moreGuest
hokusai77
Points +13612
great food, nice place - Edit
Le Speakeasy is a small, nice place conveniently located in Nice centre, very close to Avenue Jean Médecin, one of the main streets of the city. I have been there three times, in different occasions, and always enjoyed my food there.
Read morePortions are big, food is hearty and cooked with care, most items are organic, and everything is above all vegan! Sweets and desserts are also sugar and margarine-free.
I have also talked to Jane, the owner, an American lady from Berkeley, CA, who is deeply involved in animal right campaigns.
The menu changes daily, with plenty of raw and cooked vegetables, avocado, sprouts, olives. Seitan steaks, veggie tarts, bean creams, are among her specialties, as well as muffins, sweet tarts, and cakes.
Pros: big portions, healthy cuisine , friendly staff
Guest
LaVanessa
Points +367
Simple good food - Edit
centrally located near Nice etoile /ave. Jean-Médecin. i came on a weekday evening, having called earlier to make sure it was open, and i made a reservation. the place is indeed small but very cosy and charming. there are pro-animal/vegetarian quotes written all over the walls.
Read morethe menu seemed limited. i had a delicious provençal paté, a pretty good but not remarkable quinoa/amaranth and veggie main, an avocado salad on the side, a very yummy small fig tart, and organic coffee. my partner had a delicious miso soup, the same salad, sauerkraut, somewhat dry and flavourless tempeh, an okay brown rice and sweet potato main, and apple pie. the portions were quite big, so come here with an appetite!
the total for all that was about 33 Euros, if i recall correctly- cheaper (in terms of numbers, not taking the exchange into account) than a similar meal in my current city, Montreal.
overall- i'd say it's a decent place, definitely worth a visit for travelling vegetarians. the food is not amazing, but it is good, satisfying and inexpensively priced. the service from the owner was tops.
Pros: healthy, cheap, huge portions
Cons: limited menu, small
Guest
meatisfordummies
Points +181
It's like eating in your Grandma's kitchen... - Edit
if your Grandma was an eccentric vegan. Home cooking. Small prix fixe menu but all delicious. Large portions. Owner is very nice and very willing to translate the menu if needed. Definitely worth the trip. 100% vegan. close to beach
Read morePros: food , friendly
Guest
braddersfromtheblock
Points +100
Ooh la la! - Edit
It is not easy being vegan in France. Ask for a pizza with no cheese (something we ate often until finding this place) and you get some very strange looks from the waiters.
Read moreThis is the only vegan place in Nice and oh, what a find. We ate there twice and enjoyed it very much. The lady owner was kind, welcoming, very interesting ! - and clearly very committed to her ideals, and creating good food.
She serves a different menu every day, very healthy food. To give you an idea, we had her homemade Provencale pate (very tasty), freshly juiced carrot juice, freshly made vegan pie with leeks and herbs, grains, an extremely tasty date and banana ice cream she makes on the spot in the tiny kitchen! I will definitely eat in this place again the next time I am in Nice and I highly recommend it to others.
Pros: Unique, Characterful, Healthy & Tasty
Cons: The decor is a bit mad.
Guest
Vegan Jonathan
Points +71
Eat Easy in Nice - Edit
What a delight to have found through your pages this wonderful little vegan restaurant in Nice. This is the only vegan establishment in Nice. It is an intimate experience, we were the only customers on arrival and the American owner who is also the chef (lived in France for 30 years) explained carefully what was on the menu and in the food. We had three courses and all were excellent, almost home cooking. There was a very limited selection of wine and beer, only red wine and only a few cans of lager, so she could make more money out of customers by being more commercial, but that really isn't the point of this little Oasis, the only truly safe place to eat in wonderful Nice.
Read morePros: Full on vegan, Three vegan courses, Complete confidence in the owner/chef
Cons: Lack of beer and wine choices
Guest
woylielover
Points +43
hooray! - Edit
Yes, it was a great relief to us, after travelling in France and Spain for a month, to find a place where ALL the food was OK for us! Even though we're lacto-ovo vegetarian, we struggled just about everywhere but Paris.
Read moreThe proprietor was welcoming and friendly, though her explanation of the menu options was a little confusing. She warned us we might be asked to share a table but we opted for one of the 2-person tables so it wasn't an issue in this tiny establishment. The food it self was tasty and servings were generous. The black Tunisian olives offered with both entree and main were just gorgeous.
Pros: friendly proprietor, good food, generous servings
Cons: cramped space, not much ambience
Guest
my_plant_based_food
Points +45
Gordon Ramsay would have a field day here! - Edit
Where can I start? My husband and I, are both vegans and as we were in the South of France in August 2009, we decided to go to this restaurant as the reviews rated it well! What a disappointment that was! We're still recovering psychologically today! For starters the place is very small and upon arrival we were told that we would have to share tables if someone else came, which we didn't mind at all. The menu had about 4 choices for starters, 4 choices for lunch and 2 desserts. Upon ordering we we told "sorry I didn't prepare that" or "sorry it's out of season" ....so why have it on the menu? We were left with the prospect of ordering either a potato pie or a sausage, so both opted for the potato pie. It repeated on us for the whole day, to the point where we didn't even bother with dinner! Side salad were served communaly from one bowl and passed in between tables (not the most hygienic way of serving!). The place not only was small, but very cramped with unnecessary bulk like a big dresses and a big TV! Felt very cluttered and dingy. The owner, a Californian old lady didn't have much spirit and we almost felt like it was a struggle for her to be there and was almost annoyed that people were coming in! The only positive things were: it was cheap and in a central location. So to summ the experience up: restaurant itself was terrible (if they had benches along the walls, with stools and got rid of the clutter it would be tons better) the hospitality was terrible and the food even worse so all in all: DON'T BOTHER GOING! you'll be much better off buying a vegan baguette and sticking some hummus and tomatoes in it!!!!
Read morePros: Central Location, Cheap
Cons: Terrible Atmosphere, Terrible Food, Terrible hospitality
my_plant_based_food
Sorry for not replying earlier, life's been busy! I appreciate that it might be cool place to meet other activists, but maybe the lady had a bad day? It can happen to the best of chefs. I was purely reviewing the food, which I didn't find very exciting and not good quality considering the amount of fresh produce you can get in France. If that's the quality of food that you are used to, then I'm sorry. It's not a personal attack on the lady, all I'm saying is: use fresher local produce, tidy up a bit, smarten the place, and it might just be a nicer experience............but what do I know? I'm just a customer.
Read moreVegan Jonathan
A bit harsh! I enjoyed it, though my wife who is less precious about the cause may sympathise more with your views. What i was interested to comment on was your suggestion that an alternative was to buy bread and humous, trouble is i couldn't find any humous in Nice that didn't have dairy products in it.
Read moreStevie
Hi there,
Read moreIf I may be able to reply to your review since, in my humble opinion of course, it seems very unkind.
Firstly it seems that part of your criticism is that the place is small. I don't see why a place is small means that it can't be enjoyable.
I can't comment on the specifics of what happened when you went obviously since I wasn't there. When I went though, the food was great, the service was great and the atmo was great. The positivity of my review is based on that and has nothing to do with, 'meeting other activists'. I don't see myself as an activist and I don't recall being engaged by any there.
Lastly, I don't understand why anyone vego would care what would Gordon Ramsay thinks about anything. The man has a clear anti vegetarian agenda and enjoys nothing more than his vego bashing. He also has an unashamed bullying management style that if there was an HR department in the places where he worked, he'd be pulled up for inappropriate behaviour. And lastly I remember watching one of his tv programs because he was going to 'revitalise' a vego restaurant in Paris. His secret of good vego cooking? Lots of salt, butter and cream. Hardly culinary genius.
Like I said, just my humble opinion and we are all different.
Guest
+++VeGaNiSaToR+++
Points +1004
not much choice - Edit
I advise this restaurant to people passing by. Vegetable pâté and fruit pies are delicious.
Read moreUnfortunately, there isn't much choice, the card has not changed for many years and it has narrowed, so I'm tired and I have no desire to go.
no restaurant for me in the Alpes Maritimes as zucca magica is not vegan :-(
Stevie
Hi there,
Read moreI wonder if I may be able to ask please, what's your point in your review? Is it that you prefer to eat in a place provided by some sort of mega sized operation so that the size of the menu is bigger? Small is never beautiful?
Just curious.
Guest
tararenaemcgee
Points +77
Simple good food - Edit
This is a very small restaurant. It is not fancy but if you want vegan food in Nice it is a great place to go. The owner is very kind.
Read morePros: vegan in France
Cons: limited menu
Guest
PhilippeNicolitch
Points +91
A great little vegan restaurant - Edit
You may want to call ahead and make a reservation because the place is small. The lady owner is very nice and the daily special was excellent. We particularly liked the vegan paté and the soy cheese as appetizers. The main course was a wheat-free pie with potatoes and leek. Home-like food away from home...
Read morePros: Value for money, Tasty food
Guest
RachelLouise
Points +543
The best restaurant in France - Edit
It's been several years since I've eaten here, but I hope to go back to Nice someday just to eat here again. The American owner/chef is very friendly. You feel like you are a guest in her home. The pate was one of the best things I've ever eaten. The food is fabulous, and the atmosphere is nice and cozy.
Read morePros: Amazing food, friendly staff, all vegan
Cons: small
Guest
vegan girl 24
Points +57
awesome! - Edit
i love this place! small and homey, run by a super nice woman, feels like your mom is cooking for you!
Read morelots of food--i left feeling amazing! can get the menu for around 13 or 14 euro-includes a starter, main, and dessert, or just individual dishes. great value! my bro and i tried both the vegetable pate and cheese starters--pate is really delicious! then the veggie pie and grain/veggie dish--both of which were really good, especially the pie--probably one of the best things i have had in a while. dessert is also delicious-tart and pudding.
everything comes in great portions-so make sure you are hungry! absolutely delicious fresh and organic veggies, and many things are made without wheat for the allergic or without soy because the owner doesn't like using it too much. everything is really healthy and tasty (use the condiments too!)
Pros: large portions, tasty and healthy! , all vegan!
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2363
Great Vegan place in South of France - Edit
You won't find many vegan places in the South and this American owned speak easy is a bit of an oasis. The owner is delightful and will get you chatting with her locals. Its a wonderful place to relax and slow down. Fill up on food because you won't find another place like it anywhere near!
Read morePros: owner
Guest
Stevie
Points +11765
Le Speakeasy, Nice - Edit
A real gem of a place.
Read moreI had lunch here today. Magic. 100% vegan vegetarian and also mostly organic. Very cosy, I only counted 4 tables and 12 seats in the whole place. The lady who runs the place is great. The leak and potato soup and bread was close to being a meal in itself. This was followed with a seitan steak dish after which my stomach was so full it felt ready to burst. I'd ordered a set menu and when I said I couldn't eat more the chef / waitress gave me the dessert to take away. Delicious it was too.
My bill in total was 15.50 euros. I handed over a 20 euro note and was on my way out. When the lady brought back my change I said to her to keep it. She said I should take the change but when I insisted she keeps it she put the money into a collection jar that she gives to animal welfare.
Class.
Pros: 100% vegan vegetarian, Great proprietor, Central
Cons: None
Guest
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