See and be seen – that’s the ordre du jour in the South of France. Yet, it is a fabulous place for a summer long weekend away or a full blown holiday, with azur blue waters and golden beaches. Hire a car if you can as then you will have access to the best beaches, which are all off the beaten track.
Read on for details of these hidden gems and the gluten free treats that can be found in the South of France. Below I cover Nice and the beaches to the East (towards Monaco). For Antibes and Mougins (both wonderful places to stay), see my earlier gluten free guide.
France can be tricky to eat safely gluten free as a coeliac, so I would also recommend you have a read of my France Gluten Free Guide for some general tips.
Nice
A lovely cosmopolitan seaside town, Nice can be a great place to base yourselves when visiting the Cote d’Azur. Its old town streets buzz with life and you won’t be short of places to explore. Nevertheless, of all the places I have spent time in in the South of France, Nice is for some reason is a rather tricky place to feel comfortable as a coeliac. There are plenty of supposedly naturally gluten free dishes around, but coeliac needs are not taken into consideration. People just assume you are following the latest fad diet and it can be frustrating to have to explain your coeliac status over and over.
Nevertheless, a little patience can pay off AND since I last visited there are some good coeliac friendly restaurant options.
GiGi Tavola Autentica – I haven’t tried this place myself but this is a wonderful lunch or dinner option for coeliacs visiting Nice. They have a large gluten free menu and a dedicated kitchen space for the gluten free dishes. You can even get gluten free pizza and pasta. A few followers have recommended it to me and I will definitely be checking it out next time I visit. It is also accredited by the French coeliac society.
Amour Patisserie Vegetale – a fully gluten free and vegan bakery and cafe offering breakfast, brunch, lunch and goodies to takeaway.
Les Gourmandises d’Angéa – very nice people running this Macaron paradise on Rue de La Poissonerie in the Old Town. All their macarons are gluten free and homemade by the shop themselves.
Biogstore – a small cafe that can cater well for gluten free diets, with helpful owners who make an effort to keep you food safe. It’s a seasonal menu with a leaning towards vegetarian and vegan dishes (not fully veggie).
La Storia – not a huge range of gluten free here but the owner was incredibly helpful at working out what dishes would be safe for me and she checked everything direct with the kitchen. I had a delicious fillet of sea bream with ratatouille and rice.
Monoprix supermarket – there is a big gluten free selection…tonnes of schar produts and I even spotten geniis gf bread too, The genius was upstairs in the fresh bread section, the rest of the gf was downstaira.s
Plage Cap d’Ail
La Reserve de la Mala – I went here years ago and had roasted monkfish in pancetta with spiralised vegetables at the tres chic restaurant here, located on the beautiful Cap d’Ail beach. There are a number of gluten free dishes here (mainly carb-free ones), just brace yourself for the bill!
Plage La Point de l’Aiguille
Aiguille – fantastic beach food at this restaurant on the beach near Cannes. Wonderful staff who discussed options with me and there was plenty of gluten free choice. I had sea bream with artichoke, caramelized onions and other tasty bits. The chips were gluten free when we visited too, hoorah! Their house rose wine was excellent and this beach is a fabuolous hidden gem on the Cote d’Azur.
Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
We stocked up on picnic supplies from the Casino supermarket by the port in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat – they have various gluten free supplier (Gerble branded goods and mini magnums!).
For more Cote d’Azur gluten free tips, be sure to check out my Antibes and Mougins guide:
Enjoy! x
