Owned by the acclaimed restaurateur Marcel Marro, Le Grand Balcon has become a grand and stylish dining institution in Nice. Located in the old town next the opera house, the restaurant is popular with a posh pre-theatre crowd and is decorated in true retro Parisian style with red velvet drapes, wooden floors, cluttered bookshelves and an open fire. The kitchen, under direction from Marc Hamel, produces a stunning variety of light southern-style dishes and we recommend the foie gras served with a muscat and fig chutney; the tuna roasted with coriander and served with wok-fried vegetables; and the delicately spiced tajine of scorpion fish and crab.