"We wanted a restaurant that was also a café serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner": this legendary establishment on Cours Saleya is enjoying a renaissance

"Let it become a meeting place." While this prediction didn't necessarily spring from the coffee grounds, it does fuel the hopes of Jean Valfort, one of the owners of the Grand Café des Fleurs. The famous establishment, which was a historic institution, close to bouquets and plants, located at 13 Cours Saleya, has just reopened. After months of colossal renovations. It's bigger, thanks to the integration of an adjoining restaurant.

Carried by an unexpected decor. Made of omnipresent oak wood, azulejo tiles (1), ceiling mirrors, expertly measured lighting, slender sprays of dried flowers. Enhanced by a spectacular old-fashioned bar, also made of wood, behind which, a squad of young people are busy preparing liquid recipes as original as the container.

At the helm of this business fringed with sea blue blinds is Panorama Group, a company run by Jean Valfort and Jean-François Montfort, which already owns Bocca Nissa, 3, rue Saint-François-de-Paule, Félix, 12, avenue Félix-Faure, Bocca Mar, promenade des Anglais and Bocca Sunset in La Baule.

Reconnecting with an intense past

Why eye this location on the course? The desire to reconnect with history. "The Café des Feurs is an institution dating back to at least the beginning of the 20th century," says Jean Valfort. "It passed through different hands, opening at dawn with flower and fruit and vegetable sellers. Over time, the cafés disappeared somewhat on this part of the course, which was missed by florists and antique dealers. After Le Félix, we thought it would be nice to revive an iconic address. So, why not here? In November 2024, just as we were opening Le Félix, we bought this former Café des Fleurs, which had become Di Yar. But since it was too small, we also bought the adjoining Bongusto establishment. Work began at the end of December for an opening at the end of May."

Nearly 700m² of space, excluding the terrace, for 120 indoor and 200 outdoor seats, run by around sixty employees and featuring a signature design. Jean Valfort laughs about it: "We're the decorators. It's 100% in-house, using local artisans. We wanted something timeless, less daring than Le Félix." With a maximum of woodwork. The owner talks about the "wooden flowers" at both ends of the building. They look like two enormous fluted hourglasses or vortexes, overlooking rounded benches. Wood everywhere. Even the speakers have their globular oak cladding, created by the hands of carnival artist Cédric Pignataro. Huge old photos of the flower market and multicolored cylindrical toilets complete this metamorphosis.

Flower-based cocktails

"We wanted a restaurant that was also a café serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. There are two kitchens, a pastry lab, and our chef, Imer Isejni, Italian-Albanian, comes from the Louis XV in Monaco. We have a pastry chef."

The menu changes throughout the day. It starts with coffees and teas prepared by baristas and paired with all sorts of milks. "Our coffee shop offerings are very extensive, different from the traditional offerings." Indeed, the tea made with cow's milk, spirulina, and coconut is admirable. The espresso, served with sweets, costs €2.50, the café crème costs €5, and the Viennese chocolate costs €7. Next come suggestions for carrot cake, truffle croque, salmon roll, panisses (7 euros), petits farcis niçois (14 euros for 3 pieces and 2 euros for 5), perugines (15 euros), homemade porchetta (24 euros), octopus salad (24 euros), duck breast (25 euros), large pizzas (40cm in diameter for a price between 13 and 19 euros), chocolate tart, Paris-Brest... The wine list (from 6 to 10 euros a glass) is comprehensive and the signature cocktails distil the unusual, often based on flowers like "La rose dans le verre" (vodka, Lillet blanc, rose syrup, at 14 euros). In the end, "a hyper-transverse offer" in full bloom under a sign open every day from 7 a.m. to midnight.

1. Decorated earthenware tiles, as in Portugal.