Le Socle – Nice's plinth of partnership on rue Barla

On the corner of rue Barla and rue Georges Ville, in the Nice quarter wedged between the fashionable Marais Niçois and the quieter streets of Arson, Le Socle is a small bistro built entirely by one couple. Dominique Roca cooks; Mikhaël Lyoubi runs the dining room; together they opened their restaurant in September 2023, a short walk from Place Garibaldi, the Port of Nice and the buzz of rue Bonaparte. The name is no accident: it symbolises the solidity of their partnership, forged years earlier while they worked side by side at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon on the Champs-Élysées. Both had spent years in starred kitchens and dining rooms before deciding, after the birth of their daughter Léïla, to run a place entirely their own. It is listed in the MICHELIN Guide 2026 for its modern cuisine and moderate prices, a rare case of a genuinely two-person restaurant earning that recognition.

01The room and the setting

Le Socle sits at the angle of rue Barla and rue Georges Ville, on the line between Nice's bistronomic Marais Niçois and the calmer streets of Arson, a few doors from the Pâtisserie Lac and the Bordonnat bakery. The room is built on light and transparency: tall windows onto the street, wicker light fittings overhead, and a central dresser that Mikhaël uses both to carve meat in front of guests and to talk diners through the day's dishes.

The kitchen opens directly onto the dining room, which lets guests watch Dominique at the stove, though one diner's only real complaint concerned the ventilation, noting that cooking smells from the open kitchen can cling to coats left on the backs of chairs. The couple's own tone is unpretentious: their Instagram account sums up the spirit in two words, "Restaurant Décomplexé."

02The chefs

Dominique Roca trained at the Grand Hôtel in Cannes alongside Michelin-starred chef Sébastien Broda, then in Paris under Joël Robuchon at L'Atelier, before moving on through La Cour des Loges in Lyon and the Niçois kitchens of Les Agitateurs and Peixes. Mikhaël Lyoubi, who has family ties to Nice and nearby Vence, built his front-of-house career starting with Alain Llorca in Saint-Paul, then serving at Lucas Carton under Alain Senderens, at L'Atelier Robuchon, at Anne-Sophie Pic's La Dame de Pic in Paris, and finally at Flaveur in Nice, the two-MICHELIN-starred house run by the Tourteaux brothers.

Insider tip

Historically closed Wednesdays, Saturday dinner only; the couple favour phone-light, human-contact bookings.

Four years on from opening, the couple are still at the helm together, Dominique in the kitchen and Mikhaël in the room, running every service themselves.

03What to order

The heart of veal sweetbread, cooked in its own jus, is the house's signature dish, true to the Robuchon spirit that shaped both their careers; a whole royal pigeon, cooked to perfection, appears as a supplement on the same register. To start, a shareable tortilla with soubressade carries a playful, street-food edge, while on Sundays the kitchen turns to a simple roast chicken with vegetables, served with a mix of leeks, beetroot, fennel and Swiss chard on the side.

Desserts lean on the couple's own supply chain: a financier made with kiwis from Dominique's father's orchard, a rum baba macerated in-house for three months, crêpes Suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier at the table, and madeleines baked to order as a final mignardise.

04Wine and drinks

The list is short and reasonably priced rather than exhaustive, built around growers such as the red Coteaux du Verdon from Myrko Tépus. Diners regularly single it out given the restaurant's size, with one visitor calling it a genuinely beautiful wine list for so small a place.

05When to go and booking

The restaurant has historically closed on Wednesdays and served dinner only on Saturdays.

The owners have explained publicly that they deliberately limit phone and walk-in bookings in favour of direct, human contact when guests arrive. For New Year's Eve, Dominique and Mikhaël have planned a menu built around dishes inspired by the great chefs and houses that shaped their own careers.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.