Budget eats: Discover culinary gems on the French and Italian Rivieras

Old roads lead to classic delights. Photo / Stephen Emms

Marseille

France’s second-largest city will never win awards for cuteness. Yet its cosmopolitan urban feel is unique on the Riviera, its sometimes frenetic neighbourhoods alive with international markets and street food. Start at the Marche Des Capucins in Noailles, the web of streets lined with tempting multicultural stalls, all spices, wet fish and exotic pastries. It feels more north African than southern French (tip: try the mahjouba, a type of savoury Algerian crepe for a couple of euros, or the Tunisian “brik”, a tuna, egg and potato pastry).

For something more sit-down, most restaurants in the smarter Vieux Port area serve a plat du jour for €16. Often, it’s a beef daube (slow-cooked aromatic stew) and at the tiny hole-in-the-wall Pain A L’Ail, it’s just €9.90 ($19.30).

Your unmissable stop in this port city should, however, be La Boite a Sardine, its quirky interior furnished with fishing memorabilia, from life jackets to buoys, shelves piled with tinned fish cans. Here, the owner talks you through the daily changing chalkboard menu (in English if you prefer): super fresh plates of marinated anchovies in golden olive oil and stuffed butterflied sardines with fresh sourdough are just €7 a pop.

The manager at La Boite a Sardine discussing the menu. Photo / Stephen Emms

When evening rolls in, hit relaxed craft beer bar Les Berthom, which serves local pilsner for €4 and oozing croque-monsieur for €9. A final tip: swap Michelin-recommended Sepia (although its €57 three-course menu is worth it if you have the cash) for its adjoining bar Julis, a guinguette offering cheaper tapas alongside phenomenal sea and city views.

Don’t miss the specialty sardines in La Boite a Sardine. Photo / Stephen Emms

Nice

If you’re as penny-pinching in this famed southern French resort as we were, head straight to the outdoor market at Cours Saleya in Vieux Nice, open every day except Monday, and renowned for local products like olive oils and pistou. Two must-try specialities, cooked over a wood fire, are pissaladière, a delicious flatbread stuffed with olives, onions and anchovy, and socca, flat chickpea pancakes. Both can be bought at the legendary Chez Theresa, a stall trading since 1925, for about €3 (it also does a signature chard pie). Warning: the queue moves slowly at weekends.

Enjoy a day out at Cours Saleya. Photo / Stephen Emms Grab the freshest snacks at the market. Photo / Stephen Emms

For a vibrant dinner, try Berco in the winding cobbled streets of the old town where, if you can bag a table, small plates hover at about €6. If it has to be the palm tree-lined promenade, hip hangout Babel Babel serves iconic local specialty, panisse (chickpea fritters) at €6.

Dine at Berco for a cheap, but filling dinner. Photo / Stephen Emms Take your food for a picnic by the beach. Photo / Stephen Emms

Sanremo

One train journey along the cerulean sea later, and Sanremo is just over the border into Italy, its steep old town known as the “pinecone” and topped with a highly photogenic 18th-century church.

Food-wise, the best bargains are to be had at city institution La Tavernetta, which dates back to 1950 and serves sardenaira (the Ligurian version of pissaladière with anchovies, local olives, garlic cloves and capers), or focaccia formaggio for €1.20, while coffee is a humble euro and, during aperitivo hour, an ice-cold glass of wine or frizzante is just €1.50.

La Tavernetta is a city institution, one you should not skip. Photo / Stephen Emms Try a variety of breads for cheap at La Tavernetta. Photo / Stephen Emms

For more carby steals, Buon Apetito is another long-running bakery, its slices of focaccia al formaggio, pizzas, and torta slightly pricier at €2.50-€4. Roam the daily market, Mercato Annonario, for the tasty torta di verdura di zucca (courgette pastry); cheaper still, here are sardenaira slices around one euro. Don’t forget that during aperitivo hour, ordering a spritz or a negroni at most bars often comes with a plate of enticing snacks, including pizzas, meats and cheeses, for the price of the drink; this alone keeps costs down.

Sanremo’s infamous Mercato Annonario. Photo / Stephen Emms

Genoa

This port city is seemingly unfathomable at first, its dense network of old town alleyways breaking out into vast piazzas, its harbour, the Porto Antico, an unlikely mishmash of architectural styles. But stay focused, and just off Piazza Corvetto in the theatre district is historic bakery, La Farinata dei Teatri. Supposedly unchanged since 1861, it’s known purely for its eponymous crispy chickpea pancake, fresh from the oven and served in a wide pan for a few euros.

Genoa’s historic bakery, La Farinata dei Teatri. Photo / Stephen EmmsThe classic crispy chickpea pancake fresh from the oven. Photo / Stephen Emms

Meanwhile, a 15-minute walk away is the Mercato Orientale. This food market, in a former 17th-century convent cloister, makes a fascinating wander, with fritto misto or pesto lasagne around €6 at Bar del Mercato (tip: ask for a local wine to match it). Upstairs is a contemporary streetfood market, home to a mouthwatering range of outlets (300g of tagliata at La Carne is €18), while an enoteca allows you to try different wines at lowish prices.

Shop for fresh produce at Mercato Orientale. Photo / Stephen Emms A tasty plate of pesto lasagne for €6. Photo / Stephen Emms

Finally, off central Piazza Raffaele de Ferrai, end your coastal rail trip with a melt-in-the-mouth lasagne (€12.50) at Trattoria Rosmarino, served Genoese style using white beef and pork ragu.