Les Agitateurs

Les Agitateurs is one of those rare restaurants that has genuinely shifted how people think about fine dining in Nice. No stiff formality, no grand decor. Just precise, living cooking, carried by a chef who comes out of the kitchen himself to tell you what's on your plate. The Michelin star arrived in 2021 as a confirmation, not a goal. That's exactly what makes the place credible.

Juliette Busetto and Samuel Victori met at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon. Both went on to train in some of France's most demanding kitchens. Samuel worked at La Vague d'Or ***, Troisgros ***, Le Bristol ***, and Passage 53 **, where he was sous chef. Juliette spent time at La Réserve de Beaulieu *, Troisgros ***, and Le Bristol***.

Returning to their native south of France, they opened Les Agitateurs in 2016 on rue Bonaparte, a short walk from Port Lympia. The start was modest: a few daily specials and a six-course menu. The restaurant evolved continuously, naturally, until earning its Michelin star in 2021 , confirmed every year since. As Juliette Busetto puts it, they hadn't necessarily planned to become a gastronomic restaurant. The ambition grew alongside the team.

Today, Les Agitateurs is a house in the proper sense. The group runs four addresses: the gastronomic restaurant Les Agitateurs on rue Bonaparte, Pirouette , a relaxed neo-bistro in Nice, and Sous les Pins , a restaurant opened within the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, with furniture designed by Diego Giacometti and the brand new restaurant   Magma  , free fusion cuisine, inspired by Asia and nourished by the Mediterranean  at 31 rue Bonaparte in Nice.

Samuel Victori doesn't do a la carte. Everything goes through tasting menus, built like narratives. The dish names are poetic, sometimes puzzling. The cooking is precise. The chef works exclusively with local suppliers and describes his cuisine as free and alive, somewhere between sea and mountain, tradition and liberty.

The house philosophy: "We wake up every morning more adventurous and inspired than the day before." In practice, that means plates that are briny, vegetable, mineral, acidic. Textures that catch you off guard. Careful cooking. And often, the chef stepping out of the kitchen to set the dish down himself and explain what's in it.

Some dishes that have left a mark: a poached sea bass fillet with kochihikari rice, thin slices of raw turnip and a beurre blanc built on dashi broth with dried bonito. Scallops with a beetroot vinaigrette. Carabineros prawns with avocado and passion fruit vinaigrette. A leek glazed with veal juice, bone marrow and truffle. Recipes that borrow from the Riviera, from Japan, from travel memories.

Menus and prices

No à la carte options. Tasting menus only.

Lunch: from €95
Dinner: from €135
Wine pairings: from €55 (3 pours) or €95 (5 pours)
Wine list focused on small regional producers and natural wines.

Menus change regularly with the seasons and what's available. No fixed dishes. That's one reason regulars come back as often as they do.

Atmosphere

The restaurant is small. The dining room is light, pared-back, recently renovated with care. Neither grand nor coldly minimalist. Jasmine and wisteria climb the façade on rue Bonaparte. Inside, music plays without dominating. The team is young. The tone matches.

The service has nothing stiff about it. Dishes are explained with genuine enthusiasm, questions get real answers, laughter happens. Samuel Victori regularly leaves the kitchen to present his creations at the table. That direct contact with the chef is a sharp contrast with the often distant register of fine dining. Here, it feels more like a meal at the home of people who happen to cook very well.

In summer, open windows bring in the air from the port. In winter, the atmosphere turns cozier, more intimate.

Visitor reviews

Highlights: Les Agitateurs has established itself as one of the most exciting fine dining addresses in Nice, and visitors are consistently effusive in their praise for the creativity and precision of the cuisine. Many describe the dining experience as a genuine sensory journey, a succession of bold dishes combining technical textures, surprising flavor pairings, and impressive mastery. Signature Mediterranean ingredients: scallops, sea bass, langoustines, lamb are treated with an inventiveness that wins unanimous approval, and several returning guests note that the restaurant's regular menu updates make each visit feel like a new discovery.
 The chef's personal presence and involvement in the dining room is a recurring highlight across many reviews. Visitors particularly appreciate the fact that the chef comes to present certain dishes personally, explains his creative choices, and takes time to connect with each table, a rare gesture in a Michelin-starred setting that adds a deeply human dimension to the experience and makes it genuinely memorable.
 The setting and atmosphere are also warmly received. The recently renovated dining room is described as cozy, elegant and welcoming, with careful attention paid to every detail, tableware, music, lighting, decoration creating a total sensory coherence that runs from the welcome cocktail through to the seaside dessert promenade that closes certain menus. Several visitors also mention small gestures at the end of the evening, a gift from the chef, a sweet treat to take home, as thoughtful touches that extend the emotion of the night and build lasting loyalty.

Areas for improvement: A small number of visitors mention that the pacing of service could benefit from more flexibility depending on the table and its preferences. Some guests, accustomed to extended fine dining experiences, felt that the succession of courses moved too quickly to fully savor each stage of the tasting menu.
This observation, clearly in the minority given the volume of enthusiastic feedback, nevertheless points to a legitimate consideration in a gastronomic context where time at the table is an integral part of the experience. Additionally, the basement aperitif space is mentioned by a few visitors as an interlude whose atmosphere, narrower and darker contrasts with the elegance of the main dining room. Finally, while the wine list is broadly praised, the wine pairing is occasionally felt to be less adventurous than the cuisine itself, with some guests hoping for a sommelier program as bold and creative as the food on the plate.

Overall impression: Les Agitateurs embodies a vibrant, ambitious and resolutely creative approach to Niçois gastronomy, driven by a chef whose talent is unanimously recognized by a diverse and demanding clientele from across France, Europe, and beyond.
The generosity of the menus, the precision of the dishes, the warmth of the service, and the carefully curated atmosphere combine to make each visit a special occasion whether for a family celebration, a romantic dinner, or an evening among friends.
Many guests openly feel that the restaurant deserves a higher Michelin recognition than its current star, a powerful signal of the trust and affection the establishment has earned.
For anyone seeking a sincere, inventive, and deeply personal fine dining experience in Nice, Les Agitateurs is simply unmissable.