Keisuke Matsushima

Keisuke Matsushima is a must for those who appreciate good food done well. They offer a lunch menu during the week with several items that charge a supplement. A three course menu cost €38 and the “upgrade” surcharge (or supplement) varies depending on what you order. There are at least three options per course. The meal began with an amuse bouche - corn tempura, fig with seasame tofu, sardine with truffle. The combinations of flavor and texture dance on your tongue. Next for the starter, I was served sea bream ceviche with lime zest mini plums and peaches, sweet zesty and salty… such a clever combination made even better with the blueberries and mini greens. For the main course, I paid for the surcharge and ordered the fish of the day - merluza with asparagus green beans Kalamata olives with three small pieces of panis - fried chickpeas fresh as can be! And as for dessert, the black fig cheesecake with raspberry coulis was fresh, light and filling all at once. I could have ordered more of it and each of the meals. Another time… wanted to bring friend though lunch offer available during week only. Highly highly recommend! Located along the side of a mini square minimizing car and foot traffic though very centrally located. And away from crowded streets. Lovely experience!

I don’t review often but I feel compelled to share our experiences with this outstanding restaurant. We loved it so much after our first meal that we returned for another dinner during our 5 day stay in Nice. Every single dish was exquisitely prepared with subtle and balanced flavors. The chef has designed the menu so perfectly that all the items were flavorful yet refreshing in the summer heat. The environment was pleasantly understated and peaceful. A rare find in the hustle and bustle dinner scene in Nice. Service was attentive with a lot of attention to detail. Thank you so much chef Matsushima and the entire team for this wonderful dining experience. We look forward to visiting again when we return to Nice. Merci beaucoup! C’est magnifique!

We’ve had an amazing night here, DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED ☺️ We took the menu with Wagyu, 10 courses including everything. It was incredibly delicious, and definitely very good value for the money!

It was an amazing experience eating lunch at Keisuke Matsushima. We were in luck and we could enjoy the outside terrace on a sunny day. Mr. Matsushima himself was our waiter that day and gave us the feeling of being more than welcomed while not leaving us feeling pressured at any moment. The location lets you dive into a cozy and warm atmosphere with its dark wooden and dim lighted features and furnitures. We took the three meal menu. The food was on another level in terms of taste and optic. The amount, quality and price of our lunch was unbeatable. The menu was slightly less than 40€ each, if I remember correctly, and was enough to leave more than happily on a filled stomach. When in Nice, add this place to your bucket list!

This was a beyond delicious meal. It felt like you were in a secret location. It was great to enjoy outdoor seating during the summer months. They made the meal and experience taking time with each course. Even adding some little delightful moments with tastings from the Chef. I highly recommend and would return.

Every time I go to this restaurant it is just an amazing experience, and I have been going since I was little. Chef Keisuke was the one that motivated me to start working as a chef and to stride to be like him! 20 and more years later his menu is still impeccable and me and my wife loved it once again. The service from the younger girl waitress leaves a lot to be desired, but everything else is amazing! My dream is and will be, that I might be able to one day work and learn from Chef Keisuke and I sincerely advise everyone to try out this amazing experience for themselves! Arigatou gozaimasu

An unostentatious terrific restaurant named after the chef/patron who has lots of accolades for his great cooking. Very nicely decorated with limited seating, so reservations a must. At a recent lunch we had delicate amuse bouches of creamy mushroom on a parmesan crisp, finely chopped fennel on a polenta sliver,and tofu with sesame paste on a delicate spoon. All full of wonderful, subtle flavours. Starters were a chestnut veloute served on some foie gras and egg white base, and an artichoke risotto. For main courses-poulet jaune with a delicate sauce of epoisse served with soft puree and topped with crispy shavings. And the classic ris de veau with black truffle sauce on salsify. Everything was perfectly executed and flavourful. Freshly made onsite 3 types of breads also served. Very good wine list at reasonable prices.

This is one of the best restaurants in Nice. Menus are perfectly balanced with innovative cuisine. Every dish presents an unfolding wealth of flavours. So much thought goes into his creations which is apparent from their beautiful presentation and flavour. There is plenty of choice for every diner with menus to suit varying budgets. The menus change regularly too, while retaining some favourites. Little extras such as an amuse bouche and petit fours, provide extra value and the bread is home baked and lovely. We chose the surprise menu this time, which surpassed all expectations. Amazing. I have included some photos below which speak for themselves.

Overall the service was good. The restaurant itself was stifling hot. We did omaske and while the fish course was excellent, unfortunately our meat course was way overcooked and dry.

What a nice experience! You can really feel the love and care that goes into everything, and that's what helps make this a five star experience. Four stars for the food, there was maybe a tiny TINY bit left to be desired, but the staff and ambiance were so nice! The dining area is small and cozy with lower ceilings and warm dark colors. The food was great. I will try not to give away too much! The amuse bûche was one of my favorite parts of the meal, an explosive and umami filled little candied tomato, I could eat 1 million of these. The salad and lamb were my next two favorite dishes, I absolutely savored them. Close your eyes and have your Ratatouille moment, let those flavors slide, melt and firework into your brain. The dessert was the only portion I was even a tiny bit less content with it was NOT bad, tangy, light, with creaminess and good acidity from the strawberries, and while I was sort of intrigued I won't say I was totally delighted. The staff and chef were so polite and wonderful (even when my table mates were arguably a little too gregarious) and they really made every moment feel like they were specially curated for me. Thanks for a great and delicious experience.

I made advanced reservations here, based on reputation alone. The food was very good - but not life changing. The service was attentive, but meh. I would not rank it in as my best meal in Nice.

I made this reservation way in advance; somehow it got cancelled but they still allowed us in without it. The waiters were friendly enough, bringing out a couple amuse bouches before the main course and appetizers while explaining them briefly. The two that I remember were the gazpacho and a tuna tartare on a wonton like cracker with a jar of a vegetable like puree. For drinks my husband and I shared a bottle of rosé which the chef brought out which was a nice touch. As far as the food goes, we opted for the pre set menu, where we got to choose a appetizer, entree and dessert. Everything was good just not...quite as memorable as I would have liked. There just wasn't a cohesion to the meal. It seemed to be all over the place, it wasn't quite Japanese and it wasn't quite French but it also wasn't a mix of either.

Technically, Kei's Passion is no more and was re-opened as Keisuke Matsushima in 2006. Keisuke, Cave de l'Origine around the corner and La Merenda are my Nice triumvirate. Flaveur would be on that list too, except that it frequently takes too much advance planning to get a table there. Except for one occasion (among many, many visits) where the lamb was just not up to snuff, Keisuke's is very consistent. The foie gras and the millefeuille de boeuf are regular favorites. Service has always been excellent. Keisuke seems to be a staging area for local restauranteurs, having brought up the brothers Tourteaux at Flaveur and most recently, Laurent Inoué and Tsumoru Takano at Les Deux Canailles.

I expected better for this restaurant. Certainly it was good, but not something exceptional considering the price and especially considering the obtained star (michelin). I indeed loved all the meal but it was dishes that I was able to find in the other restaurants: even flavours but different prices... Decoration was purified enough and low ceilings bring a major inconvenience: the noise. The room was full the evening of my coming, and was noisy. The chef (Keisuke) comes to see you to make sure if everything is well, the service is correct. I shall try again for the lunch menu at 35EUR. I would say more then.

I wish I could write a review as well constructed as the meal. This was the most fun dining experience. We had the tasting menu. Everything was interesting, especially the plating. Forcing you to open the lids, peek inside, scoop out filings. There was exploring and tasting. Every plate they brought out was a surprise for the taste buds with so many textures of crunches, chewiness, pureés, sorbets, etc. There were many add ons brought out as well. The had such a huge selection of wines by the bottle. I was pleased to find such a well priced and vast selection of local Niçois wines. Thankfully, the waiter suggested a beautiful dry white wine for us. The service was excellent the bread was replaced as soon as it was eaten, the wine and waters were poured as soon as we took the last sip. Very attentive. Brilliant. (I've added multiple pictures.)

Disappointing surprise. I am from Nice and this place was recommended by several people, but it seems like the chef has changed and this is no longer the same place it once was. First, there is absolutely nothing Japanese at this place. This is not a Japanese restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. Not even a little. Second, the prix fix menu is borderline a scam. They offer the basic menu for 30 euros, but half the things on it require 10-20 euro extra if you want it. Then there is the "surprise Umami" menu for 69 euro. I asked what was on it and was told they can't say as it's a surprise. Well, we decided to go with the mystery box, and surprise!.....there is no surprise! It's the EXACT same menu as the 30 euro one, with more of the same dishes added. Only 1 dish that wasn't on the 30 euro menu was included. Shameful. That aside, the food was ok, but nothing to rave about, and especially at that price point. You can find 100s of restaurants that will serve almost the exact same dishes for less. Sadly the only surprise here was a disappointing one....

Never been more disappointed. We should have walked away after the amuse bouche that tasted like fish that had gone bad, but we decided to give it a chance. Honestly, I feel like we were robbed, as we basically ate a bite or two of each course and then pushed it around the plate because it was so inedible. The shrimp were mushy and bland (can't believe there was a 10 euro extra charge), asparagus were overcooked and in a sweet balsamic sauce, the lamb (served with bell peppers?!) was dry and overcooked while the artichokes were hard and raw, the sea bass was so overcooked it was like alligator (another 15 extra euros?!). The only edible portion of the meal was the cheese course, which, of course, was made by someone other than the chef! 200 euros wasted. I can't believe this place is recommended.

Wow! That's the word that comes to mind when thinking of this restaurant! Not many Michelin star restaurants offer an awesome deal! 30 EUR for lunch and 48 EUR for dinner!! If you have never tried a Michelin restaurant this is a great place to start! Me and my friends all got the price fix menu and thought everything we ordered was delicious! I've seen some negative comments but I still think this is one of the best restaurants given the money you spend!

Keisuke Matsushima, is the owner and head chef, my wife and I search out places like this wherever we go, granted our expectations where high given the rep of this place and the price. Anyway, we ordered the 69euro prefix menu, I got the wine pairing for 99euro- the wine was the best part by the way. First off the restaurant was understaffed and not run in a professional way, we were not really greeted right away, it seemed the receptionist was somewhat new. We were serviced by two people as was everyone else in the restaurant (same people). The women did not speak English very well and told us she would get the owner Matsushima-san to speak to my wife in Japanese and explain the menu - she also didn't understand that my wife is on a gluten free diet - the owner never came by and when we asked the male waiter he said he was too busy, so he basically blew us off. Food was not imaginative IMHO, they used too much soy-sauce for their creations, ingredients were not standing out as they should in this type of cuisine - Joel Robuchon restaurants do a good job with fusion food - asian/french for instance, and they are a big production chain at this point. The other big annoyance we found was that the restaurant was cold in ambience, not to mention was loud and there was no soft music in the background. Save your money and go to the local bistro around the corner!

The service is not good and the food is also not that good. There was a hair on my dessert. I really don't think it deserve the Michelin star.

Tried the tasting menu. Food was very good but came way too slow. It took us 3 hours to finish the dinner. I've tried other Michelin restaurant several times and this is by far the slowest, which made me almost fall into sleep. The slowness really break the momentum of the mood for food. Otherwise I would give it 5 star.

Excellent food, wine list very well priced with a very good selection of regional wines. Service could be more friendly and professional. Surprising that the menu given to women don't show prices and plates are served first to men! So contradictory!

Just had a thursday dinner here. The restaurant had a huge group (25 people+) of Chinese tourists who were so incredibly loud and disruptive (ex. Constantly walking around 700sq ft space) I couldn't hear myself think or properly enjoy my meal. Yes I realize the restaurant cannot control the volume of its guests but it could expect such event when such a small restaurant (probably 40 seats?) decide to accommodate a huge party. Either close out the restaurant for a private party or don't accept such group reservation. The food was interesting and tasty but I am also partaking in a certain level of experience when I decide for a Michelin-starred tasting menu in a cozy space. Highly disappointing and would not try again. The large party slowed our service and I noticed other tables getting their food in different order than ours, even though same kind of menu. Even though Nice is not Paris or New York, the restaurant so obviously was taking advantage of a commercial situation during a 'low season.' Mildly sympathetic, but again something I would never pay a premium for.