Chez Thérésa claims to be the original socca stall in Nice, and no one has seriously disputed it. The wood-fired oven in the tiny space on Cours Saleya dates to 1867, when it served a bakery; Madame Thérésa adapted it for chickpea baking in the early 20th century and sold socca to the fishermen of the port from a cart. Today the operation is unchanged in essentials: socca baked in large copper pans, portioned and served on paper in minutes.
The address is more prominent than Lou Pilha Leva and catches more tourist trade, but the socca itself is excellent. On market mornings, when Cours Saleya is at its liveliest, this is the ideal first stop — socca and a coffee while the flower sellers lay out their stalls.