Zeina Akl Khater is seated at her restaurant Téta Marie, in Nice, on Aug. 25, 2026. (Credit: Amélie Zaccour/L’Orient-Le Jour)
At Téta Marie, you enter as if stepping into a living room. Still-life watercolors of citrus fruits and a few blown-glass carafes surround a handful of wooden tables nestled close together. Along with the orange plates, they add warmth to the predominantly white and pale green decor, “a floral theme for summer,” explains Zeina Akl.This Syrian-Lebanese woman with light-colored eyes changes her restaurant’s decor every season, tucked away on a small street in Nice. Above all, she strives to convey her homeland’s generosity, from the atmosphere to the plate.In the kitchen, chef Elie serves an exquisite hummus, perfectly balanced between sesame and lemon. In the dining area, service is provided by young Lebanese students, trained in-house. “I made this choice because Lebanese service has something special, an availability towards others, a...
At Téta Marie, you enter as if stepping into a living room. Still-life watercolors of citrus fruits and a few blown-glass carafes surround a handful of wooden tables nestled close together. Along with the orange plates, they add warmth to the predominantly white and pale green decor, “a floral theme for summer,” explains Zeina Akl.This Syrian-Lebanese woman with light-colored eyes changes her restaurant’s decor every season, tucked away on a small street in Nice. Above all, she strives to convey her homeland’s generosity, from the atmosphere to the plate.In the kitchen, chef Elie serves an exquisite hummus, perfectly balanced between sesame and lemon. In the dining area, service is provided by young Lebanese students, trained in-house. “I made this choice because Lebanese service has something special, an availability towards...
