Being a port city, it makes sense that Marseille's signature dish is the jaw-dropping bouillabaisse fish stew. It should be addressed at least once, as long as you like fish. Avoid cheap versions: anything under €45 (£38) is considered cheap. Other local dishes are of a similar sustainable nature: deface, a beef stew in wine; And le grand aioli, which is warm cod, flanked by a floor-wide show of vegetables, shellfish and, of course, garlic mayonnaise. To bring it all together, a chilled bottle of Provençal rosé - or Cassis white - is needed. As the oldest city in France, Marseille also enjoys many foreign influences. Look forward to good food from the Mahgreb, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and of course from Italy just along the coast.
For more inspiration about Marseille, check out our guide to the city and its best hotels, nightlife and things to do.
Le Petit Nice
Undoubtedly the most beautiful, inventive table in Marseille, hence the three Michelin stars and the breathtaking prices. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Le Petit Nice hotel and directly overlooks the salt water - a serene setting for the imagination and technical mastery of Gérald Passédat. The French chef uses fish that no one has ever heard of, in dishes that no one else would have imagined, at prices that few can afford. The lunch menu costs €195, the cheapest dinner menu €310 (£262). Meanwhile, the on-site bistro, Le 1917, offers a slightly more affordable take on fine dining.
Chez Michel
Most people who travel to Marseille will at some point seek out bouillabaisse, the city's emblematic fish dish. It comes in two portions: the broth first as a soup, followed by a scrum of solid fish. One of the very best is Chez Michel, near the Catalan beach. The decor has not changed much since it opened in 1946, focusing instead on the cooking and serving ceremonial in white coats. Just as well, if they want £67 per throw. Pricey of course, but the Visciano family has been running the place for three generations. They are largely occupied with a difficult job.
L'Epuisette
Apparently, L'Epuisette grows from the rocks of the small city fishing village of Vallon des Auffes and opens up spectacularly to the sea - and the kitchen handles everything that swims in it quite spectacularly. Guillaume Sourrieu's place has been a Michelin-starred reference point in Marseille for years. It remains great. The six course meal costs £82. I doubt you will be disappointed.
AM by Alexandre Mazzia
Not far from the Vélodrome football stadium, AM is the new and brightest star in Marseille's gastronomic firmament. For someone with three Michelin stars, Mazzia seems disarmingly modest, although his prices are, as you might expect, anything but. Having spent part of his youth in Congo, Mazzia infuses his cooking with color, spice and ingenuity, but you have to be fraught to appreciate it. The cheapest lunch menu is £165, the cheapest dinner menu £249. If you have that kind of money to spare I wouldn't hesitate.
At Fonfon
Fonfon is a monumental place - nestled in the Vallon des Auffes, an unlikely little fishing port in the heart of the city - and does bouillabaisse as it's meant to be done. It's not cheap (€65/£55), but you get a full month's worth of it: the broth is served first as a soup, then the five-fish stew with all the palaver. Opened in 1952, the family-run restaurant has also had time to perfect other seafood dishes and Southern specialties.
Le Relais 50
The restaurant of Hotel La Résidence du Vieux Port starts with the advantage of the most beautiful setting: close to the Vieux Port, with a terrace more or less in the water. It builds on this with vaguely retro decor and inventive Mediterranean cuisine. If you are going to have lunch or dinner near the old port, you really should; it is the beating heart of the city - then the Relais 50 must be a very serious contender for your use. The price-quality ratio makes it stand out.
Le Peron
A classic from Marseille, located on the rocks directly above the sea on the coastal strip. The food is expensive, but excellently prepared, especially in the fish department, and it gives a sense of privilege. During the day, the outdoor wooden terrace offers perhaps the most unobstructed sea views in Marseille. At night the light reaches just beyond the windows; there are pinpricks of boats and islands just beyond, making the night both endless and intimate.
Chez Madie Les Galinettes
This friendly, bustling establishment on the Vieux Port is a reference point for Provencal specialties - both fish and meat (including a rare opportunity in France to eat lamb testicles). There is contemporary art on the walls, a terrace at the front and the best of Marseille on your plate. The daube beef in the wine might be the best in town, and the bouillabaisse isn't bad at all either.
Esplaï du Grand Bar des Goudes
From central Marseille, take bus number 20 to Les Goudes, where the last stretch of town gives way to barren rocks, deep creeks, a small fishing port and dilapidated huts where true Marseillais have spent weekends drinking pastis and barbecuing fish. generations. Here you will find the almost overly cozy Esplaï du Grand Bar des Goudes, where the seafood is good, the bouillabaisse and bourride first class (and cheaper than in the more upscale establishments in the center), the view directly over the harbor and the sea. smacking, and the atmosphere perfectly Marseillais at its picaresque best.
Signature
Coline Faulquier is the young leader of a youthful team that has already collected a Michelin star for this place, a few streets behind the football stadium. Hers is a contemporary take on Mediterranean cuisine with, as you would expect in Marseille, an emphasis on fish. Her aioli - crispy vegetables with hake and monkfish and the necessary sauces - is already famous. Lunch menus start at £41, dinner at £106.
How we choose
Every restaurant on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who's dropped by to give you his insider's perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighborhood favorites to Michelin-starred restaurants - to suit the tastes of every type of traveler - and our recommendations take the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price into account. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest openings and to provide current recommendations.