Discover the best restaurants in Marseille
Marseille's food scene is one of the most mouthwatering in France, with numerous restaurants and bistros offering a diverse range of Mediterranean-based cuisines. The Vallée de la Gastronomie-France® is a foodie destination par excellence! Marseillaise restaurants invite you to experience unforgettable moments and remarkable gastronomic discoveries. To help you answer the burning question of where to eat in Marseille, here's a brief guide to six of the best restaurants in Marseille:
Discovery of Olive Oil in Cooking and Cosmetics
If you love locally sourced produce and wine, the 'Discovery of Olive Oil in Cooking and Cosmetics' experience is highly recommended. This unique guided and interactive tour encompasses the famous Savonnerie de la Licorne, followed by lunch at the GERARH restaurant with an olive oil and wine tasting experience. GERARH is a top restaurant in Marseille, serving homemade dishes using local, organic products. It is also a wine cellar, an exhibition venue and a live Jazz music venue. Booking in advance is essential as this experience is only available on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 2 pm.
Another unmissable experience offered in conjunction with the GERARH restaurant is 'From Market to Plate' (Du marché à l’assiette). The GERARH restaurant is a top restaurant in Marseille and offers an exceptional discovery of locavore and organic cuisine that evolves with the seasons, accompanied by a selection of wines from the region, most of which are organically grown. Over the seasons and harvests, you can taste small dishes skilfully flavoured with herbs from the hills and accompanied by vegetables freshly picked by their market gardener.
Lunch is preceded by a guided tour. On Wednesday, participants are welcomed at 10 am on the Cours Julien market 50 metres from the restaurant. Patrons can meet with local and organic producers, including:
- Jérôme Laplane, market gardener
- Luc Falco, a goatherd
- Bernard from the fruit gardens of Gaia,
- Christophe fisherman in Sète and producer of shellfish
- The Longo Maï cooperative and its preserves
- Sourdough bread
At the end of the visit, lunch, depending on the season, can be taken indoors or on the terrace in the shade of the lime trees. The Chef will also be on hand to briefly present GERARH's selection of wines to pair with the dishes if necessary.
2. The Poule Noire: one of the best restaurants in Marseille
Now steering the Poule Noire (Black Hen), chef Damien Delgado and his partner, Fanny Sauvage, welcome diners with professionally crafted and locally sourced recipes in which super fresh ingredients are the key components. Unbeatable value for money at lunchtime and with a welcoming service, the Poule Noire is definitely worth making a beeline for, as the loyal crowd of regulars demonstrate. Plus, you can enjoy a gourmet wine list at very reasonable prices! The restaurant is divided into several sections, including a mezzanine and an interior terrace where patrons can make the most of the sunshine.
3. Where to eat Marseille? At The Pain à l'Ail, of course!
Pain à l'ail serves Provençal street food in a charming little restaurant with a terrace in Marseille. Provençal street-food is having a bit of a moment in the sun - an astonishing concept led by a likeable young couple in a charming little restaurant. You will find a small terrace, a bright interior and a tasty, resolutely Provençal menu. On the menu, Linda the chef, has created a selection of traditional Provencal dishes served in trays or sandwiches. These sandwich dishes may seem sacrilegious, but the result is very popular: you will love the aioli sandwich, with its fresh fish, vegetables and spicy homemade aioli. The Vieux Port is well worth a visit before a wonderful meal at this restaurant. If you are looking for one of the best restaurants in Marseille, come to Pain à l'ail. You will find authentic and tasty street food with a nod to modern convenience!
4. The best restaurant in Marseille: Aix&Terra
Known for its high-quality artisanal food products since 2010, Aix&Terra now offers a restaurant with 40 seats adjacent to its signature grocery shop in Marseille. Aix& Terra claims to honour the taste of Provence by combining tasty seasonal dishes with its delicatessen recipes - Tapas allow you to discover the products featured on the menu in original and tasty recipes!
These recipes are highlighted in the seasonal dishes of the Table-Grocery. Customers can find the products created by Aix et Terra within its Manufacture in Saulce sur Rhône (Drôme) and sublimated in the recipes within the grocery store adjoining one of the best restaurants in Marseille.
5. Sepia
Sepia is undoubtedly one of the most enchanting venues in Marseille, a shaded garden on the Puget hill, where you can feast on world-class cuisine and the signature dishes of chef Paul Langlère while enjoying spectacular views of Marseille. Under the lofty pines, an warm and intimate ambience awaits; an informally bohemian style invites guests to relax and enjoy superb dishes, which add even more to the venue's undeniable charm. Rustic dishes such as cuttlefish and lacquered chuck stew, poached cod, leeks, beef juice braised in red wine and Chioggia beetroot condiment to give a few examples. Plus, there is also a well-stocked cellar with contemporary wines. Sepia is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Marseille.
6. Tabi
If you are wondering where to eat in Marseille, Tabi is highly recommended. Tabi offers authentic Japanese cuisine to enjoy in a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. Ippei Uemura, a highly regarded chef, serves genuine authentic Japanese cuisine to guests who can admire the beautiful sea views. There are three menus from which to choose: Le rêve, Le voyage and Terre et Mer (available only for lunch). Among these menus are many delicious dishes: Temari zushi (sushi in the shape of a ball with several fish), chawan mushi egg flan with lobster and bottarga, and fried eggplant in a poultry sauce. Accompanied by Japanese whiskey, aperitifs, sakes and wines.
