La Caravelle in Marseille's 2e hangs over the Vieux Port on the first floor of the Hotel Belle-Vue since the 1920s, a gathering place for artists with the most coveted balcony in the city.
Signature dishes: Aioli, Daily fish, Aperitif tapas
Must order: The aioli at lunch with a glass of pastis on the balcony.
Tip: Jazz concerts Wednesday and Friday October-May; book the balcony for sunset.
Address: 34 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
Chez Etienne in Marseille's 2e Panier has cooked wood-fired Marseillais pizza since 1943, no menu, cash only, the half-anchovy half-cheese the local order since the Sicilian original.
Signature: Anchovy pizza, Half-and-half pizza, Fried supions
Order: The half-anchovy half-cheese pizza, the canonical version in the city.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat lunch and dinner, closed Sunday; cash only, no reservations, expect a queue.
Le Cafe de la Banque in Marseille's 6e in the Estrangin former banking district is a Haussmann brasserie with a wide terrace running the day's specials.
Signature: Daily lunch special, Charcuterie board, Cheese plates
Order: The plat du jour at lunch, a charcuterie board at aperitif.
Tip: Open daily from breakfast through aperitif tapas to dinner; reservations for evening only.
Le Cafe de l'Abbaye in Marseille's 7e sits next to the Saint-Victor Abbey above the Vieux Port, a Provencal bistro with a single daily dish and a zinc-and-wood counter cut to market.
Signature: Plat du jour, Provencal tapas, Pastis aperitif
Order: Whatever the single plat du jour is at lunch; tapas at aperitif on the terrace.
Tip: Open Mon-Fri 9am-10:30pm, weekends from 3pm; closes mid-afternoon between services.
Mikala in Marseille's 6e on Cours Julien is a fully vegan canteen (formerly Le Cours en Vert), organic produce from the market across the street and a daily menu of seven or eight vegetable plates.
Signature: Composed salads, Vegan plates, Gluten-free bowls
Order: The composed plate of the day with the market vegetables.
Tip: Walk-up at lunch, reservation taken for evenings; lunch and dinner Tue-Sat.
Mama Shelter Marseille in the 6e runs a contemporary brasserie out of its hotel base near Cours Julien, the lavish Sunday buffet brunch and the rooftop bar the two reasons to come.
Signature: Sunday buffet brunch, Wood-oven pizza, Mediterranean grills
Order: The Sunday buffet brunch noon to 4pm, or aperitif on the no-reservations rooftop.
Tip: Restaurant open seven days; reservation taken for restaurant, not for the rooftop.
Le Capucin in Marseille's 1er runs the brasserie ground floor of the Mercure Canebiere Vieux Port, chef Noel Baudrand cooking Mediterranean plates sublimated with herbs and spices.
Signature: Mediterranean specialties, Daily fish, Stuffed vegetables
Order: The daily fish off the cart at lunch with a glass of Bandol white.
Tip: Open daily for lunch and dinner; sunny terrace, family-friendly, ECOTABLE-labelled.
Chez Etienne in Marseille's 2e Panier has cooked wood-fired Marseillais pizza since 1943, no menu, cash only, the half-anchovy half-cheese the local order since the Sicilian original.
Signature: Anchovy pizza, Half-and-half pizza, Fried supions
Order: The half-anchovy half-cheese pizza, the canonical version in the city.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat lunch and dinner, closed Sunday; cash only, no reservations, expect a queue.
