Epicerie L'Ideal in Marseille's 1er Noailles is Julia Sammut's general-store-gone-gourmet, a counter lunch built each morning from the shop's deli of Norwegian anchovies and Bordier butter.
Signature dishes: Mediterranean small plates, Imported deli, Daily counter lunch
Must order: Whatever the daily counter plate is; the deli shelves are the second reason to come.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; the dinner-only room across the street is the spin-off.
Address: 11 Rue d'Aubagne, 13001 Marseille
La Mercerie in Marseille's 1er opened in 2018 from the Paris Popup trio Harry Cummins, Laura Vidal and Julia Mitton, a stripped-concrete room with market-driven small plates and natural pours.
Signature: Tasting menu only, Market vegetables
Order: The set tasting; the kitchen reads as a tighter Septime cousin south of Paris.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book the terrace on Cours Saint-Louis for warm nights.
Chez Fonfon in Marseille's 7e sits in the Vallon des Auffes cove and has cooked bouillabaisse for the Mounier family since 1952, the fish landed each morning by the cove's pointus.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Bourride
Order: The bouillabaisse for two, served in the traditional sequence of broth then carved fish.
Tip: Closed late January for two weeks; book a sea-side table at lunch for the cove light.
Chez Michel in Marseille's 7e has cooked the oldest bouillabaisse in the city since 1946, the Visciano family now in the third generation at the Catalans beach above the cove.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Bourride
Order: The bouillabaisse at EUR 80 per person, two-person minimum, the canonical reference in the city.
Tip: Reservation only; cash and card both accepted. Closed Sunday evening and Monday lunch.
Le Miramar in Marseille's 2e was founded in 1965 and is a founding member of the Bouillabaisse Charter, Christian Buffa in the kitchen running fish from the Mediterranean fishmarket.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Bourride
Order: The bouillabaisse at EUR 80, served quayside with Notre-Dame de la Garde over your shoulder.
Tip: Closed Monday; the front terrace looks straight at the cathedral on the hill.
Chez Madie Les Galinettes in Marseille's 2e has cooked the Provencal canon on the Quai du Port since 1995 under Delphine Roux, an affordable bouillabaisse and pieds paquets the spine of the menu.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Pieds paquets, Aioli
Order: The bouillabaisse at EUR 59, half the price of the seafront rooms with the same view.
Tip: Book a terrace table for sunset; the Provencal stew at lunch is the value play.
Peron in Marseille's 7e has clung to the Corniche cliffs since 1885, the panoramic terrace looking out at the Frioul islands and the entrance to the Vieux Port for the wild fish menu.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Fish of the day, Stuffed vegetables
Order: The fish of the day off the cart at lunch with the terrace at sunset.
Tip: The Frioul-island view is the second reason to book; reserve a sea-side window.
La Mercerie in Marseille's 1er opened in 2018 from the Paris Popup trio Harry Cummins, Laura Vidal and Julia Mitton, a stripped-concrete room with market-driven small plates and natural pours.
Signature: Tasting menu only, Market vegetables
Order: The set tasting; the kitchen reads as a tighter Septime cousin south of Paris.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book the terrace on Cours Saint-Louis for warm nights.
