Tuba Club in Marseille's 8e is a fisherman-cabanon kitchen in the Goudes village, 80 seats on a rock terrace above the Mediterranean with Sicilian and Provencal grills the spine of the menu.
Signature dishes: Grilled fish, Provencal marinades, Mediterranean salads
Must order: The grilled fish of the day; the cabanon kitchen runs simple and salt-driven.
Tip: Reach by bus 19 from Rond-Point du Prado or taxi; book six weeks ahead.
Address: 2 Boulevard Alexandre Delabre, 13008 Marseille
Le Femina in Marseille's 1er Noailles has cooked Algerian Berber couscous since 1921, the same family carrying it across generations, the barley semolina version the signature plate of the city.
Signature: Berber couscous, Barley semolina couscous
Order: The Berber couscous with lamb on barley semolina; the kitchen turns the dish all day.
Tip: Closed Sunday evening and Monday; reservation strongly recommended.
La Kahena in Marseille's 1er near the Vieux Port has cooked Tunisian halal cuisine since 1978, mosaics and portraits of beys on the walls, the couscous and bricks the household staples.
Signature: Couscous, Bricks with egg, Grilled merguez
Order: The mixed couscous and the brick with tuna and egg as a starter.
Tip: Open daily, book for weekend lunch when the room fills with families.
Le Bouchon Provencal in Marseille's 1er on Place aux Huiles is a bistro of Provencal and Lyonnais lineage, two vaulted dining rooms and a lime-tree terrace, menu rewritten by the season.
Signature: Daube provencale, Pieds paquets
Order: The daube provencale and a glass of the house red on the terrace.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat; the upper vaulted room is the spot on cold nights.
Toinou in Marseille's 1er opened a shellfish stall on Cours Saint-Louis in 1962 and has held the spot ever since, tasting room added in 1975 for plateaux straight from the counter.
Signature: Seafood platters, Oysters, Sea urchin
Order: The mixed platter for two with a glass of white from the Bandol coast.
Tip: Walk-in by counter or sit-down in the tasting room; cash and card both accepted.
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: Mediterranean small plates, Imported deli, Daily counter lunch
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.
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.
