The oldest quarter of Marseille on the hill above the Vieux Port. Pastel houses, Italian-rooted pizzerias and tiny ceramic boutiques along Rue du Panier.
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.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Bourride
Order: The bouillabaisse at €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.
Signature: Bouillabaisse, Pieds paquets, Aioli
Order: The bouillabaisse at €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.
Une Table au Sud in Marseille's 2e holds a Michelin star above the Vieux Port quay, Ludovic Turac at the pass since 2010 with a Provencal-Mediterranean.
Signature: Tasting menu only, Provencal fish
Order: The €95 lunch tasting; the best value reading of the kitchen's work.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book a window seat over the Quai du Port at sunset.
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.
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 Vieux Panier in Marseille's 2e on the Place de Lenche is a wood-fired pizzeria with a small terrace looking down toward the Vieux Port and the MUCEM.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Italian pasta, Mediterranean plates
Order: Any of the wood-fired pizzas; the terrace at sunset is the second order.
Tip: Place de Lenche stairs descend straight to the old port; book the terrace for the view.
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.
Signature: Aioli, Daily fish, Aperitif tapas
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.
R2 Le Rooftop des Terrasses in Marseille's 2e Joliette is the 1,000m2 open-air club on top of the Terrasses du Port shopping centre, with house.
Tip: Programming runs late May to early September; tickets €15-30 on Shotgun. Access by lift from inside the Terrasses du Port mall.
La Caravelle on the Quai du Port in Marseille's 2e is the first-floor mezzanine bar above the Hôtel Belle-Vue, open since the 1920s, with a tiny balcony.
Tip: Climb the staircase next to the hotel reception; the balcony seats six and fills first. Pastis €4 at the bar, cocktails €11-14.
Le Capian on the first floor of the InterContinental Marseille Hôtel-Dieu in the 2e is the open-air bar perched above the Vieux Port, with 50-plus signature.
Tip: Cocktails €18-24; book a Vieux-Port-facing terrace banquette for sunset. Closed shoes and shirts only, no sportswear.
Bar des 13 Coins in Marseille's 2e Le Panier is the old quarter dive on Rue Sainte-Françoise with a pavement terrace under the pastel facades.
Tip: Pastis €3, plat-du-jour at lunch under €15; the pavement tables are the move on warm nights, cash preferred.