21 Best Restaurants in Marseille, Provence

Architect, artist, creator, whatever you call him, one thing's for sure—you won't soon forget the master chef who was awarded a Michelin star within nine months of opening his namesake restaurant. Dishes such as charred satay tuna in tapioca speckled with bright green fish eggs and served with wasabi ice cream showcase his experience working in French, African, and Asian kitchens. When you sit at one of the 24 seats in the minimalistic setting, a small card on the table provides you with a choice of four set menus. Following your selection, Mazzia will serve a series of inspired dishes. Dining here will set you back some, but you will not find its likeness anywhere in France.

For a fresh, seasonal lunch, try this chic little outpost that is part restaurant and part gourmet grocer. Imaginative Mediterranean-inflected salads and light dishes are healthy and delicious, and they pair well with a gourmet soda, Marseille microbrew, or a local rosé. After your meal, you can stock up on such southern delicacies as unrefined olive oils from Tête Dans Les Olives, tinned bonito fish, and handcrafted local herbs.

Owner Fabien Rugi puts his formidable energy into serving the freshest possible, Mediterranean-inflected seafood dishes, so at this restaurant you—with or without the help of a waiter—choose your fish from the catch of the day on ice. You might start with the grilled shrimp, which is too good to have with anything but a squirt of lemon, perhaps followed by the grilled baby squid or Rugi's version of fish-and-chips—fried hake with crisp chickpea-flour pancakes (a Provence specialty) and house-made aioli. The well-priced wines flow freely, and everyone is happy as a clam.

Ask any Marseille food enthusiast where they go for great Italian food, and they're sure to mention this legendary spot, which is renowned as much for its food and flowing wine as for its camaraderie. Options include gorgeous plates of charcuterie topped with giant Parmesan shavings, fragrant bowls of steaming risotto, and line-caught fish of the day; just save room for the towering tiramisu maison. The linen-covered tables may be elbow to elbow, but that's all part of the fun, a feeling that extends to the large outdoor terrace, which is festively lit up at night.

A decor that mixes distressed walls with minimalist industrial-style lighting and sleek designer chairs is your first clue that this neobistro and wine bar in Marseille's emerging Noailles neighborhood is impossibly hip. British chef Harry Cummins, lately of Paris's gastronomic mecca Frenchie, uses local, seasonal ingredients to craft subtle, imaginative dishes that are highly satisfying to all yet also sensitive to the needs of vegetarians and those with food allergies. The three-course lunch menu (€35) and the five-course dinner menu (€62), served inside or on the secluded outdoor terrace, are good introductions.

Fresh from the kitchens of Michelin-star chef Lionel Levy, Sylvain Touati has swiftly shown what he can do in this kitchen of his own, where he turns out brasserie-type dishes that are hearty and satisfying as well as innovative and sophisticated. Not one dish on the menu disappoints, nor does the chic dining room—which is airy and bright at lunchtime and lively at night—or the brilliant barman who concocts some of the best craft cocktails in town.

Run by two sisters who are as committed to using local, sustainable ingredients as they are to coaxing all the goodness from the humble vegetable, this bright, popular lunchtime eatery is set amid boutiques on a pedestrian street minutes from the old port. Seated either in the chic dining room or on the sunny terrace, you can tuck into homemade veggie and goat cheese pizza drizzled with local olive oil or slow-cooked pork with nigella seed croquettes. Everything can be paired with a natural wine, craft beer, homemade kombucha, or fresh-pressed vegetable juice.

A well-known hole-in-the-wall, this small pizzeria is filled daily with politicos, professionals, and other loyal patrons, who provide a soundtrack of laughter and chatter in the rich Marseille patois. Brace yourself for an epic meal, starting with a large anchovy pizza from the wood-burning oven, and then, perhaps, digging into fried squid, eggplant gratin, or a slab of rare grilled beef.

Tucked into the tiny fishing port of Vallon des Auffes, this local landmark has one of the loveliest settings in greater Marseille. A variety of fresh seafood, impeccably grilled, steamed, or roasted in salt crust, is served in two pretty dining rooms with picture windows overlooking the fishing boats that supply your dinner. Try classic bouillabaisse served with all the bells and whistles—broth, hot-chili rouille, and flamboyant tableside filleting. For tapas or an apéro, head next door to Viaghji di Fonfon.

This beachside Michelin-starred brasserie near the Jardin du Pharo is considered the last word in bouillabaisse and draws a knowing local clientele willing to shell out a few extra euros (€80) for this authentic classic. Before dining, the fish are paraded by your table and then ceremoniously filleted before being served with the classic accompaniments of a spicy rouille and buttery croutons. Oysters, whole grilled fish (priced by the kilo), and an authentic garlic-steeped bourride (fish stew) are other fine choices—as are the great local wines.

We'd love to keep this friendly restaurant a secret, but the chefs craft dishes of such rare subtlety and sophistication (especially at this price range) and the wine list has such a dazzling array of affordable options by the bottle or the glass, that it seems wrong not to share among copains. Though à la carte is possible, opt for the excellent-value prix-fixe menus to try dishes like panfried octopus and soppressata ham, hay-smoked Aubrac steak with parsnip purée and anchovy condiment, or foie gras with trout caviar and passion fruit. For dessert, consider the caramelized puff pastry with fig compote and vanilla cream. Note, too, that the chefs here are happy to accommodate special requests, making this a great place for finicky eaters or those with allergies.

For fresh seafood dishes and delicious pizzas grilled on an open fire, head over to this marine-themed restaurant set on a vast terrace across from Marseille's new Les Grandes Halles du Vieux Port market. The menu features a variety of scintillating pizzas, as well as heaping plates of crustaceans on ice, mussels in a spicy saffron sauce served with hand-cut fries, and whole roasted fish.

To experience all of the city's culinary diversity under one covered-marketplace roof, head to the food stalls at the new Grandes Halles du Vieux Port, which is open 9 am to midnight. Here you can order the freshest catch of the day or vegetarian dishes, as well as gourmet sandwiches, classic pizzas, and authentic tapas to take away or to enjoy on the outdoor terrace. There's also a year-round farmers’ market, a central wine bar, local craft beer, and much more.

The views at this fine seafood restaurant are of crashing surf on one side and the port of Vallon des Auffes on the other. Chef Guillaume Sourrieu has acquired a big reputation (and a Michelin star) for a menu of sophisticated, catch-of-the-day dishes—perhaps Atlantic turbot in citrus rind with oxtail ravioli or sea bass slowly baked in a salt-butter crust and walnut oil—and a superb wine list. For dessert, try the amazing chocolate tart with bananas and pepper ice cream. The fixed-price menus aren't cheap (lunch is €95, dinner is €135 or €170), but they're a better deal than à la carte.

If you're hankering after a great coffee, you can't go wrong at this chic café in the up-and-coming Saint-Lambert village district of the city.

The stylish, modern dark-wood interior and large windows overlooking the sea here are magnets for hip young professionals. The staff is efficient, and meals are well presented and tasty. Try the delicious bouillabaisse, the catch of the day (priced by the weight), or a bargain prix-fixe that includes three courses.

At this red-walled, library-like haven in a stylish book-and-boutique complex of a renovated arsenal, you can have a sophisticated regional lunch and read while you're waiting. If you've had your fill of fish, indulge in the grilled fillet of beef with fried artichokes and sweet onion. The terrace (on the Italian-scale Cours d'Estienne d'Orves) is as pleasant as the interior.

Nearby yet removed from the bustle of the Vieux Port and MuCEM's crowded cafés, this luminous, lunch-only dining room in the Musée Regards de Provence has panoramic new port and city views. Chef Thierry Lennon's cooking is worthy of the setting and features dishes like roasted cod with saffron risotto or tender duck breast with honeyed red cabbage. If you've forgotten to reserve, don't worry: there's a cafeteria-style buffet with fresh gourmet sandwiches, salads, and desserts that you can enjoy on one of two terraces. Open until 6, it's a nice place for an afternoon pick-me-up or an apéro before heading off somewhere else for dinner.

In a leafy garden perched at the heights of Marseille, the stylish Sépia eatery and lively Julis terrace bar make the perfect stop on your descent from Sainte-Marie Majeure cathedral or after exploring the chic up-and-coming St-Victor neighborhood. Chef Paul Langlère sources local ingredients to create such masterful dishes as rich cuttlefish stew; poached cod with leeks braised in red wine; and, for dessert, the ethereal mille-feuille filled with pastis cream. At Julis, the local wines, craft beers, and gourmet plates are perfect on summer nights.

The scent of roasting coffee emanates from this popular spot on the lively Canébière, Marseille's central spine. The coffee is good, but the hot chocolate is famous (it's so thick you may need a spoon to finish it); enjoy either option and a homemade pastry at the counter, alongside locals sharing the day's gossip.

Chef Ludovic Turac—a candidate on TV's Top Chef 2011 and one of the youngest Michelin-starred chefs in France—has evolved into a serious, mature, and highly appreciated local celebrity while at the helm of this now tried-and-true favorite. A Mediterranean menu changes every two months depending on what's in season. One standby is the creamy, fishy Milkshake de Bouille-Abaisse, a one-of-a-kind gourmand delight.