‘T“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are,” wrote philosopher and gourmet Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825, and this is especially true in Marseille today: food is key to understanding the city. Kesra Flatbread baked by Algerian grandmothers in Noailles. Pizza devoured by young people and families wearing Olympique de Marseille jerseys on a rocky beach at sunset. A waterfront restaurant that has been serving fish dishes for generations. Marseille For over 80 years, the cuisine has epitomized Marseille’s tradition, diversity and familiarity.
I moved to Marseille from the United States seven years ago, following in the footsteps of famous American food writers MFK Fisher and Julia Child, who were also captivated by the city. My culinary knowledge was broadened by exploring the flavours of Marseille in their articles, and also by translating the book Tasting the World in Marseille. I translate into English – my friends joke that I’m a “living guidebook” – and I also run food tours. Gourmet alley Because, other than eating, the best way to understand this complex city is by walking.
Marseille’s food scene has boomed in recent years, with a rise in young, self-taught chefs drawn to the city’s diversity and low costs. But while my job requires me to try new places, given the choice, I Bonne Franquettechoosing the unpretentious spots that this city excels at.
The first stop of the day is coffee. Hotel Bellevue On top of the bustling Vieux Port La CaravelleOnce a cabaret venue for sailors in the 1920s, vintage murals of ships and the southern French coastline decorate the all-day café. On sunny mornings, sit on the edge of the balcony and enjoy a drink. Orange Press, As you enjoy a croissant and coffee, take in the views of Bonnemer, the famous church that towers over the harbor.
On the harbour promenade, we pass fishmongers selling sea bream and squid and a plaque commemorating the founding of Marseille by the Phocaeans in 600 BC, who “spread civilisation throughout the West”. Patisserie JournoIn a small Tunisian-Jewish bakery, David told me Gazelle horns, I like to eat crescent-shaped almond cookies with lots of powdered sugar, and for lunch I like to eat Tunisian-style sandwiches with tuna and vegetables, drizzled in olive oil. CitronadeFresh Tunisian lemonade.
I stroll past the boutiques of the Rue Paradis to the tree-lined Cour Pierre Puget, an elegant boulevard named after the 17th-century Marseille-born urban planner and sculptor. Uvalle Station This is the last grape juice bar left in France. It is a green wooden stand that has been pouring freshly squeezed grape juice since the late 1940s. This juice is known as a panacea. Raisin juice This juice bar concentrates the natural sweetness of grapes without adding sugar. The owner, Yannis Amokrese, says with a smile that this juice bar is both a non-alcoholic neighborhood drinking spot and a “gathering place.”
Heading west, where gorgeous neoclassical buildings give way to graffiti-strewn streets, the Noailles district is known as the “belly of Marseille” for its central location and food abundance. TamkyPeanuts Côte d’Ivoire Mafe in Mama Africa Corsica Figatelli (Pork liver sausage) Haut Grand Saint Antoine. in Pizza Charlie, CalenticaOf Hispano-Algerian origin, chickpea flan testifies to the influence of travel and trade on Marseille’s cuisine: for 2,600 years, people and their recipes have passed through the port, and this diversity gives Marseille its special sauce, both at the table and off.
At the top of La Canebière, the city’s main road, stands the white church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (worth seeing for the unlikely creatures carved into its doors, like bats and langoustines). La Boite a SardineThe chalkboard menu in this kitschy, sea-inspired space takes you deeper into local cuisine than the bouillabaisse you’ll find everywhere in Marseille. Co-owner and former fishmonger Fabien Rougui sources fresh seafood from small-scale fishermen, while his business partner, chef Céline Bonnieux, stuffs sardines with local goat cheese and octopus with basil. Cayette (Sausage) and potatoes Panis, The signature fish and chips are accompanied by the city’s famous chickpea fritters, all served alongside a drink to accompany your meal. Counter seating is also available for solo diners.
After newsletter promotion
Continue into the La Plaine district, where a mural of the blue and white of the revered football team, Olympique de Marseille (OM), is visible. The square is also home to the city’s cheapest glass of pastis, but I prefer to sip the legendary libation in my own district, Chaves, one of 111 villages that give France’s second-largest city the feel of a small town. I join regulars outside, beneath the plane trees. The last metroHistoric Bar du Cartier Packed Apero In France, the hoisin is the sacred drink people have after work.
If you feel like drinking wine, Bar A Wine genocide Owners Olegan Dean and Mathieu Zurcher, part of Marseille’s new gastronomic guard, serve homemade charcuterie such as porchetta and natural wines.
Pizza night with friends on the Cornish Coast Road Chez Zis a family-run establishment since the 1960s on the edge of Calanques National Park, and as is tradition, we order a pizza to share as an appetizer. Moithier MoithierThis snack, made with a mix of anchovies and Emmental, is Marseille’s salty, French take on a snack brought over by Italian immigrants in the 19th century.
Other Provencal dishes include Casting a SpellStir-fried small squid with garlic Mussels MariniYale, and Eggplant with Parmesan Sauce It is baked in the same wood-fired oven as the pizza, and the waiter will serve you a complimentary glass of limoncello at the end. After-dinner drink To fill your stomach and, more importantly, to share good times: that’s what Marseille is all about.
