Marseille is having a moment. For years, France’s second city flew under the radar, shielded by its reputation as a gritty, rough-and-ready port town without the charm of Saint Tropez, the architecture of Nice, or the glamour of Cannes. Whilst it’s true that it doesn’t boast the beauty of other Riviera hotspots, France’s diamond in the rough is really starting to shine, especially for its culinary scene.
Its once maligned port city status really comes into its own gastronomically, thanks to the variety of nationalities who have made Marseille their home and contributed to the city’s melting pot of people and flavours. You’re as likely to find pizza or falafel as you are steak-frites. Go with a try-anything attitude – you don’t have to and, in fact, shouldn’t stick to the French classics here – and if you can, always reserve in advance: the hottest tables in France’s hottest food destination naturally get booked up quickly. Read on for our pick on where to eat.
Mama Africa
Félicité Gaye’s generous home cooking has made Mama Africa one of Marseille’s most beloved institutions. After leaving Côte d’Ivoire back in the 1980s, Gaye opened her own restaurant in 1997 after spotting an opportunity in a shuttered shopfront in her local neighbourhood of Noailles. Since then, the restaurant has grown to two locations and a celebrity following: Gaye has a book of famous clients who have dined in the restaurant and even delivered meals to footballer and fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba during his Marseille season. Although Gaye serves up her own native Ivorian dishes, there’s a range of African specialities on the menu, such as chicken yassa (yassa poulet), mafé, and saltfish accras (accras de morue). Head to the address by Cours Julien to enjoy them alfresco on the terrace.
Website: chezmamaafricamarseille.fr
Alexandre MazziaDavid Girard
AM par Alexandre Mazzia
Alexandre Mazzia’s profile has been given a global boost recently due to cooking for hungry athletes at the Olympic Games, but he’s been a gastronomic force in Marseille for years thanks to his three-Michelin-star restaurant, AM par Alexandre Mazzia. A childhood spent in the Republic of Congo gave the French chef a unique window onto the scents and flavours of another country, which he now combines with local ingredients from Marseille and Provence to create his unusual and highly personal cuisine. The “voyages” tasting menus are certainly a splurge, but there’s no one cooking food in Marseille quite like Mazzia. For a more affordable option, look for his street food van, Michel par AM, parked up just by the restaurant.
Website: alexandre-mazzia.com
Chez Yassine
Perhaps the best culinary representation of Marseille’s North African community can be found at the busy, boisterous, and brilliantly simple Chez Yassine. Sitting on an equally buzzy street in the multicultural Noailles neighbourhood, the restaurant pulls in a nearly constant crowd of locals, so you might have to wait a moment for a table. It’s worth it, though, for authentic Tunisian dishes such as leblebi, a chickpea soup spiced with cumin, garlic and homemade harissa; keftiji, a dish of vegetables and fried egg; or the spicy grilled merguez sausages, with nothing priced at more than €16. There are set specials four days of the week, including the popular couscous, which comes with lamb on Fridays and fish on Sundays.
