Top Rated Restaurants & Cafes in Marseille

Brasserie le Grand Escalier is a nice and cozy place to get some homemade-style cuisine. Reminiscent of an American diner, the specials change every day, and you can sit at cushioned booths while you enjoy the dinner or people-watch out the large windows. The restaurant is located right next to the train station, so it's a great spot to hit before or after a train ride. The service is friendly and accommodating with very reasonable prices. Check this place out for a laid back meal.

Sur le Pouce is a simple Mediterranean restaurant that offers diners a welcome break from the many tourist traps that can be found throughout Marseille. Simple, hearty and delicious food is what this restaurant is all about. While the couscous meals are by far the most popular, the menu also features tagines, mutton rice, omlettes, and desserts like flan, fruit salad and cheese.

Open the door to this restaurant, with its rather nondescript exterior, and you'll discover an Arabian palace with heavily ornate décor, as kitsch as could be, offering the very best of its culinary delights. The owner extends a warm welcome with a recommendation to try an unusual type of couscous made from barley and lightly seasoned with fragrant spices. The choice on the menu is wide, including a couscous served with grouper originating from Tunisia. They follow the traditional combinations of lamb with prunes or honey, or spiced chicked with fruit, and just one taste releases an enigmatic blend of sweet and savoury. Given the excellent quality of the food, Le Fémina is very good value for money.

Lively evenings spent dancing to 'zouk' music, irresistable aromas, exotic flavours and food from the islands: all this is offered by Francis, the pleasant proprietor of this restaurant close to the Cours Julien. You will discover a wide range of typical dishes from this part of the world including samosas, fresh cod, deep fried prawns, coconut fish and lamb. Aromatic rum and light desserts will provide the perfect complement to your meal.

This restaurant is one of the oldest pizzerias in the city. It was established in 1943, and has become a reference for the inhabitants of Marseilles. The wood-fired pizzas are a delight: classics like mozzarella or Royale (ham and mushrooms), but also specialties such as the Provençale (tomato, cheese, ham, mushrooms and garlic), the Méridionale (tomato, mozzarella, peppers, artichokes, onions and garlic), as well as many other choices. Don’t be fooled by the outside, because the restaurant is located on a street of Marseilles that may not always seem very welcoming, but once inside, the warmth of the place and the wonderful smell of the pizza are enough to forget about it. The decor is simple but very nice, and the service is friendly and fast.