Julia Child – who lived in Marseille for a year – said, “you can make as dramatic a production as you want out of a bouillabaisse, but remember that it originated as a simple, Mediterranean fisherman’s soup, made from the day’s catch or its unsalable leftovers.” Some believe this may be nothing more than wishful thinking, though; there’s a convincing school of thought that says bouillabaisse, unlike its brethren around the Mediterranean, was a rich man’s dish from the beginning. Situated in Marseille’s 8th arrondissement, Borely is a café with great food. I loved your writing style, great storytelling and very informative. But whatever its real origins, there’s no getting around the fact that Knowing which places to avoid, though, doesn’t make it much easier to choose where to go for this all-important meal. :)I’ve always wanted to go there (probably from reading the Count of Monte Cristo when I was a child) and your painting of it here is wonderful. I had bouillabaisse, thinking it was a must, but alas, it wasn’t as good as I had made some years back for a dinner party when I still lived in California—oh I worked hard for that meal, trotted all over Oakland in the rain finding fish heads for my stock, buying just the right ingredients—maybe it was the fun of having mine applauded by all that made me think mine was better, but also, mine had no little round (zut alours!) A quick google will net you impassioned endorsements of a half-dozen hallowed halls of bouillabaisse: Miramar, Le Rhul, L’Epuisette, Chez Michel, Chez Fonfon… After poking around on French-language forums I found another option: We all know about the bouillabaisse, but did you know that Marseille is also famous for pizza? !JoyHaving been lost in some of the seedier parts of Marseille, I am relieved to see that there is some real beauty there,- must try again! L’apéritif se prend à l’air libre, sur la mer et face au soleil couchant ! L’occasion de la soumettre à une interview « péchés mignons »…Celle qui raconte avec humour dans les Echos les aléas de sa liberté d’expression culinaire, peut se féliciter d’avoir attiré tous les regards vers Marseille en annonçant la double exposition de Jacquemus « Marseille je t’aime » dans le cadre du festival OpenMyMed de la MMMM. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I only drove through there some years ago while on the way from Paris to Cannes with my family, so I hardly got the picture that you just painted. I'd love to bring my dog – it would be a nice change to be able to go out with him (not an option where I live in the US). I didn't even consider the day trip options out of the place, but now I'm so excited! This really makes me miss the south of France. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Turns out that was all the persuasion we needed to jump in the car and head south for a long-overdue acquaintance with the city.There’s no doubt, Marseille is a big, sprawling, rough-around-the-edges kind of metropolis. It was hot, gritty and wonderful!Looks like a great city! I had such a lovely time, and your blog was a ray of light into the dark comments online about Marseille. Definitely one of the many upsides to moving back to Europe!It sounds like you have an amazing time in Marseille. the romanticGreat tips! You forgot to mention Le panier district (the oldest and most interesting area in Marseille I think) and Palais Longchamps….a beautiful park and garden area close to the station….both well worth a visit I think.oh, how i miss marseille!! Marseille has been on my radar since my first trip to France 5 years ago and I’m still drawn, just haven’t made it there. Despite the crime and gang violence, very little of it effects tourism, barely any of all. And in subsequent years, though I found myself in the south of France many times, I never even thought to give Marseille a second chance.

Thanks!I want to thank this post for inspiring me to go to Marseille. How many times have you heard a fish soup from somewhere else described as ‘(insert-country-here)’s answer to bouillabaisse’? Had some really excellent floral ice creams at that square you pictured above. What I particularly loved is that it offers a glimpse of a Mediterranean firmly off the tourist trail, not the olive-terraces-and-sparkling-sea Mediterranean, but the multicultural, chaotic, down-at-the-heels kind of Mediterranean that has existed for far longer around these shores. Best Food Trucks in Marseille, France - Paella Montoya, Le Panier à Salade, Pizza au Feu de Bois, French's Waffle, Woody Bohemian, Si Nga, Very Good Truck, Pizzas Charly, Le Camyon, Pizza JD, Pizza David, Camion Snack de Luminy, Pizza Chez Romain,… I love Marseiile, my soul places are La Madrague and les Calanques, of course.The late Jean Claude Izzo, with his books made me love his beloved city.d-Thank you thank thank you! I love Marseille! I really really really did not want to go there, but it ended up being one of our best memories. We actually didn’t get to taste the most famous of all Marseille pizza, that of Anise-flavored tipples are popular all around the Mediterranean: Greece has ouzo, Italy has sambuca, Turkey has raki, Lebanon has arak.