Marseille Guide: Where to eat in the sun soaked French city

Where I slept, ate and explored in Marseille while researching my latest cookbook.

Bonjour to all,

I am having a crazy summer travelling all along the coast of the Mediterranean to collect life-perfected recipes from grandmothers for my next book. As part of that research, I am so happy to be experiencing some of the best local food each region has to offer.

This week, I’m recipe testing the dishes I picked up in the south of France but wanted to dedicate this newsletter to the city of Marseille, where I spent most of my time on the latest research trip and in which I ate the very best.

I don’t tend to share my TOP SECRET spots for the magazines I write travel features for but my subscribers (you guys!) are a different story. Scroll down for my top places to dine in the city I will be hot-footing it back to as soon as my book schedule allows.

Marseille Vibes

As with many a port city, Marseille has a gritty edge. Much the same as my beloved Athens, this is exactly what I fell in love with when I visited. Beyond it being doused in sunshine, Marseille has a feeling of being ALIVE. Yes, it has been left behind in terms of government funding and many of the social estates on the periphery of the city are rife with poverty, but at the beating heart of Marseille, is a community of people that make this the coolest (in my opinion) city in France.

A meeting point between Europe and the Maghreb, Marseille has welcomed immigrants for centuries. Spilling out of the city’s tea houses are people from the Algerian diaspora. Moroccan couscous spots are plentiful across the city. Aromas of tagine and freshly baked pain au chocolat meet in the street. The cultural blending, plus Marseille’s location on the Mediterranean coastline and fertile ground make it an obvious foodie destination.

Beyond the food, there’s beauty to be found amidst its famous slopes and craggy coastline. By the inky sea, locals sit like lizards on rocks, sunning themselves. A little to the south of the city, the Calanques national park is where adventurers should head to for explorations of mini fjords, turquoise waters and limestone caves.

Where I stayed in Marseille

Pension Edelweiss

Centrally located and within walking distance to the old port and all the restaurants I had on my ‘must visit’ list, PLUS the added bonus of a car park very close by (essential in this city), Pension Edelweiss piqued my interest with its lofty, stylish rooms. There are only six rooms in the town house turned hotel, which makes it a great option if you want somewhere quiet to retreat to after exploring the city. The building is a century old and the owners have restored it with respect to the original features, including hexagonal tiles and dramatic stuccoed ceilings. They’ve also filled it with beautiful antique and vintage finds from Milano, Berlin and Paris.

Read on for more on where to sleep, eat and exlpore in Marseille…