Marseille Restaurants

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Firstly, I didn't expect much from a cafeteria in a church grounds, but I was pleasantly surprised. As it was Pentecost Sunday the menus were special. Let me just tell you that all the staff here are nuns, but they don't wear the full outfits. They have their hair all cut short and usually wear simple outfits from their native countries ( that could have been for Pentecost Sunday only, have no idea).

Favorite Dish: My friend and I had the special Pentecost Sunday menu for 15 EUROS.

Entrée/ Starter:
Plat principal / Main course:
Dessert:

La Mariniere at Vieux Port in Marseille is one of many local seafood restaurants overlooking the harbour and the swirling traffic. The house speciality is bouillabaisse, the traditional fish stew of the region, served with crusty toasted bread and a zesty hot sauce Rouille (best described as similar to Lyonnaise). Be warned, the bouillabaisse servings are very large and are for 2 people, however they are still a challenge. Naturally the restaurant can help out with drinks at reasonable prices.

In door and out door dining available, but I do suggest dining out doors although you could be advised to avoid sitting at either end of the restaurant as the local beggars can be pestie.

Centrally located in the Vieux Port. Relaxed, and friendly. My only criticism would be that smoking is allowed which I hate particularly when I am eating, but that would have been the same in any of the French restaurants.

Favorite Dish: We all ate different dishes. I had sole, others had sea bass, pizza, and omelette. All very nice but I would have the omelette next time as it looked superb.

We were on the islands of Frioul when someone suggested lunch.. so we found ourselves in "Le Pirate" which is situated on top of a hill overlooking the port. There is seating outside for approximately 20 people and more seating inside. The dishes of the day were roast rabbit à la provençale, stuffed squid and moules marinières. After apéritifs, we four chose the mussels which duly arrived with their accompanying pommes frites. Now I have to say that I really enjoyed my moules, but my three french friends were not impressed, saying that there was too much use of cream in the sauce. I personally liked it though. We drank the house rosé which was great value at 7.50 euros a bottle. We followed up with two plates of cheese and coffee. The coffee was poor. The bill for 4 came to 78.60 euros, 28.60 of which was drinks. Worth a visit if you`re on Frioul and fancy something not too pricy.

Disque Bleu is situated on one side of the Vieux Port, in a seemingly-endless row of other restaurants. We four arrived for lunch without a reservation, and we were lucky to grab the last available table. (There is al fresco seating for approximately 50 people). I ordered Salade Les Goudes: salad vegetables with a mountain of fried calamares, squid and shrimps. Fantastic value at 12 euros. My friends ordered the dish of the day, which was Sole Meunière, (only 8.50 euros), a veal escalope, and another Salade Les Goudes. We drank the house rosé with ice, that was great value at 5 euros the half-litre. The bill for four came to 59.90 euros, 15 euros of which was wine and coffee. Good coffee too. Recommended.

The Ferry Bar sits on one side of the Vieux Port, right opposite the small César ferry stop, from which it takes its name. It's a typical Marseillais bar, serving all types of drinks that you would expect, and if they like you, you will also get a plate of assorted tapas to go with your drink. Sit here and have an "apéro" before going off for a meal, or just have a drink and watch the world go by. Popular with the locals, it can however be rather noisy, due to its proximity to the main road. The draught beer is Stella and Leffe.

La Cantine is situated just off the Quai de Rive Neuve side of the Vieux Port of Marseilles. The menu is not large, but big enough to give a decent choice. I ordered an Aloyau grillé (rumpsteak) which duly arrived "bleu", just as I had ordered it, with accompanying roast tomatos and potatos. Delicious. My two friends ordered pasta: Penne au Figatelli, and Penne aux Artichauts, which both said were delicious too; we drank a red "La Minotte", which was very drinkable. Good coffee too. The bill for three came to 71 euros, 15.80 of which was wine. Recommended.

Les Arcenaulx is a restaurant situated in a small complex of shops (books and gifts) which are all connected. The restaurant itself is fairly grand but it falls on the right side of pretentious: it`s not what I would call "snobby" at all. But don`t get me wrong. By no means is this a cheap restaurant. In fact it`s more expensive than average, but the old adage is "you pay for what you get", and this is certainly true in Les Arcenaulx`s case. We were a party of 5, and we started off with a glass of champagne each which was on the house. Nice start. We decided to skip the entrées and went straight for main courses: Tournedos Rossini, Steak Tartare, and Filet St. Pierre. The beef was superb, as was the fish. We drank a red: Chateau Pibarnon, which was on the pricy side at 55 euros the bottle, but which was also superb. The bill for 5 came to 266.45 euros, 89.45 of which was drinks. Good coffee too. Recommended.