Despite the recent unfortunate events that have taken place in Paris, France is a beautiful and charming place. Paris is the most popular city in France but, have you heard about Marseille? Discover France’s second largest city and why ketchup and mustard may be overrated.
One of the things I love about travel is the food. Visiting amusement parks like Legoland and Sesame Place is great because with all that walking, exercise is already built in to the trip. It’s like my own set of checks and balances for upcoming culinary gastronomy. Also, when visiting Europe, walking automatically comes with the territory. So put on your walking shoes and get ready because I’m going to show you six must eat restaurants in Marseille.
Le Pain Quoitidien (The Daily Bread) or French Toast
Before we left Marseille, this little restaurant was purchased by new management. I found out that the new name will be French Toast. But, I can tell you that it really doesn’t matter the name of the place because the food is good. I’ve been told that the French are not that “big” on breakfast. So don’t expect to find bacon and eggs at most restaurants first thing in the morning.
A typical French breakfast consists of croissants or pastries and a hot beverage like coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Then around 10:00am, is when brunch makes an appearance. It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekday or weekend. After having a heart to heart with the concierage at our hotel, he recommended a restaurant called French Toast. Oh my gosh…the food was so good!
I mean there was smoked salmon, fresh fruit, omelettes, crossaints and the cutest little set up for dining al fresco.
Their omelettes are more like frittatas and if you order a cup of tea, expect to get a small bowl of tea. Not only that, but they even serve their own housemade yogurt. How cool is that?
Miramar
If you come to Marseille you just have to try some bouillabaisse. People typically think of bouillabaisse as a French dish, and it is. But more specifically, bouillabaisse originated in Marseille. Miramar specializes in French bouillabaisse and not only is the food good, the experience was fantastic. The restaurant even offers cooking classes in their kitchen every third Thursday of the month. Although, I did not get to attend a class, the experience of eating bouillabaisse at Miramar was one to remember.
Take a peek at this video and listen in on how the proper way to eat bouillabaisse.
As many times as I’ve had bouillabaisse, this was the first time I’ve eaten it like this. Traditionally, the bouillabaisse broth is served first with homemade garlic croutons. After you’ve had some broth, the server comes back with the seafood and fish and you go on to enjoy this traditional French dish. It’s the best I’ve had. Listen as my groom “schools me” on how to pronounce the name of this delicacy.
Posted by The Domestic Life Stylist on Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Amorino
One of the things I discovered on the visit to Marseille is when in France, there is always room for dessert. At Amorino you can get your dessert and some. Diner options include coffee, tea, gelato and gaufres (waffles).
The gelato was divine. Made from the tastiest chocolate.
We tried the Nutella waffles. The waffles were good but I prefer my waffles with crispier edges.
And of course, there was hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was so thick that I needed the help of a spoon.
Toinou
At it’s core Marseille is a fisherman’s town. Ports are brimming with boats of every size and shape. This means that Marseille is buzzing with beauty, history and culture.
Not only does this make for great pictures but dining in Marceille is quite the experience. Fresh seafood can be found at almost every corner.
And if you love seafood, you are certainly in the right place. The restaurant I fell in awe of is called Toinou. Touniou has a great local vibe with the freshest seafood. Even before stepping foot into Touniou it was clear that using fresh ingredients is top priority.
There was lots of fresh fish, oysters, snails, shrimp and even sea urchins.
Definitely a bit of something for ever seafood lover. I ordered quite simply by opting for the crab soap and crab legs.
Besides that, what I like about Toinou is that the prices are afforadable and once requested, the central menu can be flipped over from French to English. Oh and every seafood item on the menu lists where the food was sourced from. How cool is that? I think that my crab legs were from Finland.
Le Relais Course
While in Marseille if your taste buds are craving a tasty burger then Le Relais Course is the place to go. Near Castellane market, these burgers are juicy, well seasoned and will make you feel like you are eating more of a beef dinner rather than a burger. If you are looking for ketchup or mustard to go with your beefy bite…I don’t even think they have the stuff.
But what you will find in the dimly lit space is a few carefully selected menu items in addition to Le Corsica burger. Oh my gosh. That burger is the real deal. It’s paired with delicately seasoned oven roasted potatoes, fresh greens and a basket of bread.
Ummm… in France everything comes with extra bread so if you are on a special diet you better have a plan.
La Cure Gourmande
Although this biscuit shop can now be found in NYC, I just have to mention La Cure Gourmande. The original shop was founded in another city in South of France in 1989 and the location in Marseille is just oozing with French charm. Originally, when I walked into the store I really had no intentions of buying anything.
But the next thing I know, a French gentleman speaking broken english was offering me several cookie samples.
My brain said “no” but then my mouth uttered “yes” several times. After that, it’s kind of a blur.
Fearing that the cookies would go bad if I didn’t buy some, we brought home a few.
OK, maybe more than a few. But, it came in a cute little box that will be re-purposed so I did well.
That was a sweet end to a sweet trip.
Comments ( 2 )
Marie Jenkins
3 of the places you mentioned are chains or restaurants you can find in other French city. It’s like saying, “before you leave San Francisco, you must try Panera Bread, Cold Stone Creamery and See’s Candy”-you know, places you can find in just about any other city in the U.S.
LisaDLS
Glad that you found at least half the recommendations valuable Marie. Thanks for reading and safe travels.
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