Once the stomping ground of sailors and the Corsican mafia, Marseille’s oldest district, Le Panier, has evolved into a tourist hub and creative neighborhood. Its winding streets are peppered with ateliers (like blade smiths, chocolatiers and painters) and the 17th-century facades are canvases for colorful murals. One of them, a powerful black-and-white image of a couple kissing, faces the funky cantine and concept store, Ahwash. Its owner, Amar, commissioned the Alberto Ruce work – a sign of the artistic energy infused throughout his unique place.
Named for the traditional Berber dance in which men and women mix together, Ahwash is a blend of Amar’s worlds – of Morocco and France, of art and cooking. “Eating here is like coming to my house,” he smiles, serving tagines to patrons sitting at vintage tables topped with glowing candles, their dripping wax embodying the restaurant’s romantic and relaxed ambiance.
Everything at Ahwash has a story behind it. Amar’s mom’s cooking inspires the chicken tagine that sings with preserved lemons, turmeric, ginger and cumin. The Tamegroute green clay dishes for sale were sourced on a desert trip near Zagora. A pair of chairs are upholstered in cowhide that the fervent traveler bought in a Marrakesh souk. Even the bathroom door tells a tale, scribbled with the poignant Rudyard Kipling poem, “How to be a Man.”
Pasted between pages of old French comic books, Ahwash’s menu is Moroccan mingled with flavors of France.
Before this chapter of running a restaurant, Amar had various gigs. The self-proclaimed “Berber from Paris” was a sales manager, an insurance salesman and had worked every job in the restaurant business, from dishwasher to cook. His daughter sparked his transition to restaurant owner when she asked him to explain what he did for a living for a school project.
While telling her all about the insurance industry, he realized he wanted more out of life, and to have his work be aligned with his core values: sharing, creating, curiosity, passion, open-mindedness, conviviality and authenticity. These are the ingredients that feed Amar’s soul and his oh-so-personal restaurant that he built from scratch – literally – after a six-month restoration of the old space.
Pasted between pages of old French comic books, Ahwash’s menu is Moroccan mingled with flavors of France. Comforting mains include tagines and the incredibly tender mechoui, slow-roasted lamb shank. Thanks to the wood-fired grill, a leftover from the building’s former life as a chaudronniere (coppersmith), the grilled sardines, merguez and house-made kefta (spiced ground beef patties) are deliciously cooked over open flames.
You get to choose your own accompaniment. Don’t miss the chouckchouka, paprika-spiced sautéed peppers and tomatoes that are similar to Provencal ratatouille, or the decadent Parmesan mashed potatoes that evoke the Parisian bistros of Amar’s past. Bouchara helps him in the kitchen, a cook he chose by “feeling” not by culinary experience. As is the way this romantic rolls.
Alongside the giant communal table and in the attached store, you’ll find goods that Amar brings back from his adventures. Mouth-blown glasses – verre beldi – made from recycled glass, broken-in leather weekender bags, and Chabi Chic argan oil shampoo. French needlepoint bags and leather boots scooped up at French flea markets. You can even buy most of the furniture – except for those pieces t0 which Amar is sentimentally attached.
Ahwash is also ideal for a mint tea or a drink when strolling Le Panier or visiting the nearby Vielle Charité. Savor your beverage perched at the bar, or in the back room reclining on Moroccan pillows around a glass-topped piano. A dreamy setting when the fire is lit.
If you can, call in advance to confirm Amar isn’t off on his latest Moroccan adventure. When you reserve, you’ll arrive to a table with a personalized place card – a stone with your name written on it. We have never felt so welcome.
May 11, 2022 Oumalala
A month ago, I moved into to my new place in Marseille’s La Plaine neighborhood. After […] Posted in Marseille
February 15, 2022 Mouné
Our first meal at this Lebanese restaurant earned it a spot on our Best Bites of 2019. […] Posted in Marseille
September 21, 2021 Tava Hada Pilpeta
Though synonymous with Tunisia, Algeria and other North African nations, harissa’s main […] Posted in Marseille
Published on February 13, 2020
Related stories
May 11, 2022
Marseille | By Jenine Abboushi
By Jenine Abboushi
MarseilleA month ago, I moved into to my new place in Marseille’s La Plaine neighborhood. After the moving truck drove off, leaving me with stacks of boxes and furniture and no food yet in the refrigerator, I ventured out in my dusty jeans to find a place to eat some lunch in the neighborhood. On…
February 15, 2022
MarseilleOur first meal at this Lebanese restaurant earned it a spot on our Best Bites of 2019. We were smitten with the food, particularly the mousakhan, sumac-coated chicken. Yet, when the smiling owner, Serje Banna, gave us a tiny foil packet of sumac to bring home, we were touched by his passion to share beyond…
September 21, 2021
MarseilleThough synonymous with Tunisia, Algeria and other North African nations, harissa’s main ingredient helms from Mexico. After 1492, chile peppers crossed the Atlantic via the Columbian Exchange, trading between the New World and Old World. It was Spain that introduced Tunisia to the spicy capsicum during their 16-century occupation. The Arabic verb harasa means “to…
