<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/stories/marseille/libala-kin"><strong><u>High-Concept Congolese: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">This brilliant two-in-one restaurant is the culinary expression of chef Hugues Mbenda’s dual Franco-Congolese identity. By day, Libala (“marriage” in Lingala, @</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/libalapretamanger/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>libala.marseille</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">) serves up incredible street food that weds African and Mediterranean flavors, like crunchy fish <em>croustillants</em> dusted with a savory peanut-ginger <em>dibi</em> spice mix or a standout burger with avocado mayo and plantain fries. By night, the space transforms into Kin (@</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/kin.restaurantmarseille/?hl=en"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>kin.restaurantmarseille</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">), an elegant stage for Hugues’s gastronomic talents, where he crafts five-course menus featuring dishes like local red snapper with dried Congolese fish or fermented manioc couscous. It's a journey through food, reflecting his path from Kinshasa to Parisian kitchens to forging his own unique identity in Marseille. It also serves up a vital dialogue about identity, using ingredients sourced from the city’s Noailles markets to craft a vision of what modern French food can be – one that is proudly, and complexly, Marseillais.</span></p><p><br></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2019/chez-etienne"><strong><u>Where to Eat Pizza in Marseille: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">There’s a local saying: “Those who don’t know Etienne, don’t know Marseille.” When considering where to eat in Marseille, pizza might not be the obvious answer, but the dish is legendary here, thanks to the waves of Neapolitan immigrants who brought </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/category/tours-food-tours/tours-naples/"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>their city’s</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)"> most famous creation with them. This iconic pizzeria in the heart of the Le Panier quarter was founded as a worker’s canteen in 1943 and transformed by the legendary Etienne Cassaro. Today, his son, Pascal, carries the torch, serving what he insists is not Sicilian but true <em>pizza marseillais</em>. The pies, often ordered <em>moitié-moitié</em> (half-and-half anchovy and cheese), emerge perfectly blistered from a wood-fired oven. Just as famous are the <em>supions</em>, fresh squid sizzled with garlic and parsley in a cast-iron pan. The convivial, stone-arched dining room is always packed with regulars, politicians, and a long-standing staff who serve each plate with a dose of warm, Marseillais sass. Remember: no reservations, and no credit cards.</span></p><p><br></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2019/patisserie-orientale-journo"><strong><u>Tunisian Traditions: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">For over 60 years, this unassuming Tunisian Jewish bakery has thrived on word of mouth – it’s where to eat in Marseille when craving a little sweet break. Roger Journo essentially transplanted his Tunis shop to Marseille in the 1960s, and today his grandson, David, continues the legacy, acting as the "keeper of a museum" of flavors. The shelves are lined with traditional sweets baked fresh daily, from honey-soaked <em>you you</em> donuts to date-filled <em>makrout</em> and crescent-shaped almond <em>cornes de gazelles</em>. On the savory side, the <em>fricassee</em> (a fried roll stuffed with tuna) is a must. It remains a vital touchstone for the city’s North African community, a place where, as David says, "kids of customers come in searching for the tastes they had when they were 4 years old.”</span></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2020/chez-madie-les-galinettes"><strong><u>True Provençal Cooking: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">While the surrounding Vieux-Port is rife with tourist traps, Chez Madie les Galinettes (@</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/chezmadielesgalinettes/?hl=en"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>chezmadielesgalinettes</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">) stands in for authentic Provençal cooking, thanks to its effervescent owner, Delphine Roux. Her menu reads like a Marseille grandmother’s cookbook, featuring classics like <em>alouettes sans tête</em> (beef roll-ups) and an affordable, honest bouillabaisse. Delphine’s warmth is legendary; she might send over extra <em>panisses</em> (chickpea fritters) or another scoop of risotto just to see a diner smile. The restaurant is a family affair, with her retired butcher father still helping source meats. Don't miss her signature <em>palourdes au thym</em> – local clams simmered in thyme and cream, an homage to her Normandy mother that perfectly captures the restaurant's blend of tradition and personal touch.</span></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2024/a-moro"><strong><u>A No-frills Trattoria: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">With no sign on its door and a steadfast commitment to rustic, no-frills cooking, À Moro (@</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/amoromarseille/"><u>amoromarseille</u></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">) is chef Benjamin Moro’s maverick Italo-Marseillais trattoria. Inspired by his Italian grandmother’s ragù and his own classic French training, Benjamin declares, “I do what I want.” This delicious stubbornness translates into a menu of deeply satisfying dishes like pillowy ricotta-spinach gnudi in sage butter, and his signature saucisse fenouil-purée featuring roasted fennel-seed sausage from the nearby Capucin market. The space is intimate, the vibe is pulsed by Benjamin’s hands-on presence, and the focus is squarely on the food, which he says, like his manager Guillaume, is always made "with love."</span></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2023/station-uvale-du-palais/"><strong><u>Neighborhood Thirstbuster: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">In a city that launched France’s love affair with wine, Station Uvale du Palais (@</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/stationuvaledupalais/?hl=en"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>stationuvaledupalais</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">) is a charming ode to the grape in its purest form. It’s the last of its kind in France, a lone survivor from the 1930s "grape cure" craze when such kiosks dotted the south. Now run by Yannis Amokreze, who took the reins from his aunt and uncle after their 37-year tenure, this two-toned green stand is a neighborhood hub. Yannis continues the tradition of sourcing seasonal table grapes like Chasselas and Muscat directly from the same family farmer his relatives used for decades. The juice, pressed fresh on-site using a vintage wooden press, is an intensely flavorful burst of sweet and tart goodness – nothing short of heaven on a hot day.</span></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/marseille/2020/chez-magali"><strong><u>Marseille’s OG Street Food: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">If you’re looking for where to eat panisses in Marseille (the city’s original street food), a trip to the fishing port of L’Estaque is essential, and Chez Magali (@</span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://www.instagram.com/chezmagali_chichi/?hl=en"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204)"><u>chezmagali_chichi</u></span></a><span style="color: rgb(27, 28, 29)">) is our preferred stop. This humble snack shack is a legacy keeper of <em>chichis fregis</em> (long, fried-dough fritters, lighter than churros and spiked with lemon zest) and the aforementioned panisses (crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside chickpea flour pucks). For years it was run by Michel Morales, a former corporate sales director who found his calling as a "little king in his little kingdom." Though Michel has since retired, the new owners continue the tradition, frying up these iconic, inexpensive treats that have been beloved by factory workers, bourgeois beachgoers, and famed painters for over a century.</span></p><p><br></p>

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