Summer in The South of France: My Guide to Marseille

Releasing weekly food-related destination guides

Jan 22, 2025

I’m going to share a little summer series — some food based recommendations for Italy, the South of France, and Portugal. I’ll be releasing one guide per week - sign up below so that you don’t miss out on any of the deliciousness.

The first guide - Marseille!

I heard lots of mixed reviews about Marseille before I travelled there. Most people warning me against going. What convinced me to go? Food, of course. I wasn’t going to Marseille for Marseille, so I didn’t really care if I liked it or not. I was going to Marseille for Tuba Club.

I saw photos of Tuba Club and knew that was how I wanted to spend my 28th birthday. Sitting by the ocean (where you can literally dive into the ocean from your table between courses. Gah), in the South of France with my Italian boyfriend, eating seafood and drinking incredible French wine. Fabulous!

In the end, my thoughts on Marseille? I loved it.

It was vibrant, busy, and colourful. There were side streets and alleyways overflowing with fun restaurants and delicious smelling hole in the walls, with every cuisine or vibe you’re hungry for. Street parties, spice shops, cute wine bars, people everywhere. It was a vibe.

I highly recommend Marseille for a fun and delicious weekend away. Especially if you love food, wine, seafood and swimming in the ocean. And who doesn’t?

Foodie recommendations:

Tuba Club - you don’t need to spend a lot of money to eat here. You can order less dishes, opt for just wine (not a whole bottle of wine plus cocktails, like us…) or you can go for sunset to their bar upstairs which serves more small plates and snacks. I highly, highly recommend going here. The quality of the food was incredible. I had to book Tuba Club 1-2 months in advance.
If Tuba Club still have it on the menu, the clams with nduja and the crudo with apricot and lime were amazing. Nduja traditionally comes from Calabria in Southern Italy and isn’t normally paired with seafood but it worked so well.
With lunch we had a bottle of Thibaud Boudignon Anjou Blanc 2022 and it was incredible.
1st Arrondissement - a little melting pot, you can find lots of shops selling spices, restaurants with African influenced food, beautiful woven baskets and painted ceramic plates & bowls.
The Market at Noailles - this is also in the 1st Arrondissement. Lots of cheap produce, and fun things like spices, preserved lemons and chilli, fresh figs.
6th Arrondissement - this is where all the food spots are! Lots of cool, grungy style bars and restaurants of every cuisines and vibe. Every street adjoining each other is full of restaurants. This is the place.
Deep coffee - a few pastries with really good coffee.
Calanques National Park - very busy in summer but still beautiful to do as a day-trip. There’s lots of little spots where you can access the National Park from. Port Miou is a good spot.