Great local food at reasonable prices and a friendly staff. It's my favorite neighborhood brasserie.read more

Stumbled across this restaurant while exploring Marseille. They're only open a couple hours for…read morelunch and a couple hours for dinner. We got the fish of the day, and it was absolutely delicious, the fish was soft inside and flaky outside. Everything else compliments it so well. From the sweet roasted tomatoes to the salty coastal veggie, everything felt in place and thought out.

9/12/15: One of the most beautiful restaurants we had the pleasure of eating at in France! The…read moreentire eating area is outside in their very eclectic garden, surrounded by lots of greenery, flowers, and custom modern art made to blend into the very picturesque surroundings. The waiter was extremely nice and courteous with us, despite our not being able to speak a lick of French. The restaurant was busy, but he took his time explaining every single item to us in English. We really appreciated that. You might have noticed now that many of the popular and best restaurants in France require reservations, even if not that fancy. We in fact were turned away at many restaurants previous to this one, and just happened by, and were extremely grateful they were able to seat us. 1. Cafe (coffee) 2 EUR 2. San Pellegrino 5 EUR 3. Beignets de legumes 14 EUR: Not what we typically call "beignets" in America--I think in this case they are referring to the deep fried clumps of vegetables. Lots of different kinds of veggies too--I think you can think of this as French tempura. To be honest, I forgot all the different kinds they had in there, but feel free to check out my picture to get an idea--but there's tons of really pretty colorful leaves, onions, and flowers. And it tasted really great--surprisingly refreshing despite being fried. The perfect fried dish, and dazzling in presentation too! 10/10 4. Veau braise & polenta cremeuse 21 EUR: This is a large single piece of braised veal, arranged as a circle topping polenta, along with eggplant and zucchini on top. According to the waiter it was braised for a very long time, and certainly tasted like it. It was delicious, but perhaps could have been even more moist. 7.5/10. 5. Fine tranches de boeuf & condiments mediterraneen 17 EUR: This is The Most Epic Beef Tartare EVER. So, instead of the typical ultra thin slices of raw beef, theirs is cut relatively thick, maybe a bit less than 1cm thick. The edges are very slightly browned, but most of it is raw like how seared tuna is typically prepared. And there's a couple pieces of fried polenta on top, along with an heirloom tomato salad on the side. But why do I say "epic?"--cause of the amazing toppings on top of the meat! I tried to identify some of it but all I could really recognize are capers, olives, cheese, etc., but there's tons more going on! There's such an amazing array of ingredients used that it is quite a tartare masterpiece! 10/10 We LOVED this place. Definitely one of our culinary highlights here in France! 5/5 #french #Mediterranean #france

I happened upon L'Effet Clochette this afternoon as I wandered around the Vieux Port of Marseille…read more I decided to try some restaurants that were up a flight of stairs which lead to the Le Panier neighborhood. All of those restaurants closed at 3:00 p.m. so I continued my search and found L'Effet Clochette which stays open until 5:00 p.m.! The restaurant was staffed by a friendly older couple. There was plenty on the menu that looked appealing and I settled for the Aioli, a traditional dish in Marseille. The plate came out filled with boiled carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and a fresh tomato. Also on the plate were mussels, two large portions of cod fish, one large shrimp in it's shell, two medium sized bulots (sea snails) and a hard boiled egg. This dish would not be complete without the "aioli" which was a homemade garlic dipping sauce. The aioli sauce was thick in consistency and as expected, had a strong garlic flavor. I enjoyed eating everything on the plate. I started with the cauliflower and sweet carrots which were cut lengthwise. The vegetables were cooked al dente. The seafood was fresh. At one point I was afraid that I might not eat everything. The portion was filling and the dish was very healthy. An added benefit of this open air bistro is that you can escape from the mobs of tourists that are on the street below in the Vieux Port and get a true sense of a Marseille neighborhood. If you're looking for traditional savon de Marseille and also nouveau savon de Marseille, there are three soap shops in close proximity to the restaurant. I look forward to trying more items on the menu on future visits.

A really pretty place for lunch on sunny spring or summer day…read more Good food, great service and yummy ice cream with flavors like rosemary, thyme and lavender! A lovely place for lunch in Marseille.

Hummm, I think Yelp failed us with this recommendation but Trip Advisor has the most honest…read morereviews. We decided to try it out anyway. You can't go off "stars" alone. You have to read some of the reviews and see for yourself what the talk is about. We walked over and without reservation, scored a seat in the patio. Our 3 course meal was 20 euro but it none of the dishes were memorable. The dishes had a home cooked feeling, as if you could make the dishes at home, but nothing tasted out of this world. My bf got the short ribs and I got the baby chicken. Neither dishes were that great. Dessert was probably the best part of the meal. I probably would not return. For those who do not know the language: Owner speaks English. Waitresses know little English.

Not sure what "SCI Charlotte" refers to. This restaurant is called, variously,…read moreResto Charlotte, Chez Charlotte, or Restaurant Charlotte, at least online, as far as I can tell. On the other hand, there's no actual sign or label at the unassuming entrance on rue des Bernardines -- which could generously be called a side street but almost borders on an alley. This is NOT your typical restaurant in touristy Aix-en-provence. We sought it out because a website described it as the sort of place that the Aixoise would go. Well, that may be, and I certainly would not blame them, but there were plenty of tourists there when we dined on a weekday. (They basically open at 8pm, a more French dining time, while most establishments in the city accommodate touristic tastes and open as early as 7. In fact, our rather entertaining waiter seemed to speak French, English, and German fluently (to hear him banter with nearby tables) -- although he couldn't manage Mandarin. How to describe the food? "Unpretentious" would be accurate but maybe slightly misleading. It is a fantastic deal for a full meal compared to most sit-down restaurants in Aix. Expect well-executed, classic but un-fussy French cuisine in a pleasant outdoor courtyard. The vibe is fun, even on a less crowded evening. The two of us had the summer special gazpacho (amazing, and quite spicy) and the chicken liver pate (also very good) for entrees. Our main courses were a steak and a fillet of veal, both served with french-fry-like hash browns and haricot verts. A plum clafoutis and a nicely caramelly tarte tatin rounded out this meal -- very traditional bistro fare. (Both desserts were tasty, without being mind blowingly good or especially original.) At 40 Euros (tax + tip included, of course) for two people, including one glass of house red and one coffee, I think Chez Charlotte's menu might be the best deal in Aix.

I've added this to my top 5 restaurants. It's a place to go to splurge on an excellent meal, or to…read moreenjoy unique cocktails. The bartender has specially created amazing drinks. He was currently in Paris apparently at a competition! You can tell immediately when you walk in how cool this place is. It gave me a 20,000 leagues under the sea kinda vibe, low red under tones but not too dark, you can tell it's a bar/restaurant. Also excellent music, our waiter put on an Amy Winehouse playlist. All of our food exceeded our expectations, and I was especially impressed with the desserts. I hope to return here again the next chance I get to visit France!

Don't fall for it! This place is over priced and the food is not good at all. The drinks are good…read moreand the decor is cool so yes if you're just going for cocktails. Stay away if your looking for a place to eat. I had the risotto with shrimp and mussels and it was very disappointing. Very few shrimps and the mussels were terrible. The dishes look like they chef was trying to cover something up.