More like a 3.5 rating, but I'll round up for the experience. Couldn't have stopped by Marseille…read morewithout trying Chez Fonfon, a restaurant we've seen hundreds of reviews online about. The restaurant is located down a set of stairs, by a small area of boats in the water. We had a reservation at noon, so we were able to get seated away. The first floor was packed, and soon the second floor filled up too. The restaurant boasts a lot of natural sunlight. They have a QR code menu with the English translation, and all the servers can speak English too. The portions are quite large (and simultaneously pricey lol), and one entree is required per person. We were served a foie gras to start, along with some bread. The bread was super hard to bite into - I can't lie, felt like I would break a teeth biting into it - I expected better. The oysters were much better, very fresh and briny. The fish was enjoyable as well, with the star being the monkfish -- tasted like lobster! The chefs didn't add much flavoring on top of the fish, preserving their natural taste. Each fish dish also came with a vegetable and cous cous side, which was nice. And lastly for the dish everyone comes for, the bouillabaisse. This stew contains five different types of fish, which they even bring out to show you. While this is supposed to be the star of the show, I have to say I enjoyed the other two fish dishes better. From my experience, the bouillabaisse has a singular flavor profile - slightly tangy tomato. Not to say that the broth is bad, but I do think it gets tiring after eating many spoonfuls of it. I can't say I can name all 5 fish in the dish, but some of the 5 were very tender, whereas others felt more firm and rubbery. I will give bonus points for them giving you "unlimited" stew and refilling the broth - but just not my cup of tea. Overall, still very glad to have tried bouillabaisse - wouldn't have been a trip to Marseille without it! While it wasn't my favorite and was pricey, I can't deny that there is definitely high quality fish here at Chez Fonfon.

I was in marseille and I was told I had to have this. It's traditional, it's expensive lol and they…read moretake Amex so it doesn't matter anyway, I was with my cousins all from Paris and they were down to eat this too. I should have did a YouTube review but I'll just do a yelp. The soup hot is great but remember it was hot outside too. The window was cracked but still hot and only one of their AC worked. So it was hot in the main room. I could barely finish all the fish as there's just a large portion of fish. If you enjoy fish, you can pick or you can try. The service was 4/5 I didn't think it was perfect but I'm American and I don't really care lol for the price this is. I wish I could of used the steam room after to sweat out all the sodium but after you walk around on a hot day you actually feel great trying all these fishes lol If you are here and you're a foodie, then it's worth eating.

Oh la la ... the best ambiance! Great spot with colorful fish related decor - delights everywhere…read moreyou look! The waiter was charming and funny and the food delicious! He was able to offer recommendations so that we could sample the best of everything... The seafood is fresh and local the menu changes daily. We read about this in Marcie book and we're very glad we got to try it out... They are only open for lunch and you can make a reservation.

Just excellent!! Authentic!…read moreFresh seafood! Try everything The place the flavors a good place to visit

We wanted to find a spot that would serve a Fruit de la Mer platter, but for some reason a lot of…read moreplaces were closed on Monday evening, so I found this spot on Google Maps and decided to venture out beyond the Old Port area. Being American, I made us a 7:15pm reservation. When we arrived the restaurant was empty, with only two tables occupied... my wife started to get a bit nervous. But we then remembered that any reservation before 8 is a very American thing to do! Around 8pm the restaurant began filling up with locals; we were at the right spot! Being out of the Old Port area, we didn't pay tourist pricing and probably had the best lobster we've had in a long time. The service staff is very friendly and interacted with us in English. They were having fun and were very attentive to us in explaining the menu. If you're in Marseille, this spot is a "Can't Miss"!

A must for seafood lovers. We came in for lunch just as they opened and already there were two…read morepeople sitting at tables. This restaurant seems to specialize in raw and cold (crab and lobster) seafood, and it is excellent. We ordered oysters, uni, and clams and all were amazingly fresh, clean, and flavorful. There was no mignonette or any sauce and everything was served with butter and bread. The combination was surprisingly good. The oysters and clams were briny and bright, while the uni was pure umami and not oceany like Santa Barbara or Hokkaido varieties often are. They have an English menu, and the wait staff were attentive and spoke English as well. Worth a special detour if you're ever in Marseille. Update since being in Nice: We have yet to find a place in Nice that even compares. We were hopeful that Peixes, with its incredible number for 5 star reviews, would be comparable. While decent, they were not even in the same class.

Cafe has great ambience and music. Helpful staff as Americans in need of English and wifi they…read morewere lovely and cordial. Great for an appetizer (octopus was delicious) and a glass of wine. Not inexpensive but not a rip off for the beach vibe and solid cuisine.

You need to understand this place is very busy and if you are looking for special treatment - it…read moreisn't on the first time. We went two nights in a row and we struggled to communicate but it was all very well received and all good humour. The food was great; the wait staff quite funny and the man at the front was very on the ball. It feels like a family business. The moules poulette for me were the best thing on the menu. We returned because we liked the food and we liked the staff... a definite must!

This was a terrible restaurant. Bad food and even worse service. If I could give this zero stars, I…read morewould. My husband and I went here on a Monday afternoon for lunch. My husband wanted bouillabaisse but they were out. The waiter basically ordered for him. I ordered (in French) the moules Provençales. The waiter said he thinks I should try a different moules dish (I think they were out of what I asked for and this was his way of hiding it). I said ok. Twenty minutes later, it arrived at the table and it was terrible. The mussels were cold and the cream sauce he assured me I'd like was disgusting. I sat there not eating while my husband finished his appetizer. My husband had ordered a salad. After 20 minutes it never came. After another 30 minutes I finally asked for the check. I went to pay for the meals and he asked me if I liked it. I told him not at all and gave him my credit card to pay. He said I didn't have to pay if I didn't like it but I told him I would just like to get out of there asap. He insisted I not pay at which point I put my credit card away and said "fine." At that point he exploded and said we had to pay for what my husband ate. I was like OMG, I tried to pay you. Just take my money so I can leave. As the credit card was processing, he said in English that he'd be happy to have us gone I told him I l'd be happy to leave. At that point he said a gay slang word in French about me to the wait staff and they started laughing. I told him he was a terrible person.

Worst restaurant in Marseille. We had gone there on the recommendation of the hotel receptionist…read more The waiter's attitude was extremely rude. Did not provide a menu in English for us to order from. The bouillabaisse was just AWFUL. Soup too salty. The fish ingredients just so plain, no flavor, even my dog wouldn't eat it.The service was sooo bad. We told our Hôtel receptionist not to send anyone else there. Ambience was so dour. The staff looked like death warmed over.Do not eat at this place. It personifies French Snobbery. So condescending!! It doesn't deserve even a single star rating. BAD BAD

My family and I were in Marseilles for vacation and came here for lunch based on a local's…read morerecommendation. Based on the food, I would give this 4 stars. I ordered a tuna steak and it was not only plated beautifully, but it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, I was eating it whilst feeling extremely uncomfortable. All of my family felt this way while eating here. I'm reading someone else's review which states that if you don't speak French, you might as well pass on. That is 100% accurate. They are the typical stereotypical snobby French who hate tourists. They rolled their eyes when seating us, the waitress slapped down the plates on our tables without smiling or being warm; we felt so unwelcome and uncomfortable during our experience here. We REALLY wanted to go elsewhere when we first sat down since we could feel the complete lack of customer service and hospitality, but at the time, we were starving, desperate for food, and all other nearby restaurants had closed down. The food was good, yes, but so not worth it based on the hostility we received from the staff. If you're a local, this is probably one of your favorite spots. And you're probably laughing at my review since I'm a tourist (hi jerk). If you're a tourist and speak French, you might be OK coming here, and they might treat you like an actual human being. If you're a tourist and don't speak French (us), do yourself a favor and dine someplace else. Unless you want to understand what a terrible customer service experience is like, maybe you're into philanthropy and the study of humans and wouldn't take offense to this type of experience. In that case, go ahead. Otherwise, stay far away.

Great great service! All the staff is very nice and are willing for us to have a good time in their…read morerestaurant, answering all questions and needs. Great food, fresh and generous in quantity

Our cruise ship docked at Marseille and we wanted to try the famed bouillabaisse to get an idea of…read moreauthentic French food. The bouillabaisse here is pricy: 110 euros for two people. The price quotes is 55 euros per person, with a two person minimum. To be honest, it was incredibly disappointing and not at all delicious. I would not order it again by any means, but I'm glad I can say that I tried it. It tastes like a fish stew with hints of curry. We also ordered the seafood spaghetti where the noodles were cut into short strands. I'm not sure if this is a common occurrence here but I prefer my spaghetti to be longer. The taste was great, it was a tomato based pasta topped with two delicious prawns. We also ordered the grilled octopus salad with garlic olive oil which was tasty. Overall, this meal was too pricey for what we received in return, although the markup comes from its location on the port.