Restaurant recommendations

Breakfast places

  • Bar L’Astoria, 3 rue Emeric David – bar/cafe with nice little 12E breakfast of coffee, 2 fried eggs and maybe a croissant and OJ. Outdoor seating. Just outside of Pl Verdun/Precheur
  • Colde, 69 Cr Mirabeau (but actually at intersection of rue Thiers/rue Tournefort) Cafe/bakery – serves eggs and other ‘american’ breakfast. not great reviews for american things, but they make their own (good) croissant and other cakes. medium priced,  except for 17E avocado toast which gets criticism for being tasteless and expensive. Outdoor seating.
  • Cafe D’Amour – 58 cours Mirabeau, good coffee. does a ‘petit dejeuner’ of good coffee and croissant (comes from Hats bakery around the corner on Rue d’Italie) Outdoor seating (shady).
  • Nino Cafe -41 Cr Mirabeau- Very good coffee. Modern without much ambiance. No omelets but they did serve scrambled eggs. Outdoor seating on cours mirabeau for people watching.
  • l’Hotel Boyer d’Eguilles – 6 rue Espariat, old mansion in center of town with courtyard cafe. Excellent coffee and croissant. Lovely spot. slightly more expensive, but it’s just coffee… Protected from the wind, big umbrellas for the sun. Great for coffee or pre dinner drinks. Restaurant is expensive and doesn’t get great reviews. There is also a bookstore here (which has the restroom which is a ‘good to know’ since it’s easy to walk in and use if you’re around town). Make sure to walk all the way through the bookstore to see the ancient WELL that they have displayed under glass.
  • Bar Le Grillon, 49 Cr Mirabeau, my favorite haunt. Fantastic ambiance with what seems to be the last ‘belle epoque’ decorated spot in Aix. Great for drinks. Don’t buy main ‘plat’ here – not great food or salads. The omelet and fries are good and I love the ‘mini club sandwich’ which is enormous and tastes authentically american.
  • Mana, 14 rue courteissade, behind the Monoprix on Mirabeau. (you can cut through Monoprix to their back door) (cool spot) good coffee (some say the best in town), veggie restaurant, excellent ‘veggie burger’ which is portabello mushroom, halloumi cheese and excellent sauce. They serve eggs too.
  • Brulerie Richelme, 1 Pl Richelme, Coffee roaster with 15 or so different coffees. Great, but only coffee. However, go over to Weibel bakery (2 rue Chabrier) or Boulangerie Paul (3 ave de Marchal Foch – which i actually think has better croissants than Weibel, but you judge for yourself) to buy your pastries and you are allowed to eat them there at their tables. See my list of coffees tasted below. At the central outdoor marche – great people watching.
    • Les cafes doux
      • columbie- strong, a little bitter
      • Moca- mild, soft
      • Kenya-lots of flavor, slight bite/bitter but inter and good-gout acidule
      • Viennois- mild, good. a little like typical French cafe coffee. But enjoyable
      • Maragogype- decaf- strong and a bit bitter, but good
      • Papou- rich n delicious. Not bitter. Soft
      • Mysore – rich n delicious. Not bitter. Soft
    •  Medium
        • caracoli
        • Bresil- deep and tasty
        • Rwanda- a bit bitter
    • Les cafes ‘corsé’ full bodied ( du corps)
        • Italien- of course.
        • Antilles- rich, flavorful, delicious.=9
        • Costa Rica- strong, more bitter. Not as complex
        • Harrar- very strong full bodied- good, but strong

Croissants:

  • Bechard, 12 Cr Mirabeau, possibly best croissant in aix (according to some)
  • Hats, 5 rue d’Italie
  • Paul, 3 Ave du Marechal Foch or 51 rue Espariat
  • Weibel, 2 rue Chabrier
  • Riederer, Place de la Mairie, 26 rue Vauvenargues (haven’t tried)

Cafes

  • bar le grillon (49 cours mirabeau)- my favorite cafe in terms of decor – belle epoque style. coffee not special, but they do make omelets…
  • nino cafe (41 cours mirabeau) – good coffee, reasonable croissant (more soft than flaky). no omelets but yes scrambled eggs.
  • cafe d’amour (58 cours mirabeau) – nice shady spot at end of mirabeau, good coffee, good croissants (from Hats bakery)
  • cafe les artistes (pl francois villon near tourist office) – easy cafe, lots of outdoor and semi outdoor space. friendly wait staff. coffee tastes ok but nothing to write home about.
    le singe verte (15 cours mirabeau)- nice traditional interiour with wood paneling. nice vibe. they have a outdoor terrace in the back (not sure when it is open). reasonable coffee.
  • carambou (13 cours mirabeau)- very quiet, weirdly empty. coffee not great.

Asian

  • Wasabi Lounge, (Sushi), 6 rue Aumone Vieille and 1 Rue de l’Annonciade, Aix  (Nancy) (I haven’t tried yet)
  • NKI Sushi, (Sushi), 7 rue de la masse, Aix (Michelle) (I haven’t tried yet)
  • Les Nouilles Vivantes Tchang (Chinese Noodles) Good homemade noodles. Clean cooking (fresh tasting) a little too much oil used… Have heard the ‘Ramen’ is excellent. Good nems
  • ‘Oh‘ (Korean/Japanese run by Vietnamese) = pretty good.  really good shrimp tempura. Bibimbap was  disappointing (NOT served in super hot ceramic bowl that keeps cooking the rice to be crispy). Fun decor
  • (Tay-Lai) (Vietnamese) (disappointing)- 16 bis Rue des Marseillais, Aix – .  Weird vietnamese crepe with hodgepodge of stuff inside, supposed to roll in lettuce (like Nems) – did they invent this or is this really a thing?  Crispy pork was too chewy on outside. Shrimp salad looked good. 25E lunch menu had lots of food, but seems expensive.
  • Li Palace (Chinese) 4 Emeric David Street, highly recommended by a Chinese national (not fake Chinese like me) as the best Chinese in Aix.
  • Sinh Ki (vietnamese) 33 rue de la Verrerie, good and reasonably priced. Good lunch menu. On the main menu I liked the flaming beef. Flaming shrimp looked really good too. (Don’t know the actual names but chef lights them on fire in front of you)
  • Delhi Delice 22 rue Felibre Gaut – (Indian) – very good, cheap and good lunch menu. Love the 2 grilled, marinated chicken dishes (Murg Tikka and Haryali Murg Tikka)

French:

  • La Crep ‘Sautiere (Crepes) 18 rue Bedarrides, Standard crepe fare.  A friend raved about it but I thought it was nothing special. Just crepes
  • Crespella, 9 rue Laurent Fauchier, (just at edge of square w/wild boar), upscale, delicate crepes. The parisienne was very good. The smoked salmon wasn’t as subtle.
  • De L’une a L’autre (French)- Lovely garden.  Food was good, but not amazing. A bit heavy. Standard French trying to be inventive but not really succeeding.  A bit pricey for what we got.  Not sure if I’d go back
  • Le Petit Verdot,(French) 7 rue d’Entrecasteaux.  Fine, but not amazing. Charming interior felt like old French countryside restaurant. Typical french fare- heavy meat etc. Reasonably priced.
  • La Tomate Verte 15 rue des tanneurs – Light, interesting food.  19E-27E lunch. Had an excellent dinner with friends.  Good, light, interesting! 41E for 3 course dinner. This is my favorite restaurant in Aix.
  • Drole d’Endroit 14 Rue Annonerie Vieille, Aix. Lovely, quirky little restaurant in hidden away alley.  Good food. Lunch: 10E appetizer, 15E main.  Great little glass of local wine for 4E.  Food not as amazing as Tomate Verte, but very good for lunch and reasonable price. Found my favorite white wine here ‘Leonie’, their ‘house wine’
  • Estello 1(?) Cours Mirabeau – LUNCH only – really nice lunch menu <=20E incl wine and coffee, changes daily. Good quality. Also gnocci plate is good.

Other:

  • Tita – (Felafel) – Really good felafel and chicken schwarma (~15E).  Big and satisfying. Cheap. Moved and now has sit down space and garden.
  • Mana – 14 rue courteissade, behind the Monoprix on Mirabeau. (you can cut through Monoprix to their back door) – cool cafe/restaurant, good coffee (some say the best in town), veggie restaurant, excellent ‘veggie burger’ which is portabello mushroom, halloumi cheese and tasty sauce(14E). They serve eggs too. Love the eggs tartine. Internet: 22M down, 6M up.
  • Les Petits Plats de Trinidad, rue d’Italie, very nice salads and other plates. Across the street is their takeaway place.

Alternative Cafes:

  • Columbus Cafe – built in 13th century convent off of cours mirabeau – looks totally modern in front, but go in and upstairs to see ancient beams and vaulted stone ceiling. Amazing internet.
  • Mana – see above ‘Other’

CoWork spaces:

  • Le 20/35 coworking – 16 ave des Belges. nice little space near bus station – pay what you want for the space and for the (excellent) drinks and snacks – idea of community and offering space to all.  Extra monitors mounted on the wall for those who want.

(AAGP) Nice restaurant for visitors (inlaws!)

(May 2022)

  • Here are a few:  La Petite Ferme,  Aix,  Mas Bottero near Puyricard.  In Ansuis, a lovely town, La Closerie.  The Bistro at Chateau de la Gaude.  A bit expensive but really nice place. (Karen W)
  • Friends recommended Le poulpe at Venelles or La Petite Ferme in Aix. (Monique)
  • La Table du Pigonnet, 5 Av. du Pigonnet
    • It’s very very nice (Jill M)
    • Perfect for in laws …!! very elegant!! (Florence Vernes)
    • …very chic but expensive (Michele Pic Duguet)
    • Good. Not cheap. (Karen Wildau)
    • Pigonnet is good too but $$$$$. (Jeannette Vila)
    • I live next to Hotel Pigonnet. Have had the opportunity to eat both inside and in the garden. I  prefer the garden, weather permitting, which is  also lovely to just have drinks in the comfortable seating and beautiful terraced landscape and statues. Expensive, but one of my favorites. (Lise Chevalier)
    • I have eaten several times at Le Pigonnet and it has always been excellent. …considered it for … [a] wedding… (Julia Jones)
    • Beautiful setting – fine food and wine – but with a price – we spent 200€ for 2 – wedding anniversary so worth it! (Margaret Ings)
    • We ended up going here and it was fantastic.  Dining in the BEAUTIFUL garden.  $$$ but many of the others were as $$$.  Menu 58E. (christine)
    • NOTE – above note was June 2022. We went again July 2023 and were sadly very disappointed. Nothing terrible, but nothing really outstanding. Appetizers had more subtlety, but mains were not amazing.
  • Auberge Borely à Cabries.    Mas des Ecureuils, les Milles (deparm)
  • I would recommend (Michèle P D)
    • In Aix
      La Tomate Verte 15 rue des tanneurs 0442600458
      La Librairie de l’Hôtel Boyer d’Eguille 6 rue Espariat 0980926575
      Le Bistrot 5 rue Campra 0442233461
      Koi 2 rue Paul Doumer 0442500505
      Les Petits Plats de Trinidad 10 rue d’Italie 0950021460
    • Outside Aix
      Maison Ste Victoire Route Cézanne D17 Saint Antonin sur bâton 0442235309
      La Bastide de Venelles rue des Michelons Venelles 0442540080
      Le Relais de Saint Ser, avenue Paul Cezanne Puyloubier 0442663726
  • Check out the Egremont hotel. Beautiful (Karen W)
  •  Drole d’endroit  in aix center. Have been there once before . Nice. Good cuisine. (Jeannette)
  • ‘29 miollis‘ is one of my favourites. Try also the Zinc d’Hugo and Le Bistrot for Lyon bouchon style french cooking.(EJ Sheil)
  • …personally I like Jardin Mazarin (Michele F)

(AAGP) Bouillabaisse

(Apr 2022)

  • The best  we ever ate (with a good quality/price ratio) is at the restaurant Hippocampe at l’Estaque.
    You need to book the bouillabaisse at least 48 hours in advance. There’s another restaurant  named Hippocampe on the Vieux-Port in Marseille which I’ve never experienced.(Catherine)
  • Another good resto “le Miramar” quai du port  Marseille (deparm)
  • Chez Michel, rue des Catalans.  L’Esplaï aux Goudes. Be aware that a real bouillabaisse must be booked 2 days in advance. Both are exceptional but parking is a nightmare. Michel: you can park @ parking du Pharo. Goudes: Uber or a taxi recommended. Or come with a small car. Bon appétit😋 (Pilou)
  • Yes, you are definitely right & the best, in our opinion after much research, is Michel on the Plage de Catalan in Marseilles-No terrace,no view of the sea, just an old fashioned family restaurant with striped tee shirts & waiters in White jackets. The best view will be watching the procedure of filleting & serving this wonderous dish. In business since 1946-they’re onto the 3rd generation! No wonder they’ve perfected the ritual.(Deanna)
  • I add Le Ruhr on the Corniche with a beautiful view on the sea. Miramar, Michel and Le Ruhl are delicious and stick to La Bouillabaisse charte and thus are a bit … expensive. (Nicole)
  • I shall add the restaurant in la calanque Morgiou. Le Nautic bar..nothing fancy but excellent bouillabaisse et a view to die for. Not many tourist’s (Solange)
  • Go to l’Estaque.  La Rade or l’Hippocamp.   You have a fab view of marseille but you don’t have to go in to Marseille UNLESS you take the shuttle boat. (well worth the trip) In Marseille itself, avoid the old Port but go to Fonfon in the Vallon des Auffes. (EJ S)
  • I wouldn’t go to La Rade. L’hippocampe is good but has changed proprietor. Since then, very different. Another option is Niolon , a calanque between l Estaque and Ensues la redone. L Auberge du Mérou or La Pergola. Amazing view of Marseille.(Solange)
  • Word of a real Marseillaise and proud of it 😉  Il you want an authentic bouillabaisse, in the tradition, rouille and fresh fish (not frozen, as everywhere else except “Chez Michel”) and a charming, almost incredible setting in the heart of the city, you should go to “Chez Fonfon” in the Vallon des Auffes (Corniche). It is an institution and an incredible view of the bay of Marseilles and an unforgettable view of the passage of the big pavilions of cruises or clouds of sailboats 🙂 (Martine)
  • I’d just like to second Martine’s recommendation (Chez Fonfon, Vallon des Auffes in Marseille). Excellent bouillabaisse – and you will not want anything else to eat that day :))  Bon app! (Caroline)