Best Brunch In Marseille: The Definitive Guide

Marseille, France, is a city that begs to be explored on foot. The beautiful le Vieux Port, the old port, the historic district, its magnificent cathedral, and its squares connected with labyrinths of cobbled streets just entice you to wander from one to the other discovering what's hidden around the next corner.

It is, in reality, a sightseeing expedition that will require stamina. A petit déjeuner consisting of a quick cafe au lait and a tartine won't be enough to keep your body fueled and raring to go. What you'll need to help you get through the day is a good déjeuner à la fourchette or better said, brunch.

One of the gems of France, Marseille may be famous for pastis and fresh fish but it's unlikely that a shot of anis or a plate of sea bass is what you'll find appetizing if you're hoping to indulge in a late breakfast. Inventive southern French dishes may be delicious food, but far better saved for dinner than eaten for brunch. Munching on typical, sugar-coated French breakfast pastries like pain au chocolat might seem like a good idea, but after the initial sugar rush, it'll leave you with a rumbling tummy and feeling fatigued.

Skip the tempting bakeries in favor of treating yourself to the best brunch in Marseille. That way you'll have enough energy to spend the entire day doing whatever you want including paddleboarding or kayaking around the Calanques of Marseille.

You can't go in search of Marseille cooking at its best or go sightseeing or kayaking if you're stuck with your bags. Get unstuck by leaving your belongings at one of the Bounce luggage storage facilities in Marseille. They're conveniently located near Saint Charles Station for ease of access and incredibly reasonable to hire, security tagged, and fully insured. Drop your stuff off, close the locker and forget all about your belongings until you want to collect them. 

So Where Are The Best Brunch Spots In Marseille, France?

If a plate of succulent fried baby squid tickles your brunch taste buds then you'll only have to head to the le Vieux Port area of the city to find what you're looking for. If squid doesn't get your midmorning gastric juices flowing, try some of the following brunch spots in Marseille instead.

La Fiancée Marseille

La Fiancée Marseille is a cafeteria on the Rue Haxo that knows how to keep a brunch crowd happy. Bang-up to date with an all-white décor that borders on shabby chic but classier, La Fiancée Marseille is smart, modern, and inviting.

The brunch menu at La Fiancée Marseille is of the modern era too and is designed to appetize international palates. You choose how you want your brunch and with what extras so here you can elevate a simple plate of eggs on toast to a whole new level by adding any of the numerous extra ingredients. They make great American-style pancakes too complete with a decent helping of bacon and syrup.

They have a variety of gluten-free products on the menu at La Fiancée Marseille including a vegan and gluten-free porridge and special gluten-free bread. The mushroom burger served with salad and grilled baby potatoes is a big winner with the local vegan crowd, so if you're a non-meat eater don't skip trying it.

It doesn't matter what time you roll up to La Fiancée Marseille for brunch as they serve the same menu all day from the moment they open at 10 am until they close at 6 pm.

Urban Kitchen

If you're hoping to grab some brunch before going sightseeing in the Place Castellane, you won't go far wrong if you head for the Urban Kitchen. The Urban Kitchen is a Marseille brunch place located on the Avenue de Corinthe which is less than a ten-minute walk from the historic square.

Housed in super trendy premises with a natural wood finish, this stylish restaurant is bright and airy and, unless you're unfortunate and it's a rainy day in Marseille, it has a huge terrace for al fresco dining.

The Urban Kitchen doesn't present a set brunch menu but rather one that's created new every day and no two days are ever the same. Weekends at the Urban Kitchen are when the brunch service is taken up a couple of notches. From June through to November they serve a buffet-style Sunday brunch of amazing savory hot and cold dishes like wraps, cold meats, cheeses, frittatas, and salads plus a massive selection of sweet pastries and scrumptious cakes. Drinks like fresh juices, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are also included.

Urban Kitchen's Sunday brunch is not the cheapest of brunches around, but you can eat as much as you like for the two hours you have your table. The first service is at 11:30 am and the second sitting is at 1:30 pm, so you can enjoy a long weekend lay-in without missing out on brunch.

Sepia

When a posh brunch is on the agenda, make a beeline for Sepia on the Rue Vauvenarugues in Marseille, France. Sepia is a restaurant that's owned by the very debonair Chef Paul Langlère who worked in several Alain Ducasse restaurants before starting up on his own.

At Sepia, you can expect to be served a brunch worthy of a Michelin star and one that's full of surprises as the brief lunch menu is changed on a daily basis. It's posh nosh at its best no matter what is on the menu be it gravlax which is home-cured salmon or grilled duck breast with Jerusalem artichoke puree.

Sepia is close to le Vieux Port so also specializes in fresh fish and seafood like oysters, mussels, and octopus. When you want a special seafood dish for brunch then try the sea anemone beignets which come served with a seaweed sauce. They're exquisite, but don't turn up late. Brunch-lunch service sticks to the very strict French service hours of midday to two in the afternoon. Don't forget your credit card either as you won't be paying for a meal here with small change.

Le Petit Nice Passedat

You may well have come across Le Petit Nice Passedat while you were searching for where to stay in Marseille, sighed with delight at the sight of the renovated art deco hotel, and then continued looking for somewhere a little more reasonable to stay.

If this beautiful seafront hotel was way out of your budget range, then spoil yourself once and go for brunch in the hotel restaurant which also goes by the same name. It might be by the seafront, but this is not somewhere for casual dining. Don't arrive in your swimsuit and beach flip flops or you'll quite likely be asked, very politely, to leave.

This excellent seafood restaurant is truly a level above any other seafood restaurant in Marseille and has three Michelin stars to prove it. Every dish they prepare here is special, so don't go expecting bacon and eggs with pancakes on the side. If you're not into seafood brunches, save the gastronomic experience for later and book a table for dinner here instead.

SportBeach

If you woke up and rushed out of your accommodation keen to get to the beach in Marseille and skipped breakfast in your haste, check out SportBeach on Avenue Pierre Mendes. Once you're there you'll probably decide to stay all day. It's definitely one of the must-eat restaurants in town.

SportBeach is a seafront swimming pool complex with a bar and restaurant. They specialize in brunch food like poke bowls, burgers, and avocado on focaccia as well as a big variety of sushi. The menu is more akin to street food than fine dining. SportBeach has one of the best cocktail bars in Marseille, so don't doubt in indulging in one of their inventive craft cocktails as an aperitif while lounging on a sunbed, followed by a refreshing swim, and then a healthy poke bowl. It's a great cure if you had a late night the evening before.

SportBeach has a regular Sunday buffet brunch which they serve from eleven in the morning until four in the afternoon. It's pricey but offers a large choice of different dishes. 

Emilie And The Cool Kids

If you're out shopping in Marseille and hunger strikes while you're in the Les Terrasses du Port mall then you won't want to miss dropping into Emilie And The Cool Kids for a quick brunch.

Emilie And The Cool Kids is housed in a super cool candy-pink and white premises that has definite French flair as far as the décor is concerned. The food is as colorful as the building and here you can tuck into brunch treats like filled bagels, super-sized hot dogs with all the trimmings, and pancakes dressed with fresh fruit and cream. 

While they don't have a massive selection of food at this coffee shop, what they do offer is freshly made and top quality. For something healthy and energizing go for the fruit and granola bowls or the bagel with scrambled egg and smoked salmon. Popular drinks here are hot chocolate, which comes topped with whipped cream, and milkshakes.

Maison Boheme

While you can't pop into Maison Boheme for brunch from Monday to Friday, you can visit on Saturdays and Sundays to get one of the best weekend brunches in Marseille.

Maison Boheme is one of the best modern bistros in the city. Located on Rue Saint-Sebastien in the heart of the city, it opens its doors at midday on the weekends to serve brunch made from local seasonal produce for two hours only. This Bohemian bistro has a somewhat eclectic appearance but don't let the green-painted exterior and trailing plants put you off. Inside is a little on the wild side too but the food makes up for the clashing of the decoration.

During the week, the intimate bistro works with a lunch menu that includes dishes like avocado on toast with a poached egg, club sandwiches, tuna tataki, various salads, fruit salads, and poke bowls plus vegetarian plates like hummus and falafel.

Over the weekends the Maison Boheme works with a fixed-price brunch menu, which more or less consists of what's on their everyday lunch menu, but includes drinks like hot chocolate, tea, coffee, and fresh juices as well.

De bon'heur

Any vegans and vegetarians searching for a brunch spot in Marseille will be over the moon when they find de bon'heur on the Boulevard Baille in the Marseille, France city center.

With a simple décor bordering on the minimalist, de bon'heur screams natural, and it is. It's a one hundred percent vegan cafeteria that serves nothing more than plant-based food from 8 am to 6 pm.

At de bon'heur you can tuck into a selection of sweet and savory pancakes, filled sandwiches, vegan burgers, and salad bowls as well as vegan desserts and non-dairy shakes.

Question de Gout

This Marseille brunch spot on the Avenue Joseph Vidal may have a very off-putting name, but don't let that stop you from going here for brunch.

A Question of Gout is a bistronomic restaurant, whatever one of those may be, that serves a special daily brunch menu, which by any other name would be called a breakfast menu. Here you can sample avocado toast, English muffins, and gravlax bagels, or indulge your sweet tooth with a bowl of posh rice pudding flavored with caramel butter.

For those that are mega hungry, you can choose to have a two, three, or four plate brunch and for a few euros extra wash it all down with an Irish coffee.

Conclusion

While you will find brunch in Marseille if you search hard enough, it isn't, in all honesty, the most exciting meal you could go for in this French city. Brunch in Marseille can also work out to be quite expensive so instead of lazing in bed, get up, eat breakfast and save your euros for a more satisfying meal. But, if you love to brunch in France, Marseille has plenty to keep your stomach full. Besides, brunch is the perfect activity before you head out and explore the fantastic museums in town.