limmat

"Getting a table at Limmat is kind of a pain. You’ll have to call often or show up before they open at 7pm, but it’s worth the effort. The short menu changes daily, based on what’s at the markets that day: always local seafood and whatever produce is in season, prepared in the pocket-size open kitchen on the first floor. This place sits halfway up a long, wide stairway leading to Cours Julien—a graffiti-streaked neighborhood where everyone in Marseille goes out—and in warm weather the restaurant takes over half the staircase. The tables are topped with plates of smashed sweet potatoes with grilled corn bread, and bonito carpaccio with kohlrabi and apple. The combo of the heat, late sunsets, and the natural wine flowing makes for a giddy atmosphere, with Marseillais of every stripe climbing up and down the stairs." - sophie friedman

"Getting a table at Limmat is kind of a pain. You’ll have to call often or show up before they open at 7pm, but it’s worth the effort. The short menu changes daily, based on what’s at the markets that day: always local seafood and whatever produce is in season, prepared in the pocket-size open kitchen on the first floor. This place sits halfway up a long, wide stairway leading to Cours Julien—a graffiti-streaked neighborhood where everyone in Marseille goes out—and in warm weather the restaurant takes over half the staircase. The tables are topped with plates of smashed sweet potatoes with grilled corn bread, and bonito carpaccio with kohlrabi and apple. The combo of the heat, late sunsets, and the natural wine flowing makes for a giddy atmosphere, with Marseillais of every stripe climbing up and down the stairs." - Sophie Friedman

"A storefront tucked into a graffiti-covered stone staircase leading up from the Cours Julien to the Rue d’Aubagne is the offbeat setting for one of the most popular new restaurants in Marseille. Chef Lili Gadola, who formerly worked at Épicerie L’Idéal, cooks up a chalkboard menu that changes daily. The offerings usually include fresh local seafood and dishes from her native Switzerland, which also supplied the name of her restaurant; the Limmat is a river that empties into Lake Zurich. Expect intriguingly creative and carefully prepared dishes like onions stuffed with grouper in a coulis of dried figs and fennel; Sardinian ravioli dusted with Parmesan; and red tuna sashimi with smoked bonito, chickpeas, zucchini, fava beans, and peppers." - Alexander Lobrano

My favorite meal