"Café Panisse (formerly Café Pastis) is so French, it feels like you need a valid passport to eat here. Whether you decide to come for lunch or dinner, here are a few things you can always expect: housemade baguette is dropped on the table in a brown paper bag, receipts are handwritten, and when it’s someone's birthday, they ring a massive sailor’s bell. Whether you order the tender lamb shank or buttery roasted grouper, a meal here is always delicious and comforting—like it was made by a grand-mère from Marseille. The French may have had the worst streak of Louis in power, but what they missed in monarchs, they made up for in cheesy decadent foods. Café Panisse reaffirms this." - mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo