La Boîte à Sardine

Had an amusing and tasty lunch at this very original seafood restaurant. The decor is definitely off beat as is the service. But it is full of charm and humour. More pertinently the oysters were pure ocean deliciousness and the langoustine ravioli outstanding. The wine by the glass is correct. So is the price. Worth a visit but come with a tolerant attitude.

Having read previous reviews of this restaurant, I was expecting great food and, maybe, a ”grumpy” proprietor. Well, I definitely got the former but thankfully not the latter. As a lone diner, I was treated warmly, kindly and with great humour. No hint of grumpiness! Lunch here was a memorable experience thanks to the aforementioned proprietor, the quirky space and the authentic, imaginative menu. I cannot wait to return to Marseilles so I can eat in this wonderful place again.

There were only 2 options to choose the main course from, but they were absolutely delicious! Fresh and incredibly tasty and a fair price!

Original good quality limited(in a good way) menu. Only open lunchtimes for 2 sittings 12&2 really need to book. Quirky,excellent food choice of about 3 starters & 3 mains of what’s in season

This restaurant is not just for food but for an experience. The owner is very helpful and walks you through everything on the menu depending on the freshly caught fish. The atmosphere is immaculate and everything is done in this fisherman, sea style. I really enjoyed the design. The food was fresh and really tasty. Everything was fresh. The only issues was one meal with small seashells, it was very tasty but after eating it, you would have like a sand stuck in your teeth which wasn’t very pleasant. Other than that, a great restaurant experience, tasty food and pleasant prices.

Yes yes yes this is what good food means, this is what being passionate about food means! Every dish was fresh and delicious and the service so enthusiastic about the food. Nothing fancy, just honest food, fresh fish for a great price and the place also looks so fun. Make sure to go right as they open to get a table and just enjoy this place and its atmosphere.

What a WONDERFUL experience overall! The food was superb, staff/chef was extremely accommodating and ambiance was unmatched. The prices were more than fair for the amount of delicious food. We will most definitely be coming back. This is a MUST SEE if you’re looking for fresh and local fish.

A local restaurant picking fresh seafood daily as ingredients. Terrific and lovely settings. Though they only open few hours a day but you should come here for seafood in Marseilles. We ordered their special made anchovies, clams, fish & chips and monk fish. Fish & chips is not fillet as usual we have, but three piece of whole fish. I would say “Must try” 😊

Oh la la ... the best ambiance! Great spot with colorful fish related decor - delights everywhere you 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! Fresh seafood! Try everything The place the flavors a good place to visit

La Boîte à Sardine is only open 2.5 hours per day, so time your visit carefully. The seafood is fabulously fresh, the setting utterly wild, the staff hard-working & charming, and your fellow patrons are themselves worth the visit. Also, it's incredibly inexpensive. And be sure to make reservations.

restaurant fantastique avec un personnel chaleureux et accueillant. excellent service et fruits de mer frais cuits à la perfection. assurez-vous de faire une réservation à l'avance.

Only open 2.5 hours each day, they are experts. The chief comes to introduce the menu. The food is FRESH. The ambiance is unlike any other. Highly recommend. (I don't right reviews often, or ever ... but this time I had to).

I'm going to give 5 stars because our starters were wonderful. Main courses were very good but not quite at the same level but the overall experience for our lunch was fantastic. The co-owner Fabian brought the menu boards to us and went through our options and described how he has 3 different fishermen who supply their catch to him. We settled on 6 oysters, the tuna tartare and a stuffed sardine type dish. All three were fantastic. I'm talking our minds were kind of blown as we ate the tuna tartare- best I've ever had. The mains were really good but we didn't love them quite as much. Their fish and chips were small fried fish that were partially filet'd and they came with a polenta like "chip" instead of French fries. We would definitely return for lunch again. I would suggest making reservations since their supplies of fish are limited to what is fresh. Oh and the light dessert was simple and flavorful- a sheep/ goat milk cheese that was very subtle with a strawberry sauce enveloping it. Lovely.

You have to have fresh fish while in Marseille, so what better place than a restaurant that was also a fish market? La Boite À Sardine is only open from about 11am-3pm, and if you only go to ONE place for fish in Marseille, go here. You can call ahead for a reservation (they only speak French) or wait up to an hour for a table, either way it will be worth the effort. Trust me :) This is not a touristy place, so don't expect any English spoken (I had to tell a guy looking for the bathroom where it was because the wait staff didn't know what he was asking). They are very friendly and helpful, and will show you the fresh items on the menu if you don't understand the French words:) This was the most fun place I went to during my entire five days in Marseille. One of the chefs literally wrestled a huge live lobster on the counter, I met two local women at the counter who both said this was their favorite place in Marseille, and the staff joked with me throughout my meal, saying I had to finish my plate by closing time at 3pm, and when I didn't touch the bread basket after seeing the copious plates of food, they asked if I was on a diet:) Even though I never asked for wine (3.5 Euros or about $4 USD), they served me a glass since it was inconceivable that anyone would eat without drinking some wine! I started with six medium sized Camargues oysters which arrived with their shells on, and my favorite addition, wedges of fresh lemon for 12 Euros or about $14 USD. They were "medium" to the staff, but large to me; I barely had room to put the shells once I lifted the "lids" off the oysters! I ordered the mackerel with mustard sauce and sardine croquettes which had a minty tomato sauce side, and when this platter came out I gasped; ONE serving had TWO mackerel and FOUR croquettes for 14 Euros or about $16 USD! Now you see why the waiters said I had to finish by closing time:) The mackerel had the most tender sweet flesh I've ever tasted for mackerel and honestly I was satisfied after eating one, but it was so good I slowly finished both. The sardine croquettes were a bit dry without the tomato sauce, and I only ate about one and a half because the fish was so good. The fun decor of the dining room with scales, nets, and shells is continued in the toilette downstairs. The metro and tram were only a few steps away so I could hop a ride back to take a nap :)

What a great spot in Marseille! The food, owner & service are all on point. Can't wait to go back next time we're in the area.

In A Nutshell: -A very nice place for lunch. -They don't have a menu bc everyday is unique depending on what is caught in the morning. -Today, we had some spiny lobster, small lobster/shrimp, fried anchovies, fresh tuna salad and legumes. -The fried anchovies were to die for, much preferable vs. fries :) -Everything was very tasty and it all went down perfect w/ some cold white wine. Overall, connected w/ one of the twin bros via Facebook. He plans to open a restaurant in either San Francisco or Portland, plus he's a huge Steph Curry fan. DUBNATION in Marseille!

Fresh and delicious seafood menu makes this place the go-to neighborhood gem. Not only do they also have food bread but their plates come with fresh salads on the side, which for some reason has been hard to find in many Marseille restaurants. It's not a big place so call ahead or come early. Or super late.

This tiny poissonerie-restaurant serves great fresh seafood to a local lunch crowd. We ordered from their 'menu box' a nice selection of chilled shrimp, and raw, freshly shucked oysters and sea urchins (they're shucked at the fish shop right outside).