Chez Marie en Corse — Restaurant in Corte

We were a little shocked at the place when we first pulled up, but don't worry. It looks a little rough and sketchy, but I assure you it's not. The place is an older building in an area of Corsica that looks like the desert. There isn't anything lush or lavish around it, so don't expect that. The building is nothing more than a two story rectangle housing a tobacco shop, bar, snack bar, and 4 or so rooms for rent upstairs. Again, don't fear. The owners have turned the place into their own little work of art. They have outfitted all the downstairs restaurant and lounge rooms with excellent retro furniture and decorations. The rooms were extremely clean and nice. We went in mid August, so it was hotter than hades. There was NO air conditioning, so the hot nights were very difficult to sleep through. The afternoons were intolerable in the rooms, definitely find some shade near the beach or the river to stay cool. The owners also have many great suggestions for beaches nearby and a quiet spot by the river where you can cool off from the summer heat. Their directions weren't the best and we got lost a few times because of them, but in the end we found everything just fine. Corsica is HUGE and it's really hard to get from place to place. If you stay here, know it's not really near any of the famous touristy beaches. It is, however, very close to an incredibly beautiful beach that has a great beachside restaurant and the river. It is also close to a small town with a handful of restaurants, bakeries, pharmacies, gift shops, etc. If you do stay here, don't fly into Ajaccio unless you love scary mountain driving. It was a good 2 hours from Ajaccio along a very terrifying road for someone...

We spent 4 nights at Chez Marie. The room was very nicely decorated, squeaky clean, but more importantly, the mattresses were really comfy, which is so important to us, when we travel. Chez Marie is a small hotel and restaurant (close to the beautiful beach and also very close to mountain villages and stunning hikes). Sergio (one of the owners) also serves absolutely yummy food for lunch and dinner (check out the weekdays on which food is served). I discussed with Sergio about food and cooking and he is ever so passionate about it, the seasonal local products (veges, meats, cheese etc.) and his creative corsican/italian cuisine. We never even thought about eating elsewhere during our stay as we were keen to taste as many dishes as possible. Breakfast (yummy with Jams and Marmelades homemade by Pascal's mum) and also dinner is served in the secluded garden behind the house. Not to miss! Pascal will also tell you all about the local attractions and good places to visit, beaches, hikes, villages etc. Just ask. ||Can't wait...

This review is for the restaurant of Chez Marie, which also offers rooms to stay overnight.

The restaurant has a very nice garden which is nicely decorated and illuminated. The food is truly homemade, including the pasta and tastes very nice. Typical Italian Osteria style.

Unfortunately, we perceived prices as completely out of range! A not very large plate of a from an ingredient perspective very basic noodle dish (e.g., Pasta Amatriciana) costs 22 Euro. This is more than double the price of what the same dish would cost in Italy in a comparable quality and setting. Hence, price value not...