BRASSERIE LE SOLEIL — Restaurant in Marseille

On a quest for the preeminent dish of Marseille, bouillabaisse, I ended up at the promising Le Soleil. Big mistake. Worst bouillabaisse ever! The meal began on a sour note when the stereotypical snooty French waiter questioned my ordering the steak tartare by asking, "Does Monsieur know what that is he is ordering?", perhaps presuming that as an American I wanted a hamburger instead. I responded by asking if the chef knew how to properly prepare it. As it turned out, he did and that dish was quite good. So was the wine. And even the waiter grew more pleasant. The bouillbase was none of those. No rouille, no shellfish at all, and tasteless. More of an average fish soup. Not the silky, fullness one expects from this delicacy, and a real letdown for what is claimed to be a masterpiece dish of Marseille. I don't know if they were once more being condescending, thinking I wouldn't know what real boullibaisse is supposed to be or if they are simply incompetent. In any case, in the name of French cuisine, they should be ashamed. Dine anywhere else.

UPDATED in response to Owner's response: Dear Sirs, I appreciate your response to my review – it demonstrates concern for what you produce. However, I reaffirm my comments. Attached are 3 well-established French chef’s recipes for bouillabaisse: Escoffier, Larousse, and Jacques Pepin (along with Julia Child - see below). Contrary to your assertion, all of these recipes include some form of shellfish: Escoffier includes “spiny lobster”, Larousse calls for “10 crabs”, and Pepin has “1 ½ pounds clams and ½ pound scallops”. I will grant you that the latter recipe can also be considered “Mediterranean Fish Stew” but as the description says, it is also “identified as ‘bouillabaisse’”. I also concede to you that – as the description by Julia Child goes on to say, “There was much debate in Marseille about what goes into and what does not go into an ‘authentic’ bouillabaisse that there was no singular definition or recipe”. À chacun ses gouts. I – and apparently and these and other eminent chefs -- prefer a bit of shellfish. Furthermore, you are wrong – I did not receive any rouille with my “bouillabaisse” at your restaurant. I hope this information invites you to explore more about the bouillabaisse ("A Guide To Modern Cookery" by A. Escoffier, "La Laroussse de la Cuisine", "Smithsonian Food History") as well as how it is served in your...

• Location & view: The brasserie is located at 27 Quai des Belges, 13001 Marseille (along the Vieux-Port). Its terrace offers a strong waterfront setting, which many guests appreciate.  • Cuisine & menu: The menu features seafood and classic brasserie-style dishes. Reviews mention good value for dishes like moules-frites, plancha seafood and even a bouillabaisse.  • Service experience: Several visitors praise the staff’s friendliness and professionalism, noting that the service helped elevate the meal. For example: “Service et nourriture de qualité, personnel accueillant et à l’écoute.”  • Good value for the location: Given its tourist-friendly spot on the Vieux-Port, many guests feel the pricing is reasonable and the food quantity generous. 

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⚠️ Things to keep in mind • Quality variation: While many dishes receive praise, there are criticisms about some meals. Examples: one guest said the rouget was wrapped in panure and the mashed potato side seemed “industrial”.  • Noise and busy environment: Being on the port’s main quay means traffic noise and crowds can be part of the experience. One review mentioned “the noise constant of the vehicles passing” as a minor drawback.  • Expect tourist-zone standards: Because of its prime location, part of the experience is in the setting rather than ultra-fine dining. Some reviews say the ambiance or attention to finer detail (in sauces or sides) could improve.  • Service inconsistency: A few reviews note slower service, missing items or lesser attention, especially when busy. E.g., a reviewer reported dry chicken and even a hair in...

Poor service and utterly disappointed. First restaurant I have been in France (just over 2 weeks now) I will refuse to visit again. I went on a Monday night around 10:30pm due to a late train from Nice. There were only 2 other couples at the time so the restaurant was not busy at all and there were 3 young gentlemen who were working. All 3 refused to come to take our order after sitting us down for about 20 minutes, after repeatedly waving at them. I am certain they all noticed us as we had made eye contact, but they just simply ignored our family. When we finally got service after stating an "excuse-moi", one of the young males attended to our table and was not impressed we called out to him - he gave off a very negative vibe and was very dismissive in replying to questions we had about the menu. My sister ordered a bouillabaisse and there was no spoon with her dish. Again, we called out to two of the waiters for a spoon and waited for 20 minutes before we got one to start her meal. It was strange, both waiters acknowledged we needed a spoon and blatantly saw us waiting after calling out to them but kept their priorities with cleaning glasses and fiddling with the counter.. it seemed like they did not want to be there and did not care. The food however was not bad; generous with bread, steak cooked well, croutons and mustard were lovely but the bouillabaisse smelt a little too fishy and too many bones. Would I recommend it to tourists, families, friends? Not in the slightest chance. Service and quality are number one and with this restaurant.. this was clearly not one of...