Le Bouchon Provençal — Restaurant in Marseille

my partner and i made a last minute reservation for 7pm tonight and did not regret it. the reviews don’t talk about this place enough!

both members of staff on tonight were very friendly and helpful - despite us not knowing much french. the outdoor atmosphere by the port was wonderful, not too loud or quiet. we were served quickly and made some chit chat with the waitress who was very kind.

there were complimentary olives given as we sat down.

my partner ordered the filet de bœuf (steak) with roquefort. for people who like medium rare, we recommend medium as there is no medium rare in france, but with the thickness medium is perfect. he would argue it was in the top 3 steaks he has ever eaten and was “fantastic”! it also came with complimentary bread.

i ordered the souris d’agneau (lamb shank) and it was so yummy. very tender, easy to pull off the bone, seasoned well and delicious!

with a large still water, a coke zero and a desperado, the total came to exactly €83 (£70)

it was busy in the street but at 7pm the restaurant is practically empty allowing you to bask in the ambience. as we were finishing up our meal is when it began to get busy so keep that in mind if you value quietness!

we definitely recommend this restaurant if you want somewhere a little more fancy. thank you...

Don't make the same mistake that we did. I am so surprised that this restaurant has such good reviews. Food is average, we were very hungry so we ate it. But profiterol was very bad, the chocolate had a bitter sour taste. However what I was most shocked at was the service. Waiters were all nice, but we ordered the tartar which just came with fries and a small salad on the side. No toast or butter. We had to use the leftover bread from out charcuterie board. I asked for butter, they brought a small piece and had the nerve to charge us for it!! I would have probably not left a review if this didn't happen, just another average restaurant, whatever. But I find it completely outrageous that with a dinner of over €150 we were charged for a piece of butter, regardless the value!! (I love tartar and tried it in hundreds different places, it ALWAYS comes with butter and toast...

I took my family who is visiting from the states here for lunch yesterday. The service was very friendly and the location is lovely. For our first plate we had mussels and a salad. The mussels were delicious- but despite the salad being called an « assiette de fraîcheur » the melon and avocado were spoiled and we didn’t eat them. We came specifically for the beef tartare and while it was tasty- when it was served it looked like it may have been a little old. We should have complained to the server- but instead we assumed that the kitchen would take care of the guests. Unfortunately today everyone who ate tartare is sick and we had to cancel our plans for the day. I would expect better from a restaurant with such a high rating. I advise the restaurant to take better care of the quality of the products they are serving....