URBAN GUIDE

It’s a major trend these days: places where you can enjoy good, eco-responsible vegetarian (and sometimes vegan) food in a pleasant setting.

Places for healthy, organic eating are springing up all over Marseille. L’Arrosoir, for example, offers one dish made with local, seasonal, organic produce, a different recipe each day. The vegetables are served in a bowl, and you add a serving of meat or fish as desired. The desserts are home made too, a reassuring proof of quality for diners hankering after natural nourishment. On a more “lifestyle” note but still organic and eco-friendly, Essentiel Lifestore is a concept store that Claire Grolleau opened in September 2017. On one side jeans, flip-flops, china and more, displayed in simple style; on the other the tables, from where you can admire the cathedral vaults. The vegetarian menu  is made mainly from local produce.  The €28 Sunday brunch is a big success, a feast of fresh eggs, bread and butter, honey, vegetables and a side dish. It’s worth going for the home-made chocolate spread alone. Dr Max in Marseille town centre takes its name from Maxime Taccoen, a qualified pharmacist and former biologist who had long dreamed of opening a veggie restaurant, using his knowledge to provide enjoyable, balanced nourishment with less protein. Not far from there, Félicie Billet runs a tiny 22m2 snack bar called Scoby (for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). There you can discover kombucha, a fermented drink celebrated in China as an elixir of long life and “a miracle for the intestinal flora,” explains Félicie, a trained naturopath. She also serves kefir, vegetable “milks”, juiced greens and an entirely raw dish of the day “because raw food has all its vitamins, minerals and enzymes intact.”

Arrosoir : 57 bd des Dames, Marseille 2^e – Tél. 09 54 22 65 71
Essentiel Lifestore : 44-46 quai de la Tourette, Marseille 2^e – Tél. 04 91 45 26 32
Dr Max : 23 rue Glandeves, Marseille 1^er – Tél. 06 61 32 02 05
Scoby : 1 rue Pythéas, Marseille 1^er