The Best Brunch Spots In the Old Port, Marseille

On the very edge of Marseille’s harbor, Restaurant Au Vieux Port is the perfect spot to enjoy breakfast with a view. Brunch may seem a little steep, but you definitely get your money’s worth, included in the price is a hot drink of your choice, fruit juice and access to the unlimited brunch buffet, comprising a countless array of sweet and savory, and hot and cold dishes. The popular brunch is only available on Sundays from midday until 3pm so booking in advance is highly recommended. You can come here during the week, though, for equally delicious pizzas cooked in their wood-fired oven.

Situated a couple of streets east from the Old Port itself, Longchamp Palace is worth rooting out if you’re after a great Sunday brunch in a stylish, art-deco environment. The breakfast includes a mixed savory dish as well as a self-service buffet comprising a number of carefully chosen seasonal dishes. The skilled chefs have created a mouth-watering selection of sweet and savory plates with a tasty blend of flavors that change along with the seasons. Come back in the evening when Longchamp Palace is transformed into one of Marseille’s trendiest and most popular bars.

Club House Vieux Port does not, strictly speaking, offer a breakfast or brunch menu for its customers. But the restaurant’s self-service buffet concept, consisting of over 200 unique dishes, allows you to mix and match any combination of their sweet and savory selections. Whether you’ve got more of a sweet tooth or prefer to start the day off with a savory meal, you can create your perfect plate inspired by flavors from around the world. If you’re a late riser or don’t mind waiting a while for breakfast, Club House Vieux Port could be a great brunch option for your visit to Marseille.

Marseille’s Hotel Dieu, just a two minutes’ walk away from the Old Port, forms part of the InterContinental luxury hotel group, and its adjoining restaurant ‘Les Fenêtres’ is an unsurprisingly lavish location to have breakfast. When the sun is shining, the terrace is the ideal place to sit back and relax with a cup of coffee and a pastry, surrounded by the hotel’s gardens and the magnificent facade. And if the, usually flawless, Mediterranean weather isn’t on your side, the elegant dining room, where you’ll find the extensive breakfast buffet, is just as charming.

Unlike most restaurants in Marseille, whose main inspiration comes from Mediterranean and Southern French cuisine, L’ambassade de Bretagne offers a taste of regional Breton fare just a stone’s throw from the Old Port. Throughout the week, the restaurant serves hearty meals from the northern French region of Brittany, but come on a Sunday to sample l’Ambassade’s gargantuan brunch. Served between 11am and 3pm, the savory buffet, comprising soups, charcuterie meats, smoked fish, vegetables, tarts and cheeses, is followed by the sweet buffet of fresh fruit and an assortment of Breton crêpes. Here you can also purchase authentic Breton cider and jams to take away with you.

For a great breakfast any day of the week head to Le Comptoir Dugommier, just a short walk away from the Old Port proper. The café opens early and serves breakfast until midday so it is perfect for early and late risers alike. The food is simple but flavorsome and they use fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced locally. The set breakfast menu in particular, consisting of tea or coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and croissants is great value for money. Sit out on the terrace on sunny mornings for a more than agreeable start to the day, or inside the vintage-inspired café when the temperatures drop.

Victor Café’s menu encompasses a number of unique and imaginative dishes. The restaurant, like the hotel it is affiliated to, is a trendy, stylish location in which to enjoy a luxurious Sunday brunch. You’ll be greeted with a glass of champagne on arrival and will then be free to help yourself to pastries, charcuterie meats, cheeses, salads and desserts, all made fresh on site. Take a seat on the terrace overlooking the turquoise-blue swimming pool for a feel of the French Connection while you breakfast. Alternatively, dine in style in the restaurant-cum-art gallery, admiring the oeuvres of local and international artists alike which adorn the walls.