I’m always struck by how quickly the scenery can change after just three hours on a train.
Instead of traffic clogged with red berets, eye-rolling waiters, and unpredictable weather—you’re greeted by laid-back southerners, warm hospitality, and a constant sweet sea breeze.
The Paris–Marseille route has become routine for me: perfect climate, the sea waiting at the end, and no compromises when it comes to food or wine.
Here are the places worth stopping for a glass of Bandol.
My Favorite Wine Bars in Marseille
Nabu et Jero
24 Pl. Notre Dame du Mont
The Cours Julien quarter is Marseille in miniature. Pastel façades layered with graffiti, neighborhood dives and burger joints sharing ground floors with art studios, all watched over by a 19th-century neo-Gothic church. Nabu et Jero has slipped into this company effortlessly.
At first glance, it might seem like just another natural wine bar—unknown producers, playful neon-acid labels, and ten euros for a questionable glass of red. But no. One of the owners, Hugues-Emmanuel, is actually allergic to natural wines with obvious flaws.
Even so, all of his suppliers work with minimal intervention in both vineyard and cellar. A bottle of pét-nat from the Loire, a biodynamic Cahors, or an orange from Languedoc runs about 30 euros. By the glass, expect to pay around 6–7.
The second co-owner, Alexis, studied in Japan and works masterfully with fish and seafood. For an aperitif with chartreuse and tonic, be sure to order a Marseille specialty—panisses with sun-dried tomatoes. From there, move on to langoustine crudo, mullet carpaccio, and seared tuna tataki.
Les Lumières
34 Grand Rue
By day it’s a specialty coffee shop, by night a wine-focused gastrobar. Before wandering through Marseille’s oldest district, Le Panier, we stop for a glass on the terrace at Les Lumières, right at the quarter’s edge.
Here you’re always offered a few tastings before choosing what will end up in your glass. The list spans Italy, Spain, Greece, and the Czech Republic, mixing young winemakers with established estates, all united by a natural approach.
The wines come with generous plates touched by South American flavors: sweet potato ceviche, seared polenta with curry sauce, black beans with chimichurri. They’re open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. nearly every day—including Sundays and Mondays, a rarity in Marseille.
Figure
90 Bd Vauban
This wine bar is my usual prelude to climbing up to Notre-Dame de la Garde, where one of the best panoramic views of Marseille unfolds. Figure sits just below the basilica, on the same hill.
It’s a hipster wine bar with a slightly raw, loft-like vibe—opened by Parisian Christophe Juvelle. We drop in here for an aperitif with oysters and tarama.
If you don’t have the strength to conquer La Bonne Mère, stay instead for mussels with smoked paprika, cuttlefish with seasonal vegetables, zucchini blossom fritters, or a neo-bouillabaisse. Don’t forget a bottle of juicy Beaujolais or a mineral-driven Loire Chenin Blanc.
Cave & Bar à vin des Argonautes
33 Bd Longchamp
This wine bar sits in one of my favorite corners of Marseille — the 1st arrondissement, on Boulevard Longchamp, which leads up to the neo-Baroque palace of the same name. The palace rises above the boulevard and sets its tone: 19th-century apartment houses with elegant balconies and eclectic plasterwork line the street. Des Argonautes occupies the ground floor of one of them.
It’s not only a wine bar but also a full épicerie, with fruits and vegetables, homemade tapas, baked goods, cheeses, cured meats, fish, and seafood. By day, locals queue for organic carrots and guacamole; by night, they gather at Klein-blue tables, opening a Volnay from Domaine Michel Lafarge by candlelight.
For a modest corkage fee, you can choose any bottle from the wine library: from saline, oak-aged Rully to the berry-driven, woodland-scented Naoussa.
On the shelves you’ll find Stephan Ogier from the Rhône, Domaine de la Folie and Château Thivin from Burgundy, Thymiopoulos from Macedonia—all producing excellent wines regardless of vintage or price. Pay attention, too, to the vertical collection of Domaine Tempier, the cult estate of Bandol, a small appellation near Marseille known as the birthplace of great red wines.
The cavistes at Des Argonautes are on close terms with their winemakers, who often host open tastings here.
The kitchen keeps pace, serving local specialties in a creative bistronomic style. A few highlights from the menu: a tartlet with green peas, ricotta, and pistachio pesto; veal tartare with oysters and parsley mayo; miso-glazed eggplant; and sea bream crudo with apricot.
And most importantly—service that’s unexpectedly flawless for a place with such a hipster edge. By the end of the evening, cavistes and servers can easily feel like new friends.
From my very first visit, I followed both my caviste and server on Instagram—professionals who managed to surprise even a wine journalist while presenting bottle after bottle. To this day, we still trade hearts on each other’s stories.
La Cave de Baille
133 Bd Baille
Almost everyone in Marseille’s wine world pointed me here. La Cave de Baille is a true institution, founded twenty years ago by Hugo Noël.
His collection is constantly refreshed through travel and new tasting discoveries. Here the corkscrew turns just as easily into the classics—Château Mouton Rothschild or rare vintage Trimbach—as it does into approachable cuvées for 10–15 euros, crafted by Hugo’s friends in Languedoc, Ardèche, and the Rhône Valley.
A particular point of pride here is the collection of Bandol estates, along with trendy Burgundians like Jules Desjourneys, Benjamin Leroux, and Joseph Colin, Italian star Emidio Pepe, the rare Canadian Norman Hardie, and Australian winemaker William Downie.
Corkage is just 9 euros. From Tuesday through Friday you can stop in for lunch, and on Thursdays catch a winemaker-led tasting. Another reason to visit La Cave de Baille is its inner courtyard, where daily bacchanals unfold.
If you are in Paris, here is my list of the best local wine bars.
Take a unique wine tour.
