Bouillabaisse in Cassis

You'll love Cassis! Having bouillabaisse there at seaside was one of our most memorable experiences in Europe over the years. They'll bring you the selection of fish on a board for you to select your favorites. Warning though, it makes A LOT. You might want to share. You'll have no trouble finding the restaurant, as Cassis is very small. Enjoy!

Finding an authentic bouillabaisse, even in Marseille or Cassis, is quite rare, even if it's on menus. It requires a certain rock fish which is rarer and rarer there. Most restaurants serve fish soup, and a lot of that fish soup is made in factories, which is not necessarily bad because the bigger the pot and mix, the better the soup. This factory soup, which you can also buy in bottles in the grocery store, is really quite good. So what you get in some places is fish added to the fish soup and then served to you. We stayed in Cassis for six months in 2000, had no money back then to eat the real bouillabaisse, but heard of the place in Marseille even back then, as the one place that made an authentic bouillabaisse. Fifty to seventy is not too much for the real thing. Anything less will probably be fish soup--which is also VERY, VERY good. The bottom line is that it doesn't have to be an authentic bouillabaisse to be delicious and an overall enjoyable experience. Enjoy Cassis and Marseille.

Thanks for the comments on the fish soup and bouillabaisse. Do you have a rec for a specific restaurant in Cassis?

I don't Denise. I remember the Michelin red guidebook had a couple of recommended restaurants, so that's where I'd look for either Marseille or Cassis, before looking at TA in fact. It's a lovely area to experience. We had two kids at home so our outings were frequently to an inexpensive restaurant, one that's not on the port, and once in a fish market, where I normally bought fish, when it put out tables. Our kids filled up on merguez/frites sandwiches, all too often. The fries overflowed out of the sandwich. Once were we treated to a meal on the port but didn't find it so great. I have to correct myself, Denise. Looking at the menus of the restaurants on viamichelin, none had any fish soup or bouillabaisse listed on line. So my suggestion for Cassis was not so good.

According to TA reviewers the place to have authentic Bouillabaisse in Marseille is the Michelin-starred "L'Epuisette". My friend who lives in the area recommends "Chez Gilbert" in Cassis.

There is a second one-star Michelin restaurant in Marseille which specializes in authentic bouillabaisse, Michel Brasserie des Catalans. The price will be steep for the real-deal.