Chez Étienne

MAKE A RESERVATION! This restaurant is always full because it's very good. We asked our concierge to make a reservation for us, but for some reason it wasn't on their list. Very thankful as they allowed us to dine in as it was our last night in Marseille. We went a couple of nights ago but the restaurant was full. Food is very delicious. We had pizza half cheese and half anchovies. We tried the grilled beef as well. It's worth dining here. If I'm ever in Marseille again I would definitely come back to this restaurant!

Visiting from New York and a friendly guy from Marseilles told us this was its best restaurant. Avoid it at all costs. It's like one of those places that is extremely rude and has no customer service because they know they're the sh*t - this is my favorite kind of restaurant - except the crucial distinction is that it sucks. No other city would consider this pizza - flavorless cheese and the worst anchovies I've had in my life showered in stale oregano. It's like something a teenager would make stoned. Our waitress was impatient and mean person who refused to take our order for anything other than pizza and told us to leave because she needed the table for someone else, even though this is clearly a place where people sit for hours and there was no one waiting. After we left my girlfriend broke down in tears. Do not be like the D-list French celebrities and politicians in the photos on the wall, do not eat here.

MUST try - steak that is aged and cooked so well - it actually melts in your mouth. Recommended only if you like medium rare. If you're lucky, you can see a 6 foot slab of meat hanging in the walk-in fridge, get the eggplant and potato side to go with it.

Their pizza is good but you can probably get similar ones elsewhere. If you're feeling adventurous you can get a pie with half anchovies and half cheese.

Family run business, although busy, they made the effort to talk to us in English. Try to get there before 1pm for lunch

Good pizza! We had anchovy and cheese pizzas, and both were so simple but oh so delicious. The shrimp pasta not so much. Also had fantastic tarte pomme with the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had. The hostess was friendly too.

Odd place but lovable.
Ambience: A small place that might be considered quaint. It has some charm but is fairly basic. A little tricky to track down.
Service: Friendly but nothing special.
Food: Specializes in a limited pizza choice but does it very well. Check out the photo of the menu - yes, that is the entire selection of dishes. I had the lamb kebobs which were a real surprise. Tender and flavorful and just the right amount. Even more of a surprise was the aperitif (digestif) I was given for free after the meal. It was three shots of fire-water 90-proof. Whoa.
Price: Very good value.
I'd go back next time I'm in town. It has charm but more importantly the food is very good.

I came last year with my uncle and the place is exactly the same even the staff. Very intimate and close. AMAZING Pizza and the eggplant is a must! I don't even like eggplant and I love it! The rose wine is also a must. You will not be disappointed when you come here. Also you may get to see Mr. Etienne himself!

2.5 out of 5
Went here for dinner Friday night and endured some of the worst service I have experienced. Our waitress literally just did not want to work. She got pissy when we asked for a menu. When we ordered a cheese pizza (there were only two flavors, cheese or anchovy), she hollered our order to the chef over the counter. So it's not like she had a hell of a lot of work to do really. Then we found some of her hair in one pizza. Then when we ordered dessert (the apple tart with ice cream that we saw at the table next to us) she brought as a rock hard clearly stale tart, two spoons, no ice cream. What on earth were we going to do with two spoons and no ice cream? When we asked for some, gesturing to our neighbors who had received their due boule, she sighed loudly. What!? Seriously? Like we were putting HER out for screwing up! Really though, it was so bad it was comical, so all in all a memorable experience.

As for the pizza. Great salty anchovy-esque sauce, plenty of cheese. As for the crust, what wasn't completely charred to a crisp was nice. But the entire rim was blackened. Gross.

The sautéed calamaretti were better than the Marseille-style pizza. The pizza was very good.... made with anchovies and mozzarella, but nowhere near as good as authentic Neopolitan pizza.

In Marseille, avoiding the vieux port but trying not to break the bank with bouillabaisse, we stumbled on this gem. There are very few menu items, you obviously open with a pastis, try the pizza and savor the salad, but you will have no regrets.