Mouné

Craving unfussy and cliché-free Lebanese food? Head to Rue Fortia, in the shade of Marseille’s historic harbor, where Mouné will send you on a round-trip journey to the heart of Beirut! There you’ll find Serje Banna (a former DJ and photographer) hard at work in the dining room and Najla Chami (a former director) at the stoves, waking up everyday life in Marseille with their carefully decorated restaurant (antique pink walls, light wood tables, banquettes covered with colorful cushions, hanging bird cages). The day we went for lunch, we shamelessly devoured their finger-lickin’ good treats: delightful squash mutabal, labneh balls rolled in za’atar served with an intensely flavorful homemade Kalamata olive tapenade for dipping, and an incredible hummus; before a very herbaceous ijjeh (a Lebanese frittata), and a daoud bacha de pacha, the Lebanese version of stuffed baked tomatoes. Want something sweet afterwards? Order the osmaliyeh topped with angel hair and drizzled with orange blossom water, which was more appealing than the chocolate-walnut baklava. // Victoria Bout

FEELING THIRSTY? Artisanal arak (€6), Beirut beer (€4 for 330 ml), Levantine natural wine (white or orange wine from the Domaine Sept at €60 and €75 a bottle) and Lebanese black or white coffee (€ 3 and €3.50).
PRICE: À la carte €26-33 (lunch), plates €8-14 (dinner).