On the postcard-perfect harbour of the Vallon des Auffes, a few minutes from central Marseille, a much-loved dining institution has been reborn. The Michelin-starred L'Épuisette, famous for decades as an upmarket sea shack serving sparkling-fresh Mediterranean catch with front-row views of the water, has reopened as Auffo after the city of Marseille, which owns the site, awarded the lease to The Social Club, a restaurant and hotel group based in Nîmes.
The chef tasked with filling those shoes is Coline Faulquier, a Burgundian who previously ran the Michelin-starred Signature in Marseille. The transformation is striking: the old place's slightly raffish charm has given way to taupe upholstery, bare tables lined against an oak-panelled wall, and staff in white poplin and wheat-coloured linen. The mood is urbane and reserved rather than rollicking — anyone after a rowdier lunch is pointed up the coast to Les Goudes.
The food, though, justifies the polish. A recent lunch featured the six-course €165 Vallon tasting menu: a tomato tartelette with pine-flavoured ice cream, red Mediterranean prawns with fromage blanc, blackcurrant leaves and fresh almonds, John Dory lacquered with meat juice, and an oil-poached amberjack (sériole) with harissa, geranium and a bouillabaisse jus. Desserts included an iced mousse of Rove, a local sheep's milk cheese, and red fruit with iced sage and champagne sabayon. The judging panel at Michelin clearly approved: Auffo earned a star in the 2026 guide less than a year after opening.
For travellers, this is one of the most scenically located fine-dining seats in France. The Vallon des Auffes was once a fishermen's village and is now a tiny pleasure-boat port ringed by restaurants — worth a visit even if you're only having a drink by the water. And while the new restaurant is firmly in the luxe category (prix-fixe lunch menus at €95, €135 and €195, dinner up to €210), Marseille itself remains one of France's most rewarding city breaks, with the Vieux Port, the MuCEM and the calanques all close at hand.
