Martin was born in Marseille, grew up there, and never really left. Megane landed there almost by accident, for a stay that was only supposed to last a few months. She's still there. Neither of them has ever gotten tired of it.
What's always bugged us a little is watching friends visit and leave without ever seeing the real city: just the Vieux-Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, and a takeaway pizza from the first place near the hotel. Not their fault: between reviews riddled with fake comments and the same ten spots showing up on every "top 10" list, it's easy to get lost.
Marseille Unlocked is what we'd give a friend showing up in town, no filter, no sponsoring.
So we started doing what we were already doing, really: sending our addresses by text to friends passing through, neighborhood by neighborhood, with a little note attached: "go before noon," "ask for the back table," "bring cash." Megane still remembers the day someone asked her for a good spot and she answered without hesitating, like a true local. Over the years, the list became a real notebook. Then this guide.
We keep testing, updating, removing what's closed or changed hands. No address pays to be here: if it's in the guide, it's because we kept going back on our own.