Marseille

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Beating Heart of Hell's Kitchen

On the corner of Ninth Avenue and 44th Street, Marseille has long served as the quintessential French brasserie for Broadway theatergoers, neighborhood locals, and anyone in between. Awarded two stars by the New York Times, this is a room that earns its reputation not through spectacle but through consistency — a welcoming, thriving atmosphere where the energy of the theater district meets the unhurried spirit of southern France.

The name is deliberate. Like the South of France port city it honors, the restaurant embraces its identity as a cultural crossroads — French at its core, but shaped by Italian, Greek, and North African currents that have always flowed through Marseille's history.

Chef Xavier Monge and the Kitchen

Executive Chef Xavier Monge brings a biography well-suited to this kind of cooking. Born in Mexico and raised in Sunnyside, Queens, he grew up around kitchens — his father worked at the acclaimed Payard, and three uncles were also in the restaurant business. After studying at the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Monge spent a decade at Payard Patisserie & Bistro, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up. He later held key roles at Balthazar and Michelin-starred Minetta Tavern before joining Chef Driven Hospitality to lead the kitchens at Marseille.

His menu reflects both classical French training and a genuine respect for the Mediterranean rim. The Bouillabaisse — monkfish, shrimp, scallops, and mussels in a traditional broth, finished with saffron rouille and crostini — is a direct nod to the restaurant's namesake city. Alongside it: a perfect Steak Frites with béarnaise, Duck Confit with flageolet bean ragout, a Braised Lamb Shank over pearl couscous with apricots and olives, and a Vegetable Couscous that draws on Moroccan tomato sauce and North African spice. The pasta section — Cavatelli with beef short rib ragout, Spaghetti with shrimp, cockles, and Calabrian chili — speaks to the Italian thread woven through this French kitchen.

The Wine List and the Room

Behind the bar and cellar stands Beverage Director Aviram Turgeman, whose passion for wine has been central to the restaurant's recognition. The wine program earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence, a reflection of a list curated to pair thoughtfully with every corner of the menu — from the daily Oyster Happy Hour to a three-course prix fixe dinner.

Culinary Managing Partner Andy D'Amico, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over four decades in New York dining, provides the broader vision: honest Mediterranean flavors, the best ingredients, and no pretension. His philosophy — that a great meal should feel like it was cooked by three generations in a farmhouse kitchen — runs quietly through everything Marseille puts on the table.

The result is a French brasserie that earns its place in the neighborhood not just as a destination for pre-theater meals, but as a daily anchor for Hell's Kitchen life — lunch, weekend brunch, oysters at half-price in the late afternoon, and dinner that runs well into the evening.