French restaurants in France
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L'Impossible
Impossibly irresistible, the Impossible is a barn dating back to 1754 near the Aiguille du Midi cable car that has been transformed into a rustic but modern eating space - lots of wood, wicker, warm lighting, gilded gold frames and glass chandeliers. Quail stuffed with foie gras, garlic butter-oozing snails or pineapple carpaccio with ginger and mango sorbet are quintessential French dishes cooked with a twist at this ode to Sylvain Saudan (b 1936), extreme-skiing pioneer and self-proclaimed 'skier of the impossible'.
reviewed
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Crèmerie Restaurant Polidor
A meal at this quintessentially Parisian crèmerie-restaurant is like a trip to Victor Hugo’s Paris: the restaurant and its décor date from 1845 and everyone knows about it (read: touristy). Still, menus of tasty, family-style French cuisine ensure a never-ending stream of punters eager to sample bœuf bourguignon, blanquette de veau à l’ancienne (veal in white sauce) and the most famous tarte Tatin in Paris! Expect to wait. No credit cards.
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Hôtel du Nord
The setting for the eponymous 1938 film starring Louis Jouvet and Arletty, the dining room and bar at this vintage venue by the Canal St-Martin feel as if they were stuck in a time warp with their Art Deco posters, zinc counter and old piano. The food is correct if not mind-blowing; stick with basics like the jumbo hamburger (€16) and its trimmings and you’ll be fine. The plat du jour is usually €10.
reviewed
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L'Echappée Belle
For flavours of cumin, saffron and ginger infusing regional produce; or for homemade pastry and tea, Avignon's new restaurant/salon de thé (tearoom) is a treat. Named after the Nicolas Bouvier novel of the same name (which translates as The Beautiful Escape), L'Echappée Belle is a chic yet relaxed spot amid Avignon's architectural and artistic highlights.
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Les Dix Vins
This tiny restaurant, on the far side of Montparnasse, is so popular that you will probably have to wait at the bar even if you've booked. Not such a bad thing, of course, in a temple devoted to Bacchus, as you'll be able to sample one of the carefully chosen wines while you wait. Excellent value, good service and stylish decor combine to form a true winner.
reviewed
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Comptoir de la Gastronomie
This striking art nouveau establishment, here since 1894, has an elegant dining room where dishes are constructed around such delicacies as foie gras, truffles and caviar.
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Le Panier des Quatre Saisons
A firm favourite, the Basket of Four Seasons cooks up a veritable feast of season-driven, quintessentially French dishes. Reservations recommended.
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La Fondue
Gorge on so-smooth fondues laced with kirsch, Génépi and chartreuse or (double gorge) chocolate. An assortment of raclettes and tartiflettes completes the mountain cheese feast.
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La Taca d'Oli
No wonder the bagna cauda (raw mixed veg dipped into a pot of warm tangy anchovy paste known as anchoïade)at this tiny old-town bistro dating to 1947 is so legendary: the same chef has been making it here for the past 17 years! A shared portion of bagna pan (raw red mullet and sea bream fillets dipped in hot fish soup) ordered alongside it makes a perfect supper for two.
You might almost believe you're in Italy when you sit on the terrace of this restaurant in Vieux Nice, which is located in one of the quarter's tiny streets. Here, you can enjoy delicious Niçois specialties like raviolis or petits farcies (stuffed vegetables).
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Perraudin
Perraudin is a traditional French restaurant with embroidered handkerchief lampshades. If that doesn’t put you off, launch yourself into this blast to the past with classics such as bœuf bourguignon (beef marinated and cooked in red wine with mushrooms, onions, carrots and bacon), gigot d’agneau (leg of lamb), confit de canard or flamiche (leek pie from northern France). Prices are reasonable (the plat du jour at lunchtime costs €12) and the place has atmosphere, even if it is a tad on the shabby side.
reviewed
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Le Grand Méricourt
Young chef Gregory Merten Antonelli offers his version of ‘la cuisine créative’ (basically traditional French that is light on oils and fat and heavy on seasonal produce) in a very English, almost fussy (floral wallpaper, wooden floors, starched tablecloths and napkins) place just a stone’s throw from trendy rue Oberkampf. Try the sanglier en pâté à la liqueur d’orange (boar pâté flavoured with orange liqueur) and the joue de bœuf fondante au muscat (beef cheek with sweet wine).
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Aux Vins des Pyrénées
Located in a former wine warehouse, this is a good place to enjoy a unpretentious French meal with a lot of wine. The place has been able to retain its old-world charm and it’s not surprising that a crowd of bobo (bohemian bourgeois) locals, a few showbiz parisien types among them, have set up headquarters here. The fish, meat and game dishes are all equally good, but worth a special mention is the foie gras and the top-notch pavé de rumsteak (thick rump steak). The wine list offers a wide choice of celebrated and little-known estate wines.
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Jean
This stylish gourmet restaurant manages to balance just the right amounts of sophistication and genuine warmth. Dark-red banquette seats liven up the large, quiet dining room. A sample meal might include fricassée de langoustines (scampi) served with a julienne of vegetables, magret de canard rôti au miel et ses navets et échalotes confites (honey-roasted fillet of duck breast served with preserved turnips and shallots) and a modern version of profiteroles – a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two crunchy, chocolate-coated meringues.
reviewed
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Auberge U Sirenu
Punters are drawn to the family-run U Sirenu for its choice grilled meats - go for the sanglier et ses pâtes (wild boar and pasta), best accompanied by a bottle of Saparale. If you're counting the coins, opt for the pasta. The platter of charcuterie deserves a special mention: it's served on a wooden plate in the shape of the island. The dining room is certainly not sassy, but the terrace is much more enjoyable. Post-repas, you can bask lizardlike by the pool.
It's on the road to Bonifacio, about 10km from Sartène.
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Bergerie d'Acciola
A mandatory stop for cheese lovers (and we know what we're talking about), this produce shop set in a lovely granite house on the Bonifacio road doubles as a restaurant in summer. We'll never forget the terrine de fromage aux herbes (cheese terrine with aromatic herbs) and the crêpe à la farine de châtaigne (chestnut-flour pancake). Don't leave without buying a pungent casgiu casanu ('Fromage Fermier' in French; farm cheese) at the shop. Local wines are available too. It's 8km from Sartène.
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Chez Léna et Mimille
One of Paris’ bonnes tables with a fabulous terrace, this intimate restaurant peeps down on a tiny park with fountain and comical equestrian statue. Its notably varied and choice-loaded menu, moreover, allows diners to decide just how fine or otherwise the experience will be. Fancy a simple plate of finely sliced Iberian salami over a lazy glass of wine? Or you want the whole multiple-course hog? Then the Menu Note à Note (€55), finely tuned to the culinary principles of molecular gastronomy, is an exquisite choice.
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Le Mâchon d'Henri
What with the gaggle of hungry customers constantly waiting for a seat and the extraordinary proximity of the 10 marble-topped tables, this is one busy, tiny bistro. But the staff, seemingly exclusively male and over a certain age, are smile and charm personified. And the menu, crammed with feisty French staples like boudin noir aux pommes (black pudding with apples) from Lyon, saucisse de Morteau (a type of sausage) and lentils from the Jura or tripe cooked Caen-style, guarantees you’ll leave absolutely stuffed.
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Firmin Le Barbier
This discreet brick-walled bistro was opened by a retired surgeon turned gourmet, and his passion for a good meal is apparent in everything from the personable service to the wine list. The menu is traditional French (faux filet with polenta, decadent boeuf bourguignon), while the modern interior is bright and cheery and even benefits from an open kitchen – a rarity in smaller Parisian restaurants. The good news: it’s a five-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. The bad: it doesn’t seat much more than 20 people – be sure to reserve.
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Drouant
If you’re something of a literary groupie, you’ve just got to make your way to the restaurant where they award the Prix Goncourt, France’s equivalent of the Booker or Pulitzer. Of course you might also come for the superb food, prepared by Alsatian chef Antoine Westerman, who cut his teeth at the Mon Vieil Ami. Food comes bite-sized and in lots of four; think tapas and get ready to share. It fronts a lovely square unfortunately full of parked cars. The plat du jour is a snip at €17.50.
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Le Soleil Gourmand
This cheery boutique and restaurant exudes the south of France with its warm décor and simple dishes like salads, savoury tarts and baked bricks (stuffed fritters). Treat yourself to the tarte aux tomates confites (glazed tomato tart) or the (tarte aux oignons, poivrons, raisins et pignons grillés (tart with onion, green peppers, grapes and grilled pine nuts) and any of the wonderful ice creams. The plat du jour is priced between €10.50 and €12.50.
reviewed
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Comme Cochons
You may not be attracted by the name but the excellent cuisine du terroir (country cooking) and the sunny terrace at ‘Like Pigs’ will undoubtedly change your mind. This bistro is like a page out of the past – only the contemporary paintings on the wall by local artists will keep you in the present. Among the specialities are potted pleurotte mushrooms with foie gras and potée limousine côte de cochon (pork and vegetable ‘stew’ cooked in a clay pot). There’s live jazz some nights.
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Le Miroir
This unassuming modern bistro is smack in the middle of the Montmartre tourist trail, yet it remains a local favourite. There are lots of delightful pâtés and rillettes to start off with – guinea hen with dates, duck with mushrooms, haddock and lemon – followed by well-prepared standards like stuffed veal shoulder. The €18 lunch special includes a glass of wine (FYI, they’ve conveniently opened a new wine shop right across the street), coffee and dessert; the Sunday brunch (€26) also gets the thumbs up.
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Cul de Poule
With plastic orange cafeteria seats outside, you probably wouldn’t wander into the Cul de Poule by accident – in fact, if you’re like most people, you’ll probably be tempted to head straight next door to L’Épicerie. But the light-hearted spirit (yes, there is a mounted chicken’s derrière on the wall) is deceiving; this is one of the best and most affordable kitchens in the Pigalle neighbourhood, with excellent néo-bistro fare that emphasises quality ingredients from the French countryside.
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Le Cristal de Sel
The raved-about stage of young rising chef Karl Lopez, this modern bistro has a distinct kitchen feel with its small brightly lit white walls, white-painted beams and gaggle of busy chefs behind the bar. The only decorative feature is a candle-lit crystal of rose-tinted salt on each table – a sure sign that food is what the ‘Salt Crystal’ is all about. Lopez’s tarte à la bergamote fraîche meringuée (lemon meringue pie) – divine – has to be the zestiest in Paris. Reservations essential.
reviewed
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Le Chéri-Bibi
Taking its name from the series of detective novels by Gaston Leroux (1868–1927), this odd little place can be found (with some difficulty, it must be said) on a grotty street on the ‘other’ (read: wrong) side of the Butte de Montmartre and when you arrive you won’t even know it as there is no sign outside. Just look for the thick black drapes in the shopfront window and enter what feels like the 1950s, with its postwar décor and excellent ‘family’ cooking (try the boeuf bourguignon).
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