Nantes
Everything is fait maison (homemade) at this fashionable millennial cafe with bold turquoise-painted brick wall, excellent specialist-roasted coffee and…
Must-see restaurants in France
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall open shelves lined with bottles and gourmet products (hams, cheeses, shellfish, preserves, straw baskets of farm eggs and…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Vintage tables and chairs only add to the charm of this stylish, industrial-styled eatery – the cave à manger (wine-bar-meets-tapas bar) arm of Casa Bini …
St-Germain & Les Invalides
At this tiny, lively, cherry-red bistro, wholly classic dishes such as entrecôte (steak), confit de canard (duck cooked slowly in its own fat) with creamy…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Traditional treats such as pains au chocolat (chocolate-filled pastries) sit alongside innovations like 'cruffins' (a cross between croissants and muffins…
Honfleur
This celebrated two-Michelin-starred restaurant dazzles with its exquisite, brilliantly inventive dishes. Chef Alexandre Bourdas trained in Japan (sakana…
Côte d'Or
Vineyard views are perhaps even more mind-blowing than the imaginatively prepared dishes melding French cuisine with Asian techniques and ingredients…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Founded in 1864, Bofinger is reputedly Paris' oldest brasserie, though its polished art nouveau brass, glass and mirrors indicate redecoration a few…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
'French cut lovers' is the strapline of this corner bistro specialising in hand-cut tartares, served with fantastic duck-fat-cooked fries and boutique…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Natural oak, marble and stone blend seamlessly with a profusion of over-sized wicker lampshades and green foliage at this wildly popular, contemporary…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Using rice and buckwheat flour from its own mill in southern France, this pioneering 100% gluten-free bakery creates exquisite cakes and pastries as well…
Île de Ré
Tucked beneath a tour (tower), hence its name, Ars’ village épicerie (grocery) is a gourmet hot spot for savvy cyclists and knowing locals. Its varied…
Lille
Creations such as duck carpaccio with gingerbread vinaigrette, beef fillet with red wine and chocolate jus, and guinea fowl with smoked bacon crème have…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
This vegetarian kitchen restaurant and coffee shop with shabby-chic interior and tiny open kitchen serves market-driven dishes: creative salads, soups,…
Paris
Le Caveau's half-timbered dining areas and (weather permitting) alfresco terrace are invariably packed with diners tucking into bountiful fresh fare: pan…
Honfleur
This small and dainty eatery near Église Ste-Catherine is managed by Anne-Marie Carneiro, who greets guests, waits tables and cooks. Service can therefore…
Grenoble
This tiny restaurant is freshening the palates of cheese-fatigued grenoblois with its vegetarian-leaning menu, from stuffed cabbage to creamy spinach…
Bordeaux
As part of the ambitious Euratlantique development project that continues apace until 2020, derelict abattoirs on the riverfront have been transformed…
Paris
Much of the seating at this hotspot, which turns out creative fusion cuisine, is at the counter, where you get first-class views of chef Taku Sekine at…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Parisians can't get enough of this hip outpost of celebrity chef Eyal Shani's famed Tel Aviv restaurant. Head past the grocery crates to the bar to order…
Gironde
Be it a languid summer lunch on a sun-drenched wooden deck or a snug winter feast beneath steel beams and shelves of books, Café Ha(a)ïtza hits the sweet…
Paris
One of Paris' rapidly rising star chefs Yoshitaka Ikeda creates utterly original menus that change daily but might start with foie gras ice cream and move…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Fondly known by its former name, Joséphine, this lace-curtained, mosaic-tiled place with white-cloth tables inside and out is the Parisian bistro of many…
Nice
Vieux Nice's finest baked goods emanate from this little corner boulangerie, which also operates a stall in the Cours Saleya food market. Quality organic…
Lille
In a bare-timber space with mezzanine seating, La Clairière creates colourful, 100% organic vegan cuisine made from sustainable produce (no palm oil)…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Chef Quentin Giroud ditched the high-flying world of finance for the stoves, and this small, vintage-style space with semi-open kitchen is testament to…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Like the neighbouring Musée d'Orsay, this is a magnificent art nouveau treasure. Once a 1905-built former home for female telephone, telegram and postal…
Paris
Tucked away on a charming Bastille backstreet behind a mulberry-coloured façade, Buffet has burgundy leather seating, wooden tables, mirrors and terrazzo…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Tempting aromas waft from this canary-yellow-fronted delicatessen, opened by a Polish couple in 1946. Viennese apple strudel, borek (pasties) with warm…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
There's always at least one vegetarian option (such as roast beetroot and purple-carrot crumble) on the small but superb weekly menu at this welcoming…
Lyon & the Rhône Valley
Occupying a lovingly restored inn, Le Thou is headed up by chef Stéphane Konig, who is known for his creative (and sometimes surprising) take on regional…
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne
Loosen your belt for generous servings of regional delicacies such as pork with lentils, pounti (bacon- and prune-studded savoury cake) and bourriols …
Languedoc-Roussillon
Fronted by a shady pavement terrace strung with fairy lights and opening to a romantic vaulted-stone dining room, Millau's best restaurant refines the…
The Luberon
Overnighting at this luxurious hilltop estate won’t suit everyone’s budget, but everyone should try to fork out for the great-value Bistrot lunch menu…
St-Émilion
Wine pairings are naturally in a league of their own at this exquisite Michelin double-starred restaurant, in the heart of the village in a luxurious,…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Stark concrete floor, beams and an open kitchen (in front of which you can book front-row 'chef seats') set the factory-style scene for edgy, modern,…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Hay-smoked quail with peat vinaigrette, grilled octopus with fennel confit, and roast bone marrow are among the adventurous flavour combinations from Hugo…
Calvados
One of Deauville's top dining rooms, L'Essentiel serves up an imaginative blend of French ingredients with Asian and Latin American accents. Start off…
Nice
Run by brothers Gaël and Mickaël Tourteau, this small restaurant has big culinary ambitions (and a second Michelin star as of 2018). In a Zen dining room…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
The success of Serge Mathieu's tiny cave gourmande (gourmet wine cellar), La Crèmerie, prompted the opening of this chic rustic space serving the earthy…
