Paris
Opened by Bertrand Auboyneau of nearby Le Bistrot Paul Bert, this fire-engine-red-painted bistro serves seasonal modern dishes prepared in an open kitchen…
Must-see restaurants in France
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Canal-side Two Stories incorporates a ground-floor street-food cafe, Po Boy, offering signature po' boy sandwiches (eg fried chicken with creole sauce),…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
With a pretty peppermint-green façade and airy, plant-filled interior, Méricourt is a delightful backstreet find. Breakfast (honey-ricotta pancakes with…
The Pyrenees
Colourful tapestries, fairy lights and Moroccan lamps set the scene at this rustically chic spot that seems to be everyone's favourite eatery du jour. The…
Auvergne
Size isn't everything, and this pocked-sized restaurant ably balances Auvergne specialities (perfectly seasoned steaks, local cheese platters) with…
Colmar
This canalside restaurant on the edge of Petite Venise is a winner, with its trad-meets-contemporary decor of exposed stone, clean-lined bistro…
Strasbourg
With a name pledging to awaken your senses, this Petite France bistro promises great things – and it delivers. Tables draped in white linen and flowers…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The short but stunning seasonal menu changes daily at this unique space. Table d'hôte–style dining (consisting of a set menu with a fixed price) for up to…
Paris
Chipped plates and organised chaos reign at Yariv Berreby's overflowing sardine-tin-sized eatery. It takes its name from the Hebrew word for salad, and…
Metz
This caviste (wine merchant) is a delight, with bistro seating in a bright, open-plan, lavender-accented dining area. Market-fresh ingredients go into…
Bastia
The scrumptious market-fresh cuisine served here, beside Bastia's Vieux Port, has rightly earned kudos from locals. Watch the boats bobbing in the harbour…
Nancy
Shining with one Michelin star, this restaurant is Nancy's bastion of fine dining. Service is faultless and the ambience one of urban sophistication, with…
Aix-en-Provence
Branching out from its original menu of posh hot dogs and gourmet English muffins, this breezy, youthful cafe now offers healthier breakfast, brunch and…
Bordeaux
This contemporary oyster-grey space is the creation of four young chefs from France and Vietnam, Israel, Japan and New Caledonia, whose innovative,…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Named after an orchid used to flavour rum on the Ìle de la Réunion, this modern bistro is the love-child of Top Chef candidate Kelly Rangama and pâtissier…
Strasbourg
Traditional French and Alsatian grub doesn't come more authentic than at this snug, amiable winstub (wine tavern), run with love by couple Karine and…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Japanese minimalism at its finest: this tiny restaurant with one large shared table and crisp white walls adorned with Monet-style oils showcases the…
Cannes
Vietnamese-born, French-trained chef Nhut Nguyen is at the helm of this delightful new bistro on Cannes' pedestrianised restaurant row. The high-ceilinged…
Côte d'Azur
With stone walls, whitewashed beamed ceilings, vintage Laughing Cow posters and colourful mismatched napkins, this bistro in medieval Gourdon wins instant…
Bonifacio
Before a boat trip, drop in at this artisanal patisserie-gelateria down by the water, run by the same family since 1921, and splash out on a bag of lemon-…
Bastia
The fishier, fine-dining little brother of Chez Vincent stands lower down the citadel slope, with tables on a lovely garden terrace overlooking the port…
Paris
For refined dining, reserve a table at this elegant 'bistronomique' restaurant with polished parquet, unpretentious wooden tables, the odd decorative…
Marseille
Locals in the know and homesick Tunisians flock to this bustling, handsomely tiled restaurant, named for the main port of Tunis. A couscous maison of…
St-Émilion
Talented young chefs Camille Brouillard and Soufiane Assarrar both previously worked with Michelin-starred chefs before opening their own restaurant, and…
Reims
Ideal for an intimate dinner, this vaulted cellar dishes up well-prepared French classics – along the lines of home-smoked trout with horseradish, cod…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Don't be fooled by the tatty façade reading 'CAM Import Export' – this former miniature Eiffel Tower wholesaler has been stripped back to create a hip…
Grenoble
If you dream of mannerly service in an 18th-century French salon, this is your place. Mirrors, baroque trimmings and white tablecloths establish the…
Paris
At home in a chic steel-grey dining room with retro red-velour armchairs and 1950s-style turquoise banquet-seating on Île de la Cité's southwestern tip,…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Once full – which happens within seconds of chef Hiroko Tabuchi opening her table d'hôte – all eyes are on the chef as she deftly whips up steaming plates…
Île de Ré
No trip to St-Martin-de-Ré is complete without an ice-cream cone from this glacier extraordinaire. There are between 250 and 300 incredible flavours to…
Metz
Conjurer of textures and seasonal flavours, chef Christophe Dufossé makes creative use of local produce at this sophisticated Michelin-starred restaurant…
Alsace
Two little pigs guide the way to this snug bistro – the very essence of Alsace quaintness with its dark timber, checked tablecloths and roll-me-out-the…
Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle
Var
Local boy Nicolas Pierantoni, a protégé of Alain Ducasse, is the creative energy behind this refined four-star restaurant and hotel in La Celle, a former…
Paris
Fronted by its distinctive French navy–blue façade, authentic Breton crêperie Breizh's outpost in the hip Faidherbe neighbourhood serves stunning savoury…
Paris
Arrive early: unlike its raved-about sister restaurant Septime next door, Clamato doesn't take reservations and you don't want to miss Bertrand Grébaut…
Nice
Warm service and irreproachable quality are the hallmarks of this traditional neighbourhood restaurant, in the same family since 1927. Locals and tourists…
Paris
Combining old-school bistro fittings and shimmering mosaic tiles, the seafood annexe of Le Bistrot Paul Bert is a stylish spot to try freshly shucked…
Var
With a huge deck overlooking the swaying masts and wooded cove beyond, L'Escale draws the freshly disembarked like bees to honey. And they're not…
Nice
For the full-blown fine-dining experience, make a pilgrimage to the Michelin-starred restaurant of South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen…
Gironde
Feast on stunning views of the Dune du Pilat and fresh oysters farmed by sixth-generation ostréiculteur Denis Bellocq at this traditional white wood house…
