Paris
This former workers’ cafétéria transformed into a fin de siècle showcase is more relaxed than many similarly restored restaurants and is a convenient spot…
Paris
This former workers’ cafétéria transformed into a fin de siècle showcase is more relaxed than many similarly restored restaurants and is a convenient spot…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
For authentic Moroccan pastillas (sweet and savoury meat pies) and tajines running from chicken and pears to duck with cherries and pistachios, head to…
Latin Quarter
Behind a sky-blue façade, carpets, traditional instruments and other jumble lend this Afghan restaurant a central-Asian caravanserai air. Specialities…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Just off place des Abbesses, Le Relais Gascon has a relaxed atmosphere and hearty portions of reasonably priced, authentic cuisine from southwestern…
Latin Quarter
In northern Paris' 'little India' neighbourhood, Krishna Bhavan has spawned a string of neighbouring canteens. Here on the Left Bank it's an upmarket…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Giant meal-sized salads with crispy, garlicky potatoes, and feisty dishes like cheesy tartiflette (oven-baked potatoes with melted reblochon cheese and…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
My Uncle the Winemaker is a small, vintage-styled wine cellar and épicierie fine (upmarket grocer) arranged like an old-fashioned kitchen, which dons its…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Inside a former bank, with artworks rotated on the walls, this all-day venue serves breakfast, popular weekend brunches (10am to 4pm; no reservations),…
Nice
Run by health-food aficionados Willy and Camille, Nice's pioneering vegan and gluten-free restaurant greets guests with a giant gorilla statue and a…
Bordeaux
If you like cheese or wine, or both, then this unassuming neighbourhood bistro strung with tin milk churns is gold. It serves over 100 different cheeses…
Latin Quarter
With a moon-shaped zinc bar and traditional furnishings, Le Mauzac is a quintessential old-school Parisian bistro. Drinks and food are served nonstop,…
Nantes
A local institution since 1976, this no-frills crêperie cooks up every imaginable flavour of savoury galette and sweet crêpe. The themed menu is…
Grenoble
Warm your insides with one of 17 kinds of fondue, ranging from classic cheese and forest mushroom to beefy fondue bourguignonne. Raclette and tartiflette …
Latin Quarter
FrogPubs (famed for its Parisian microbreweries) is behind this joint sizzling up creative burgers called Revolution (beef, smoked pulled pork, fried…
Latin Quarter
Homemade tarts, quiches, omelettes, fish and rice dishes loaded with fresh seasonal vegetables are the draw of the ‘Vegetable Well’, an all-organic…
Nantes
Eric and Frank are the brotherly team behind Word of Mouth, a quintessential checked-tablecloth bistro that mixes French classics with traditional dishes…
Nantes
This modern French bistro has exposed stone walls, zebra-patterned tablecloths and many old French favourites on the menu. For something different, go for…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Pizza au poids (by weight) is the trademark of this contemporary pizzeria, which means you can indulge in just one slice or several (hence its name,…
Paris
Set back off the street, on the ground floor of the La Galerie shopping mall surrounded by high-rise apartment blocks (some decorated head-to-toe in…
Dijon
Fine Dijonnais cuisine, accompanied by classical music and an extensive wine list, is served under the sumptuously lit bays of this 13th-century cave …
Latin Quarter
States-style breakfasts – including blueberry pancakes drowning in maple syrup and bottomless coffee refills – are just the start at this authentic diner …
Paris
This very orange Argentine parrillada (steakhouse) took over an old butcher’s shop and put a retro 1970s spin on it. Unico is all about meat – especially…
Paris
Very much a neighbourhood hangout, this corner cafe lures a local crowd with its sizeable pavement terrace (heated in winter) with wicker bistro chairs…
Montpellier
Thierry Germain is passionate about local produce and Provençal cooking, which come to the fore at his smart restaurant. Cévennes lamb, Mediterranean…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Since 1919, this quintessential bistro, with worn timber furniture and paintings on the sepia-toned walls, has been serving up Lyon's signature bouchon …
Aix-en-Provence
The peasant flavours of Corsica are given free rein at this backstreet bistro – from big platters of Corsican charcuterie to a wine list with some of the…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The ‘Singer’ (named after the 19th-century Lyonnais socialist singer-songwriter Pierre Dupont) could be a film set, with its curved zinc bar and art…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Dine beneath a fabulous Eiffel-style glass atrium at this former jewellery atelier (workshop) on modern French dishes such as grilled steak with smoked…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
American pancakes are the speciality of this bright white space with a sunflower-yellow façade and steamed-up windows on winter days. A 'panster' is two…
Paris
With a name like La Gauloise, you wouldn't expect this venerable, terrace-fronted restaurant to serve anything other than traditional fare, which it does,…
Dauphiné
This efficient brasserie, bedecked with outmoded skis, farming implements and heart-shaped accessories, whips up good galettes (savoury crêpes), steaks…
Paris
On a quiet street with summertime terrace tables, this pocket-size restaurant is a lovely spot to dine. Transparent Kartell chairs and deep-purple table…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
This is about as authentic a South Indian vegetarian canteen as you’ll find in Paris. If in doubt as to what to order, ask for a thaali, a circular steel…
Brittany
Just steps from Notre-Dame church, Auberge St-Louis is as much about admiring original 18th-century decor – check that dark-wood panelling and vintage…
Paris
Overseen by double-Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx, 58 Tour Eiffel has a location only bested by the gastronomic Le Jules Verne, one floor up. Walk-ins…
Clermont-Ferrand
This minimalist cafe facing Clermont-Ferrand's covered market specialises in all things organic, whipping up seasonal soups, roasted veggie dishes and a…
Marseille
The food is decent all-purpose French (entrecôte, foie gras, boeuf tartare, crème brulée, burgers etc) but what really appeals about this club-like…
Paris
The reason for visiting this enormous, 450-seat brasserie, designed by the Solvet brothers and opened in 1927, is more history than gastronomy. Its famous…
Nantes
Covered in vines and with an interior dominated by an overloaded old dresser, this hidden-away place feels like an old French farmhouse. Flavours dished…
Paris
Oysters are freshly shucked by the fishmonger at his stall in front at The Green Mill Inn, a historic French restaurant dating to 1848 with kitsch green…