Must-see restaurants in France

  • Le Grand Colbert

    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…

  • La Môme

    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…

  • Kootchi

    Latin Quarter

    Behind a sky-blue façade, carpets, traditional instruments and other jumble lend this Afghan restaurant a central-Asian caravanserai air. Specialities…

  • Le Relais Gascon

    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…

  • Krishna Bhavan

    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…

  • Le Relais Gascon

    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…

  • Mon Oncle Le Vigneron

    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…

  • Le Café qui Parle

    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),…

  • Vegan Gorilla

    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…

  • Baud et Millet

    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…

  • Bistro Le Mauzac

    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,…

  • Crêperie Heb-Ken

    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…

  • La Fondue

    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 …

  • FrogBurger

    Latin Quarter

    FrogPubs (famed for its Parisian microbreweries) is behind this joint sizzling up creative burgers called Revolution (beef, smoked pulled pork, fried…

  • Le Puits de Légumes

    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…

  • La Bouche à Oreille

    Nantes

    Eric and Frank are the brotherly team behind Word of Mouth, a quintessential checked-tablecloth bistro that mixes French classics with traditional dishes…

  • Les Pieds dans le Plat

    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…

  • Al Taglio

    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,…

  • Chine Masséna

    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…

  • La Dame d'Aquitaine

    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 …

  • Breakfast in America

    Latin Quarter

    States-style breakfasts – including blueberry pancakes drowning in maple syrup and bottomless coffee refills – are just the start at this authentic diner …

  • Unico

    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…

  • Les Trois Garçons

    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…

  • Les Vignes

    Montpellier

    Thierry Germain is passionate about local produce and Provençal cooking, which come to the fore at his smart restaurant. Cévennes lamb, Mediterranean…

  • Chez Marcel

    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 …

  • La Cantine

    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…

  • Le Chansonnier

    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…

  • Les Chouettes

    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…

  • Pancake Sisters

    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…

  • La Gauloise

    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,…

  • Le Tremplin

    Dauphiné

    This efficient brasserie, bedecked with outmoded skis, farming implements and heart-shaped accessories, whips up good galettes (savoury crêpes), steaks…

  • Chez Nathalie

    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…

  • Krishna Bhavan

    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…

  • Auberge St-Louis

    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…

  • 58 Tour Eiffel

    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…

  • Myrtille

    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…

  • Malthazar

    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…

  • La Coupole

    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…

  • Le Grappillon

    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…

  • Auberge du Moulin Vert

    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…

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