French restaurants in South America
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Caracol Azul
A fine dining institution, this gourmet French-Peruvian restaurant has been serving scrumptious seafood and steak for more than 30 years. Langostinos encocoadas (shrimp in coconut-milk sauce) is especially good. The relatively elegant dining room is more welcoming than stuffy.
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La Taverne
With a quiet sophisticated atmosphere, the restaurant of the Alliance Française is a delight to visit. The short, select menu has a French touch and there are excellent daily specials. There’s live music every Friday night and film screenings several times a week.
reviewed
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Indio Feliz
It’s hard to overstate the pleasure that can be derived from this multi-award-winning restaurant. Of course, hospitality is the strong suit of French cook Patrik, but the food does not disappoint. Start with sopa criolla, a potent and flavorful broth, served with hot bread, homemade butter and optional chilis. There are also nods to traditional French cooking – like Provençal tomatoes, crispy-perfect garlic potatoes and a melt-in-your-mouth tarte aux pommes.
The candlelit decor shows the imagination of a long-lost castaway with imitation Gauguin panels, a carved figurehead damsels, colonial benches and vintage objects. The S50 menú is an extremely good value for a…
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Brasserie Petanque
This bright brasserie is a lively spot for Sunday brunch or a leisurely evening meal. Charismatic waiters pour complimentary aperitifs as you ponder steak tartare or roast chicken and peruse the short but wise list of wines by the glass. The prix fixe lunch menu is a steal.
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Chez Lacoste
This formal-table-cloth kind of place is haute cuisine in every respect. The Bolivian and French chefs work with beef, llama and fish. And we mean work… check out the braid of trout and pejerry (kingfish), a pink-and-white checkerboard of delectable fish. Local ingredients - such as quinoa and huminta (cornmeal filled with cheese, aniseed and cheese and baked in the oven or boiled) - are on the menu. If you're pining for pescada, try the trout fillet with black butter and capers.
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Restó
María Barrutia’s painstakingly artistic presentations of quail and salmon contrast sharply with her restaurant’s understated environs. The illustrious chef whips up slow food that is either a smash hit – a rich, creamy pumpkin soup – or a flop. Either way, she’s experimental, and she makes a splash on the local dining scene. Try her creative daily menu at Restó.
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La Olla de Felix
This wonderful French bistro comes full of personality and cozy atmosphere – there’s a different soup tureen on every table (as decoration) and animated Felix Rueda, the chef, is often on the dining floor greeting return patrons. There are only five items on the menu, which changes daily, but all are well-prepared, tasty choices – and the service is attentive.
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Azema Exotic Bistró
With exotic spices, foreign ingredients and a penchant for crisp white wine, Paul Jean Azema bravely goes where few local chefs have gone before. His eclectic eatery takes inspiration from his diverse travels – tandoori salmon, Vietnamese noodles and tangy ceviche all have their place on the menu – and the simple French-style space is inviting.
reviewed
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Casa Roca
It’s not every day that you can take a lunch break at a 19th-century Italian-Renaissance mansion. The onetime home of President General Roca is now an elegant restaurant only open for three-course meals at midday. You’ll feel worlds (and centuries) away from the downtown clamor while dining on roasted chicken and pommes frites.
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La Loco
This friendly French-run restaurant and pub is a barn-like space that’s lit low and furnished with comfortingly chunky wooden furniture around a log fire. There are plenty of drinks and a short but classy menu that offers croques monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwiches), crepes and llama steaks with a gourmet touch.
reviewed
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Traiteurs de France
Step into this pleasant café and restaurant for an escape from the busy traffic. In front, you’ll find a variety of tempting baked goods, perfect for a quick takeout for the beach, while the restaurant in the back offers salmon crepes, quiches, and grilled meats. You can also opt for lunch specials (R$13 to R$18).
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Le Sud
The award-winning chef at the Hotel Sofitel’s buttoned-up French eatery, Thierry Pszonda, hails from Provence and his Mediterranean-influenced plat du jour is traditional enough to keep visiting Francophiles happy. Chandeliers and marble add a level of formality that’s absent from the casual downtown brasseries.
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Arte Temperada
Hidden in a tiny alley behind the Casa França-Brasil, this charming restaurant serves delicious Franco-Brazilian cuisine without the fuss. Some top choices are the crepes, the bouillabaisse, and the chicken breast served with passion fruit sauce and polenta. You can also opt for the two-course plate of the day.
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Le Filou de Montpellier
The three-course lunches at this cluttered bistro are worth staying on an extra day for – rabbit stew, beef bourguignon and sauce-laced fish are mainstays, but always, always leave room for whatever chocolate-based dessert is on the menu. There’s a posher branch up the hill at Lautaro Rosas 510.
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Brasserie Rosário
Set in a handsomely restored 1860s building, this atmospheric bistro has a hint of Paris about it. The front counters are full of croissants, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) and other baked items, while the restaurant menu features roast meats and fish, soups, baguette sandwiches and the like. Old American jazz plays overhead.
reviewed
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Christophe
Christophe is a fine French eatery that's short on pretension and big on taste. The ever-changing menu is always a treat, but take the signature salad for a starter, whatever is fresh for a main course and don't miss the desserts. There's an interesting wine list and good service, too.
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El Mesón
The air at this vaulted restaurant on a corner of the plaza is heavy with smells of warm garlic. The elaborate menu is somewhat French, with food (steak, pasta, salads) that is a tad overpriced but nonetheless excellent. The attractive ambience adds to the experience.
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La Bourgogne
This cultivated, classy French restaurant at the Alvear Palace Hotel sees sommeliers gliding through hushed rooms as chef Jean Paul Bondoux creates courses and set menus centered on caviar, fish and rabbit. The adjacent Taste Vins cellar also hosts wine tastings.
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El Amor Nunca Muere
Subtle lighting, soft mood music and simple bistro-style fare draw couples from across the city here. Crêpes are the house specialty, but the omelets and fondue are just as tempting. Dinner merges into long nights of drinking on the terrace during the summer.
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Les Assassins
An intimate, romantic ambience accompanies competent cuisine at Les Assassins, a petite French restaurant on the main Merced drag. Some find the service snooty, but there are good-value fixed-price lunches. It's worth booking ahead at weekends.
reviewed
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Bistrô The Line
Adjoining the Casa França-Brasil, this charming restaurant with outdoor tables serves bistro fare (mushroom risotto, veal, grilled salmon) at lunchtime as well as snacks (quiche, bruschetta) and desserts from 4pm onwards.
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Le Castellet
The French-Brazilian couple who run this small eatery have created a vibrant, colorful ambience, serving up French favorites such as salade niçoise, croque monsieur and sweet and savory crepes.
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Crêperie Patrick
This French-influenced place is recommended for crêpes, ice cream and continental dinners (trout, fondue, pasta). It has a rooftop patio that’s open in the mornings for enjoying breakfast under the sun.
reviewed
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Viagem dos Sabores
Inside the pousada Estalagem do Porto, this well-run restaurant serves up delectable dishes with all sorts of eclectic influences. Bahian flavors, Italian and French are prominent.
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Café Mariane
Mariane’s French-Mediterranean cuisine is a real stand-out in Baños. The cheese and meat fondues are a lot even for two people, and the pasta and meat dishes are quite elegant.
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