Must-see restaurants in France

  • La Vague exterior

    La Vague

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Ceviche – such as tuna with black olive and orange zest, tiger prawn with red onion and sweet potato or salmon with beetroot crème – is the signature dish…

  • Melt, exterior (side view)

    Melt

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    You'll smell the smoky aromas before you spot Melt. Paris' first Texan BBQ oven smokes meats such as beef and pork ribs, beef brisket, chicken and…

  • Tradi, exterior (close-up)

    Tradi

    Paris

    This reborn traditional bistro only uses sustainable French produce, which can be traced from farm to plate. Everything is made on site, including the…

  • Virtus exterior (façade; angle)

    Virtus

    Paris

    Occupying stunning premises with a kingfisher-blue façade and traditional mosaic-tiled floors, Virtus' market-sourced, daily changing menu is at the…

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    Citeaux Sphere

    Paris

    This hybrid space combines a vinyl record shop stocked with treasures, a wine bar and a laid-back restaurant under one roof. Written on vinyl discs, its…

  • Au Baiser du Mitron

    Menton

    This one-of-a-kind boulangerie showcases breads from the Côte d’Azur, inland Provence and other favourite spots from baker-owner Kevin Le Meur's world…

  • Marxito

    Paris

    Two-Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx opened his 'gourmet fast food' restaurant with a striking coral-coloured, neo-retro interior in 2018. Its…

  • Crèmerie du Glacier

    Chamonix

    A wooden forest chalet is the setting for Chef Claudy's croûte aux fromages (bread drenched in a secret white-wine sauce, topped with cheese and baked)…

  • La Butte aux Piafs

    Paris

    A cinematic cluster of cherry-red chairs flag the pavement terrace of this neighbourhood bistro on the edge of La Butte aux Cailles. Large windows giving…

  • La Tour d’Argent

    Latin Quarter

    The venerable Michelin-starred ‘Silver Tower’ is famous for its caneton (duckling), rooftop garden with glimmering island views and fabulous history…

  • La Felicità

    Paris

    At the southern end of start-up campus Station F, immense La Felicità (Italian for 'happiness') sprawls over 4500 sq metres, with 1000 seats, five…

  • Le Coupe-Chou

    Latin Quarter

    This maze of candlelit rooms inside a vine-clad 17th-century townhouse is overwhelmingly romantic. Ceilings are beamed, furnishings are antique, open…

  • Le Chardenoux

    Paris

    Dating from 1908, this picture-perfect Parisian bistro with a polished-timber façade, patterned tiled floors, ceiling frescoes, mirrored walls, bevelled…

  • L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    This two-Michelin-star restaurant established by Joël Robuchon (1945–2018) takes diners on a mind-blowing culinary tour of French gastronomy's finer…

  • Chez Alain Miam Miam

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Weave your way through the makeshift kitchens inside Marché des Enfants Rouges to find Alain, a retired baker sporting T-shirts with attitude, whose…

  • Le Potager de Charlotte

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Vegan brothers David and Adrien are dedicated to gourmet plant-based cuisine. Farmers-market-sourced ingredients come together in dishes like chickpea and…

  • Sawadee Khap

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Pretty much packed to the rafters ever since it opened, this pocket-sized newbie on Paris' thriving street-food scene wins big with flavoursome Thai soups…

  • Bocca a bocca

    Bordeaux

    Locals can't get enough of this candlelit trattoria with summer terrace on Chartron's main street. Meal-sized salads bursting with grilled aubergines,…

  • Le Chateaubriand

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Michelin-starred Le Chateaubriand is an elegantly tiled, art deco dining room with strikingly imaginative cuisine. Basque chef Iñaki Aizpitarte is well…

  • Au Petit Marguery

    Paris

    This elegant restaurant with royal-red canopy and classic, white-tablecloth decor is the traditional choice near place d'Italie. Honest-to-goodness,…

  • Mini Palais

    Paris

    Set inside the fabulous Grand Palais, the Mini Palais resembles an artist’s studio on a colossal scale, with unvarnished hardwood floors, industrial…

  • Restaurant Le 7

    Bordeaux

    To dine with a bird's-eye view of the industrial port, river and city beyond, head up to this dazzling mirage of glass, steel and gold on the 7th floor of…

  • Casa Bini

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    At this highly recommended Italian restaurant, homemade pasta is cooked to perfection and children are treated like gods. Dishes span lush antipasti…

  • Le Bon, La Butte

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    It's hard to resist the traditional mushroom-painted façade and line-up of emerald-green wine bottles in the window of this neighbourhood bistro. Plunge…

  • Le Petit Cambodge

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    A more modern, hipper version of popular Le Cambodge, Le Petit Cambodge serves excellent-quality Cambodian cuisine to a fiercely loyal local crowd. Dishes…

  • L'Esprit des Mets

    Languedoc-Roussillon

    Industrial Alès – and especially its business park 3km south of the centre across the river – is the last place you'd expect to find a fine-dining diamond…

  • Le Coq Rico

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Classy Le Coq Rico cooks up poultry – not any old poultry but belles volailles – red-ribbon birds raised in luxurious five-star chicken coops. France's…

  • Café de Niozelles

    Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

    For just-like-mama-made-it French cuisine, it’s worth the 5km drive from Forcalquier to this unapologetically old-school bistro in Niozelles. You’ll need…

  • Epoca

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Star of the French TV show Top Chef, Italian chef Denny Imbroisi is the creative talent behind this A-lister-chic Italian bistro with a sharp, black-and…

  • Le Petit Rétro

    Paris

    From the gorgeous ‘Petit Rétro’ emblazoned on the zinc bar to the ceramic, floral art nouveau tiles on the wall, this 1904-opened old-style bistro is…

  • La Ferme Basque

    Parc National des Pyrénées

    This country farmhouse just west of Cauterets has a delightfully rustic restaurant specialising in garbure (a rich meat-and-veg stew), omelettes with foie…

  • Contrast

    Bordeaux

    'In Brunch We Trust' is the strapline of this brilliant address serving indulgent breakfast and brunch all day. Be it homemade granola, pancakes, lavish…

  • Pozzetto

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    This gelato maker opened when friends from northern Italy couldn’t find their favourite ice cream in Paris so they imported the ingredients to make it…

  • Ciel de Paris

    Paris

    Views don’t get much better than ‘Sky of Paris’, the Tour Montparnasse’s 56th-floor restaurant, accessed by private elevator. Starters include snails and…

  • Fenocchio

    Nice

    There’s no shortage of ice-cream sellers in the old town, but this maître glacier (master ice-cream maker) has been king of the scoops since 1966. The…

  • Le Bistrot des Dames

    Clermont-Ferrand

    Expert takes on French classics like duck à l'orange, smoked Montbéliard sausage and rabbit in mustard rotate on the menu, along with house creations like…

  • La Merenda

    Nice

    Simple, solid Niçois cuisine – stockfish, calf tripe à la Niçoise with panisse (chunky, pan-fried sticks of chickpea batter) and the like – by former…

  • Fish

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    This up-cycled fishmonger's, with wonderful old mosaic on the front façade, communal seating and multilingual bonhomie, is as much wine bar as restaurant …

  • Bouillon Pigalle

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Brilliant prices, all-day service and quality ingredients used in unapologetically traditional dishes – snails with garlic and parsley butter, veal liver…

  • Le Cheverus Café

    Bordeaux

    There's never a dull moment at this buzzing neighbourhood bistro with quintessential retro interior and obligatory line-up of grass-green metal chairs…

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