706 Best Restaurants in France

If it's steak you're craving, put your faith in Jean-Luc Roulière, a fifth-generation butcher who opened this long, narrow bistro near St-Sulpice church. Partner Franck Pinturier is from the Auvergne region, which is also known for its melt-in-the-mouth meat, so start with a lobster bisque or a duck foie gras terrine before indulging in a generous slab of Limousin or Salers beef, a deer steak, or, for the meat-shy, sautéed turbot with fresh vegetables.

Specializing in salads, pizzas, and pastas—prepared on the spot from local produce—this place offers a refreshing, light alternative to all those heavy French dishes. But Attimi is as hot as the lasagna Bolognese it serves, so you'll need to reserve or eat early. A seat on the terrace next to the fountain at the end of Place Masséna lets you dine with a side order of people-watching.

Cupid's arrows don't quite account for the rapturous reviews (and one Michelin star) garnered by Tsuyoshi Arai in his tiny chocolate box of a restaurant. The persnickety Lyonnais have fallen hard, waiting weeks to savor dishes that combine Japanese subtlety with rigorous French technique—like poached foie gras and creamy parsnip puree with caramelized carrot sauce, scallops rolled in sole and smoky bacon, verbena-infused lobster consommé with caviar, and salmon tartare in a gingery court bouillon with zucchini mousse. The cozy atmosphere only adds to its allure.

Parc de La Villette once housed the city's meat market, and this brasserie devoted to fine beef (whether French or Irish) soldiers on as if nothing has changed. It's worth the trek here to sample one of the 16 takes on the beef theme (plus a gargantuan marrow bone) or good fish and seafood dishes, such as sole or scallops (in season). You'll find meat lovers from all over Paris in the buzzy dining room, feasting on the good-value, €40 three-course menu that includes an apéro, a half bottle of wine and a coffee.

To see what well-heeled Parisians eat these days, book a table at this chic little bistro run by Jacques Lacipière as soon as you get to town. The contemporary dining room is unusually comfortable, but it's the excellent, well-priced cuisine du marché that has made this spot a hit. The sophisticated fare sometimes features Salers beef and green asparagus, roasted lobster with mushroom risotto, and game in season. House-made desserts could include citrus terrine with passion-fruit sorbet or caramelized apple mille-feuille with hazelnut ice cream. The €45 prix-fixe dinner menu, featuring dishes with distinct haute-cuisine touches, is one of the city's great bargains.

This handsome, contemporary Marais bistro and wine bar is the perfect place to enjoy traditional fare and excellent Burgundies served by the glass and bottle. Unusual for Paris, food is served nonstop from noon to 11 pm, and you can drop by just for a glass of wine in the afternoon. Always on the menu are Burgundian classics such as jambon persillé (ham in parsley aspic jelly), escargots, and boeuf bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine). More up-to-date picks include a cèpe-mushroom velouté with poached oysters, although fancier dishes are generally less successful.

Tucked away in a backstreet, this bijou bistro is one of the top-rated spots in town (the place is always packed, so be sure to book ahead). Excellent in terms of both value and quality, its menus include modern, market-driven dishes showcasing top-quality produce served with masterfully prepared sauces.

This popular landmark (the name means \"customhouse\") serves huge portions of regional standards, plus changing specialties like coq au vin with spaetzle or choucroute \"Colmarienne\" with five different meats. Appreciative tourists and canny locals contribute to the lively atmosphere. If you can cut a swath through this enthusiastic horde, you can sit in the big, open dining room, glowing with wood and warm fabric, or at a shaded table on the broad, lovely square.

For five generations, the Dubois family has been producing the local Crottin de Chavignol goat cheese that figures prominently on the menu at this unpretentious bistro-wine bar—whether baked on toast, melted in an omelet, or included on a cheese plate with other local favorites. You can choose from a range of seasonal dishes that pair beautifully with a local wine that they will happily guide you in choosing.

This bistrot à vins has the lived-in look of a longtime neighborhood hangout—which it was until two veterans of the raging Paris wine-bar scene reinvented the place, keeping the vintage, laid-back atmosphere and adding a serious foodie menu that's one of the best deals in town. A blackboard lists a selection of tapas, including several house-made pâtés, fresh tomato or beet salads, a superb seafood carpaccio, and artisanal charcuterie and cheeses. For dinner, four or more diners can hack away at a crispy-succulent roasted lamb haunch.

This cozy bar is always packed, and tables often spill out onto the sidewalk. Come for a hearty meal, a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine.

This ultrapopular eatery on the edge of Old Town consistently serves fresh, locally sourced cuisine with a price-to-quality ratio that keeps the locals coming back. Imaginative dishes like pot au feu de coquilles St-Jacques (stewed scallops and vegetables) and mussels in saffron broth are ample and served with flair. The set menus at lunch (€24, three courses) and dinner (€38 or €48 for four courses) are a bargain. Choose between a table on the umbrella-shaded terrace or one in the pleasantly unpretentious dining room.

You'll have no doubt what city you're in at this classic Parisian brasserie where you can sample all the French delicacies you'll never find at home, like quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua (a sort of fritter made with pike—a traditional specialty of Lyon); tête de veau with tangy sauce ravigote (capers, shallots, tarragon, chervil, and parsley); poached haddock à l'Anglaise; and a fabulous millefeuille de boudin noir (blood sausage pastry). Be sure to try the excellent frites, and do not skimp on dessert: their crème brûlée is legendary.

This modern restaurant on a touristy street offers up creative dishes with regional flourishes that are a hit with both locals and visitors. The small dining room is a discreet space decked out in black and white, with the owner's artwork adding dashes of color. Menu choices include seared skin-on fillet of Heimbach-sourced trout, and steak with Munster sauce. There are standout desserts. The basement dining room doubles as a venue for weekly concerts.

It’s worth a visit to this popular café just to see the listed historic ceilings and delightfully old-fashioned interiors. The sweets may not reach the ambition of some of the designer pâtisseries in the neighborhood, but it’s as picturesque spot as can be for a coffee and a classic tarte tatin, eclair, raspberry tart, or a savory croque monsieur for lunch in the salon de thé or on the sidewalk terrace in warm weather.

Young, talented, and now famous chef Cyril Lignac has nabbed three small sites all within a few feet of each other to create a trio of intimate signature spaces. The main address is Au Prés, which serves Black Angus beef and Japanese-inspired delights such as miso-carmelized black cod. Lignac oversees every detail, including the choice of marble countertops, brass lamps, dark leather booths, and the preservation of the original 1950s floral wallpaper. Next door at No. 25 is another elegant, more modern style bar called Le Bar des Prés, which specializes in Japanese maki and sashimi for lunch and dinner. Finally, Dragon, just across the street is an evening-only private cocktail and sushi bar. A good cocktail is as much a part of the Lignac experience as the delicious and carefully prepared food.

As its impressive facade attests, this café has a special history. It opened in 1846, when Balzac was a regular, and Rue Montorgueil was the place to buy oysters, though these days the menu is more modern, with salads, burgers, and brunch options, as well as a handful of classics like escargots and French onion soup.

With its stone walls, wooden tables, and friendly waiters, \"The Corkscrew\" is the best place in town to sample Alsatian choucroute garnie and flammekueche. The menu also promises some seasonally changing innovations, plus a fine selection of Pinot Blanc and Riesling wines. This winstub is recommended for that guaranteed touch of authenticity.

Built in 1512 as a residence for the Canon of Notre-Dame, Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole was converted into a wine bar in 1723, making it one of the city’s oldest restaurants. It specializes in dishes from the Aveyron region in the southwest (if it's on the menu, try the coufidou d’Aubrac, a rich beef stew made with Marcillac wine) and serves everything in plush red-velvet-and-antiques dining areas that are a treat for the eyes.

Parisian gastronomic extravagance has largely disappeared in favor of leaner fare. But that is not the case at this beloved stalwart, where you can revel in such Gallic classics as towering soufflés, buttery frogs' legs, or a hearty steak smothered in sauce béarnaise. It's a favorite among politicians and locals, who feel the fare is well worth the tweak to the pocketbook (and the waistline).

With a roaring fire in winter and an outdoor terrace in summer, this quaint, country-style restaurant specializes in the fruits of the sea. Traditional dishes—like brioche-enrobed escargot with Roquefort sauce, plump seafood sausage, a hearty soupe de poisson (fish soup), and a heaping seafood platter—are served in a wood-beamed dining room.

A timeless atmosphere and delicious, great-value cuisine are the hallmarks of this family-owned restaurant and inn set in a charming 17th-century house that's been serving traditional Périgord specialties for more than 50 years. Tuck into terrine of foie gras with homemade chutney, roast leg of Quercy lamb, or Pyrénées trout served gravlax-style with dill, pink peppercorns, and preserved ginger, before finishing with a perfect cheese plate favoring the local goat cheeses. At €24 for a three-course lunch, it's a value too good to pass up.

For total van Gogh immersion, have lunch—or dinner on Friday and Saturday—in the restaurant he patronized regularly more than 100 years ago, in the building where he actually died. A three-course prix-fixe menu is available, and saddle of lamb and homemade terrine are among Loran Gattuso's specialties. What makes eating here special, though, is the genius loci, complete with glasswork, lace curtains, and wall blandishments carefully modeled on the original designs. Table No. 5, the "table des habitués," is where van Gogh used to sit. A magnificently illustrated book, Van Gogh's Table, by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf and art historian Fred Leeman, recalls Vincent's stay at the auberge and describes in loving detail the dishes served here at the time.

A significant amount of Lille's culinary praise is reserved for this lovely little restaurant just south of the Place de la Republique. Expect fresh, local, and eco-friendly ingredients cooked to near perfection and given inventive twists. Focusing on quality over quantity, the weekly changing menu only includes two starters, two mains, and two desserts.

To be enveloped in the aroma of freshly baked babka is almost as swoon-worthy as biting into a tender brioche babka filled with creamy pistachio-orange flower, chocolate-hazelnut, or buttery poppy seed at this unpretentious bakery a stone’s throw from the Place des Vosges. The pistachio-rose rugelach and the nougat-orange babka rolls are to die for, as are the deli sandwiches and savory breads.

With a cellar full of fromage—and a vast wine stock that you peruse in lieu of a list—Baud et Millet is a good place to get acquainted with some of the 246 different French cheeses that Charles de Gaulle famously blamed for making this such a complex, and thus difficult, country to govern. You must buzz to gain entry, and that's just the first element of the unique experience here; in the cellar, tasting sessions tempt you to sample as many of the 100 cheeses on offer as you like for a set price. Genuine stinky-cheese lovers should know some cheeses here aren't as potent as can be had elsewhere in France.

A wine shop, gourmet take-out, and restaurant all in one, you can enjoy your meal in the bright, stylish restaurant or choose from a variety of homemade takeout dishes and desserts for a picnic lunch on the beautiful château grounds a five-minute walk away. On the menu expect dishes like Breton oysters on the half shell, tender suprême de volaille, pumpkin vélouté, and roasted veggie flatbread. The restaurant uses only regional products and locally grown vegetables.