706 Best Restaurants in France

Run by members of the Tellechea family since 1715, this former stagecoach inn in the Petit Bayonne quarter serves a combination of cuisine du terroir (homestyle regional cooking) and original recipes in contemporary surroundings. Michelin-starred chef Jean-Claude Tellechea showcases fresh fish as well as specialties from the Basque hills, sometimes joining the two in dishes such as the merlu rôti aux oignons et jus de volaille (hake roasted in onions with essence of poultry). The Irouléguy wines offer the best value on the wine list. Be sure to be there on time: lunch ends at 1:30.

Young Japanese chef Kunihisa Goto has finally brought Fontainebleau's dining scene a Michelin star. The sleek contemporary dining room is the perfect setting for his refined cuisine that draws from the natural bounty of the lush Fontainebleau region, both wild and cultivated. The menu is small, all the better to highlight luxury ingredients like sea urchin, caviar, truffles, and langoustine served with more prosaic riches like caramelized local tomatoes, puree of chervil root, or a velvety buckwheat sauce (prix-fixe menus are available for both lunch and dinner).

From its traditional bentwood bistro chairs to its well-priced menu of contemporary French classics, this is the kind of neighborhood bistro we dream about when we think of Paris. Friendly service, a convivial atmosphere, a top-notch wine list, and delicious market-fresh fare all add up to the kind of place you want to keep all to yourself. Fixed-price lunch menus are €17; dinner is à la carte only.

Don't be put off by its unprepossessing exterior: this friendly, oak-beam restaurant offers good-value prix-fixe menus. Chef-owner Thomas Compagnon's sure-footed culinary mastery is evident in his bold and passionate presentation of seasonal produce dishes.

Feast on fresh, seasonal gastronomic dishes—especially perfectly prepared fish and seafood offerings—paired with a curated list of local wines in a friendly, relaxed setting. Though a local favorite in all seasons, the terrace is particularly popular in warm weather, so be sure to reserve.

Jean-François Piège has breathed new life into A l'Epi d'Or, harking back to the 1920s, when Paris was filled with delightful classic bistros. The allure of the old-fashioned zinc bar, tiled floor, and dark wood tables invites you in; the mastery of authentic French cuisine begs you to stay. There are only a few à la carte options like croque monsieurs, steak frites, slow-cooked beef, and steak tartare. It's in the daily specials that the chef truly shines. 

This restaurant doesn't have great gastronomic pretensions, but the delicious food, hip waiters, and charming terrace in the quiet, cobblestone Place St-Pierre make it a local favorite. Order a steak with vraies frites (real chunky French fries), and soak up the atmosphere with the help of some well-chosen local wine.

Situated just on the edge of Dijon's town center, this under-the-radar gem lures well-versed locals thanks to the chef's skillful use of market-driven produce. The menu brims with dishes such as seared monkfish with leeks and a caper vinaigrette or pan-fried Corton pigeon served with braised salsify and tonka bean sauce. Dishes steer away from the hearty Burgundian classics and focus on a modern lighter style of cuisine.

A nice change from the grand, overly formal hotel dining rooms that dominate Deauville, the relaxed atmosphere and sensational, seasonal cuisine at this contemporary eatery have made it extremely popular (and earned it a Michelin star). Charles Thuillant and Mi-Ra Kim, who met in the kitchen of Paris's Ze Kitchen Galerie, focus on lighter Asian-inspired dishes with European influences, like caramelized salmon with yuzu-flavored daikon or Wagyu beef with grilled vegetables.

Steps from the Palais des Papes, this chic hot spot is part of the "bistronomy" movement, which focuses on creative cooking, a casual atmosphere, and reasonable prices. The quaint terrace on a side street lures in passersby, and the romantic 17th-century interior courtyard keeps them coming back.

Le tout Bordeaux comes to this trendy glass-encased restaurant, which hangs spectacularly over the Garonne River, for its privileged views of Bordeaux proper and the 18th-century Place de la Bourse on the opposite bank. The cuisine is creative but not edgy (imagine scallop ceviche, cassolette of squid with parsley, or foie gras ravioli in crème de cèpes), while the wine list focuses on young Bordeaux. The setting is sleek modern with a casual, sometimes noisy crowd. The city lights make views better at night.

Villeneuve’s go-to brunch spot also serves gourmet breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon teas, all featuring meticulously prepared dishes. It's open nonstop from 9 am till 6 pm (breakfast ends at 11 am) and has seating in a contemporary dining room and a spacious garden. The building also houses La Régence bed-and-breakfast.

The chic little sister brasserie to the Hôtel L'Imperator's gastronomic Duende restaurant is your best bet in the city for a memorable meal that won't break the bank. What's more, Duende's Michelin-starred chef presides over the kitchen, putting out perfectly executed comfort food made with ingredients sourced from the Occitane. You can eat in the relaxed dining room or outdoors under towering plane trees and serenaded by a gurgling fountain The two- to four-course prix-fixe menus cost €44–€71.

Come for the early sitting at this buzzing bistro (reservations are essential) specializing in solid French "bistronomic" fare and you'll often discover the dining room filled with more than a few tourists—the waiters speak English perfectly. The dining room excels in such French comfort foods as leg of lamb, warm Puy lentil salad, roasted quail, and a scintillating rum-soaked baba au rhum, not to mention the namesake dish of velvety bone marrow. Service can be brusque, with waiters plunking even the higher-priced bottles of wine on the table without waiting for the customer to swill and slurp. Still, these problems seem to be minor, judging by the ever-crowded tables. The restaurant's popular wine bar, La Cave de l'Os à Moelle, across the street on Rue de Lourmel, serves a bargain prix-fixe menu for €31.

Native son and Michelin-starred chef Mathias Dandine is behind this restaurant in a sleek, five-star auberge 15 minutes from downtown Aix. He and talented chef Guillaume Lemelle reinvent Mediterranean classics, using meticulously sourced, seasonal ingredients in dishes that highlight the bounty of sea and sun.

The relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and lovely country setting here are worth the short drive to the town of Roaix. The affable owner and cook presents an ever-changing menu with an emphasis on what's fresh, local, and organic—salmon-and-sweet-onion tartlette nestled among a crisp mesclun salad might be among the starters, perhaps followed by chicken stuffed with local wild mushrooms.

This small and cozy restaurant with friendly service offers typical Corsican lunch and dinner dishes. There is inside seating for 18 as well as dining on the terrace for 10.

Passing through the tiny village of Le Controis-en-Sologne, a 12-minute drive from Cheverny, you'll find this unassuming storefront with spare decor that belies a rich and sophisticated cuisine. Chef Stéphane Bureau, a veteran of top tables around France, delights in presenting (in English or French) his beautiful refined dishes made with the best local ingredients: perhaps plump white asparagus from the Sologne with wild garlic in an ethereal cloud of smoked hollandaise delicately flavored with bottarga, followed by tender farm-raised chicken in a rich sauce of vin jaune and morel mushrooms with braised polenta. The dessert platter, presented and prepared by the chef, is a show unto itself. Suggested wine pairings are a good value, and a nice touch for those less familiar with the superb local vintages.

If you're tired of hearty Burgundian classics, just follow savvy locals to this stylish little restaurant on the town's main street. Its creative menus include market-inspired dishes.

Housed in the stone-vaulted kitchens of the Château de Chantilly's legendary 17th-century chef Vorace Vatel, this quaint restaurant has an open-hearth fireplace big enough for whole lambs or oxen to sizzle on the spit. Reflect at leisure on your cultural peregrinations over mouthfuls of grilled turbot or roast quail, and don't forget to add a good dollop of homemade crème de Chantilly to your dessert. Open from noon to 5, it offers à la carte options plus a three-course prix-fixe menu for €26.

Inside the Sofitel Golfe d'Ajaccio, La Carte Postale presents a sedate ambience with floor-to-ceiling pillars, candlelit tables, and a pianist tickling the ivories. The kitchen incorporates Corsican flavors into contemporary cuisine. An assortment of sheep and goat cheeses are from local producers.

This convivial little restaurant in the center of Épernay serves authentic regional dishes with a refined twist at reasonable prices. The chef executes a perfect marriage of flavors by highlighting the local wines; classics include grilled oysters with Chardonnay butter and rump steak with a Pinot Noir sauce. There are also more rustic choices for the daring.

An amazing view of Mont Blanc is yours at the Cave des Creux, opened by a couple of ski instructors on top of what was once a shelter for shepherds and their flocks (you can still see some of the old cheese cellar and its equipment on the lower level). It's hard to resist the stone-trimmed dining room, where huge iron beams, industrial lighting, and a sleek fireplace give the place a modern feel. The menu is also forward-thinking—consider the pumpkin soup with foie gras shavings as a starter, then move on to lamb chops with wild garlic. Organic wines from the region make it hard to say no to a glass or two before heading back to the slopes. On sunny days, the wraparound deck is packed elbow-to-elbow, even when temperatures drop below freezing.

At the Maison Delano hotel's chic restaurant, three-star Michelin chef Dani García oversees a menu specializing in traditional ingredients and flavors from his native Andalusia. The spotlight is on seafood in starters like remoulade of king crab with crème fraiche potatoes and avocado "snow" or octopus carpaccio with lemon vinaigrette, followed by a melting Normandy beef or the chef's special paella for two, made with chicken, octopus, smoked eel, fish, or rabbit. A live DJ spins tunes until 11 pm (or later), or you can opt for the intimate dining room, complete with chinoiserie wallpaper and pristine linens. The inventive cocktail menu (also found in the gorgeous in-hotel bar) and mile-long list of the world's swankiest Champagnes deserves a special mention.

Sip tea (or lusciously thick hot chocolate) and sample tasty cakes at this atmospheric salon.

With lacy curtains, beamed ceilings, and carved wood walls, this might be the closest you'll get to an authentic Breton crêperie without heading to the coast. Dig into a hearty buckwheat galette, perfectly crisped on the edges and filled with a classic combo of country ham, egg, cheese, and mushrooms or any number of other filling choices, accompanied by a pitcher of refreshing dry Breton cider. For dessert, the traditional crêpe filled with crème de marron (chestnut) or the sublime caramel au beurre salé (salted caramel), is not to be missed. With a two-course lunch formule for €14, this is a great place for a quick, satisfying, and thoroughly French meal. Extra bonus: the kids will love it.

This Michelin-starred establishment from Anne-Sophie Pic features a Provençal-accented tasting menu of specialties from the chef's native Valence, with produce-driven dishes and Southern cheeses. The dining room leans into the chef's feminine side, with pale pink accenting the cozy space otherwise decked out in leather and wood.