706 Best Restaurants in France

Nearby yet removed from the bustle of the Vieux Port and MuCEM's crowded cafés, this luminous, lunch-only dining room in the Musée Regards de Provence has panoramic new port and city views. Chef Thierry Lennon's cooking is worthy of the setting and features dishes like roasted cod with saffron risotto or tender duck breast with honeyed red cabbage. If you've forgotten to reserve, don't worry: there's a cafeteria-style buffet with fresh gourmet sandwiches, salads, and desserts that you can enjoy on one of two terraces. Open until 6, it's a nice place for an afternoon pick-me-up or an apéro before heading off somewhere else for dinner.

Located on the promenade (next to the Hotel le B d'Arcachon), Chez Pierre has been a local landmark for more than half a century. The menu is uncompromisingly lush, with highlights including tourte royale (pigeon stuffed with foie gras) and mountainous, lobster-crowned seafood platters. The two-course menu is sensibly priced at €35. Sushi and sashimi make guest appearances too.

Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen is the first South African to be awarded a Michelin star, which he earned within two years of opening his namesake restaurant in the port. Because of this, it can be tough to get reservations to sample a menu that might feature such innovative dishes as veal cheeks, potatoes dauphinoise, potato puree, trumpet mushrooms, foie gras, and lavender mayonnaise. For the record, the bread, ice cream, and sorbet are all homemade; the eggs and milk are organic; and Jan Hendrik grows his own vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

This restaurant is worth a trip just outside town for such delights as sea bream with cherry tomatoes and flaxseed, a trilogy of goat and ewe cheeses with black-olive jam, or roasted pike perch with risotto. The bistro-Provençal interior and the terrace are the perfect settings for long, leisurely meals, and there are spectacular village views. In addition to several prix-fixe menus (from €30 to €49) there are many à la carte offerings. 

It's hard to believe that this tranquil island is only 20 minutes from Cannes by boat, and that it's the location of a scenic, 19th-century restaurant run by monks from the Île St-Honorat monastery alongside chef Mathias Metge. You're here for the views; although the menu focuses on very fresh grilled fish, prices seem aimed at the stars (literally), and service reflects a "we're the only restaurant on the island" attitude. There is a vegan option, and cheeseburgers also on the menu.  Take the opportunity to sample the wines, liqueurs, and eaux-de-vie that are produced by the island's busy monks.

The stylish, modern dark-wood interior and large windows overlooking the sea here are magnets for hip young professionals. The staff is efficient, and meals are well presented and tasty. Try the delicious bouillabaisse, the catch of the day (priced by the weight), or a bargain prix-fixe that includes three courses.

The word txalupa is Basque for \"skiff\" or \"small boat,\" and you feel like you're in one here, with yachts and fishing vessels going about their business in the bay just a few yards away. The mixed seafood platter is legendary, and daily nonstop service from noon to midnight makes it a hard meal to miss.

If you want a truly regional experience, take a seat on the shaded terrace of Restaurant Philip (circa 1926), enjoy the water views, and dig in to some cuisses de grenouille (frog's legs) or trout fished straight from the Sorgue River. Set apart from the other eateries, it's just before the trail to the spring. A three-course menu goes for only €37, and there's a decent regional wine list. Sandwiches, salads, and ice cream can be ordered next door at Bar Glacier.

The culinary experience here is a fusion of Mediterranean and Asian flavors, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. Sharing is caring, so kick things off with plats à partager, like the regional favorite socca (flatbread) or the Takoyaki-style croquettes with Japanese mushrooms, followed by an exquisite fish or seasonal beef dish and a dessert temptation such as the Menton lemon tiramisu. The interior, which is a cozy place for candlelit suppers in winter, seamlessly blends modern decor with artistic touches. The shaded cobbled terrace makes for delightful alfresco dining in summer. 

Enjoy selections from a Californian-inspired menu, featuring generous, shareable plates at reasonable prices, in a vibrant setting. If you need a sweet pick me up, opt for Les gourmands de Rosana, minidesserts, and an espresso. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, not always easy to find in France, are available here as well.

From family crêperie to destination restaurant, this storybook stone cottage was the Finistère region’s first eatery to earn a Michelin star, back in 1933, and has earned one again under the direction of native Breton Christian Le Squer, one of France’s most celebrated chefs. Seasonal dishes steeped in local flavors (sweet Roscoff onions, Plougastel strawberries, Belon oysters, Poncelet butter, Breton artichokes, coquilles Saint-Jacques) are lovingly composed for utmost artistry and enjoyed in the picture-perfect dining room of a 15th-century stone mill overlooking a flower-strewn terrace and charming brook. If you love wine, it's well worth the alliance vins for the perfect pairing with your meal.

Part of the Breizh Café crêperie empire, this chic little tearoom is where you can enjoy truly gourmet creations, all made from buckwheat, with a Japanese inflection. Try artisanal Breton ham with comté cheese, beurre Bordier, candied onions, and a side of seaweed pickles. Or if you prefer a savory pie, you'll find versions like artichoke, goat cheese, and zucchini with a buckwheat crust on the daily menu. Pastry chef Mayumi Okusa's exceptionally delicate dessert crêpes are a must; options include fresh strawberries and yuzu cream; salted caramel; or chestnut cream with vanilla mousse, candied chestnuts, and meringue. If you're inspired, stop into La Maison du Sarrasin next door to shop the best of Brittany's culinary delights.

The duo behind the popular neighborhood bistro La Boissonerie and the excellent wineshop La Dernière Goutte have poured their significant expertise into this laid-back bistro in the heart of tony St-Germain-des-Prés. Its sophisticated cuisine, superb wines by the bottle or glass, and total lack of pretension have quickly made Semilla the toast of the town. A lively open kitchen produces a menu of plentiful dishes served raw, roasted, baked, or steamed, with choices that will thrill carnivores, pescatarians, and herbivores alike. Two- or three-course menus are priced at €55 and €70, respectively, and the five-course tasting menu is €90. 

Since 1887, this café, bar, and restaurant has been a vibrant part of port life. Its famous red terrace offers a front-row seat to the glamorous comings and goings of St-Tropez, enabling you to people-watch while enjoying a coffee and a slice of the famed nougat. Peruse the dinner menu while sipping a St-Tropez spritz, with grapefruit liquor and pureed raspberries. It's open daily for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and big nights out.

In a leafy garden perched at the heights of Marseille, the stylish Sépia eatery and lively Julis terrace bar make the perfect stop on your descent from Sainte-Marie Majeure cathedral or after exploring the chic up-and-coming St-Victor neighborhood. Chef Paul Langlère sources local ingredients to create such masterful dishes as rich cuttlefish stew; poached cod with leeks braised in red wine; and, for dessert, the ethereal mille-feuille filled with pastis cream. At Julis, the local wines, craft beers, and gourmet plates are perfect on summer nights.

This minuscule wine bar and boutique serves as a first stop for those lucky enough to have snagged a sought-after reservation at Septime restaurant or the ideal place to taste handpicked wines by the glass from small producers you won’t find stateside. Early opening hours make it the perfect spot for an apéro accompanied by gourmet snacks before dinner at the restaurant or elsewhere in this gastronomically rich neighborhood.

You could hear the buzz for miles when this beautiful dining room opened in 2019, and it's only gotten louder thanks to a shiny new Michelin star. Jerusalem-born chef Assaf Granit brings his formidable talent and imagination to Israeli and Asian-inspired dishes on the set-price tasting menu (there's no à la carte). Candlelit at night, the small but beautiful dining room is the perfect backdrop to an unforgettable meal.

Since the 1970s, this quaint (there is no other word for it) English tearoom—dark wooden beams, teapots on shelves, a table laden with cakes and pies—has catered to locals and homesick expats, all of whom are intrigued by the pieman's tempting wares and properly brewed teas served in silver pots. Owned from the beginning by a Frenchwoman whose mother was English, Simple Simon is a real ode to British tradition, with Cornish salad, bacon and eggs, and hot dishes like shepherd's pie, cheese-and-onion crumble tart, or turkey hot pot at lunch. During the theater festival, it's also open for dinner.

Nestled beneath the château of Roquefère, an unspoiled village fleuri in the Cabardés region of the Montagne Noire, this regional favorite dishes up amazing steaks and bottomless plates of homemade pâté and charcuterie. Cooked over wood fires, many of the meat-centered dishes are accompanied by mushrooms picked from nearby mountains by the genial chef. This place is worth visiting as much for its rustic charm as for its great food. In warm weather, ask for a table on the terrace amid hills cloaked with oak and chestnut trees.

In a city where style often wins out over substance, food lovers treasure this Suquet eatery run by Noël Mantel, who, among other top-notch jobs, worked with Ducasse at Louis XV in Monaco. The contemporary setting harmonizes with the exquisitely detailed Mediterranean cuisine on the seasonal menus.

Acclaimed chef Pierre Siewe’s move from his lively restaurant in laid-back Pigalle to the more discriminating 7e seems to have freed rather than constrained the talented chef, who shines in this warm and colorful dining room. Siewe’s mastery of French technique and the palpable pleasure in pairing unexpected ingredients from his native Cameroon (cocoa, hibiscus, yam, and spices, including the signature Penja pepper) culminate in an ever-evolving menu of colorful, meticulously executed dishes arriving from the open kitchen. Options might include pollack fish with spiced parsley cakes, pumpkin purée, and orange-blossom hollandaise; tender braised beef with coffee condiment, red onions, capers, and hibiscus mustard; and ras el hanout-braised lamb shoulder with sweet red onion, a touch of lemon, attiéké (fermented cassava), and herbed veal jus. For dessert, the traditional Mont-Blanc gets a jolt from an invigorating green pepper ice cream. Prix fixe menus (with your choice of dishes) are €25-€45 at lunch and €55-€95 at dinner.

This favorite spot in the center of town draws crowds, especially after the morning market, for its excellent French comfort food with a twist. It's a great place to relax—inside the cheerful dining room or outdoors in the garden or under the 16th-century building's beautiful stone vaulting—and feast on rotisserie chicken with crispy frites, fresh oysters on the half shell, jumbo shrimp with mango and avocado, or a charcuterie plate.

Pedigreed baristas cater to a hip crowd of good-brew connoisseurs here, with an accompanying menu of delicious sandwiches, soups, snacks, and pastries. For Sunday brunch, head over to sister café Ten Belles Bread, where the crusty organic breads and pastries are baked on the premises.

The two British chefs behind this bustling café in an industrial-style loft on an up-and-coming corner of the 11e are known around town for their gourmet take on healthy foods. Here the emphasis is on breakfast, lunch, and brunch, with a range of salads, savory pies, and pastries all made in the on-site bakery. Besides some of the best fresh-baked bread in Paris, you're also guaranteed great coffee and daily food specials. There are a couple of other branches, too.

This small coffee chain was founded in 2009 by Christophe Servell, an award-winning French roaster, and today boasts Europe's largest specialty coffee range. Known for its sustainable approach to sourcing and roasting, it has a handful of pocket-size shops in the French capital tailored less to lingering than to tasting the wares before buying a bag or two to brew at home.

The scent of roasting coffee emanates from this popular spot on the lively Canébière, Marseille's central spine. The coffee is good, but the hot chocolate is famous (it's so thick you may need a spoon to finish it); enjoy either option and a homemade pastry at the counter, alongside locals sharing the day's gossip.

Despite opening in the midst of a pandemic, in September 2021, this sumptuous contemporary dining room—tucked away in a stunner of a Belle Époque town house—achieved a Michelin star within five months. Chef Sébastien Sanjou's ingredients all have pedigrees (listed on the menu) for exceptional seasonal fare that's both refined and robust. This discreet black book address is all the rage among discriminating Paris gastronomes. 

On the first floor of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, classic French flavors are given a creative Japanese twist by award-winning chef Charles Coulombeau. Local trout is served in savoury egg chawanmushi; lamb is breaded and deep-fried tonkatsu style; and remoulade sauce is made using daikon radishes. Varying the menu with the seasons, the chef uses touches of miso, soy, wasabi, or yuzu to constantly surprise the palette. This spot is open for lunch only—in the evenings, the same team takes the French-Japanese concept up a notch at the gastronomic Yozora.