706 Best Restaurants in France

Subtle, delicate, and delectable are just a few words that spring to mind when describing the masterful cuisine of chef Nicolas Aubry, who earned his second Michelin star in 2018 and has now taken the reins of this contemporary dining room. It's become a top dining experience in the area, and if you feel like lingering over the sublime wine pairings, the four chic guest rooms are a great way to top off your evening. A 10-minute drive (and an easy bike ride) to both Blois and Chambord, Ezia is convenient to major sights.

If you think the Pic empire has a lock on Valence gastronomy, think again: the extraordinary precision and refinement of Baptiste Poinot's cooking makes a foodie stopover in Valence an absolute must. Though the dining room itself is a bit on the quirky side, there is nothing to quibble over when it comes to the gorgeous presentation and scintillating tastes in dishes like melt-in-your-mouth trout fillet with salsify puree and crunchy grains of roasted buckwheat all in a cloud of curried foam. Desserts are equally tantalizing and the bountiful cheese cart is a sight to behold. The €60 three-course lunch menu is a good introduction to this marvelous Michelin-starred cuisine.

Emmanuel Renaut's Flocons de Sel (\"flakes of salt\"), located in Leutaz, brings new meaning to the world of haute cuisine—and even with the drive out of town it's more than an excellent Megève dining option, it's a pilgrimage point. Though the extravagant 10-course tasting menu is pricey, it offers a rare experience from one of France's great three-star chefs, based on simple but carefully selected ingredients—freshwater crayfish, scallops en croute with sea salt, and roast wood pigeon are just a few of the creatively prepared specialties. The dining room is rustic-simple, allowing the food to take center stage. Surrounded by a series of chalets and much natural splendor, the establishment also offers nine exquisite guest rooms and two private chalets for crawl-away convenience.

Don’t be beguiled by the historical Imperial façade; this joyous, cavernous independent café is a colorful riot of contemporary creativity and conviviality. In a bric-a-brac décor of airplane seats, 1970s lampshades, and Christmas light-draped bicycles, a stupefying range of coffees and teas is supplemented by locally sourced food, including tempting cakes and cookies. Ask at the counter for free tokens to play the retro arcade machine.

If you're serious about what's in your coffee cup, head straight to this streamlined café near the Place des Vosges, where you'll find only the best from roasters around Paris. A short but spot-on menu features avocado toast with a poached egg, cinnamon buns, and homemade cakes and cookies. The weekend brunch is very popular; arrive early or prepare to wait a little.

A mandatory stop for pastry- and chocolate-lovers alike, this master pâtissier excels in classic French confections with all the bells and whistles. Light as air and made with the best ingredients, Cassel's award-winning creations are as beautiful as they are scrumptious. The sinful mille-feuille comes in five flavors, including sweet chestnut and Earl Gray tea; the tarte duo de cerise mixes tart and sweet cherries with almond cream; and some say his classic macaron is one of the best in France. Chocolates are freshly made on the premises. Don't miss the lovely tea salon for lunch or a midday break, where you can choose from a gourmet menu of hot and cold dishes for lunch and a large selection of Dammann Frères teas, coffee, chocolat chaud, and pastries.

Set in a brick- and stone-walled building on a pedestrian street near Rue Montorgueil, Frenchie has quickly become one of the most hard-to-book bistros in town, with tables reserved months in advance, despite two seatings each evening. This success is due to the good-value, €145 five-course dinner menu (prix fixe only); boldly flavored dishes such as calamari gazpacho with squash blossoms or melt-in-the-mouth braised lamb with roasted eggplant and spinach are excellent options. Service can be, shall we say, a tad brusque, but for some that's a small price to pay for food this good.

If this weren't one of Paris's most outstanding wine bars, the wait and the metal tractor seats might be a deterrent. Yet wine lovers would be hard-pressed to find a better venue for sampling a great list of French wines and inspired selections from Italy and Spain—every one of them sold by the bottle or glass—with superb tapas to match. Feast on yummy small plates like the "coleslaw" of citrusy calamari, black-olive coulis, and a sprinkling of pine nuts; bresaola with apples, spicy mizuna leaves, and dollops of creamy horseradish; and a wedge of Stilton served atop a paste of speculoos biscuits with poached pears and smoked walnuts. Get here right at 7 pm when the restaurant opens or shortly afterward to avoid waiting for a table.

This convivial wine bar, tucked in a corner near a pretty old town square, is the best place for tasting local wines. The selection of excellent-value options by the glass allows you to take in (literally) the vast wealth of the Côtes du Rhône, deliciously accompanied by local cheeses, charcuterie, or salad plates.

If you can't fathom paying hundreds of euros per person to taste the cooking of Pierre Gagnaire, one of France's foremost chefs, at his eponymous restaurant, but would still like to encounter one of his outstanding culinary experiences, book a table at his Left Bank fish restaurant. At Gaya, Gagnaire uses seafood as a palette for his creative impulses. Expect small portions of artfully presented food. Vegan options are offered upon advance request. 

In the village of Vonnas, a simple 19th-century inn with 30 rooms full of antique country furniture doubles as one of the greatest gastronomic addresses in all of Gaul. Poulet de Bresse, truffles, and lobster are just some of the divine dishes featured on the legendary menu created by three-Michelin-star chef Monsieur Blanc, whose culinary DNA extends back to innkeepers from the French Revolution. He serves his traditional-yet-nouvelle delights in a vast dining room, renovated—overly so, some might say—in a stately manner, replete with Louis XIII–style chairs, fireplace, and floral tapestries. Wine connoisseurs will go weak at the knees at the cellar here, overflowing with 130,000 bottles. The guest rooms range from (relatively) simple to luxurious. A block south you can repair to Blanc's cheaper, more casual restaurant, L'Ancienne Auberge, most delightfully set in a 1900s fabrique de limonade (soda-water plant) and now festooned with antique bicycles and daguerreotypes.

Elegant and relaxed don’t usually come together so seamlessly in this upscale neighborhood, but this beautiful, cozy dining room—luminous in the daytime and romantic at night—is the perfect setting for a meal that’s ambitious without being pretentious or fussy. Chef Maxime Le Meur, finally on his own after stints in top Parisian kitchens, crafts beautiful dishes with surprising pairings that combine meat and fish, but can be tailored to your desires: tuna ceviche and foie gras with apple, grapefruit, and a vibrant watercress sauce; or velvety veal on a bed of salsify with sweet burnt onion and shaved black truffle. For dessert, the signature chocolate soufflé and Paris Brest are not to be missed. Prices for this quality, especially in this neighborhood, are exceedingly gentle (€90 for 5-course menu, €140 with five wine pairings; 7-course menu €110, €180 with wines). Dining outside on the sidewalk terrace is a delight in summer.

Famed chef Gilles Tournadre—who \"returned\" his two Michelin stars after holding them for 36 years—jumped at the chance to open a bistro on Rouen's storied Place du Vieux-Marché. Sleek and modern, it specializes in updated bistro fare, offering a great value fixed-price menu.

For fresh, homemade, gelato-style ice cream offered in a rainbow of flavors and colors, stop at Glacier Fenocchio any day of the week from 9 am to midnight, March to November. There's also a choice of sorbets made with locally grown citrus, including orange, mandarin, and lemon.

Worldwide chef sensation Gordon Ramsay brings his conversation-worthy cuisine to this Versailles berth. Picture exemplary entrées like ravioli of langoustines and lobster cooked in a Riesling bisque with Petrossian caviar and lime consommé, or Périgord foie gras done "2 ways," roasted with a beetroot tart and pressed with green apple and Sauternes, all available on an expensive five-course tasting menu at dinner. The Trianon's more casual, 60-seat Véranda restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) is also under Ramsay's sway, and in its black-and-white contemporary setting you can opt for his "light, modern take" on bistro novelties like radicchio and Parmesan risotto with chorizo oil. Teatime provides a delightful (and more reasonable) restorative for weary château-goers, with a French twist on high tea: scones, madeleines, and heavenly macarons.

Within the beautifully restored Monnaie de Paris, you'll find star chef Guy Savoy's hallowed dining room. The market-fresh menu features à la carte classics such as artichoke truffle soup or turbot with fresh herbs, but if you want the ultimate gourmet dining experience, splurge on the 12-course, €680 tasting menu. The more modest seven-course lunch menu will only set you back €260, or an à la carte lunch plate is about €150 (these prices do not include wine). Whatever you order, every dish is a work of art.  

No detective work is needed to find this popular spot—just follow the trail of local gourmands who make a beeline to this classic Périgord restaurant for its delicious cuisine and romantic ambience. Set in Périgeux's old town, you'll dine under vaulted stone walls almost as old as the Saint-Front cathedral a few steps away. Be sure to order the house-made foie gras served with passion fruit confiture or roasted duck breast with caramelized apples and cassis-\"perfumed\" spring vegetables. Everything here is homemade and seasonal so the menu changes frequently. Be sure to reserve ahead.

At this petite 22-seat dining room conveniently set on a bustling pedestrian street between the cathedral and the river, everything converges to make your dining experience a truly memorable one. Beautiful presentation complements surprising pairings; think cod with celery risotto in a bergamot emulsion, delicious white asparagus gratin with comté cheese, or, for dessert, delectably moist carrot cake with candied carrots served with yuzu-infused salted caramel and savory ice cream. The restaurant really shines at dinnertime (be sure to reserve well ahead), but lunch is a great introduction to this splendid cuisine.

This ever-popular eatery near the canal is the go-to spot for locals and expats with a hankering for all those breakfast comfort foods Mom used to make, but with a gourmet twist. Stacks of ethereally light pancakes or eggs and bacon come with bourbon butter and maple syrup, or a side of fennel sausage, baked beans, hash browns, or a copious serving of green salad. Fruit, yogurt, and granola bowls and other homemade sweets are equally soothing: chia pudding, pecan cake, and an extra-light cheesecake. Wash it all down with a gourmet coffee, homemade soda, a sparkling mimosa, or a bloody Mary.

With its legendary views of the Cirque de Gavarnie, this spot, which opened at the head of the valley in 1848, is well worth the one-hour hike up from the village. The lunch offerings here are based on fine local ham, veal, and lamb and are as delicious as the view is grand. For those wishing to stay overnight (and able to afford rates that start at around €500), the current owners (the seventh generation of the family that founded the restaurant) have added a small but luxurious hotel; booking several months ahead is advisable.

At one of Aix's best "bistronomic" (gastronomic bistro) eateries, a stone's throw from the Cours Mirabeau, diners swoon for beautifully presented upscale French classics—crusted lobster with feta and coriander, squash samosas and homemade goose pâté, or roasted veal giblets with Gouda-cauliflower and black truffle. The à la carte menu is short, but that's only because you're being served what's market fresh that day. Do go for one of the tasting menus, as they're by far the best deal.

Five years in a top Tokyo kitchen transformed Chef Julien Lemarié's scintillating, pared-down cuisine, for which he quickly won a Michelin star. Using only local products—as sustainably sourced as possible—the chef crafts stunning plates, featuring line-caught fish and high-quality meats with glorious vegetable accompaniments served in an elegant, streamlined restaurant that features natural materials: wood, waxed concrete, and ceramic. The chef's romance with Japanese cuisine is front-and-center at his new restaurant next door, Imayoko, specializing in donburi and izakaya-style dishes to share paired with artisanal sake.

Master chocolatier Jacques Genin's sophisticated carrés are like small jewels, perfumed with ganaches of exquisite subtlety in seasonal flavors like rosemary, Szechuan pepper, or bergamot. The glorious pastries served in this tearoom and chocolate boutique (one of the loveliest in Paris) are no longer available for takeaway but rather are assembled to order, to be eaten fresh on the premises. Don't forget a cup of velvety, bittersweet chocolat chaud (hot chocolate); the melt-in-your-mouth caramels are also deservedly famous.

The vaulted dining room provides an excellent backdrop for camera-ready "haute couture" dishes that taste as good as they look and have garnered the chef a Michelin star. For an atmosphere that's a little less formal, the colorful Bistr'AU offers a fine prix-fixe menu—both restaurants and a hotel are part of the Jérôme Nutile empire and set on a pretty farm just outside the city.

A favorite with the French and expats alike, this neighborhood bistro blends great dining with an inspired wine list and a handy location a stone's throw from the Louvre. Exquisite French ingredients are given an inspired, often slightly lighter, makeover by chef Romain Roudeau, although hearty homemade terrines and foie gras as well as slow-cooked meat and game are frequently featured on the eclectic menu.

Michelin-starred chef William Ledeuil flexes his genius for France-meets-Asia flavors at this chic address—his third—a few blocks from Île St-Louis and Notre-Dame. Ledeuil is known and loved for his fearless pairings of bold and subtle flavors, like veal tartare pasta with crunchy peanuts and pungent bonito flakes or Thai beef soup with luscious Iberian ham, mushrooms, and sweet pear. Desserts are equally expressive and not to be missed. The affordable lunch prix-fixe menus are a fabulous deal.

At this gastropub hot spot in the heart of the city, chef Julien Gleize applies light, playful, modern touches to dishes that are steeped in French tradition, made with local ingredients, and beautifully presented. Options might include rabbit farci perfumed with wild cèpes and served over a cloud of whipped potatoes and shallot confit or wild salmon caramelized in olive oil with watercress, black sesame seeds, and luscious cream of corn.

Chef Paul Tur presides over a menu that fuses superb regional produce and Basque and Galician influences in a time-honored setting in Biarritz's Les Halles. Standing head-and-shoulders above the restaurants that surround the old covered market, L'Alchimie serves fabulous food in a pleasant indoor dining room and (weather permitting) an outdoor terrace. It's is a favorite with local connoisseurs—perhaps because the price tag isn't as exorbitant as other fine dining experiences.

Just behind the Palais de Justice, this little néo-bistrot (think comfortable vibe but contemporary design) has a €33 prix-fixe formule that is nothing short of superb in terms of both value and quality. Artisanal terrine of free-range duck, rillettes de maquereau en salade de chou chinois (mackerel fillets in Chinese cabbage salad), and fillet of rockfish with peppers are just some of the interesting morsels at this innovative, affordable address.