Must-see restaurants in France

  • Waiter picking up dishes in kitchen at restaurant

    Restaurant Guy Savoy

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    If you're considering visiting a three-Michelin-star temple to gastronomy, this should certainly be on your list. The world-famous chef needs no…

  • La Terrasse Rouge

    St-Émilion

    Knowing foodies adore this spectacular vineyard restaurant, born out of Jean Nouvel's designer revamp of Château La Dominique's wine cellars, 5km north of…

  • Septime

    Paris

    The alchemists in Bertrand Grébaut's Michelin-starred kitchen produce truly beautiful creations, served by blue-aproned waitstaff. The menu reads like an…

  • Berthillon

    Paris

    Founded here in 1954, this esteemed glacier (ice-cream maker) is still run by the same family today. Its 70-plus all-natural, chemical-free flavours…

  • Ladurée Picnic

    Paris

    The first of its kind, Ladurée Picnic specialises in just that – picnics, albeit exceedingly fine, gourmet picnics to take away in the famous patisserie's…

  • Brasserie Le Bordeaux

    Bordeaux

    To dine à la Gordon Ramsay without breaking the bank, reserve a table at his elegant belle époque brasserie with an interesting Anglo-French hybrid…

  • La Bastide de Moustiers

    Gorges du Verdon

    A legendary table of Provence, founded by chef supremo Alain Ducasse. As you'd expect from this Michelin-starred, much-lauded restaurant, it's a temple to…

  • Bouillon Racine

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Inconspicuously situated in a quiet street, this heritage-listed art nouveau ‘soup kitchen’, with mirrored walls, floral motifs and ceramic tiling, was…

  • Magasin Général

    Bordeaux

    Follow the hip crowd across the river to this huge industrial hangar on the right bank, France's biggest and best organic restaurant with a gargantuan…

  • Le 20123

    Ajaccio

    This fabulous, one-of-a-kind restaurant originated in the village of Pila Canale (postcode 20123). When the owner moved to Ajaccio, the village came too –…

  • L'Atelier Jean-Luc Rabanel

    Arles

    As much an artistic experience as a double-Michelin-starred adventure, this is the gastronomic flagship of charismatic chef Jean-Luc Rabanel. Many…

  • Le Musée

    Lyon

    Housed in the stables of Lyon's former Hôtel de Ville, this delightful bouchon serves a splendid array of meat-heavy Lyonnais classics, including a divine…

  • JY'S

    Colmar

    Jean-Yves Schillinger runs the stove at this two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Petite Venise. Behind a trompe-l'œil façade lies an urban-cool, lounge…

  • Jacques Genin

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Wildly creative chocolatier Jacques Genin is famed for his flavoured caramels, pâtes de fruits (fruit jellies) and exquisitely embossed bonbons de…

  • Pickles

    Nantes

    This buzzing neobistro would be right at home in Paris. Market-sourced, modern and wholly creative cuisine by English chef Dominic Quirke (a Newcastle lad…

  • U Casanu

    Calvi

    For an unforgettable lunch, grab a booth at this cosy hole-in-the-wall, cheerily decorated in yellow and green, and hung with watercolours by…

  • Restaurant Paul Bocuse

    Lyon

    Some 7km north of Lyon, this triple-Michelin-starred restaurant was the flagship of the city's most decorated chef, Paul Bocuse. Although Bocuse is no…

  • Le Matahari

    Corsica

    White-clothed tables, strung along the sand and topped with straw parasols, evoke a tropical paradise at this special hideaway. The stylish interior is…

  • Table du Gourmet

    Alsace

    Jean-Luc Brendel is the culinary force behind this Michelin-starred venture. A 16th-century house given a slinky, scarlet-walled makeover is the backdrop…

  • Au 14 Février

    Lyon & the Rhône Valley

    For a gastronomic experience in the Beaujolais area, look no further than this gem of a restaurant. A true alchemist, Japanese chef Masafumi Hamano has…

  • L'Assiette Champenoise

    Reims

    Heralded far and wide as one of Champagne's finest tables and crowned with the holy grail of three Michelin stars, L'Assiette Champenoise is headed up by…

  • La Rivière des Vins

    Corte

    Diners flock to this fab bistro, on a staircase climbing from Corte's main street, for its relaxed atmosphere, unbeatable value and sumptuous food. The…

  • 1741

    Strasbourg

    A team of profoundly passionate chefs runs the show at this Michelin-starred number facing the River Ill. Murals, playful fabrics and splashes of colour…

  • Racine

    Reims

    With strong Japanese roots and a generous pinch of love for his adopted home, chef Kazuyuki Tanaka creates menus that sing with bright flavours and are…

  • Restaurant AT

    Latin Quarter

    Trained by some of the biggest names in gastronomy (Pierre Gagnaire included), chef Atsushi Tanaka showcases abstract artlike masterpieces incorporating…

  • Kissing Pigs

    Bonifacio

    At water’s edge beneath the citadel, and festooned with swinging sausages, this seductively cosy and friendly restaurant-cum-wine bar serves wonderfully…

  • Restaurant Pic

    Lyon & the Rhône Valley

    Prepare to be wowed: some of France's most exquisite dining is at chef Anne-Sophie Pic's Michelin-starred premises. A sophisticated dining room with muted…

  • Chez Auguste

    Alsace

    Overflowing with regulars, this casually sophisticated bistro always has a good buzz. The concise menu excels in classics including scallops with orange…

  • Sunday Food Market

    Amboise

    Voted France's marché préféré (favourite market) a few years back, this riverfront extravaganza, 400m southwest of the château, hosts 200 to 300 stalls…

  • Mokonuts, exterior

    Mokonuts

    Paris

    Much-loved hole-in-the-wall Mokonuts, with a beautiful mosaic-tiled floor, makes a cosy refuge for snacks like flourless chocolate layer cake, clementine…

  • Bowl of Steamed Mussels in Red Sauce. (Photo by: UIG Platinum/UIG via Getty Images)

    La Taverne Paillette

    Le Havre

    Solid brasserie food is served up at this Le Havre institution whose origins, in a former incarnation, go back to the late 16th century. Think bowls…

  • La Tupina

    Bordeaux

    Filled with the aroma of soup simmering inside a tupina ('kettle' in Basque) over an open fire, this iconic bistro is feted for its seasonal southwestern…

  • Morning in Honfleur , Normandy , France

    La Fleur de Sel

    Honfleur

    Honfleur-raised Vincent Guyon cooked in some of Paris' top kitchens before returning to his hometown to make good and open his own (now celebrated)…

  • French goat milk cheese

    Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse

    Lyon

    Lyon's famed indoor food market has nearly five-dozen stalls selling countless gourmet delights. Pick up a round of runny St Marcellin from legendary…

  • Marseille's only Chilian restaurant, El Santo Cachon

    El Santo Cachon

    Marseille

    Arrive early or reserve a table at Marseille’s only Chilean restaurant, because this place fills fast – and after a pisco sour (or three), you’ll see why…

  • Le Jules Verne Restaurant on 2nd platform of Eiffel Tower.

    Le Jules Verne

    Paris

    Book way ahead (online only) to feast on Michelin-starred cuisine by Frédéric Anton and the most beautiful view of Paris at this magical spot on the…

  • Au Top

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Impressively unfindable unless you’re in the know, this clandestine rooftop lounge bar and restaurant – roofless and star-topped on summer nights –…

  • Trattoria Libertino

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    In Italian 'Liibertino' means a pleasure-seeking, fun-loving gigolo and this is precisely the infectious vibe of this latest address by the brilliantly…

  • L'Étable Hugo Desnoyer

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Duck beneath the elegant stone arches of Marché St-Germain to uncover the stylish steakhouse of Paris' superstar butcher Hugo Desnoyer. Vegetarians be…

  • La Bête Noire

    Latin Quarter

    A small, fashionably minimalist interior with open kitchen and funky music ensure bags of soul at this off-the-radar cantine gastronomique, a showcase for…

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