Best Restaurants in France 2026

Croissant (au beurre)

The benchmark for French butter croissants is a 32-layer laminated pastry with a shattering crust and honeycomb interior. A great croissant au beurre from an artisan boulangerie is one of the world's finest breakfast foods.

Where to try: Du Pain et des Idées (34 Rue Yves Toudic, Paris 10th), any award-winning boulangerie

Price: €1.20-2.50

Boeuf Bourguignon

Burgundy's most famous dish — beef slow-braised in red Burgundy wine with lardons, pearl onions, mushrooms, and thyme until fall-apart tender. A Sunday classic in French homes and the dish that introduced many non-French cooks to French cuisine via Julia Child.

Where to try: Traditional bistros in Burgundy; Café Constant, Paris 7th

Price: €18-30

Bouillabaisse

Marseille's ancient fisherman's stew of rascasse, scorpionfish, and other Mediterranean fish cooked in a saffron-scented broth and served with rouille on grilled bread. Authentic bouillabaisse is strictly regulated by Marseille's restaurants association.

Where to try: Chez Fonfon (140 Rue du Vallon des Auffes), Le Miramar (Quai du Port, Marseille)

Price: €45-85

Plateau de Fromages

A French cheese course features 3-5 varieties progressing from fresh to aged, from mild to strong: chèvre (goat), brie or camembert, comté or beaufort, roquefort or bleu d'Auvergne. Eaten with bread (never crackers) before dessert in France.

Where to try: Any good bistro or restaurant; Fromagerie Quatrehomme (62 Rue de Sèvres, Paris)

Price: €8-18 as a course

Tarte Tatin

The upside-down caramelized apple tart accidentally created at the Hôtel Tatin in the Loire Valley in 1898. Proper tarte tatin has intensely caramelized apples and a buttery shortcrust pastry, served warm with crème fraîche.

Where to try: Any quality bistro or pâtisserie; originating at Maxim's de Paris and Loire Valley restaurants

Price: €7-12

Arpège

Alain Passard's three-Michelin-starred temple to vegetables features produce from his own farms. Revolutionary vegetable-focused haute cuisine with iconic dishes like beetroot baked in salt crust.

84 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris

Septime

Trendy Michelin-starred bistro in Oberkampf serves creative seasonal cuisine with natural wines. Hip atmosphere and innovative dishes at reasonable prices.

80 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris

L'As du Fallafel

Legendary Jewish quarter falafel stand with lines around the block. Crispy falafel with perfectly spiced filling and tangy tahini.

34 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris

Marché des Enfants Rouges

Paris's oldest covered market features food stalls serving everything from Moroccan tagine to Japanese bento boxes at communal tables.

39 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris

Café de Flore

Legendary Art Deco café where Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir held court. Expensive but iconic Saint-Germain-des-Prés experience.

172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris

Le Bernardin

Éric Ripert's three-Michelin-starred seafood temple offers pristine fish preparations with Japanese influences. Legendary for technical precision and pure flavors.

155 West 51st Street, New York (Paris location reference)

Le Comptoir du Relais

Yves Camdeborde's legendary bistro in Saint-Germain serves elevated comfort food. No-reservations lunch, tasting menu dinners. Always packed with locals.

9 Carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris

Breizh Café

Authentic Breton crêperie in Marais uses buckwheat flour and organic ingredients. Sweet and savory crêpes with hard cider.

109 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris

Socca

Nice's beloved street food is a thin chickpea flour pancake baked in wood-fired ovens and served hot with black pepper. Best at Chez Thérésa in the Cours Saleya market, where it has been served since 1925.

Find it at: Cours Saleya market, Nice Old Town (Vieux-Nice)

Galette Saucisse

Brittany's iconic street food wraps a grilled andouille sausage in a buckwheat crêpe. Simple, warming, and beloved by Breton locals — sold at markets and roadside stands throughout the region.

Find it at: Rennes market (Place des Lices), Breton festivals and markets

Kebab (Kebab turc)

France is home to Europe's largest Turkish and North African population and has some of the world's best döner kebabs. Authentic dürüm wraps with hand-cut meat and house sauces are genuinely excellent across French cities.

Find it at: Rue de la Huchette (Paris 5th), around Gare du Nord, Pigalle

Falafel du Marais

The Marais district hosts some of the world's best falafel, served since the 1950s by Israeli-Tunisian Jewish restaurants on Rue des Rosiers. The crispy fried falafel in pita with tahini and harissa is a Paris institution.

Find it at: L'As du Fallafel (34 Rue des Rosiers, Paris 4th — queue outside is worth it)

Crêpe (Crêpe de rue)

Street crêpes (different from restaurant crêpes) are quick buckwheat or wheat crêpes made on griddles at market stalls. Classic fillings: beurre-sucre (butter and sugar), Nutella, or ham-egg-cheese.

Find it at: Street stalls at markets, Montmartre, near tourist attractions

Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse

Lyon's covered market named after the late Meilleur Ouvrier de France is the finest food market in France, with 50 specialist stalls selling Lyonnais charcuterie, Mères Lyonnaises-style cuisine, and exceptional cheeses, seafood, and pastries. A pilgrimage site for food lovers.

Hours: 7AM-10:30PM Tue-Sat, 7AM-10:30PM Sun, closed Monday

Marché Forville (Cannes)

The Riviera's most beautiful covered market in Cannes operates year-round with seasonal Provençal produce, olives, cheese, and fish. Monday is an antiques market; Tuesday-Sunday is food.

Hours: 7AM-1PM Tue-Sun

Marché Victor Hugo (Toulouse)

Toulouse's main covered market in the heart of the Capitole neighborhood showcases the finest produce of southwest France — duck confit, foie gras, Toulouse sausage, Tarbais beans, cassoulet ingredients, and Quercy melons.

Hours: 7AM-1:30PM Tue-Sun

Marché Jean Talon (Paris equivalent: Marché d'Aligre)

Paris's Marché d'Aligre is the city's most affordable and authentic covered market combining a daily produce market and a flea market (marché aux puces). Located in the 12th arrondissement, it's a neighborhood institution since 1643.

Hours: 8AM-1:30PM Tue-Sun