15 Best French Restaurants In NYC

New York is a multicultural foodie destination. Famed chefs from around the globe helm flagship restaurants highlighting signature fare from their home countries, many with innovative twists on traditional dishes. The French dining scene in New York is arguably one of its greatest gems, as there is a vast selection of refined fine dining establishments and classic contemporary bistros serving exceptional French cuisine.

Sitting down to a French meal is about so much more than just eating. The French dining experience is an opportunity for a cultural journey through history and tradition where diners are encouraged to temporarily take a pause from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives to savor the intense and sometimes delicate flavors of the dishes they're tasting. In the frenetic metropolis of New York City, this pursuit is deeply vital. To help you embark on your own culinary journey, we've curated a list of fifteen standout French restaurants in New York so that you can find the perfect setting for an authentic French meal stateside.

For an extraordinary meal at one of the most iconic dining rooms in all of Manhattan, visit Daniel, the flagship French restaurant of acclaimed chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud. Daniel is currently run by Executive Chef Eddy Leroux, who was raised in Northern France and learned the trade alongside several Michelin-starred chefs around the world. Daniel holds two Michelin stars and has been mesmerizing the New York dining scene since the early 1990s.

A meal at Daniel is a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. Diners have the option of partaking in a refined four-course seasonal prix-fixe menu for $188 or a decadent seven-course tasting menu for $275. Standout menu items include the Upstate New York foie gras terrine with wild rose marmalade and the veal sweetbread with licorice-crusted spinach espuma. Wine pairings and caviar supplements — the quintessential accouterments for any truly French meal — are available for an additional cost. Note that the tasting menu is per table only.

Refreshingly, Daniel also offers a vegetarian tasting menu, which was once a rarity at many fine dining establishments, allowing you to enjoy the highest quality seasonal vegetable dishes with signature French preparations like king oyster mushrooms with spring onion pine nut gremolata and Gascony white asparagus with a two-year Comté-Sauternes emulsion.

In the heart of Rockefeller Center, one of New York's most famous cultural landmarks, is Le Rock an excellent new French brasserie from the acclaimed restaurant group behind Frenchette, another one of our New York City favorites. Le Rock is a much needed addition to a part of Manhattan not traditionally known for its culinary output. In an Art Deco dining room that honors the history of Rockefeller Center and the beloved bygone French era, Le Rock serves all of the French classics like brandade de morue and escargots bourguignon with an unexpected and delightful combination of tradition and modern panache.

The menu at Le Rock features a wide variety of amuses — a play on the fine dining amuse bouche — enabling diners to enjoy an array of miniature snacks like chicken liver mousse, uni tartine, and falafel cucumber yogurt to supplement their meal at a modest price point. Be sure to finish your evening with dessert. Le Rock offers a generous plate of thirty-month-aged Comté and Everton Reserve and a selection of French confections, sweets, and petits fours for the table to share. A meal here is on the pricier end, even for Manhattan, but the signature flavors of the decadent French sauces, the expert culinary preparation, and the enchanting ambiance all make the experience worth it.

To experience wonderful Tunisian-accented French fare in New York, we recommend heading to La Baraka. This family-run restaurant is a dining destination in Queens that has been serving nourishing, home-style dishes that honor French tradition and exemplify North African flavors since the 1970s. La Baraka is famed for introducing New Yorkers to one of the signature dishes of North African cuisine, couscous. The dish that started the movement is described by La Baraka as "grainy semolina, itself called couscous, finished with lamb kebab, chicken, flank, and merguez." La Baraka still serves that famous couscous more than forty years later.

La Baraka's longevity is rare for a New York restaurant, a testament to the quality of the food and the devotion of its clientele. The community atmosphere in the restaurant showcases its warmth and authenticity. At La Baraka, the menu features many of the classic French dishes you've likely come to know and love, including sole provençale, boeuf bourguignon, and quiche lorraine, while also highlighting North African culinary influences in the merguez, a Tunisian lamb and beef sausage, and the bestel, a strudel stuffed with meat, eggs, and mashed potatoes. Hors d'oeuvres start at $11.95 and entrées average at $34.

If you're interested in being transported to the streets of Paris, look no further than Amelie, a tiny French wine bar and bistro in the West Village. Amelie is featured on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, and for good reason. The restaurant has an extensive selection of wines from around the world, with a particular focus on French wines from Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, the Loire Valley, and Gamay. Notably, there are several biodynamic and natural wines on offer, which are particularly popular in France, as there is a strong interest in producing wines without preservatives or added ingredients.

Often at wine bars, when the wine is high quality, the food gets second billing, but this is not the case at Amelie. The food here is seasonal and elevated, focused on petits plats and grands plats, allowing you to enjoy a warm pistachio-crusted goat cheese ball with honey and onion marmalade alongside heartier dishes like ravioles du Royans — ravioli influenced by the Southwestern coastal town in France with Comté, cottage cheese, asparagus and shiitake mushroom chips, with the option to add black truffle. The price point is reasonable for the quality, with most petits plats coming in under $20 and the grands plats ranging from $16-$39.

A 100% vegan French restaurant is almost an oxymoron, but in the charming neighborhood of New York's West Village, Délice & Sarrasin has taken on the nearly impossible feat of mastering the French classics with innovative and sumptuous vegan reinterpretations. The menu may look familiar at a casual glance as you'll find a mouthwatering melted and roasted brie, escargots in garlic butter, steak tartare, and grilled scallops, but none of the ingredients in the kitchen contain any meat products. Even the wines at Délice & Sarrasin are sourced to ensure that during the winemaking process, there are no added fining agents, which can include nonvegan proteins like gelatin and casein.

Often when restaurants attempt to recreate meat dishes with non-meat ingredients, the results are unsatisfying as it's extremely challenging to conjure the texture of salmon, crab cake, or the illusive French delicacy foie gras, but Délice & Sarrasin has done the unthinkable and used carrot fiber, lemon skin, bell peppers, and tahini, respectively, to bring all of those precise dishes to life without any harm done to animals. Délice & Sarrasin also serves excellent crêpes gourmands and galettes de Sarrasin, most notably in the savory variety, a smoked salmon made from konjac, and in the sweet, a vegan salted caramel. Entrées range from $14-$35.

Balthazar is a New York institution that's been serving outstanding French fare in SoHo since the late 1990s. The restaurant's name may sound familiar, given some recent media attention surrounding an unruly celebrity guest at Balthazar, but don't let that fanfare overshadow this landmark French restaurant on New York's iconic Spring Street. Owned by restaurateur Keith McNally, who also owns Pastis and The Odeon, two of Tasting Table's other favorite French restaurants, Balthazar remains a fixture in the dining scene as an enviable brunch spot to both see and be seen.

The restaurant's most popular dishes are the French onion soup, of which it was once reported that Balthazar goes through at least fifteen gallons in a single day, and the steak frites, which you can enjoy with your choice of maître d' butter or béarnaise sauce. Other menu standouts include the duck liver mousse with poached rhubarb, honey gelée, and toasted baguette, and Balthazar's illustrious raw bar featuring Nantucket Bay scallops, half crab mayonnaise, oysters, and Little Neck clams.

Honoring its French origins, Balthazar bakes all of its bread and pastries in-house, which can be purchased wholesale or for individual takeaway enjoyment. The viennoiseries include: sticky buns, butter croissants, pain au chocolat, apple galettes, and orange brioche. For a sampling of their famed breads, there's a classic French baguette, pain au levain, ciabatta, and assorted dinner rolls. Dishes at Balthazar range from $24-$59.

For a more upscale dining experience, we recommend Le Coucou. Le Coucou is a one Michelin-star French restaurant in Lower Manhattan where you can savor elegant variations of all the French standards in a posh dining room with a vibrant view of the open kitchen. The restaurant is run by American-born Chef Daniel Rose, who studied at the prestigious Paul Bocuse Institute, an international hospitality and culinary arts program in Lyon. Rose later worked throughout Europe at various Michelin-starred restaurants before opening his own restaurant in Paris in 2006.

In 2016, Le Coucou became Rose's first establishment in the states, and the following year, it earned the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in the nation. The food at Le Coucou is as much the focus as the first-rate hospitality and the spectacular wine and cocktails, making any trip here an immediate cause for celebration.

The menu features an assortment of French gourmandises, specialty dishes that exemplify French culinary techniques, such as sweetbreads with cream, tarragon, and maitake mushrooms, and white asparagus with sea urchin cream. For a standout entrée, order the Tout le lapin or, All of the rabbit, which is served in three exquisite parts with a great deal of showmanship. Other not-to-be-missed dishes include the poached foie gras and the decadent steak tartare with caviar. A meal at Le Coucou will set you back but will be well worth it, with entrées ranging from $35-$78.

Raoul's is a beloved French bistro in New York that dates back to the 1970s. Today it remains a bustling fixture in SoHo, true to its roots with a loyal and devoted following. Started by two brothers from Alsace, France, Alsatian cuisine is at the heart of the menu here, which borrows from Germanic culinary influences and features generously nourishing portions and a dependably heavy pour. Speaking of that heavy pour, the bar scene is a huge draw at Raoul's where most nights, you can count on finding a lively group of patrons chatting over heaping glasses of wine and beer.

On offer on the menu are French staples such as steak au poivre with hand-cut French fries and Dover sole "Grenobloise" with spinach, capers, and lemon. The petits plats feature a wonderfully varied assortment of French dishes with an Alsatian twist, including the poached white asparagus with hazelnuts, maitake mushrooms, and beurre blanc, as well as the pate maison with cornichon and niçoise olives. If you're looking for a memorable night out with solid food and a lively atmosphere, Raoul's will certainly do the trick. Large dishes range from $35-$76.

If you find yourself in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, head to Le Garage, a mother-daughter-founded neo-bistro that features delicious seasonal produce and elevated specialty cocktails. All of the dishes at La Garage are inspired by chef Catherine Allswang's recipes, which she created and perfected across several restaurants in Paris and later in San Francisco. Her daughter, Rachel Allswang, is an interior architect who has dedicated herself to bringing modern French fare to Brooklyn.

At Le Garage, treat yourself to the house-made foie gras with kumquat confiture, the mushroom bourguignon with creamy polenta, or the duck confit with butternut squash gratin and pickled celery root. For dessert, have a classic crème brûlée or the "Chardon" chocolate cake with crème fraîche. One of the restaurant's highlights is its commitment to sourcing locally and regularly rotating its menu so that it always reflects the season. Seasonal cooking is a foundation of the French culinary trade that allows natural flavors to take center stage to elevate the meal. Most dishes at Le Garage range from $21-$33.

The Odeon has been a staple in the New York dining scene since the 1980s. In its early heyday, the Tribeca restaurant served the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert De Niro, and John Belushi. Its neon signage is immortalized on the cover of Jay McInerney's "Bright Lights, Big City", an ode to a lost era in New York. To this day, The Odeon still attracts a loyal crowd who flock to West Broadway to enjoy standout signature items such as croque monsieur and steak tartare. Follow the guidance of The Barefoot Contessa star Ina Garten who never leaves Paris without enjoying a classic omelette and order one at The Odeon with your choice of French fries or mixed greens.

In recent years, The Odeon's menu has expanded to accommodate modern dining needs, including a vegan Beyond® Odeon Burger served on a brioche bun with caramelized onions and chipotle mayonnaise, as well as a purple sticky rice bowl in sriracha broth with avocado, kale, shiitake mushrooms, and broccoli rabe. With each purchase of a purple sticky rice bowl, a donation of $1 is made to Edible Schoolyard NYC, an organization dedicated to cultivating "healthy students and communities through hands-on cooking and gardening education." For dessert, be sure to try some of The Odeon's signature ice creams and sorbets, which are all natural and made in house. Entrées range from $21-$46.

Le Bernardin regularly graces The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Chef Eric Ripert's three Michelin-star French haute cuisine establishment is an exceptionally special dining experience in New York best known for its exquisite upscale seafood dishes. Tasting Table named Le Bernardin as one of the Michelin-starred restaurants you should visit at least once in your lifetime.

Le Bernardin's origins are in Paris, where the restaurant was first opened by siblings, Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, in 1972. After receiving two Michelin stars, the siblings decided to bring Le Bernardin to New York City. In 1994, after Gilbert Le Coze unexpectedly passed away, Eric Ripert joined the restaurant and helped it rise to the prominence and acclaim it still retains today.

When dining at Le Bernardin, you have several options for your once-in-a-lifetime experience. At the highest end, the restaurant offers a chef's tasting menu for $298 per person or $468 when accompanied by a wine pairing. Vegetarians will be delighted to find that Le Bernardin also serves a vegetarian-tasting menu where you can enjoy the restaurant's signature vegetarian dishes for $230 per person or $400 with a wine pairing. At the more modest end, Le Bernardin serves a four-course prix-fixe menu for $198 that's divided into the following categories: Almost Raw, Barely Touched, and Lightly Cooked. While always grounded in the French culinary tradition, many of Le Bernardin's dishes also have international influences. Menu highlights include the poached lobster tail with foie gras mushroom truffle "cake" and the warm scallop "tartare" in an osetra caviar sauce marinière.

The restaurant Jean-Georges serves some of New York's best innovative and elevated French fare and is the crown jewel of one of the world's most acclaimed French chefs and restaurateurs of the same name. Currently holding two Michelin stars, Jean-Georges is situated at the base of Central Park and features globally influenced modern takes on French haute cuisine.

When dining at Jean-Georges, you have the option of embarking on the excellent six-course omnivore tasting menu for $268 or the decadent ten-course omnivore tasting menu for $338, both of which feature king crab with Nishiki rice, vermouth fondue, and nori, as well as golden amadai (diver scallop) with clams, green asparagus, and a spring garlic-sorrel jus. Jean-Georges also offers a wonderful six-course vegetarian tasting menu for $198 with a standout celeriac katsu with a stone mustard emulsion and a shallot umami condiment. This remarkable French restaurant remains on the cutting edge of the culinary scene.

Chef Jean-Georges' newest dining destination in New York is Tin Building, a sprawling culinary oasis in South Street Seaport. Tin Building is a much-welcome addition to the neighborhood, bringing a seasonal marketplace, grocery, and a few select restaurants to a historic area of New York, which was previously not known as a dining hub.

T. Brasserie is the exemplary French restaurant at Tin Building, serving indulgent French fare in an upmarket setting that works just as well for date night as it does for a business meal. The menu here is both nourishing and fanciful, featuring a Gruyère cheeseburger with green chili mustard on a puff pastry bun, as well as baked brie with lemon jam, pistachio, and honey. For signature French classics, opt for the meaty escargot drenched in herb-garlic butter or the quintessential steak tartare served with slices of grilled French baguette. There's also a tempting raw bar on offer with oysters, clams, and shrimp cocktail. The bread at T. Brasserie is house-made, and the desserts, including the dark chocolate mousse with whipped cream and the profiteroles, should not be missed. Prices range from $28-$65 for main dishes.

Frenchette is a contemporary French brasserie in Tribeca with an ever-changing menu of decadent dishes that honor French tradition while also infusing a modern spin. The restaurant is owned by the same team behind another one of our favorites, Le Rock, and the food at Frenchette is just as noteworthy. In 2019, it won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant.

Unlike Le Rock, Frenchette has less outward pomp and circumstance, but anything it lacks in glitz and glam, it certainly makes up for with its exquisite cuisine, including brouillade featuring soft scrambled eggs, Peconic escargots, and persillade. The cassoulet at Frenchette is the ultimate showstopper with smoked pork belly, lamb rib, saucisson, and Tarbais beans.

In keeping with the current French trend, Frenchette has a vast international wine list with a strong selection of natural wines. The menu here also features signature amuses such as fried anchovies with garlic aioli and house-made jambon with radish and hazelnut. Pricing for entrées is $38-$135. Be sure not to leave without trying one of their glorious desserts. Our favorites include the millefeuille au chocolat and the Paris-Brest à la pistache.

The famed French bistro, Pastis has made its grand return to the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, where it helped usher in a new era in the neighborhood back in the 1990s. Owned and operated by Stephen Starr and Keith McNally of Balthazar and The Odeon, Pastis recently reopened in New York after previously closing in 2014. While the restaurant has moved a block away from its original location, the food that initially made Pastis a household name is still as excellent as it was years prior. The dishes at Pastis are as comforting as they are delicious. This is the place to go when you're looking for a French meal that will be both dependable and nourishing.

At Pastis, you'll find all of your favorite French indulgences. For a midday meal, we recommend enjoying the Gruyère omelet with fine herbs or the salade niçoise with confit tuna in a Dijon vinaigrette. For dinner, you can't go wrong with the boeuf bourguignon or the celery root au poivre with black trumpet mushrooms. Main dishes range from $29 to $74.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Nicki Swift.