London’s best French restaurants

What is it? From the same minds who brought you Ducksoup in Soho and Little Duck The Picklery in Dalston comes this Borough Market venture with its sights set firmly on France.

Why we love it: Camille is unassuming at first, with classic French dishes using local British produce, lots of wine and a packed chalkboard of daily specials. But once you’re a course or two in, windows steamy with condensation and a few glasses deep – perhaps fighting the temptation to run your finger over those last drops of sauce – you might as well be on a backstreet of Montmartre as opposed to Southwark.

Time Out tip: Order the offal, you will not regret it.

Address: 8 Southwark Street, Borough Market, SE1 1TL.

What is it? A 1930s-feeling Lyon-styled spot above a pub in Farringdon.

Why we love it: Bouchon Racine comes with history, baggage and devoted fans, especially of chef Henry Harris. The menu is unashamedly French, with humble roots and an emphasis on hearty food. A ‘bouchon’ is a type of restaurant found in Lyon that historically catered to workers, and remains focused on the idea of relaxed conviviality, which captures Bouchon Racine perfectly. Bouchon Racine’s offerings are written on a blackboard and change often.

Time Out tip: There are a number of staples, such as jambon de noir de bigorre, a cured meat from a heritage breed of black pigs near the Pyrénés.

Address: Upstairs, 66 Cowcross Street, Farringdon, EC1M 6BP.

What is it? A teasing shot of warm, villagey France in Bermondsey.

Why we love it: This infectiously cosy eatery works to a daily blackboard menu of boldly chosen, smartly executed bourgeois classics scrawled up in the native tongue. There are just three choices per course, but prices are sensible and flavours are true (rillettes de saumon followed by herbed lamb, say). You can even come here for plates of cheese and charcuterie. Either way, you’ll leave feeling oh-so-satisfied.

Time Out tip: Score an outdoor table in the sunnier months. 

Address: 109 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XB.

What is it? Bistro Freddie is a London rarity: a knowingly ‘cool’ vibehouse that doesn’t make you want to dash your brains out on the edge of an understated white table.

Why we love it: The spare, paired-back menu features ‘house sausage’, and snails on top of pillowy flatbread, sprinkled with nubbins of crispy chicken skin then bobbing in tarragon butter. Freddie isn’t much like a Parisian bistro, really. It’s too friendly for that. It’s more like Andrew Edmunds in a beret.

Time Out tip: Try out the Mon-Thu lunchtime set menu, that comes in at £29 for two courses or £39 for three.

Address: 74 Luke Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4PY.

What is it? Big-ticket dining just off Piccadilly Circus, this homage to the grand Parisian brasserie is a huge art deco set-up that attracts all-comers out for a good time.

Why we love it: Affordable French staples are the big draw and the set menu is always a winner: think steak haché with frites. Otherwise, dip into the a la carte for steak tartare, meaty platters of choucroute, tarte au citron, plus a surprisingly wide choice of veggie options. There's live jazz too.

Time Out tip: Visit the excellent Bar Américain in this subterranean wonderland for great cocktails.

Address: 20 Sherwood Street, Soho, W1F 7ED.

What is it? A loving tribute to la vielle France near Russell Square.

Why we love it: Otto Tepasse’s restaurant dishes up fancy food against a charmingly affectionate backdrop of statuettes, vintage lights and velvet banquettes. Pride of place goes to the canard à la presse – a nineteenth-century speciality that involves extracting the juices from the carcass with a special silver press. Alternatively, step back in time for roasted French boudin, frogs legs with snails, or lobster soufflé.   

Time Out tip: If you’re feeling flush, the epic La Grande Bouffe menu is £500 a head and the memories will last a lifetime.

Address: 182 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8EW.

What is it? A Soho legend. 

Wht we love it: Located above the French House pub (a die-hard boho Soho watering hole with its own house rules), this teeny dining room is now home to chef Neil Borthwick, who runs the show with considerable brio. Forget artsy flourishes: this is seasonal, gutsy, stripped-back food with proper Gallic overtones – plus brilliant cheeses and desserts.    

Time Out tip: Calves brains might sound a little scary, but they are a house specialty, cooked with capers and parsley. 

Address: 49 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 5BG.

What is it? Josephine is a bistro so pitch perfect and so on brand that it could be a movie set – preferably one with Catherine Deneuve flitting about while sweetly sloshing vino.

Why we love it: With the storied chef Claude Bosi in charge, here the French flavours are as full-bodied as a ruddy-faced Serge Gainsbourg after a Syrah binge. It self-identifies as a ‘bouchon’ – the name given to French restaurants that serve hearty Lyonnaise cuisine – and dishes span onglet à l’échalote, frogs' legs in garlic butter, cheese soufflé, and an entire section of the menu dedicated to potatoes. Very, very good.  

Time Out tip: There’s a second (bigger) branch in Marylebone.

Address: 315 Fulham Road, Chelsea, SW10 9QH.

Why we love it: Old-school but bracingly modern at the same time. 

What is it? Rich sauces, hearty meats and uber elegant fine dining is the name of the game here. 64 Goodge Street is part of London’s French new wave of dining. You won’t be weighed down by flavour here, but rather come bouncing out of this bistro with a spring in your step and your mind swirling with the delights you’ve just encountered. 

Time Out tip: Feast upon snail, bacon & garlic ‘bon bons’, or crispy frog’s leg ‘lollipops’ with rosemary & anchovy mayonnaise and thank us later.

Address: 64 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 4NF.

What is it? Henri is an all-day Parisian-style bistro attached to Covent Garden’s Henrietta Hotel.

Why we love it: It’s helmed by Jackson Boxer, a darling of the St John school of simplicity and chef behind Vauxhall’s much-loved and much-celebrated Brunswick House. But this isn't trad French cookery, but rather a place reels you in with cocktails named after Gallic culinary legends, then tickles you with something genuinely fun and different like fried pied de cochon (pig’s trotter) served with bier mustard; sour cream filled seaweed canelés topped with trout roe; or bavette steak numbing red szechuan peppercorns.

Time Out tip: For £24 a head, get stuck into the wild all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, which features croissants, pain au chocolat, Jambon de Paris and endless gruyere.

Address: 14-15 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8QH.

What is it? Occupying prime Soho real estate since 1992, this fin de siècle-styled brasserie is an Old Compton Street legend.

Why we love it: On a sunny day – and a grey one too, let’s be honest – the al fresco tables on the pavement get snapped up quick. Inside, you’ll find a pleasingly chaotic, all-day whirl of fabulous French plates, from oysters and charcuterie, to pâtés, escargots, and juicy steak tartare. The entrecôte steak is worth a visit alone, as is the atmosphere, which is never anything less than rambunctious.

Time Out tip: It’s open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Address: 13 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 5JQ.

What is it? Mon Plaisir is Covent Garden’s ultimate French veteran, and the oldest French restaurant in London.

Why we love it: As Gallic as Gauloises, Jacques Tati and Edif Piaf. Thespians and theatregoers now crowd the place eager for a taste of its nostalgic food – garlicky cassolette d’escargots, tartiflette, beef tartare, and mousse au chocolat. For a charming, old-school fill-up, it’s a pleasure indeed.

Time Out tip: The pre-theatre menu offers three courses for £32, and features a vegan cassoulet. 

Address: 19-21 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9DD.

What is it? Alongside the sturdy likes of the Quo Vadis and L’Escargot, Kettner’s is one of Soho’s grande dames of gastronomy.

Why we love it: Dating back to 1867, this French restaurant was opened by the personal chef to Napoleon III (the one who rebuilt all of Paris). After a brief stint as a Pizza Express, it is once again a bistro, serving the creamiest of cheese soufflés, magenta steak tartare with a side of toasted brioche and steak frites with a punchy béarnaise glowing with tarragon.

Time Out tip: Really enjoying yourself? It’s also a hotel, run by Soho House, with 33 bedrooms upstairs. 

Address: 29 Romilly Street, Soho, W1D 5HP.

What is it? Glam French dining. 

Why we love it: Given its Mayfair location, it’s no surprise that LPM is on the more spenny side of things. But this glorious, twinkling dining room, with its Riviera-worthy cream pillars and gleaming marble, is home to some seriously flawless French-Mediterranean cooking. Snails with garlic butter and parsley are so good they could convince the mollusk-averse to get stuck in, while yellowtail carpaccio with guacamole and citrus dressing might not be terribly trad, but it is sensational.

Time Out tip: Old school dishes like canard a l’orange are exquisitely cooked and the dauphinois is one of the best in town. 

Address: 54 Brooks Mews, Mayfair, W1K 4EG.

What is it? A casual spot from the folks behind Casse-Croûte.

Why we love it: This quirky restaurant in a mock-Tudor pavilion on the edge of Tanner Street Park is affably French right down to its blackboard Gallic menu and suave staff. Flavours are gutsy, rustic and traditional to the core. Old-school, yes, but immensely comforting.

Time Out tip: Rotisserie chicken is a speciality. 

Address: Tanner Street Park, Bermondsey, SE1 3LD.

What is it? Born in Paris back in 1959, this is the Marylebone branch of a mini chain of no-bookings, no-choice steakhouses.

Why we love it: Le Relais de Venise l'Entrecôte knows how to pack ’em in. Dinner comprises a dressed green salad with walnut and mustard vinaigrette followed by the signature steak dished up in two whopper servings with divine fries and a secret sauce. Also save room for one of the standout desserts, especially the mindblowing praline ice cream.

Time Out tip: Cheap house wine is a bonus. You can find a second branch in the City of London.

Address: 120 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2QG.

What is it? The interior of this solid French bistro is like a French farmhouse by way of a Victorian workhouse.

Why we love it: Here, the bare wooden beams and metal pillars are pepped up by nineteenth-century French wine posters and big stoneware flagons saying ‘beaujolais’ or ‘vin blanc’. Expect hearty bourgeois food: soupe de poisson topped with goopy spoonfuls of cheese and garlicky rouille, coq au vin, steak frites, rabbit with mustard sauce – all served by super-attentive staff.

Time Out tip: In the summer, opt to seat in the roomy 60-capacity outdoor terrace. 

Address: 7 Bleeding Heart Yard, Greville Street, EC1N 8SJ.

What is it? Brassy, energetic and classily cosmopolitan.

Why we love it: This NYC import mixes Gallic joie de vivre with snappy US customer service in a glammed-up Covent Garden setting of red leather banquettes, antique mirrored walls and mosaic floors. Manhattan meets Montmartre on an all-day menu that’s just the ticket for a special night out – we love the onion soup, steak tartare and moules et frites. 

Time Out tip: Plats Du Jour are available every weekday from 12pm-4pm at £15. Monday is the hamburger with frites, Tuesday a wild mushroom risotto, Wednesday a Toulouse sausage tagliatelle, Thursday the steak haché with frites and Friday is fish pie.

Address: 4-6 Russell Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7BN.

What is it? Famously the first restaurant in London to serve snails (the original owner used to farm them in the basement of this Georgian townhouse).

Why we love it: L’Escargot has been a fixture of old Soho since 1927. A favourite of celebs from Coco Chanel to Mick Jagger, it serves up provincial French cuisine of the old school – not just the titular escargots, but also braised lamb, steak with bearnaise sauce, and tarte au citron.

Time Out tip: Come for the three course menu for £29 at lunchtime and early evenings, featuring moules frites or entrecôte steak.

Address: 48 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 4EF.

What is it? Heaven for rotisserie chicken lovers.

Why we love it: Tom Sellers charcoal-hued, marble-clad venue just off Seven Dials is inspired by the rotisseries and brasseries of Paris. Here you’ll find classics like spit-roasted whole chicken, steak with Bernaise sauce, buttered greens, slabs of seasonal terrine and brown sugar bruleé. Sit at the counter to feel the flush of the wood-fired grills and hear the sizzle of chicken skin crisping, as birds rotate on thick metal skewers.

Time Out tip: Look out for Goodfellas Wednesdays every first Wednesday of the month, a New York-style feast of steak and wine.

Address: 17 Neals Yard, Covent Garden, WC2H 9DP.