The best French restaurants in Los Angeles

Oodles of butter, fluffy omelettes and a heart-stopping burger covered in bordelaise make Ludo Lefebvre’s Parisian-style bistro (with a strip mall location in Hollywood and fancier sibling in Sherman Oaks) the best place to head for decadent French fare in the city. The menu’s iconic French dishes—steak frites, mussels marinières and a wonderful daytime-only croque monsieur—display the kind of technical precision the hallowed cuisine requires, with an excellent wine list to match. Don’t skip out on the Big Mec, undebatably one of the city’s best burgers, and leave room for one of Petit Trois’s excellent desserts, particularly the chocolate soufflé (only available at the Sherman Oaks location).

Walter and Margarita Manzke’s award-winning, critically acclaimed La Brea bakery and restaurant is the one French(-Californian) restaurant that can’t be stopped. With the recent closures of Bicyclette and Manzke, République is the only place where you can find Margarita’s perfectly made baguettes and seasonal fruit-topped pastries and desserts. Brave the lines for brunch on the weekends, or head here in the evening with a reservation—or a bit of patience—to dine inside the cathedral-esque space that once housed Nancy Silverton and the late Mark Peel’s Campanile. Interiors aside, the food lineup here will blow your mind from morning to night. Think mango-topped passionfruit cream pie and kimchi fried rice by day and charcoal-grilled Santa Barbara spot prawns and Liberty duck confit by night.

At Camphor, light-as-a-cloud French cuisine feels more than apt within the restaurant’s airy white and blue dining room, where old-school touches and a featherweight culinary approach combine in a stunning blend of elegant, yet nontraditional, fine dining. Inside the former Nightshade space, Alain Ducasse veterans Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George offer what looks like the usual French bill of fare, with one major twist: far, far less butter and oil. Combined with a few South Asian-inspired dishes—the must-order gunpowder anchovies among them—Camphor’s refined, slightly tweaked menu of classics puts the Arts District bistro in a class of its own. This extends to dessert, where you'll find a phenomenal kiwi glacée, bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and refreshing lemon ice with marzipan.

For an elegant, if pricey French meal, David Beran’s Santa Monica eatery wows with a small but well-curated menu, flawless service and an eye-wateringly expensive signature pressed duck—$198 at the time of writing for two. Aside from the pressed duck, I’ve honestly never been impressed by the entrées here, but the exceptional appetizers—including the foie de poulet, scallop quenelles and beef tartare—keep Pasjoli top of mind whenever I’m on the Westside and in the mood for French cuisine. For best results (and to save some cash), skip the entrées and double up on appetizers and desserts. There’s even a slightly more casual bar menu available before 7pm that includes croque matthieu and Pasjoli’s excellent Basque cheesecake.

The newest addition to Hollywood’s Sycamore Avenue, Mr. T is a stylish import straight from Le Marais in Paris. The bistro fare might be globally inspired, but the culinary foundation and chic atmosphere make this a French restaurant through and through. From starters through dessert, République alum Alisa Vannah crafts every dish with care. The signature mac and cheese (which comes with its own tableside pyrotechnics show) will wow first-timers, but it’s dishes like the Thai larb-style steak tartare and duck a l’orange that best demonstrate the kitchen’s strengths. Balancing out all the decadent cooking is the restaurant’s playful, first-rate cocktail program. For best results, grab a table on the heated patio, where string-lit olive trees and high hedges lend to a surprisingly intimate dining experience out in Hollywood.

The smaller, two Michelin-starred counterpart within the more casual (and one Michelin-starred) Citrin, Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse still delivers one of the city’s most expensive tasting menus ($400), with luxurious, detail-oriented dishes like caviar in chawanmushi topped with Hokkaido sea urchin and a rich sunchoke soup with even more decadent comté foam. To be frank, I find both spots fairly overpriced and the ambience slightly staid, but for those with serious cash to burn, it’s impossible to have a bad meal here. The larger Citrin space even accommodates walk-ins at the bar, for those who have last-minute hankering for egg caviar topped with cauliflower mousseline, the chef’s iconic lobster bolognese or a traditional soufflé.

Located in Old Town Pasadena, this cozy French restaurant run by a Daniel Boulud alum serves precisely executed classic fare like steak tartare, moules frites and escargot. The simply decorated dining room (and extended patio out front) serves as an unfussy backdrop for chef Dean Yasharian’s delicious cuisine, including a standout tarte tatin, a fluffy chocolate soufflé and a new pre-fixe menu, a Taste of Perle, that evolves with the seasons and includes the restaurant’s signature truffle rigatoni. Despite the bistro atmosphere, expect to spend quite a bit of money here—entrées start at $35. For those trying to splurge even more, there’s caviar service and a pricey Dover sole.

In L.A.’s French dining scene, most restaurants fail to capture the spirit of bon rapport qualité-prix—the sweet spot between quality and price characteristic of Paris’s greatest bistros. Newly relocated to the charming European-style promenade within Downtown’s Spring Arcade, L’Appart is one of the few that delivers on both fronts. Head chef Thierry Babet hails from France, and his moderately priced bill of fare is delicious across the board. Straightforward classics like Burgundy-style escargot and onion soup offer plenty of rich, buttery comfort, and the well-plated seasonal entrées are just as compelling as the appetizers. For drinks, look at the excellent wine list courtesy of co-owner Mathieu Giraud’s Garcons de Cafe next door, and be sure to save room for dessert.

Hidden away on Beverly Boulevard, this impeccably designed French restaurant takes over the old Dominick’s space. True to its name, Amour conjures visions of romance with a candle-lit dining room, cozy lounge seating by the fireplace and a brick-lined, checker floored courtyard. The Japanese-inflected haute cuisine runs on the pricier side, with five-course ($150) and eight-course ($222) tasting menus, plus vegan and vegetarian options ($111). If you’d rather order à la carte, the kitchen’s precise saucework translates into strong entrées, a standout steak tartare and the comte cloud, a truffle-covered cheesy poached egg. Either way, El Bullí-trained head chef Dani Chavez-Bello and owner Thomas Fuks (who also runs Hollywood nightclub Members) have created a French fine dining experience worthy of anniversaries and other special occasions.

Run by a Frenchman and his wife who couldn't find their favorite cheese, this long-running gourmet market and casual eatery is one of our favorite vendors at the Original Farmers Market (next to the Grove), and one of the best ways to enjoy French cuisine in L.A. without a major splurge. In the winter, Monsieur Marcel offers cozy, gooey plates of raclette cheese, but the open-air bistro's solid lunch plates and slightly dressy dinner menu are our casual Mid-City go-to every day of the year. Try their quiche lorraine, beef bourguignon or build your cheese and charcuterie plates for best result.

Beautifully decorated with an eclectic mix of French antiques, this French-Californian brasserie in Century City is more than just a Hollywood agent power lunch spot. Chef Ramon Bojorquez’s carefully executed bistro fare—including an excellent salad niçoise at lunch—and the staff’s five-star service make Lumière worth a visit for anyone in search of a brief, luxurious respite from regular life. The restaurant’s charming, greenery-lined outdoor patio features an herb garden, stone fountain and repurposed spires from a French cathedral, while its indoor seating and bar areas (including an airy, sun-lit solarium) cater to a variety of moods.

This French bistro in Westwood boasts one of the cutest patios in the city, as well as a thoughtfully executed menu of classic fare like French onion soup, trout amandine, duck leg confit and steak frites. The pommes frites are particularly delicious, with a unique chip-like consistency, and there’s a solid Basque cheesecake for dessert. While Violet Bistro mostly caters to a local crowd of pre-theater guests, plus UCLA students and employees, this hidden gem is a wonderful option for French food on the Westside.

This mostly-outdoor Arts District wine bar is bringing more accessibly priced, extremely tasty bistro fare to a part of town better known for tasting menus and other splurge-worthy eateries. Maude alum Justin Hilbert has crafted a menu of tasty bar bites, including cheese gougères, garlicky escargots and housemade pates and terrines. Best of all? Aside from a few family-style specials, nothing at Le Champ is over $30. Naturally, this means portions run on the smaller side, but they’re still large enough to satisfy, especially at lunch; Le Champ opens at noon and stays open all day, making it the perfect place for a quick midday meal or afternoon snack for anyone who finds themself in this part of Downtown. The charming patio looks more like a dinner party in someone’s backyard—so come in, order a glass of wine and sit a spell.

Look for the pink neon beneath Metro’s Chinatown stop and you’ll find a little chic wine bar with some of the best French bistro fare. Operated by the same team behind Los Feliz's Bar Covell, Oriel not only brings French wines and a modern, hanging-plant haven, but also offers tasty, not too pricey bistro fare. The French onion soup—rich without overt decadence—is worth a visit alone. All the usual suspects are here: steak tartare, escargot, moules mariniéres, plus harder-to-find dishes like gnocchi parisienne and loup de mer.

Since 1927, this family-run eatery has offered Angelenos a taste of the Basque countryside. While by no means the best French cuisine in town, this old-school restaurant retains a certain kind of nostalgic appeal, particularly when one takes into account the affordable corkage fee and slightly more everyday menu prices. Slide into one of Taix's booths or take a seat at the bar for quintessentially French dishes like frog legs, trout almondine and a Saturday-only duck à l’orange.