The best French restaurants in Melbourne

What is it? This fancy-ish yet lovably casual French bistro has been buzzing happily on Toorak Road since 1986, and it’s still proving a hit among the upcoming dining generation.

Why we love it: Is it the romantic bistro aesthetic that transports us to a sexier European place? The affable (if sometimes a bit chaotic) staff? The enormous gold-standard wine list? Or perhaps it’s the food – traditional Gallic classics that consistently stand the test of time in all their buttery-sauced, elegantly plated-up glory.

Time Out tip: Got a dusty bottle of Bordeaux waiting to be drunk? BYO is available for lunch service from Monday to Wednesday – with zero corkage charge.

Address: ​​11 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141

What is it? A refined French-leaning restaurant in the CBD from the Tipo 00 crew.

Why we love it: Harriot delivers on playfully executed dishes that make the most of classical French cooking techniques and Victorian produce, cleverly pairing them with sommelier Justin Howe’s picks from the outstanding wine list. Along with the rest of Melbourne, we’re sat – and we’ve been utterly seduced.

Time Out tip: Whatever you do at Harriot, don’t skip the lamb sweetbreads – buttery, softly cooked morsels that sing beautifully in their glistening, silken juices of sage and preserved lemon. 

Address: ​​555 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

What is it? A laidback yet classy French bistro and wine bar in Brunswick.

Why we love it: You’d be forgiven for thinking Bar Magnolia is a lot stuffier than what it actually is, with its pressed white linen tablecloths and fastidiously attentive service. The more-than-a-year-old wine bar has retained the bones of the historical 1920s building it’s in – exposed red brick walls, stained-glass detailing in the upper windows. What you’ll find is a bistro fancy enough for a special date or notable occasion, but so warm and friendly it’s more akin to a neighbourhood wine bar. Bar Magnolia chef Mia Coady-Plumb is turning out some of the most inspired French fare around. 

Time Out tip: At $95 per person, the chef’s three-course seasonally rotating menu that includes nearly everything on the regular menu (bar dessert) is well worth the price tag.  

Address: ​​295 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056

What is it? A swanky four-level restaurant on Bourke Street from Lucas Collective, famous for its aesthetic plating, glammed-up target audience and social media hype.

Why we love it: This ambitious French-inspired diner is chic, well-executed and surprisingly warm where it counts. Though you can – and should – settle in for a refined multi-course meal in the bustling dining room downstairs, next try a table on the sunlit, second-level terrace. As pretty as a scene from The Great Gatsby, this area provides a more casual Maison Batard offering – perfect for sundowner cocktails and one of the city's best cheeseburgers.

Time Out tip: Though the chocolate mousse is a hit, we reckon that astonishingly good-looking soft serve sundae with red berries and Chantilly cream is even better. 

Address: ​​23 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

What is it? This project from Nomad Group has transformed Melbourne’s hallowed old Stock Exchange building into a European-inspired restaurant as ritzy as it is regal, with a speakeasy bar (the Rue part) accessible through an adjoining courtyard. 

Why we love it: The kitchen has collaborated closely with Victorian producers to curate a menu that pays homage to the French classics with fresh Aussie flair. At a glance, you might eye Lakes Entrance calamari charcoal-grilled with café de Paris butter, a retro lobster cocktail, fruits de mer platter and a Great Ocean duck with red wine jus and sugarloaf cabbage.

Time Out tip: Pop in before or after your meal to check out Bar Privé. The latest addition to the Reine and La Rue family, it's a moody, Martini-fuelled cocktail bar. 

Address: ​​380 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

What is it? This addition to Scott Pickett's clan of restaurants is steeped in the romance of 1920s Paris, from a stage-set salon to please the most devout Francophile to a menu steeped in the certainties of snails, saucisson sec and soufflé.

Why we love it: There's an extravagance about Smith St Bistrot. Everything wears a patina of age, from the enormous, artfully distressed mirrors to the minutiae of mismatched crockery. It's beguiling – as is the wine list, which has affection for both Australia and the Old World across a huge price range.

Time Out tip: Oeuf Mayonnaise is a humble French bistro dish (eggs and mayo) enjoyed since the late nineteenth century, but modern chefs these days tend to dress theirs up with fish roe. Try this one with Avruga caviar.

Address: ​​511 Malvern Road, Toorak VIC 3142

What is it? A flirty new French restaurant and bar where everything is $14 (yes, really).

Why we love it: This red velvet-draped bistro and bar in the CBD is channelling the lively spirit of famous Parisian neighbourhoods like Saint-Germain and Pigalle. And when everything from the steak tartare to the duck confit is just $14, what's not to love?

Time Out tip: Can't make it for dinner? Frenchie is now open for lunch from 12-4pm, Monday to Friday.

Address: ​​1/15 Collins St Melbourne 3004

What is it? The Collins Street flagship from Philippe Mouchel – the French elder statesman who Melbourne's restaurant scene would be much lesser without. Mouchel has ruled the Gallic roost since the 1980s and continues to delight to this day.

Why we love it: The roast chicken, skin bewitched to a dark gold on the rotisserie and accompanied by a buttery Paris mash, is a swoon-worthy triumph of real-deal flavour that deserves its signature dish status. But beyond the chicken liver and foie gras parfait and the amazing floating island dessert, you'll find modern technique adding its own oh la la, from the mozzarella emulsion with heirloom tomato gazpacho to the beetroot-cured salmon with creamed cucumber salad.

Time Out tip: Philippe is one of the few restaurants around the world offering the classic dish ‘pressed duck’ (pre-order required). Here's a fantastic video from Philippe teaching you all about it.

Address: ​​115-117 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

What is it? Powerhouse chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan has brought a sleek yet affordable modern French bistro to Flinders Lane's artsy Hotel Indigo.

Why we love it: Mangan was once trained under the revered Michel Roux at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in England, so here's a man who knows his stuff. At Bistrot Bisou, visitors are treated to perfectly executed classics, mainly comprising dishes cooked over the kitchen’s wood-fired grill, with slow-burning ironbark and hardwood charcoal used to add smoky flavours. The team also smoke their own salmon and craft housemade terrines from free-range Victorian roosters. 

Time Out tip: The midweek express lunch is excellent value at $35 for two courses or $45 for three. The offer is available from 12-2.30pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Address: ​​575 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

What is it? A classic French bistro delivering traditional Gallic comfort favourites with an elegant touch.

Why we love it: One word: snails. Baked in their shells, the snails (sorry, escargot) at this Toorak stalwart arrive in a bubbling green parsley-accented garlicky ooze so deliciously pungent they scream “must order” to every table in this gloriously decorated salon. Pretend you're in the eleventh arrondissement over a spread of pan-seared foie gras, onion soup crowned with a gruyere crouton, confit duck lug and a classic beef bourguignon. 

Time Out tip: The wine list similarly leans to France and deserves a special occasion splash-out. Also note: it's BYO seven days a week (lunch only) with corkage priced at $25 per bottle.

Address: ​​511 Malvern Road, Toorak VIC 3142

What is it? Crown's chic yet approachable French bistro.

Why we love it: The classics, done well, are the raison d'etre of superchef Guillaume Brahimi, whose southern outpost hums like a freshly tuned Citroën. Puffy pendant lights like a can-can dancer's bloomers and a wicked green palette haven't aged since the doors swung open in 2008, and if the menu has changed little, we maintain that to be tired of the Roquefort soufflé is to be tired of life.

Time Out tip: Head in on a Monday for the $25 steak special.

Address: ​​8, Riverside, Crown Melbourne, Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006