The best French restaurants in Sydney

To experience not just France, but Paris during the Belle Époque, head to Hubert in the CBD. The candlelit tables and old-fashioned tunes, carefully crafted cocktails and beautiful food will convince you to start planning your next visit as soon as you sit down. Come for the duck parfait; gruyère soufflé and old-world charm.

Found on Surry Hills' Crown Street, Armorica pays homage to Paris and its surrounds in more ways than one – Armorica is the old Latin name for a region that once included Brittany. The restaurant fit-out is drop-dead gorgeous, with opulent red banquet seating, gold finishings and statement art by American illustrator David Plunkert. Jose Saulog, who also oversees the kitchens at Franca and Parlar, is the executive chef at Armorica. Here, Saulog has taken inspiration from Northern France to curate his extensive menu, which features classic French fare, authentic techniques and an emphasis on woodfired cooking (a custom-built grill is at the centre of the kitchen). And it's absolutely delicious.

In terms of lifespan, restaurant years are not unlike dog years, in that one year in the cut-throat and often ruthless world of hospitality equates to much longer than human years. So the fact that Bistro Moncur – the classic French restaurant located in leafy Woollahra, which opened its doors to the public back in 1993 – is still open and thriving today deserves, in our opinion, several glasses of Champagne (at the very least). À votre santé! So, how in the world have they done it? Through good-old fashioned hospitality, care for the local community, and an absolute commitment to sophisticated French cuisine that showcases the very best in Australian produce. Our tip? Finish with the vanilla creme brûlée with lemon.

You've probably had at least one 'a-ha' moment with Dan Pepperell’s cooking. The pretzel with whipped bottarga that might never leave 10 William Street’s menu, perhaps? Or was it the triumphant chicken fricassée or gutsy kimchi gratin at Restaurant Hubert? Or even that unforgettable butter-chicken-esque trippa alla Romana from his most recent stint at Alberto’s Lounge? Odds are, you're likely to have another one at his latest venture, Bistrot 916, which opened in early 2021. Especially if you order the duck frites.

It's all about the atmosphere at Felix, from the floor-to-ceiling tile work (including some saucy frescoes, if you look up) to the bentwood chairs and polished brass. The menu of bistro classics is deceptively simple, but for the most part beautifully executed. 

Tucked away near the base of the Harbour Bridge in Milsons Point is Loulou, a staunchly French bistro with a few timely twists. Yes, of course, there are the classics of steak frites, mille-feuille and charcuterie made in-house, Champagne in long-stemmed glasses and the ubiquitous baguette. However, where Loulou stands apart from the clichés is a strong line of freshness. It’s French, yes, but French-Lite.

Dreaming of fine French fare? Head to Bouillon L'entrecote, found just a short stroll from Circular Quay, and feast until your heart's content. Come for traditional French onion soup; Wagyu tartare; and a beautifully cooked steak with the team’s ‘famous secret sauce’, house-made French fries, and a green salad. All paired with top-notch wine, of course.

The Cricketer’s in Surry Hills has long been a pub for the youths and the young at heart. Uni students, skaters, hospo workers – as well as those sniffing out a drink on the way home from the Sydney Cricket Ground. So a French(ish) bistro is quite a departure for the pub’s upstairs restaurant. Though for non-French people, the crew at Chez Crix certainly do a good job of serving up delicious Frenchy food with a big, fat side of joie de vivre. Oh, and order the mushroom vol-au-vent. 

For years, the space at 134 Glebe Point road was occupied by Darling Mills, an early pioneer in Sydney's farm-to-plate movement, and nowadays, it's home to Beckett's. Chef Jeff Schroeter (Bayswater Brasserie, Bistro Moncur) has teamed up with playwright and director Wendy Beckett to create an all-class French brasserie with all the design and flair of a mid-century Paris or New York bistro.

Chippendale’s French eatery is all about giving punters that classic-French bistro experience. There is pâté en croûte de grand-père Henri and French onion soup also dedicated to the chef's grandfather. Plus, escargots (snails), king crab thermidor and a classic melted goat’s cheese salad.

For more than a decade, this quiet, unassuming French bistro at the well-tailored end of CBD has kept things simple – but extravagantly French — with both the menu and décor. They stick to the classics and do them très well. 

Whole grains and green smoothies double-dose you with nutrients and smug achievement first thing in the morning, but there’s something to be said for the satisfaction of treating yourself to a breakfast whose only concern is being delicious, even if it takes an unholy amount of butter to get there. This appears to be the attitude at Bellevue Cottage by Antoine, the very French café and restaurant that has taken up residence in a beautifully restored heritage building along the Glebe foreshore.

Historic Darlinghurst pub the Strand has been reborn as a roaring '20s inspired French bistro, boutique accommodation, and a rooftop cocktail bar. Modelled after turn-of-the-century Paris, the new venture has been dubbed the Strand Bistro and is offering up modern French cuisine that's laid back but still tres fancy. Spoons of beluga caviar and a classic French Magret breast of duck served with plum, radicchio and jus are available for more sophisticated palettes.

Think of a night out at a French restaurant, and it’s unlikely you’ll picture yourself surrounded by giant tanks of beer. Yet at Frenchies Bistro and Brewery in Rosebery, that’s exactly the kind of sweet spot that craft beer and charcuterie lovers would find themselves in. 

In Paris, where day drinking is encouraged and a tote bag is incomplete without a fresh baguette sticking out of it, you take the availability of an everyday, local bistro for granted. But here in Sydney, finding a good, mid-week steak frites is much harder work – Potts Point’s Bistro Rex is setting out to change this.