9 editor picks across Australia.
9 french fine dining restaurants worth the trip across Australia, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Australia.
Restaurant Hubert is a French restaurant beneath Sydney's CBD at 15 Bligh Street, serving escargot with XO butter, duck l’orange and kimchi gratin.
OrderEscargot with XO butter, crispy-skinned duck l’orange or kimchi gratin.
TipWalk-ins are welcome, but booking ahead is recommended, and reservations have a 2 hour dining time.
Porcine is a French bistro above a wine bar, serving lunch Friday to Sunday from 12pm to 3pm and dinner Thursday to Saturday from 6pm to 10pm.
France-Soir has been Melbourne's Parisian bistro since 1982: the menu barely changes, the wine list is legendary and the room feels uncannily right.
OrderSteak au poivre with pommes frites and a glass of Burgundy
TipBook by phone. This is still a phone-booking-only restaurant and they mean it.
France-Soir on Toorak Road has served classical French food since 1982: the menu barely changes, theatrical service and an honest wine list.
OrderSteak frites with French mustard and frisee salad
TipBook ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings: it fills well before 8pm.
Harriot is the Tipo 00 team's French-leaning Collins Street bistro: classical technique, Victorian produce and serious wine from a confident kitchen.
Loulou Bistro at Martin Place is a French bistro and bar over two levels, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a lighter take on classic French dishes.
Ananas is a French restaurant in the historic Argyle Stores, The Rocks, in an 1881 sandstone space, with over 40 wines by the glass and cocktails.
OrderBaba d'Ananas
Maison Batard on Bourke Street combines boulangerie, bistro, cocktail bar and terrace: Melbourne's closest equivalent to a full-service Parisian house.
OrderFrench onion soup and the daily rotisserie plate
Maison Batard's ground-floor boulangerie feeds the CBD from 7am; by noon the bistro above opens for French classics and a wine list without a bad bottle.
OrderFrench onion soup with a gruyere crust
