9 editor-picked brasserie restaurants across 6 cities.
A guide to brasserie restaurants worth a trip, by city. We list operators, signature dishes, and the rooms locals book first.
Justine's Brasserie in Austin is a late-night French brasserie in a 1937 East 5th cottage, owned by Justine Gilcrease since 2009 and open until midnight.
Signature: Steak frites, Escargot, Soupe a l'oignon
Order: The steak frites with bearnaise; the kitchen runs until 12am Friday and Saturday.
Tip: The Pagoda room and patio handle the smoking crowd; the Tuesday closure is firm, so plan around it.
Brasserie Georges in Lyon's 2e on Cours de Verdun is the 1836 brasserie that has served choucroute and the sole meuniere lunch grid for almost two centuries.
Signature: Choucroute, Sole meuniere
Order: The choucroute royale and a half-litre of the house lager.
Tip: Open daily until 23:00; the dining hall takes walk-ins after 21:00.
Le Cafe de la Banque in Marseille's 6e in the Estrangin former banking district is a Haussmann brasserie with a wide terrace running the day's specials.
Signature: Daily lunch special, Charcuterie board, Cheese plates
Order: The plat du jour at lunch, a charcuterie board at aperitif.
Tip: Open daily from breakfast through aperitif tapas to dinner; reservations for evening only.
Bouillon Chartier has run a workers' canteen of a brasserie in Paris's 9e since 1896. The menu still puts œuf mayonnaise on for less than €3.
Signature: Œuf mayonnaise, Hachis Parmentier
Order: Œuf mayonnaise, hachis Parmentier, baba au rhum.
Tip: The queue moves; arrive at 11:30 for lunch or 18:30 for dinner and you sit fast.
Bouillon Pigalle in Paris reopened the bouillon model in 2017 and now seats 300 with no reservation, no shortcut, a mains-under-€12 daily menu.
Signature: Poulet rôti, Île flottante
Order: Poulet rôti, frites maison, île flottante with caramel.
Tip: Queue from 19:00 for dinner; the line moves and tables turn every 45 minutes.
Le Square Trousseau in Paris's 12e is the kind of belle-époque brasserie a fashion editor uses for a long Saturday lunch on the Marché d'Aligre side.
Signature: Steak tartare, Crème brûlée
Order: Steak tartare cut by hand, crème brûlée; a pichet of Sancerre at lunch.
Tip: Open daily; no booking required for the terrace, reserve indoor seating in winter.
Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond in Paris keeps the 1879 dining room intact and the carte true to its Norman roots: tripes à la mode de Caen, Calvados sorbet.
Signature: Tripes à la mode de Caen, Camembert flambé
Order: Tripes à la mode de Caen, Camembert flambé in Calvados, sorbet to finish.
Tip: The room is listed Historic Monument. Sit on the upper level for the tile mosaics.
Parc in Philadelphia is Stephen Starr's Rittenhouse Square French brasserie on 18th Street, a Parisian-cafe room that runs croissants by 08:00 and onion soup past 22:00.
Signature: Steak frites, Croque madame
Order: Steak frites with bearnaise; the croque madame at brunch; a half-bottle of Sancerre.
Tip: The outdoor sidewalk seats on 18th Street face Rittenhouse Square. Book them specifically in summer.
Le Diplomate in Washington DC is Stephen Starr's 14th Street brasserie at the P Street corner, the city's anchor French room since 2013 with a wraparound patio and a 7am pastry pickup.
Signature: Steak frites, Onion soup gratinee
Order: The steak frites with bearnaise; it has been on the menu since opening night and remains the room's most-ordered dish.
Tip: The walk-in bar takes the same menu and runs at a third the wait. Brunch is the busiest slot of the week.
More cities are in research. Want brasserie covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.