30 editor picks across France.
30 french regional restaurants worth the trip across France, editor-ranked. All cuisines in France.
Bloempot is Florent Ladeyn's converted carpentry workshop in Lille, cooking Flanders produce hard and plating it plainly on brutalist ceramics.
OrderRed cabbage steak with concentrated meat jus and a cherry quenelle.
TipThe 37 euro weekday lunch is the cheap way in. Beers come from Ladeyn's own Bierbuik brewpub down the road.
Chez Fonfon in Marseille's 7e sits in the Vallon des Auffes cove and has cooked bouillabaisse for the Mounier family since 1952, the fish landed each morning.
OrderThe bouillabaisse for two, served in the traditional sequence of broth then carved fish.
TipClosed late January for two weeks; book a sea-side table at lunch for the cove light.
Chez Michel in Marseille's 7e has cooked the oldest bouillabaisse in the city since 1946, the Visciano family now in the third generation at the Catalans.
OrderThe bouillabaisse at €80 per person, two-person minimum, the canonical reference in the city.
TipReservation only; cash and card both accepted. Closed Sunday evening and Monday lunch.
Binchstub Broglie off Place Broglie is a tarte flambee counter using farm produce, firing classic and inventive flammekueche to eat in or take away.
OrderTarte flambee fermiere
Le J'Go on Place Victor Hugo is the southwestern French bistro and wine bar built around Cochon noir de Bigorre, market-facing terrace and Gers bottles.
OrderCochon noir de Bigorre, Saucisse de Toulouse grilled with white beans, Plat du jour
TipSolo lunch best at the bar; the saucisse de Toulouse grilled with white beans is the canonical order.
La Mere Brazier in Lyon's 1er is the historic room where Eugenie Brazier earned six Michelin stars in 1933, now run by Mathieu Viannay in two-star form.
OrderThe Volaille de Bresse demi-deuil, the signature dish since 1921.
TipBook the lunch menu for half the dinner price; the dining room is the original.
Winstub Le Clou on Rue du Chaudron near the cathedral is a classic Alsatian tavern for choucroute, baeckeoffe and waedele, poured with Riesling.
OrderBaeckeoffe, Waedele
Daniel et Denise Crequi in Lyon's 3e is the original 1968 location, now run by MOF Joseph Viola, whose pate en croute won the world championship in 2009.
OrderThe pate en croute as a starter, then the quenelle de brochet.
TipClosed Sat-Sun; book a fortnight ahead. The bouchon label is genuine here.
Daniel et Denise Crequi in the 3e is the original 1968 location, now run by MOF Joseph Viola whose pate en croute won the 2009 world championship.
OrderThe pate en croute as a starter, then the quenelle de brochet.
TipClosed Sat-Sun; book a fortnight ahead. The bouchon label is genuine here.
Le Miramar in Marseille's 2e was founded in 1965 and is a founding member of the Bouillabaisse Charter, Christian Buffa in the kitchen running fish.
OrderThe bouillabaisse at €80, served quayside with Notre-Dame de la Garde over your shoulder.
TipClosed Monday; the front terrace looks straight at the cathedral on the hill.
La Corde a Linge sits on Place Benjamin Zix in Petite France, an all-day Alsatian room famous for big plates of homemade spaetzle by the canal.
OrderSpaetzle, Salads
Mama Bubbele on the Quai des Bateliers is a tarte flambee specialist, turning out crisp, thin flammekueche in savoury and sweet versions until late.
OrderTarte flambee
Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.
OrderCassoulet de Toulouse with confit duck, Magret de canard, Foie gras maison
TipOrder the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.
La Cave au Cassoulet on Rue Peyrolieres in Carmes is an unfussy cassoulet specialist with confit duck, sausage and beans baked in clay cassoles.
OrderCassoulet de Toulouse, Confit de canard, Magret de canard
TipSmaller than the celebrated cassoulet rooms; the cassole is single-serve, do not order a starter if you intend to finish it.
Le Bon Vivre on Place Wilson is the all-day southwestern brasserie with continuous service, a covered terrace and a deep Lauragais cassoulet menu.
OrderCassoulet, Saucisse de Toulouse, Confit de canard
TipWalk-in friendly; the cassoulet with duck plus sausage is the canonical order. Open Sunday, which most of the centre is not.
Les Jardins de l'Opera on Place du Capitole is Stephane Tournie's one-Michelin-star dining room set in a glass-roofed courtyard, refined southwest cooking.
TipBook the courtyard table under the glass roof; signature plates include scallops with cream of rice and nori, foie gras and truffle ravioli.
La Tupina in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre district is the southwestern French institution founded by Jean-Pierre Xiradakis in 1968, now led by chef Franck Audu.
OrderEntrecote a la bordelaise, Tricandilles, Sanguette
TipSit near the open fire for the tricandilles; the lunch formula is a serious value if you book ahead for noon on a weekday.
Le Garet on Rue du Garet in Lyon's 1er is the canonical bouchon, four blocks from the Opera, with a chalkboard menu rooted in the classic Lyonnais repertoire.
OrderTablier de sapeur to start, then the quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua.
TipClosed Sunday-Monday; book a fortnight ahead for the dinner service.
Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean in Vieux Lyon is Joseph Viola's bouchon in the old town, where the pate en croute won the world championship and remains.
OrderThe pate en croute as a starter, then the quenelle de brochet sauce Nantua.
TipClosed Sunday-Monday; book three days ahead; service can run long.
Daniel et Denise Croix-Rousse is MOF Joseph Viola's third bouchon, on Rue de Cuire facing Place des Tapis in the historic canut quarter of the 4e.
OrderThe pate en croute starter, then the praluline brioche for dessert.
TipClosed Sunday-Monday; lunch is the easier seating near the daily Croix-Rousse market.
Le Schnockeloch on the Quai Saint-Jean is a large Alsatian institution between the station and Petite France for choucroute, baeckeoffe and flammekueche.
OrderChoucroute, Baeckeoffe, Flammekueche
Buerehiesel sits in a glassed timber farmhouse in the Orangerie park, where Eric Westermann, once Michelin-starred, cooks refined Alsatian food in the guide.
Le Genty Magre between Esquirol and Capitole is chef Romain Brard's southwestern dining room, winner of the 2023 Toulouse Cassoulet Championship.
OrderCassoulet de Toulouse, Bourgeois southwestern menu, Foie gras
TipThe cassoulet sells in glass jars to take home; book the small inner room for the calmer service.
Chez Navarre on Grande Rue Nazareth in Saint-Etienne is the neighbourhood table d'hotes with rustic chalet decor and grandmother-style southwestern plates.
OrderFoie gras maison, Confit de canard, Pyrenean lamb
TipEat at the long shared tables for the full atmosphere; bookings essential, the locals adopt this one as a canteen.
Bierbuik is Florent Ladeyn's brewpub on Rue Royale in Lille, wood-fired Flemish street food downstairs and the Bloemeke estaminet menu upstairs.
OrderFrites with maroilles sauce, from the ground-floor brewpub counter.
TipThe upstairs Bloemeke runs a three-course estaminet menu at 30 euros. Beers use Mont des Cats hops.
Le Merciere on Rue Merciere in the 2e is the bouchon Jean-Louis Manoa has run since 1978 and his son-in-law Cesar Ponsonnet took over in 2024.
OrderThe quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua; the andouillette is the pork-forward closer.
TipOpen daily, lunch and dinner; book a few days ahead for Friday-Saturday.
Le Musee on Rue des Forces in the 2e is the bouchon tucked through the Printing Museum traboule, run by chef Quentin Delbassee with a tightly classical.
OrderThe tablier de sapeur (breaded tripe), then the quenelle and the praline tart.
TipClosed Sunday-Monday; the dining room is small, book ahead Booking recommended for weekends.
Le Bouchon Sully in Lyon's 6e is the bouchon Julien Gautier and Emmanuel Tachon-Foley opened in 2014, running the full classical lyonnais carte from quenelle.
OrderThe quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua; the pork cheek and the praline tart close the meal.
TipClosed Sunday; the lunch carte is the value play.
Cafe-Comptoir Abel in Lyon's 2e is the 1928 bouchon on Rue Guynemer where the wood-panelled dining room and Label Bouchons Lyonnais menu survive unchanged.
OrderSalade lyonnaise with a poached egg, then the chicken vinaigrette.
TipClosed Sunday; cash and card. The pichet of cotes-du-rhone is the order.
Le Bouchon des Filles in Lyon's 1er is the all-woman-run bouchon on Rue Sergent Blandan, where a fixed-price set lunch runs the dining room and the kitchen.
OrderThe set menu with saucisson chaud and cervelle de canut for dessert.
TipOpen evenings only Wed-Sat plus Sunday lunch; book a fortnight ahead.
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