30 restaurants worth the trip across France, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All France guides.
Flaveur ★ 4.9 · Nice
carre-d-or · 25 Rue Gubernatis, 06000 Nice
Flaveur in Nice's Carre d'Or holds two Michelin stars under brothers Mickael and Gael Tourteaux, the only two star room in the city and a contemporary.
Tip: Reservations 4 to 6 weeks ahead; closed Sunday and Monday. Two tasting menus only; no a la carte service.
Takao Takano ★ 4.8 · Lyon
6e · 33 Rue Malesherbes, 69006 Lyon
Takao Takano in Lyon's 6e is the two-star tasting room where the chef applies Japanese training to French sourcing across a six-course set. Priced at €€€€.
Tip: Book three to four weeks ahead; lunch is the easier seating than dinner.
Chez Fonfon ★ 4.8 · Marseille
7e · 140 rue du Vallon des Auffes, 13007 Marseille
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.
Tip: Closed late January for two weeks; book a sea-side table at lunch for the cove light.
Chez Michel ★ 4.8 · Marseille
7e · 6 Rue des Catalans, 13007 Marseille
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.
Tip: Reservation only; cash and card both accepted. Closed Sunday evening and Monday lunch.
Septime ★ 4.8 · Paris
11e · 80 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
Bertrand Grébaut's Septime in Paris remains the room every neo-bistro in the city compares itself to. Reservations open 21 days ahead and burn within an hour.
Tip: Easier on a Tuesday lunch than Friday dinner. Same kitchen, same wine, half the wait list.
Table Bruno Verjus ★ 4.8 · Paris
12e · 3 Rue de Prague, 75012 Paris
Table Bruno Verjus in Paris's 12e cooks ingredient-first: produce sourced by name, fish breathing that morning, no dish served twice in a row.
Tip: Two Michelin stars and number 8 on The World's 50 Best 2025. Book eight weeks out for dinner, four for lunch.
La Mere Brazier ★ 4.7 · Lyon
1er · 12 Rue Royale, 69001 Lyon
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.
Tip: Book the lunch menu for half the dinner price; the dining room is the original.
La Mercerie ★ 4.7 · Marseille
1er · 9 Cours Saint-Louis, 13001 Marseille
La Mercerie in Marseille's 1er opened in 2018 from the Paris Popup trio Harry Cummins, Laura Vidal and Julia Mitton, a stripped-concrete room.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book the terrace on Cours Saint-Louis for warm nights.
Une Table au Sud ★ 4.7 · Marseille
2e · 2 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
Une Table au Sud in Marseille's 2e holds a Michelin star above the Vieux Port quay, Ludovic Turac at the pass since 2010 with a Provencal-Mediterranean.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book a window seat over the Quai du Port at sunset.
Le Chantecler ★ 4.7 · Nice
promenade-des-anglais · 37 Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice
Le Chantecler at Hotel Le Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice holds one Michelin star under Virginie Basselot, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2015.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The Salon Royal is the summer room; book Louis XIV indoors in winter.
JAN ★ 4.7 · Nice
port-lympia · 12 Rue Lascaris, 06300 Nice
JAN in Nice's Port district holds one Michelin star under South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, the first South African chef to earn the award.
Tip: MARIA, the cheese bar across the street, opened 2017 and serves 91 plates of cheese and homemade preserves.
La Merenda ★ 4.7 · Nice
vieux-nice · 4 Rue Raoul Bosio, 06300 Nice
La Merenda in Vieux Nice runs Dominique Le Stanc's bench seat Nissard kitchen on Rue Raoul Bosio, the chef who walked away from a Michelin star.
Tip: No telephone, cash only, two services. Book in person at the door earlier the same day.
Le Baratin ★ 4.7 · Paris
20e · 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve, 75020 Paris
Raquel Carena cooks Argentine-French intuition food at Le Baratin, the Belleville room every Parisian chef calls their favourite when no one is listening.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday, often Saturday too. Phone bookings only, no website.
Regain ★ 4.6 · Lyon
1er · 3 Rue d'Algerie, 69001 Lyon
Regain in Lyon's 1er sits at the foot of the Croix-Rousse slope, where the kitchen runs a Mediterranean-leaning author menu paired with the city's tighter.
Tip: Lunch is the easier seating; book the natural-wine pairing for the full effect.
Circle ★ 4.6 · Lyon
1er · 11 Rue Chavanne, 69001 Lyon
Circle in Lyon's 1er pulls a single seating around the kitchen counter for a chef's-choice tasting; the ten-cover room earned a Michelin star.
Tip: One service per night, Wed-Sat; book three weeks ahead via Instagram.
Daniel et Denise Crequi ★ 4.6 · Lyon
3e · 156 Rue de Crequi, 69003 Lyon
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.
Tip: Closed Sat-Sun; book a fortnight ahead. The bouchon label is genuine here.
Le Miramar ★ 4.6 · Marseille
2e · 12 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
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.
Tip: Closed Monday; the front terrace looks straight at the cathedral on the hill.
Ourea ★ 4.6 · Marseille
6e · 72 Rue de la Paix Marcel Paul, 13006 Marseille
Ourea in Marseille's 6e is Matthieu Roche's vegetable-led tasting room with sommelier Camille Fromont, in the 2026 Michelin Guide for plant-led cooking.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; book early for Friday or Saturday, the room seats 24.
Tuba Club ★ 4.6 · Marseille
8e · 2 Boulevard Alexandre Delabre, 13008 Marseille
Tuba Club in Marseille's 8e is a fisherman-cabanon kitchen in the Goudes village, 80 seats on a rock terrace above the Mediterranean with Sicilian.
Tip: Reach by bus 19 from Rond-Point du Prado or taxi; book six weeks ahead.
La Petite Maison ★ 4.6 · Nice
carre-d-or · 11 Rue Saint Francois de Paule, 06300 Nice
La Petite Maison in Nice's Carre d'Or has cooked Nicole Rubi's Mediterranean room since 1999 on Rue Saint Francois de Paule, the home of the Nice school.
Tip: Book at least a week ahead for dinner; lunch tables are easier to land.
Frenchie ★ 4.6 · Paris
2e · 5-6 Rue du Nil, 75002 Paris
Gregory Marchand's Frenchie sits on Paris's Rue du Nil, the alley he and his suppliers turned into a four-shop street: bistro, bar, wine cellar.
Tip: If the bistro is booked, the Frenchie Bar à Vins across the alley takes walk-ups and runs the same kitchen.
Le Rigmarole ★ 4.6 · Paris
11e · 10 Rue du Grand Prieuré, 75011 Paris
Le Rigmarole in Paris pairs Robert Compagnon's binchotan yakitori grill with Jessica Yang's hand-rolled pasta. A nightly tasting menu only, no a la carte.
Tip: One seating at 19:30 and one at 21:30. Book six weeks out for weekends, four for a Tuesday.
Tomy & Co ★ 4.6 · Paris
7e · 22 Rue Surcouf, 75007 Paris
Tomy Gousset's Tomy & Co in Paris's 7e earned a Michelin star in 2018 and still runs the seasonal kitchen everyone in the embassy quarter books for a long.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The five-course tasting at €98 is the deal of the room on weeknights.
Restaurant Emile ★ 4.6 · Toulouse
saint-georges · 13 Place Saint-Georges, 31000 Toulouse
Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.
Tip: Order the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.
La Tupina ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux
saint-pierre · 6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux
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.
Tip: Sit near the open fire for the tricandilles; the lunch formula is a serious value if you book ahead for noon on a weekday.
Soif ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux
saint-pierre · 35 Rue du Cancera, 33000 Bordeaux
Soif in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is Cecile Lambre and Nico Lefevre's natural-wine and small-plate bistro on Rue du Cancera, with around 350 low-intervention.
Tip: Pull up a stool at the windowed wine collection; the chalkboard menu changes daily and runs until they sell out.
Symbiose ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux
chartrons · 4 Quai des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux
Symbiose in Bordeaux's Chartrons is the bistronomic dining room and speakeasy on Quai des Chartrons, run by four young partners with seasonal small plates.
Tip: Book the dinner sitting; the cocktail bar behind the bookshelf takes walk-ins only and stays open until 01:00.
Tetedoie ★ 4.5 · Lyon
5e · 4 Rue Professeur Pierre Marion, 69005 Lyon
Tetedoie sits on the Fourviere hill above Lyon's old town, where Christian Tetedoie cooks a one-star menu from a glass-walled dining room with the city below.
Tip: Reserve a window seat; the bistro Phosphore on site is the cheaper alternative.
Prairial ★ 4.5 · Lyon
2e · 1 Place Hubert Mounier, 69002 Lyon
Prairial in Lyon's 2e Confluence is Gaetan Gentil's one-star room cooking a vegetable-forward tasting menu rooted in foraged herbs and small Rhone producers.
Tip: Book the four-course lunch for the price-point entry; closed Sunday-Tuesday.
Sepia ★ 4.5 · Marseille
7e · 2 Rue Vauvenargues, 13007 Marseille
Sepia in Marseille's 7e perches on Puget Hill above the harbour, Paul Langlere cooking instinctive Mediterranean plates with smoked mackerel.
Tip: Ask for the sea-side table on the terrace; the Puget Hill view is the second reason.