Things to eat
and drink
Restaurants
NYC counts many French Restaurants, here is a short list of my favorites.
Manhattan:
Lafayette: Quintessential French Bistro in Noho. Great attention to detail and to service. Extensive menu, fun place to be.
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Frenchette: Upscale French bistro in Tribeca.
Mixed of modern and traditional French food. Long list of natural wines.
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Buvette: Very charming bistro in the West Village. Delicious food served until 2am.
Petite Boucherie: Traditional French restaurant in the West Village. The food is great, the service super professional. Nice patio seating.
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Ocabanon: Cozy and trendy little place, delicious food, good service, great vibes.
50% off wine on Sundays! 29th & 8th ave
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Le French Diner: Hidden gem alert! Small bistro on the lower East side. Short menu of classic French food prepared exactly as it should be! Really nice ambiance. 188 Orchard St, New York
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Les Enfants de Bohème: Good vibe, great food and nice staff. Mix of restaurant, bar, café. Lower East Side
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Claudette: Provençal restaurant in Greenwich Village with intimate ambiance and attention to details.
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Raoul: Lively French bistro in Soho, that has been around since the 70's. Great ambiance.
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Mountain Bird: Cute little restaurant in Harlem, serving almost exclusively chicken and poultry. Charming, creative.
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La Ripaille: Cosy and romantic little spot in the West Village. Great food and ambiance
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Jacques Brasserie: Traditional brasserie. Retro decor with old French poster, red booth, woven wicker chairs.
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Brooklyn:
Café Paulette: Casual French bistro in Fort Greene. Organic wine, nice ambiance, simple but satisfying menu.
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French Louie: Chic Bistro, great decor and delicious food. Boerum Hill
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Chez Moi: Laid back French Bistr0 in Brooklyn heights. Great cocktails, beautiful decor and warm ambiance.
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Café Luluc: French bistro in Brooklyn Heights. Popular for brunch, as it is very reasonably priced and good. Nice ambiance and outdoor seating. Cash only.
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Citroën: 1920's inspired French bistro decor, solid French fare made of fresh ingredients sourced locally. Great variety of cocktails and wines. Greenpoint
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Oxalis: Fine dining in Prospect heights. Creative menu, very well executed. Oxalis offers one tasting menu each night, which changes regularly and includes six courses for $60.
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Le garage: Friendly French restaurant in Bushwick. Great food with attention to details. Pretty setting.
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La Cafette: Small cozy restaurant in Williamsburg.Nice ambiance, laid back and friendly staff, authentic French food.
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Paté et traditions: Casual French restaurant in Williamsburg. South-of-France-focused menu except for crêpes and galettes.
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Sauvage: Beautiful place, with a very detailed decor. The menu is creative and well executed. Located in Greenpoint.
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Gentleman Farmer: Very tasty food, creative menu (beef tongue perfectly cooked, bison tartare). Laid back and friendly staff. Fort Greene
Cafés & Bakeries
Little cafés and delicious pastries
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Manhattan:
Marie Blachère: Just opened! Large bakery selling, bread, pastries, and the cheapest baguette in NYC!
Les Enfants Délice: Lovely place with delicious pastries. (annex of Les Enfants Bohème)
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Le Pain d' Avignon: Great bakery. Great selection of breads and pastries. Several location in the city.
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Mille Feuille bakery: French patisserie baking viennoiseries, pastries, cookies, cakes. They also offer cooking classes.
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Bouchon Bakery: Traditional French boulangerie Fare, by Thomas Keller.
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Patisserie Chanson: Pastries, macaroons, tea room. Beautiful place with delicious desserts.
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Le Petit Parisien: Authentic French style sandwiches, crusty baguettes, quiches, croissants.
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Arcade Bakery: Home of the best croissant in the city!
Eclair Bakery: artisan bakery that offers delicious and authentic French pastries, croissants, éclairs, macarons and fine desserts
La Mercerie: Stylish café housed in a furniture shop. Lavish and beautiful though pricey.
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Brooklyn
Almondine: Great traditional bakery in Dumbo. Best croissants aux amanandes, delicious sandwiches.
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Couleur Café: Small, casual spot for light French breakfast & lunch fare, plus coffee & snacks. Local, quality ingredients and nice presentation. (Park Slope)
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Beny's Delice: Small French bakery on Fulton St in Clinton Hill. Delicious pastries, viennoiseries and sandwiches.
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Bien cuit: Served a variety of bread, pastries, tarts and sandwiches. Note: "Bien cuit" means well cooked in French, so their bread is very crusty. Smith St and Pacific
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Colson Patisserie: Bakery offering classic French-Belgian sweet treats, plus sandwiches, quiche & coffee. Park Slope
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Charlotte Patisserie: French bites & classic pastries, plus beer & wine, are found at this charming cafe with a patio. Williamsburg
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L'imprimerie: This cozy French bakery with a vintage vibe offers homemade breads, pastries & espresso drinks. Bushwick
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Le Paris Dakar: Laid-back creperie also offering sandwiches, salads, java drinks & French-style baked goods. Bed Stuy
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Joye Bakeshop: Not entirely French, but has great croissants aux amandes and other pastries. Prospect Heights
Bars
Wine, absinthe and everything in between.
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Manhattan:
Jadis: Wine bar with small plates. Cosy decor and lounge area at the back. LES
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Lucky Strike: Quaint French bar. Daily happy hour from 4-7pm. Comfort food such as onion soup and croque monsieur.
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Vin sur vingt Wine Bar: Impressive selection of French wine, Happy hour selection includes $1 raw oysters
5 locations: West Village, NoMad, Plaza Hotel, Upper West Side and newly opened, Tribeca.
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Ruffian: East Village wine bar with an intimate setting and a big list of natural wine. Very knowledgeable staff
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Le pif: Rustic Chic wine bar with 2 locations, one in the UWS, the other in Chelsea. Friendly place and great wine list.
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La compagnie des vins surnaturels:
Cozy and cool spot in Nolita. Great happy hour deals.
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Wallflower: Amazing cocktails, quaint atmosphere, great food in Greenwich Village.
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Léna Wine and Cocktail: Cosy spot in LES. Great selection of affordable wine.
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BXL café: Great Belgian place if you like to watch soccer. Long list of beers and cocktails. Bistro food
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St Tropez Wine Bar: Rustic ambiance, good wine, tasty food at reasonable prices.
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Vanguard: Lively wine bar on the UWS. Good vibes, good wine list, great valur cheese and charcuterie plate.
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Brooklyn:
Mominette: Cool place in Bushwick, creative cocktails, oysters, pretty backyard, extensive happy hour from 1-7pm.
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Maison Première: Retro and cosy, great atmosphere, delicious cocktails and $1 oyster.
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Le Boudoir: A cocktail den in Brooklyn Heigh, can be reached through a bookshelf in Chez Moi, a casual French bistro. Modeled after Marie Antoinette's Versailles boudoir.
Places to shop
Places where you can buy authentic French products.
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Manhattan:
The district: Big market complex in Battery Park City. It has restaurants, markets, shops everything you could wish related to French food.
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Marché Maman: French marketplace/café. Very charming place with textiles, beauty and lifestyles products, kids clothing and accessories.
Nice outdoor area at the back.
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La Bergamote market: Specialty French goods store that is a sister-store to La Bergamote Bakery across the street.
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The Cheese Board: Nice little spot in Nolita, specialized in cheeses and dairy. Host events such as wine and cheese pairings sessions and cooking classes. They also sell pretty cookware and accessories
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Online:
Le Panier Français: French online supermarket.
Authentic French food, cosmestic and more.
More than 700 products.
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Obvious Wine: A collection of high quality wines sourced directly from sustainable vineyards in California and France Obvious Wine collaborates with family-owned wineries with sustainable farming practices to create a “unique collection” of high-quality wine, with unique, descriptive names and user-friendly labels.