Searching for a Fabulous French Restaurant?

Boston has great choices ranging from bistros to haute cuisine

If you're interested in dining in the perfect French restaurant, Boston has many tempting options for you.

Boston's best French restaurants and French bistros feature spectacular French food and cooking techniques . . . often combined with the best New England seafood, freshest local vegetables, and romantic ambiance.

Cost ranges for Boston French restaurants tend to be on the high end - so be prepared to spend significant $$$$s at most of these places since you'll probably want to order more than one course, wine - and who can pass up dessert in a French restaurant? 

If you are budget-conscious - and who isn't these days? - you may find that "bistro" or "brasserie" signals less formal and more affordable choices. 

Another money-saving tip is to go for lunch, when both prices and portions may be smaller than at dinner. 

Remember to make reservations - you'll need them in most French restaurants in Boston.

Find the Perfect French Restaurant:
Boston Top Picks

From elegant candlelit dining to cozy bistros, from Parisian haute cuisine to rustic Provençal cooking, Boston has fabulous choices for you to try.

Parisian Elegance Near Boston's Theatre District

If you're planning to dine near the Theatre District and want to try a perfect French Restaurant, Boston's Pigalle ($$$$) should be high on your list of options.

Step through the door and you'll have to think hard to remember that you're not in Paris . . . yes, you're in a Bay Village restaurant in Boston.

Elegant cream and chocolate decor with touches of red, flickering candlelight, and glittering crystal create a great ambiance . . . and then the food and wine add up to perfection.

The regular menu, which changes frequently, features high-quality fresh New England ingredients prepared according to French techniques - but many of the dishes have an international flair.  You'll notice Italian, German, and Asian flavors and influences.

You can order either from the regular menu, or from a multi-course tasting menu.  To add to your choices, the tasting menu offers small or large portions, and you can elect to have it with or without wine parings.

Desserts range from classic creme brulee to sublime concoctions such as chocolate cake with white coffee ice cream.

Pigalle is located at the edge of historic Bay Village - with its narrow gas lamp-lit streets and Federal architecture, the perfect spot for an after dinner stroll.  With the Theatre District just across the street, Pigalle is in a convenient location if you're on your way to a performance.

Directions to Pigalle:

Address: 75 Charles Street South, Bay Village
Nearest T station: Green Line/Arlington
For more information: 617-423-4944; www.pigalleboston.com

Fabulous French Bistro in Boston's South End

If you're like lots of Bostonians, once you've eaten your first meal at Aquitaine ($$$), a much-loved French bistro in the South End, you'll want to move in and eat all your meals there.  

Chef/Owner Seth Woods serves some of the best French food in the city in a high-ceilinged space that's filled with light and warmth. 

On the menu, you’ll find traditional French favorites prepared with fresh local and New England ingredients.  

If steak frites, beef bourguignon, and lemon sole meuniere make your mouth water, this is the place for you.  

Be sure to check the blackboard for the plats du jour such as coq au vin and roasted cod with mussel bourride.

Desserts . . . almost too delicious to describe.   Imagine bittersweet chocolate mousse . . . profiteroles with vanilla bean ice cream . . . apple tarte tatin with calvados .

Although like most of Boston's other French restaurants, Aquitaine is not inexpensive . . . but it does offer one of the biggest bargains in the South End: a popular $10 prix fixe brunch - Saturdays only, from 10am - 3pm.

Directions to Aquitaine

Address:  569 Tremont St, South End
Nearest T station:  Orange Line/Back Bay
For more information:  617-424-8577; www.aquitaineboston.com
Check out more South End restaurants

Innovative Cuisine Overlooking Boston Common Downtown

Do you love French food but want a restaurant with an innovative vision? Troquet ($$$$), a sleek and stylish spot overlooking Boston Common, may be exactly the right French restaurant.

Boston French cuisine lovers consider Troquet to be a top choice for exploring the possibilities. The chef pairs the freshest New England ingredients with classic French cooking techniques.

For example, imagine East Coast halibut with lobster succotash . . . pan roasted rib steak with root veggies, glazed onions, and potato puree . . . or roasted suckling pig with calvados, braised cabbage, and parsnips.  

Or, in a toast to the French countryside but with an elegant twist, a frisee salad with egg, bacon, and truffle vinaigrette.

Especially nice for those who don't want a huge meal are the gourmet cheese platters featuring the very best artisinal cheeses.

Multi-course tasting menus are also available. You'll select from a menu that pairs innovative French-American fusion dishes with multiple suggestions from the restaurant's fabulous and extensive wine cellar—order by the glass or bottle.

Then sit back, enjoy your sweeping view of the Common, and let the combination of the perfect flavor combinations work their magic!

Directions to Troquet:

Address:  140 Boylston, across from Boston Common
Nearest T station:  Green Line/Boylston
For more information:  617-695-9463; www.troquetboston.com

Beauty Plus Romance in Back Bay

The multi-course, prix-fixe menus at L'Espalier ($$$$), a fabulous French restaurant in Boston's Back Bay change frequently - but regardless of what's on the menu, you can be certain that your meal will be extraordinary.

Recent main course options include smoked organic chicken with grilled mushrooms, baby carrots, and avocado and lobster crostini . . . roasted rabbit with potato gnocchi and peas . . . beef tenderloin poached in port with ravioli and mushroom consomme.

Several menus, including a vegetarian menu and a tasting menu, with and without wine pairings are offered.  A la carte options are available for lunch only.

And as an added plus - L'Espalier is without doubt one of the most beautiful and romantic French restaurants in Boston.

Directions to L'Espalier

Address: 774 Boylston Street, Back Bay, Boston
Nearest T station: Green Line/Hynes Convention Center
For more information:  617-262-3023; www.lespalier.com
Attire:  Jacket and tie preferred
Check out more Back Bay restaurants

Wine, Music, and Food in the Downtown Leather District

If you're looking for great wine and music in a superb French restaurant, Boston favorite Les Zygomates in the Leather District may be exactly what you want ($$$ dinner, $$$$ Tues night wine + food tastings).

Dinner options include appealing fish, meat, and game options, cooked nicely and paired with complimentary vegetables.  Steak frites with herbed garlic sauce and truffled frites is outstanding.  The vegetarian option features crepes with veggies, goat cheese, and bechamel sauce.

The French bistro food is indeed delicious. . . but the wines and the live nightly jazz are the big attractions.

If you’re visiting Boston and love great wine, great food, and jazz, a evening at Les Zygomates could be the best way to end a day of sightseeing.

Directions to Les Zygomates:

Address:  129 South St, Leather District in Downtown Boston
Nearest T:  Red Line/South Station
For more information:  617-542-5108; www.winebar.com

Tradition and Perfection in Downtown Boston

A revered Boston institution since the 1860s (despite a spell in the late ‘90s as a stodgy, old-boys’-club kind of place), Locke-Ober ($$$$) has been transformed in recent years into an extraordinary French restaurant. 

Boston’s famed chef Lydia Shire and her sublime French-influenced cuisine deserve abundant praise for this rebirth.

Don't be fooled by the understated, rather somber exterior of this Boston landmark.   Inside, the restaurant's ambiance is polished and elegant, although the real star is the food.  

Some of the menu choices evoke the restaurant's place in the history of the city - for example, JFK's Lobster Stew - while others such as Wiener Schnitzel and Cowboy Steak with Gaucho Rub draw upon international flavors. However, the sauces, techniques, and presentations are classic French, perfectly executed.

One of the original owners used to personally select wines from his native France.   Today, the extensive wine list continues this tradition of excellence with offerings from France, the U.S., and Italy.

Directions to Locke-Ober:

Address:  3 Winter Place, Downtown Crossing
Nearest T station:  Orange, Silver, Red Lines/Downtown Crossing
For more information:  617-542-1340; www.lockeober.com

Fireplaces and Romance on Beacon Hill

Do you love small but perfect French restaurants?  

If so, Boston’s Beacon Hill has just the place for you tucked away on fashionable Charles Street: The Hungry I ($$$$).

You’ll love the three cozy candle-lit dining rooms - complete with fireplaces!— in this charming 1840s brownstone.

The dinner menu changes daily, and usually features a half-dozen starters and salads, and about the same number of entrees, each featuring fish, poultry, game, or meat, along with a vegetarian option.

And of course, the wine and dessert choices are also superb.

Directions to The Hungry I:

Address:  71 ½ Charles St, Beacon Hill
Nearest T station:  Red Line/Charles-MGH
For more information:  617-227-3524; www.hungryiboston.com

Fabulous, Beautiful, and Romantic in the South End

If you love French cuisine, Mistral ($$$$), a fabulous and beautiful French restaurant and Boston’s frequent top pick on “most romantic restaurants” lists - is a “must.”

The chef/owner prepares the best and freshest local and regional products in a mouthwatering Mediterranean manner that has made it a local fave ever since it opened in the late 90s.

Each entrée is paired with something wonderful - roast rack of lamb with green beans, heirloom tomato and feta salad, and oregano, for example.

And desserts are sublime!

Directions to Mistral:

Address:  223 Columbus Ave, South End
Nearest T station:  Orange Line/Back Bay
For more information:  617-867-9300; www.mistralbistro.com
Check out more South End restaurants

Charming French Bistros in Fenway and the South End

Unabashedly French and fabulous, the cozy and charming Petit Robert Bistros ($$) near Fenway Park and in Boston's South End serve what they call “home style” fare at very affordable prices.

Of course, most homes don’t have gifted Boston chef Jacky Robert creating the meals.  In Maison Robert, his previous French restaurant started by his parents, Boston’s favorite French chef wowed the city with classic French cuisine.

Now, he celebrates more casual fare in Boston's most affordable . . . More about Petit Robert Bistro

Sleek and Savory - Downtown - Financial District   

Radius ($$$$), a popular spot near South Station, offers what the chef calls a “modern French menu.” 

You'll enjoy the innovative dishes, somewhat lighter than traditional French cuisine, emphasizing the freshest local ingredients.

Typically, their menu lists only about 8-10 first courses and main courses for lunch and dinner - but trust me, you’ll still have trouble choosing from the tantalizing options!   With mouth-watering desserts and an outstanding wine list . . .    More about Radius Restaurant

A Rustic French Brasserie - Downtown Waterfront

Sel de la Terre ($$$) features Provençal-inspired cuisine prepared with seasonal and locally grown New England products.

Specific items change with the seasons, but they're always delicious.  You'll enjoy the best of the French countryside made with fresh produce from New England.

If you have trouble choosing among the yummy main courses, you may be tempted . . . very, very tempted . . . to order a couple of the equally tantalizing first courses instead.

Directions to Sel de la Terre:

Address:  Boston Waterfront: 255 State St
Nearest T Station: Blue Line/Aquarium
For more information:  Call 617-720-1300; www.selledelaterre.com