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The 7 Best French Bistros and Brasseries in New York City

Lafayette Almond Frangipane Tart

We absolutely love the French cuisine. Coq au vin, duck confit, beef bourguignon and salade niçoise are some of our favorite dishes! Lucky for us, New York City is home to a number of excellent French restaurants. So with that in mind, here are the 7 best French bistros and brasseries in New York City.

Balthazar – 80 Spring St

Balthazar Restaurant

P.C.: Balthazar Restaurant

Balthazar is a foodie landmark in NYC and it is easily one of the most well- known and popular French brasseries in New York City. You can’t go wrong with any of the French classics here but the steak frites we had was simply divine.

Augustine – 5 Beekman St

Augustine steak frites

Unfortunately, Balthazar can get really crowded and sometimes it is hard to get a table. Augustine is another one of Keith McNally’s brasseries (McNally is the king of French brasseries in NYC) and we can usually get a table here without a reservation. The food here is just as good! The steak tartare, duck a l’orange and steak frites are all top notch.

Lafayette – 380 Lafayette St

Lafayette Crispy Duck Confit

Both the Lafayette brasserie & bakery are our go tos whenever we are craving French food. We had some of the best duck confit here. The dining room is gorgeous, the food is delicious and the service is excellent.

Frenchette – 241 W Broadway

Frenchette Duck Frites

P.C.: yelp, Maureen Y.

We just discovered Frenchette, a French bistro in Tribeca and we were sad we hadn’t heard about it before! We highly recommend their duck frites. It is one of the many reasons we are definitely going back to Frenchette very soon!

Buvette – 42 Grove St

Buvette mushroom croque with egg

P.C.: yelp, Celine L.

Buvette is a popular French bistro in Greenwich Village and it has a menu full of tempting French small-plate dishes and there is something for all times of the day. Coming in for brunch? We love their croque madame. Maybe you are coming in for a late dinner? You can get a yummy ratatouille or maybe some mussels.

Tartine – 253 W 11th St

Tartine Eggs Benedict

P.C.: yelp, Peter M.

Tartine is easily one of our favorite brunch spots in New York City. Their croque monsieur, eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine are all amazing.

Chez Napoléon – 365 West 50th St

Chez Napoléon Escargots

P.C.: yelp, Kris W.

Finally, looking for somewhere to eat around all the Broadway theaters? Chez Napoléon is one of the few classic bistros remaining in the theater district and it is still family owned! You are sure to have a good, hearty meal here with dishes like beef bourguignon, bouillabaisse and coq au vin but make sure you save room for dessert!