Best French restaurants in London

Le Gavroche is one of London’s best French restaurants and surely on the radar of every Francophile. Opened back in 1967 by the Roux brothers, this sumptuous old-school restaurant serves up high-end fare including lobster mousse with caviar and Champagne butter sauce.

Fresh ingredients and familiar flavours are the order of the day at this wholesome spot which sits just off Trafalgar Square. Go for impactful plates of garlicky snails, huge charcuterie plates or duck rillettes, and natural wines.

Otto himself, the eponymous owner, is as much a draw to this restaurant as the menu is with his larger-than-life personality that exudes into every aspect of this French eatery. The food, which includes lobster and duck presses, is also not to be missed.

One of our facvourites of the Gordon Ramsay group, this richy-festooned operation is the proud holder of a Michelin star. Dishes are immaculately presented, and menu highlights include delights like seared curry scallops and a rather inventive take on black forest gateau.

While you can visit Soho favourite Blanchette for an evening of wine, cheese and charcuterie, there is much more on offer here than this standard trio. The mid-level priced larger plates never fail to be delicious and are well worth trying as well. 

Famed for its duck options Club Gascon serves up all kinds of iterations of this well-loved meat, including the rather controversial foie gras. If you’re not in the mood for offal, fear not, as there are plenty of other tempting options.

Taking traditional country fare and making it worthy of charging top-end London prices for it is certainly an art, and one Head chef Asimakis Chaniotis has perfected. We particularly suggest taking advantage of the brilliantly priced set-lunch menu.

If you want to eat the best French food in London then why not head straight for the top? This incredibly indulgent two Michelin star restaurant in Chelsea serves up some of the capital’s finest examples of classic cookery.

If you're looking for French haut cuisine with spectacular views on the side, Galvin at Windows is tough to beat. Based on the top floor of the Hilton Park Lane, the menu features the odd Asian touch on French classics.

This Parisian-inspired cafe-restaurant offers a little piece of Paris on St John’s Wood high street. Decadent decor and a menu filled with French-cafe favourites ensure Soutine is the perfect destination for those looking for a sophisticated but casual dining experience.

Having trained with some of France’s best chefs, including Alain Ducasse, proprietor Lynne Marie Sanders knows her way around the classics, and delivers them with ease. Highlights include a classic French onion soup, packed with flavour.

This beautifully timeless restaurant in The Connaught Hotel once again serves up sublime French food to discerning diners. All the classics are included on the menu, with some unexpected touches via chef Helene Darraoze’s magic touch.

Somehow Alain Ducasse has created a fine-dining space that doesn’t feel stuffy or pretentious, and along the way managed to pick up three Michelin stars. This kind of French food is worth saving for the most special of occasions.

This City worker hot spot pulls crowds in for its faultless standards and unique offering in the guise of an immaculate roof garden. As might be expected in this part of town, the menu features ingredients like bluck truffle, steak and crab.

This cavernous, grand restaurant in the heart of Piccadilly delivers opulent, old-world-style interiors (all white and gold and intricately detailed) with service to match. A highlight here is the prixe-fixe menu which offers three courses for just £13.75.  

If ever there was a restaurant worth saving up to visit it would have to be The Ritz, the piste de la resistance of fine dining. Executive chef John Williams MBE's menu is just as impressive as the grand interiors.

This low-lit restaurant with a menu by Ed Boarland delivers smart French cooking. The beef cheek Bourguignon is richly satisfying, and the tarte tatin does the job too, for a meal that will have you lingering over each course.

Exquisitely presented plates of food come out of the kitchen at Noize, where the dining room is wood-panelled and decked out in crisp white linens. Expect dishes like glazed sweetbreads with morels, and scallops with cauliflower.

This Michelin restaurant by Chris and Jeff Galvin is a crowd-pleaser in all senses of the word: incredible food, warm hospitality and an impressive setting. The menu is built around classic French technique, but expect plenty of added flare.

Despite being part of a chain, this buzzy French bistro has managed to carve out its own identity on these shores. Treat yourself to a meal that starts with chicken liver parfait or steak tartare before moving on to bouillabaisse. 

This daylight-flooded foodie mecca is indeed serving up high-end cuisine in the east end. Every day there’s a great-value set lunch menu, while regular staples on the main offering include a perfectly pink burger with addictive rosemary fries.

This cosy space on Battersea Rise offers up something of olde worlde Paris, a dimly lit bistro serving up perfect plates of food at prices that won’t make you baulk. Wines are offered by the glass, carafe or bottle.

With two Michelin stars and an arresting double-height modern dining room, this French restaurant makes a seriously impressive venue for a special occasion. The menu is compiled of classic dishes that make use of some pretty indulgent ingredients.

With just three options on the menu each day (which is a hand-written chalkboard), this small old-fashioned bistro gives off a traditional French vibe. Everyday you can be sure to find plates, such as salmon coulibiac with beurre blanc, all packed with flavour.

One of the standout features of Les 110 de Taillevent is its wine list, which is vast and largely offered by the glass. The wines can be paired with indulgent dishes such as pig’s trotter croquettes.

A relaxed brasserie from restaurateurs Corbin & King, Bellanger is an all-day dining cafe-restaurant in North London. Steak frites and croques are fixtures of the menu, offering a taste of casual French dining that can be enjoyed with a glass of something special.

This Covent Garden restaurant might look like a mere attempt at garnering Instagram likes but happily the on-trend interiors come accompanied by an accomplished French menu. Mains make use of British ingredients, but each plate is given a touch of the continent.

This homely restaurant feels comforting the minute you step through the doors, thanks to its traditional, fuss-free interiors. The menu here relies on classics done well, rather than innovation, and is all the richer for it.

It can be hard to secure a table at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, but if you do, you’ll be well rewarded with some of the capital’s finest cooking. Intricate dishes on the menu showcase some of the most expensive ingredients money can buy.