The best French restaurants in NYC in 2026 are Le Coucou for elegant classic French cooking, Frenchette and Le Veau d'Or for modern and old-school bistro food, Balthazar and Pastis for the grand brasserie experience, and Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint for a neighborhood bistro. For haute cuisine, see Daniel and Jean-Georges on our fine-dining list.
Daniel Rose's romantic, classic French dining room.
From American chef Daniel Rose and Stephen Starr, Le Coucou serves refined classic French cooking — quenelles, rabbit, tout le lapin — in a candlelit room with soaring ceilings.
Good to know: One of the city's most romantic rooms — good for an anniversary.
138 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013
A buzzy modern bistro from two Balthazar veterans.
Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson's Frenchette is a lively Tribeca bistro with natural wines and a menu of bistro classics with a modern edge, from duck frites to brouillade with snails.
Good to know: The bar is first-come, first-served if you can't get a table.
241 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
Keith McNally's grand Parisian brasserie, open from breakfast to late.
Balthazar has been SoHo's brasserie since 1997 — mirrored walls, seafood towers, steak frites and a bakery next door. It is as good for breakfast as for a late dinner.
Good to know: Breakfast on a weekday is the easiest way in.
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
The Meatpacking brasserie, reborn and as busy as ever.
Keith McNally's Pastis returned in 2019 a block from its original site, with the same zinc bar, subway tiles and menu of French brasserie classics.
Good to know: Book for brunch after a walk on the High Line, steps away.
52 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014
A 1937 bistro revived by the Frenchette team.
One of New York's oldest French restaurants, Le Veau d'Or was restored and reopened by Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, who kept its old-world bistro menu and red banquettes.
Good to know: Reservations are hard; set an alert and be flexible on time.
129 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
A glamorous Art Deco brasserie in Rockefeller Center.
From the Frenchette team, Le Rock occupies a grand Art Deco space in Rockefeller Center and serves brasserie classics and seafood platters.
Good to know: Handy before a show at Radio City or a visit to Top of the Rock.
45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111
A pretty all-day French cafe inside a design store.
Set inside the Guild design store, La Mercerie serves crepes, galettes and French cafe classics from morning to night in a soft, airy room.
Good to know: The buckwheat galettes are the thing to order.
53 Howard St, New York, NY 10013
A neighborhood bistro with a cult following for its pancakes.
Chez Ma Tante is a relaxed Greenpoint bistro serving simple, perfectly cooked dishes at dinner and famously good pancakes at brunch.
Good to know: Weekend brunch fills up — arrive early or book ahead.
90 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Traditionally a bistro is small and simple, while a brasserie is larger, open long hours and serves classics like steak frites and shellfish platters. Balthazar and Pastis are brasseries; Frenchette and Le Veau d'Or are bistros.
Balthazar, Pastis and La Mercerie all serve popular weekend brunches.