The Best French Restaurants In Miami

Miami is a city of extremes and so are our French restaurants. They tend to either be casual enough to show up in flip flops or so upscale you want to impulse buy a monocle in order to blend in. You’ll find both kinds of places in this guide. There are breakfast quiches with a hefty side of fries, a swanky lunch where everything is emulsified or foamed, a takeout bakery that makes Miami’s best croissants , and the list goes on. We may lack a middle ground, but these French restaurants are our city’s best extremes.

THE SPOTS

Café Pastis

Café Pastis is our favorite French restaurant in Miami because it’s so French, it feels like you need a valid passport to eat here. Whether you decide to come for lunch or dinner, here are a few things you can always expect: housemade baguette is dropped on the table in a brown paper bag, receipts are handwritten, and when it’s someone's birthday, they ring a massive sailor’s bell. Whether you order the tender lamb shank or buttery roasted grouper, a meal here is always delicious and comforting—like it was made by a grand-mère from Marseille. The French may have had the worst streak of Louis in power, but what they missed in monarchs, they made up for in cheesy decadent foods. Café Pastis reaffirms this.

Frenchie's Diner

The best thing to happen to Galiano Street (besides being named Galiano Street) is Frenchie’s Diner. The French restaurant resembles an independent Parisian cinema with its red lighting, vintage movie posters, and wooden Pinocchio (who would be lying if he said this bistro wasn’t undeniably French). It’s perfect for a date that involves luscious pâté and Miami’s best soupe à l’oignon. It's hard not to fall in love with Frenchie's. Pretty soon, you’ll be coming on a weekly basis , even if it’s just to practice your French with the owner (or Pinocchio, who will judge you silently).

Casa Bake

Casa Bake is the kind of bakery you’d find on a street in Provence by following the irresistible scent of fresh bread. The small storefront is takeout only, but you can hang out, sip a latte, and watch them roll dough on a massive wooden table while you wait (ordering in advance is a good idea because they often sell out). At $3.50, the South Miami-ish spot has one of the most affordable and delicious plain croissants in town. But their talents go beyond the croissant. They make brioche, milk bread, and host baking classes to teach you how to do the same. They also make cake versions of pastries like pistachio paris-brest or mille-feuille—you just need to order 24 hours in advance for those.

Pascal's On Ponce

Change isn’t something Pascal’s On Ponce does much of. The Gables spot is an old school white tablecloth restaurant whose consistency and predictability attract a regular stream of pensioners who want nothing more than reliably great French food. Although Pascal’s has the energy of a quiet zone in a college library, the food is what gives this place a pulse. The menu consists of perfectly executed dishes like foie gras soup and gruyère soufflé, both of which emit smells that make your body release more endorphins than a high-intensity spin class. It’s the kind of classic French fine dining that’ll please both grandparents (there are plenty of soft dishes) and gastronomy geeks who love a dramatic soufflé.

Le Bouchon du Grove

Le Bouchon Du Grove is a place that can trick your brain into thinking you’re in Lyon for an hour and a half. As soon as you enter, they give you a free glass of sparkling wine, which is just plain lovely and so un-Miami. Also, the interior has the look and personality of a lively Lyonnais bistro. Everything is easy to share and prices are highly reasonable, so keep this place in mind for birthdays too. Especially because they play a birthday song (an endearingly odd dance remix of the Rocky soundtrack) for you at a hilariously loud volume.

La Fresa Francesa

La Fresa Francesa looks like a whimsical Parisian souvenir shop designed by a Hialeah abuela. With its old-timey French music and flowery tablecloths, you will not find a cuter weekend brunch or date night spot in Miami. The art ranges from Girl With A Pearl Earring to random needlepoint landscapes, and doilies are abundant. The food is mostly straightforward (and very good) takes on classic French bistro dishes: steak frites, cassoulet de toulouse, french onion soup. But La Fresa's location in one of Miami’s most Cuban neighborhoods is evident in dishes like the foie gras and guayaba pastelito.

L’Atelier De Joël Robuchon

If it wasn’t already obvious by the glass cloches, abundance of microgreens, and monogrammed ice cubes, L’Atelier is an expensive tweezer restaurant that makes beautifully delicate food at severe prices (which is why it makes sense in the Design District ). Unlike most places on this guide, which serve more classic French food, L'Atelier’s is avant garde. PIgeon is stuffed with foie gras, gazpacho is made with a bell pepper mousse, and pretty much every dish looks like something you’d stare thoughtfully at inside the PAMM. It’s a place to visit when you’re not paying , or when you’re craving an extremely fussy lunch on your day off .

Le Jardinier

If L’Atelier sounds interesting, but maybe not quite interesting enough to spend hundreds of dollars on one of their tasting menus, then try its sister restaurant first. Le Jardinier is located directly underneath ​​L’Atelier. It has a shiny space that’s fitting for the sort of fussy dishes you’ll eat here. The menu is seasonal, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed pretty much everything we’ve had here—dishes like shrimp in parmesan polenta, sunchoke velouté, and wagyu bavette (the cocktails are exceptional too). We actually like this place better for lunch than dinner, because they offer prix fixe lunch options ranging from $40-$60 per person that’s worth making up an excuse to blow off work this Friday.

Pastis Miami

While it’s not our favorite Pastis in town, this New York transplant is a great Wynwood option when you’re in the mood for a bouillon dining experience. Only instead of getting affordable versions of escargot and french onion soup, expect prices (and a sceney crowd) that feel more spiritually Miami. Still, the white-tiled interior and red wine leather booths set the scene for the kind of cliché French dinner we all need after a fringe and bob haircut. This place is great for dining solo too. Sit at the bar and have a mini martini , a big cheeseburger , and pretend to light up a cigarette.

Bouchon Bistro

Bouchon does a good job at pretending to be casual—even if the formality on display here feels as far from an actual bistro as Coral Gables is from Paris. Menus are made of paper and you might hear Daft Punk over the speakers. Still, there’s a special occasion quality to Bouchon (it is, after all, the sister restaurant of The Surf Club ). It’s inside a historic building and has a dining room that convincingly transports you somewhere vaguely French. They execute simple, classic French dishes very well. The hors d'oeuvres are our favorite part of the menu (if the pig ears are on the menu, order them) and their poulet rôti is one of the best roast chickens in town.

LPM Restaurant & Bar

With other locations in Dubai, Vegas, and Doha—this French restaurant in Brickell attracts the sort of people who own racehorses. But LPM isn’t just a place to be seen, it’s a good restaurant. So if you love French Mediterranean food (and have about $300 to spare), come here. Because it’s food from the French Riviera, you’ll find dishes that emphasize olive oil instead of butter, and vegetables in place of rich sauces (though the incredible escargots are drowned in garlic butter). The two-tops are a little too close together, so be prepared to make friends with the couple sitting next to you. Maybe you can help them narrow down their horse’s name to Is That A Carrot In Your Pocket and The Neighs Have It .

La Crepe Bistro

This French bistro in South Miami is run by a man who sets up his portable speaker outside and queues back-to-back classics by Charles Aznavour. They serve an all-day breakfast with delicious omelette specials, but your focus should be on the crepes. Our favorite savory one is the prosciutto and pesto that’s kind of like eating an ultra-thin pizza. Their long list of sweet crepes can be slightly intimidating, but if it’s your first time, get the crepe bistro, which tastes like a perfect apple pie. If you’re craving something outside the realm of thin pancakes, they have a rotating list of quiches, soups, and beef bourguignon.

Cafe Croissant

Cafe Croissant proves breakfast is better with a side of french fries. The identical twin chefs that run the place make a parisienne crepe loaded with enough turkey and cheese to sustain you through lunch—when it would be entirely appropriate to come back and eat this again. They have a great breakfast deal with three eggs cooked how you want, fries, and a quarter of a baguette for only $12. If you come with a group of friends, get the french toast with caramelized apples and pecans to share. The staff is friendly and if you live in the area, this is the kind of reliable, affordable spot that demands enough repeat visits to become a regular , and eventually be able to tell the chefs apart.

Brasserie Laurel

If you’re a sauce person with a particular interest in French fine dining, Brasserie Laurel will deliver dishes that showcase a mastery in saucery. Just don’t expect an actual laid-back brasserie experience. The very formal restaurant inside the perpetually under construction Miami Worldcenter looks like it was designed by someone who wears a three-piece suit to sleep. But if you’re just here for the food, it won’t disappoint. The pork collar sits on a shiny, crimson pepper sauce infused with guava—a beautiful color we’d use for hair dye, nail polish, or to replicate a murder scene. So maybe don’t come here for a fun dinner, but do come for perfectly executed French food with hints of local Miami ingredients throughout.