Bistro St Jacques has cemented itself as one of Sydney's greatest French restaurants by consistently serving unpretentious French food with uncomplicated flavor combinations. It provides an authentic dining experience, complete with the classic French bistro motif that can be seen walking down the Champs-Élysées (the most famous street in Paris).

Bistro St Jacques brings Paris to Redfern with an amazing cuisine influenced by Southern-French cooking and designed by their prestigious head chef Brett Jeffrey. Their gnocchi à la Parisienne is a must-try, which is made with slow-roasted butternut pumpkin and spring vegetables, drizzled with herb vinaigrette, and topped with Roquefort sheep milk cheese (one of the greatest blue cheeses in the world!). Another standout on their menu is the Pièce du boucher accompagnée de pommes de terre nouvelles avec sauce du Chef, which might be a little tricky to order depending on how good your French is. It's a delectable plate of grass-fed beef steak topped with potato and served with Chef's sauce. Save room for their mini tarte au citron, which is created with raspberry and Cointreau jam, cream chantilly, and crystallized citrus peel.

Address: 96 Pitt St, Redfern NSW 2016

Website: https://www.bistrostjacques.com.au/

L'Heritage is the ideal French restaurant for a romantic lunch or night out, situated against the stunning backdrop of Ripples Chowder Bay and the pristine glistening ocean. It reflects the perfect balance of historic French tradition and the stunning Australian heritage of Chowder Bay.

The French classic, escargots, is the ideal start to your main course. It includes a plate of poached snails in court bouillon, roasted with confit garlic and persillade butter, and served with baked baguette slices. For main courses, you should order the Barramundi poêlée, which consists of pan-fried Barramundi with grilled asparagus, cauliflower purée, and a lemon sauce vièrge drizzled on top. Their entrecôte frites are also highly recommended! It consists of a tender 250-gram scotch fillet (with a marble score of 4) flambéed in cognac and served with pommes frites and a side of black peppercorn sauce.

Address: 7b Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW 2088

Website: https://lheritage.com.au/

Restaurant Hubert is best described as a love letter to lavish nights out. You'll be entirely immersed in the old-world glamour and glitz of this luxurious French restaurant once you walk through their doors and down their elegant staircase, past their grand piano.

The restaurant's menus reflect a passion for Paris. Its chefs take pride in opening oysters to order, cutting steak tartare by hand, and tossing salade de Maman with care, all while coating escargots with XO sauce and wrapping duck parfait in a shimmering maple-syrup jelly. The duck à l'orange, made with pan-fried wollemi duck breast that is then over-roasted in delicious orange sauce, is a must-try for an authentic French dining experience. Their côte de boeuf is also a must-try. When it comes to dessert, you must try their signature mille-feuille, which is made up of layers of delicious pastry, fresh strawberry filling, and lemongrass cream. A must-try is their crème caramel, which is prepared with smooth caramel and egg custard.

Address: 15 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2000

Website: https://swillhouse.com/venues/restaurant-hubert

Despite not having as long a history in Sydney as some of the other French restaurants on this list, Porcine has built a strong name in the dining scene. Porcine's success is due to a combination of traditional French cooking techniques and simple, high-quality ingredients.

Their pâte en croûte, a traditional French dish consisting of pâte prepared from ox tongue and foie gras (duck/goose liver) that is wrapped in pastry and gently cooked in an oven, is a popular dish on their menu. While you wait for your main course, start with their rock oysters with smoked eel vinegar as an entrée. Porcine serves a beautiful créme caramel with a tasty coffee flavor for dessert. If you're not a dessert lover, their small cheese platter is a great way to end your meal. Porcine's drink menu is also extensive, with a wide range of reds, whites, sparkling, digestifs, beers and cocktails.

Address: 268 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021

Website: https://www.porcine.com.au/

Felix, a modern French seafood restaurant in Sydney's CBD, is one of the greatest ways to have a sense of Parisian food without having to fly to Paris. Felix has an elegant interior with French-imported chandeliers, a wine room, clean white linen tables, and the alluring aroma of freshly baked baguettes in baskets.

For the quintessential Felix experience, it's highly recommended to order their "le grand". Yamba prawns, spanner crab, shucked oysters, and Balmain bugs are drizzled with mignonette dressing and served with Marie Rose sauce in this sumptuous dish. The only disadvantage of their dessert selection is deciding on what you want to order! Desserts like their apple tarte tatin with calvados crème fraîche and cinnamon ice cream, as well as their raspberry soufflé with homemade pistachio ice cream, are standouts.

Address: 2 Ash St, Sydney NSW 2000

Website: https://merivale.com/venues/felix/

Gavroche tucked away down Spice Alley in Chippendale, is another strong contender for one of Sydney's top French restaurants. This French restaurant has a unique way of eloquently showcasing traditional French cuisine's charm. You'll be head over heels in love with Gavroche from the moment your first course comes.

It's highly recommended to order their three-course risotto after browsing their menu. It starts with a delectable risotto cooked with Gruyère de Comté cheese that has been aged for 24 months and mushrooms. Moules, a gorgeous plate of mussels served with pommes frites, is the second course. Canard confit, a succulent duck leg confit served with mashed potatoes and a side of red wine duck sauce, fulfills the third meal. Give it a try for eating their typical crêpes suzette flambées, which are flambée crêpes topped with grand-marnier sauce, as it's almost considered a sin to leave a French restaurant without buying dessert. Their Paris brest, a ring of pâte à choux (choux pastry) filled with delicious hazelnut mousseline, is another iconic French dessert.

Address: 1/2-10 Kensington St, Chippendale NSW 2008

Website: https://gavroche.com.au/

Bistrot 916, nestled amongst the hustle and bustle of Potts Point, captures the French atmosphere from its candy pink tablecloths to its authentic French food. Dan Pepperell, the head chef of 10 William St and Restaurant Hubert, is the head chef at this seafood brasserie.

The focus on mastering French specialties is Bistrot 916's strength, whether it's an entrée of lamb's brains with smoked eel mayonnaise, a main of scallop ceviche and lait de tigre, or a dessert of crème glacée de banane. Bistrot 916 also has a wide and impressive wine list, featuring champagne, reds, whites, and sparkling wines from a variety of areas around France, including Burgundy and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Address: 22 Challis Ave, Potts Point NSW 2011

Website: https://bistrot916.com/

Loulou is one of the latest members of Sydney's collection of French-inspired restaurants, located just over the bridge in beautiful Lavender Bay. This triple-act all-day eatery, which is a part boulangerie, bistro, and traiteur, has a lot going on and is well worth a visit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Start your day in the boulangerie, led by head baker Brendon Woodward (ex-Chouquette Boulangerie, Bread Ahead Bakery London). At Loulou Bistro, where the menus are French but light, and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. Enjoy a glass of wine and snacks at the bar for lunch or dinner, an intimate dinner or a meal with family and friends while sipping Champagne or Burgundy and nibbling on a platter of fruits de mer or steak frites. or you can find exceptional products and dinners to take home in the Traiteur, like Toulouse sausage, country terrine, and chicken liver parfait cut to order, duck Pithivier, family quiches, rotisserie chickens as meals or rolls, sauces, and condiments.

Bistro Rex, situated in the heart of Potts Point is a sophisticated Sydney take on a Parisian Bistro. Since 2018, the French local Bistro Rex has been making waves in the region.

Bistro Rex is the ideal location for post-work or pre-show drinks, bar nibbles, a business lunch, a corporate event, a romantic tête-à-tête, a long wine-fuelled feast with friends, or a spot to celebrate with a group of your nearest and dearest. Because Executive Chef Jo Ward is a butcher, their cuts are top-notch, and their steak frites are among the best in town. The team at The Rex takes satisfaction in being able to offer the best of France in a new-world setting, using some of the greatest local Australian food.

Address: 50 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011

Website: https://bistrorex.com.au/

When Ludo and Xavier first met in the UK, they dined at Papillion, a French bistro in Bath. When they arrived in Australia, they created a restaurant with the same name in honor of the place they adored and classic French food in general. “We've always kept things simple”, Ludo says. “Old recipes, our grandma’s recipes, but also French classics. That's our concept".

Inside, emblems from their decades of travel and hospitality work adorn the walls, telling the venue's history and story, and the arch column entry is the ideal setting for a French experience. The menu at Bistro Papillon is chock-full of winners, including onion soup with a big fat gruyere crouton, escargots de Bourgogne (a.k.a. buttery garlic snails), and a rich red wine boeuf bourguignon that's perfect for a chilly evening. Simple French classics like duck confit, beef bourguignon, and escargot are made with ingredients sourced from France and Sydney markets and butchers. It's a hearty, cozy spot ideal for a winter feast.

Address: 98 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000

Website: https://www.bistropapillon.com.au/