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The Best French Restaurants in Brisbane
The best French restaurants in Brisbane span special occasion favourite The French Exit to brasserie and aperitivo bar Bisou Bisou.
The best French restaurants in Brisbane stretch from classic Bowen Hills favourite Montrachet to decadent CBD mainstay The French Exit. There’s also Bisou Bisou in Fortitude Valley for a modern brasserie take, Petite for a minimalist approach and C’est Bon in Woolloongabba for a special occasion treat. These are the restaurants Sitchu’s editors flock to when craving French fare.
Best French Restaurants in Brisbane for a Special Occasion
C’est Bon
From breakfast to dinner, C’est Bon will take you from ‘matin’ to ‘nuit’ with their sincere and seasonal modern French feeds.
Expect bougie takes on loved dishes like lobster thermidor, terrine and tartare, to sweet classics like crêpes, crèmes caramel, and tarte tatin. And to finish, it’s freshly baked madeleines and a date with the roving cheese trolley.
Enjoy their unique space sitting in the restaurant, the bar, in the intimate cosy cellar or enjoy the soleil on the garden terrace or rooftop bar.
Suburb: Woolloongabba
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Long lunch, Special occasion, Date night
Montrachet
Helmed by the award-winning French chef Clement Chauvin, Montrachet is a beloved Brisbane institution known for serving up French classics and a must-visit for any Francophile. Luxe interiors that mirrors the halcyon haze of the Belle Époque set the scene, whilst diners can expect exquisite delights like double crab souffle and traditional escargot alongside staples like bouillabaisse and steak frites.
Suburb: Bowen Hills
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Special occasion, Long lunch, Group dining
The French Exit
The French Exit invites you to step off the streets of Brissie and into a French-inspired bistro where the simple pleasures of wine, butter, bread, and good company are the stars of the show.
From the talented people behind Agnes, sAme sAme, hôntô and Biànca, amongst others, The French Exit welcomes guests with elegant interiors by the renowned Tamsin Johnson. Decadence meets simplicity and is reflected in the menu, which centres on comforting and soulful French dishes. The kitchen, helmed by John-Paul Fiechtner and Ryan Carlson, is turning out Brisbane’s finest produce in the form of steak frites, duck à l’orange, escargot and ananas givré.
As for drinks, the great wine regions of France will be taking centre stage, alongside craft cocktails and a selection of Australian drops.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Date night, Group dining, Special occasion
Best Modern French Restaurants in Brisbane
Petite
With a menu designed for sharing, Petite takes a minimalist stance on French, from the dining room to the menu. Serving a concise menu of 20 dishes and 20 wines, there are suggestions for pairing to cut out any laborious decision-making when you’re eager to dine.
Suburb: Fortitude Valley
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Long lunch, Group dining, Date night
Bisou Bisou
This French-inspired brasserie and aperitivo bar is brought to you by the Ghanem Group (also responsible for gifting Brisbane with Donna Chang and the Boom Boom Room) and will whisk you away to Paris for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Serving a menu full of French staples alongside modern dishes, you can dine as simply or as ostentatiously as your heart desires at Bisou Bisou.
Sitchu Tip: We love the freshly sourced mussels, classically pot-cooked and served with your choice of sauce and a crusty baguette.
Suburb: Fortitude Valley
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Wine lovers, Date night, Weekend plans
Best French Restaurants in Brisbane for a Long Lunch
Herve’s Restaurant and Bar
Herve’s Restaurant and Bar is an elegant long lunch location with a loft-style aesthetic. Watch the energy in the bustling open kitchen with numerous chef stations crafting seafood dishes, pastries and wood-fired proteins.
The entire menu is exquisite from amuse bouche to desserts (and the enormous wine list is what dreams are made of), but it’s the Western Rock Lobster Ravioli we’re dreaming of, featuring lobster bisque and tarragon oil for melt-in-your-mouth magic.
Suburb: Albion
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Group dining, Locals, Long lunch
La Belle Vie
At the top of Bardon with a glass-walled dining room offering tree-top views, you’ll find La Belle Vie.
With degustation or a la carte menus to choose between, this Inner West restaurant offers classics from foie gras and traditional French cheeses to pan-fried duck breast and — the true mark of any traditional menu — a crème brûlée.
Well-versed in providing top-tier food and service, the La Belle Vie team hark from a mixture of Michelin Star restaurants to family-owned bistros.
Sitchu Tip: Book a dusk sitting to maximise the stunning golden hour views as the sun sets over the lush, green hills.
Suburb: Bardon
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: French
Best For: Locals, Group dining, Long lunch
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Brisbane’s best French restaurants include C’est Bon in Woolloongabba, Montrachet in Bowen Hills, Petite in Fortitude Valley, The French Exit in the CBD, Herve’s Restaurant & Bar in Albion, Bisou Bisou in Fortitude Valley and La Belle Vie in Bardon. Together they cover everything from casual brasserie fare and patisserie to decadent fine dining. Whether you’re after a bougie lobster thermidor, classic escargot and steak frites, or a leisurely long lunch with tree-top views, this spread of restaurants delivers French flair right across the city.
For a special occasion, C’est Bon in Woolloongabba, Montrachet in Bowen Hills and The French Exit in the CBD are standout choices. C’est Bon serves seasonal modern French dishes across an elegant space that includes a cosy cellar, garden terrasse and rooftop bar. Montrachet is a beloved Brisbane institution with a luxe Belle Époque interior and classics like double crab soufflé. The French Exit pairs Tamsin Johnson’s elegant bistro interiors with soulful French cooking, making it ideal for a memorable celebration or date night.
For French fine dining in Brisbane, La Belle Vie in Bardon offers both degustation and à la carte menus, with a team drawn from Michelin-starred restaurants and family-owned bistros. Expect refined classics like foie gras, pan-fried duck breast and crème brûlée, served in a glass-walled dining room with tree-top views. C’est Bon and Montrachet also deliver an upscale experience, with dishes such as lobster thermidor and bouillabaisse. Book a dusk sitting at La Belle Vie to catch golden hour as the sun sets over the hills.
A couple of Brisbane’s French restaurants come with a view. La Belle Vie sits at the top of Bardon with a glass-walled dining room offering tree-top views over lush green hills — book a dusk sitting to enjoy golden hour. C’est Bon in Woolloongabba also makes the most of the outdoors, with a garden terrace and rooftop bar where you can soak up the soleil. Both pair their scenery with seasonal French menus, making them lovely spots for a long, unhurried lunch or a leisurely evening out.
Several French restaurants in Brisbane are well suited to group dining and long lunches. Montrachet in Bowen Hills, Herve’s Restaurant & Bar in Albion and La Belle Vie in Bardon are all noted for both. Herve’s offers a loft-style space with a bustling open kitchen turning out seafood, pastries and wood-fired dishes. Petite in Fortitude Valley is also built for sharing, with a concise menu of 20 dishes and 20 wines plus pairing suggestions to keep decision-making easy for the whole table.
Seeking more fine European fare after trying all of the best French restaurants in Brisbane? The next stop is Greece, with our guide to the best Greek restaurants around the city. You can keep it Mediterranean by trying all of Brisbane’s best Italian restaurants, too!
