Diners' Choice: French restaurants in Houston

OpenTable

Updated March 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall French cuisine in Houston? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Etoile Cuisine Et Bar

4.9

4.9 (3892)

$31 to $50

French

Galleria / Uptown

About the restaurant

The owners of Étoile Cuisine et Bar, Chef Philippe Verpiand and Monica Bui, have created an inviting, warm European environment where both traditional and seasonal French food are front and center. "We want to dispel the notion that French food is heavy and pretentious," says the team, recently transplanted to Houston from San Diego, where they owned the famed Cavaillon Restaurant. Everything about Étoile Cuisine et Bar, from the inviting outside facade to the intriguing interior design to the high quality service, is meant to convey a feeling of truly being in France. With Chef Philippe's take on a seasonal menu using a French technique, it's a place where fine food lovers come together, not on a special occasion, but to enjoy every day.

Top review

Lynne

Dined 7 days ago

This restaurant is always outstanding. The food is delicious. Their wine by the glass selection is excellent. Their desserts are wonderful. Very quiet. Service is wonderful.

Chez Nous French Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (2286)

$31 to $50

French

Kingwood / Humble / Atascocita

About the restaurant

Chez Nous is a modern French Restaurant where traditional French cuisine meets the needs of the American market. Chez Nous is renowned in its new world interpretation of the Parisian Classics. Seasonal menu items are prepared by Chef Stacy Simonson and highlight the fine locally produced ingredients served in an elegant yet comfortable setting.

Top review

BryanVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Excellent food and great service - as always the staff goes above and beyond.

Bistro 555

4.8

4.8 (832)

$30 and under

French

Westside

About the restaurant

Bistro 555 is under new ownership by a group of long-time friends including the owners of former Le Mistral and Cafe Rabelais, established French institutions in Houston. With a joint-experience of over 5 decades, Bistro 555 will transport you to the different regions of France with traditional bistro fares. Our specialties include Escargot in sizzling garlic butter, onion soup topped with melted gruyere cheese, Moules-Frites, Cassoulet, and profiteroles. We also serve wood-oven fired pizzas. Bon appetit!

Top review

EugeniaVIP

Dined on Mar 7, 2025

Best place for family dinner and friends Warm and great service and food

Bistro Le Cep

4.7

4.7 (1027)

$30 and under

French

Westchase

About the restaurant

Opened in 2001, Bistro Le Cep features French home cooking at its finest that can be best described as deeply flavored, elegant, yet straightforward. Combining traditional fine dining with a modern perspective, Bistro Le Cep will impress you and your guests with mouth-watering specialties inspired by authentic age old country recipes. We feature a well stocked bar and our extensive wine list includes an exceptional selection of grand vintages, as well as coveted wines from small producers.

Top review

RobertC

Dined on Feb 27, 2025

Went with family for 95 y.o. mother’s birthday. Food was lovely. Service was attentive.

Cafe Rabelais

4.7

4.7 (1021)

$31 to $50

French

Rice Village

About the restaurant

Houston’s Café Rabelais serves sumptuous French cuisine in its classic, European-inspired eatery. Fantastic starter options include the mouth-watering smoked salmon plate, the white bean and vegetable soup, as well as a variety of decadent cheese plates. Café Rabelais’s specialty dinner entrées include the seared duck breast with Szechuan demi-glace, the seared snapper in rich beurre blanc, the vegetarian orzo pasta with purple cauliflower and feta cheese and the red wine marinated ribeye with eggplant.

Top off your Café Rabelais French feast with an unforgettable dessert, like the mixed nut and chocolate silk pie “fondant au chocolate sur croute de noix” or the fruity “sorbet du jour” and wash it down with a fresh, hot espresso.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Mar 9, 2025

Always great food great people, I love this place

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Experience

Domaine Rouge Bleu Wine Dinner: Meet the Winemaker

Le Jardinier - Houston

4.7

4.7 (220)

$50 and over

French

Heights / Washington

About the restaurant

Michelin-starred Le Jardinier is a unique and refined restaurant from Michelin-starred Chef Alain Verzeroli located in The Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Rooted in timeless French approach, Chef Verzeroli has created a menu where plants play a prominent role: seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, and greens are complemented by wild and sustainable fish with local Texas meats. All our breads are gluten-free and baked in house.

Le Jardinier's light-filled space will evoke a feeling of relaxed-luxury and incorporate custom art pieces with outdoor dining set within an Isamu Noguchi-designed sculpture garden. In 2024, Le Jardinier was awarded one Michelin Star at Texas' Inaugural Michelin Guide.

Top review

jonathan

Dined 7 days ago

Quiet, reserved elegant great wine list, great food, quality. Everyone was very polite and kind and tried very hard to make your experience wonderful. I like the way this is a small quality oriented restaurant.

Brasserie 19

4.8

4.8 (2724)

$50 and over

French

River Oaks

About the restaurant

Brasserie 19, located in Houston’s 77019 neighborhood, offers a modern amalgamation of French brasserie fare and well-known American influences. The menu utilizes the freshest seasonal ingredients in thoughtfully prepared dishes. Brasserie 19 boasts an expansive, carefully developed wine list. Brasserie 19's sophisticated yet unpretentious interiors are bathed in deep blues, cool greys, and whites, with antiqued woods and white marble used throughout. Blue velvet banquettes are paired with woven chairs and complemented by white linen-covered tables to create a casually elegant setting for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch. Brasserie 19 serves lunch and dinner 7 days a week, as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Top review

PegVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Love the vibrant scene here! Always festive! The patrons all seem to see each other as long time friends and it feels like a party we have all been invited to. I always leave with a new friend! The food is SPECTACULAR and the SERVICE IMPECCABLE!

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Popular dish

Charcuterie & Cheese Board

Popular dish

Salmon

Experience

Tour de France Prix Fixe - Paris/Champagne

Toulouse - Houston

4.8

4.8 (2573)

$31 to $50

French

River Oaks

About the restaurant

Toulouse Café and Bar recalls a Fin de Siecle Parisian Café where you are likely to bump into friends and find yourself in conversations with neighboring tables. At first glance you will notice the bustling activity that characterizes Toulouse: wait staff with wine openers and hot plates of food, people chatting and laughing, the clink of wine glasses… the atmosphere is sophisticated and good moods are contagious.

In the tradition of all fine bistros, Toulouse has imaginative and seasonal menus that provide exactly what its patrons long for: cozy tables open to the street, mouth-watering specialties a la Française, delicious desserts made from scratch and an extensive wine list. Enjoy the tastes of France with our exciting yet comforting dishes such as our famous quiches, an expertly cooked trout almondine or the best mussels in the city.

Dine with us and be transported to Paris, if only for a moment.

Top review

steveVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Brian was great! Excellent service and amazing waiter!!

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Popular dish

Zucchini Squash Chips

Popular dish

Salmon

Bistro Menil

4.7

4.7 (1812)

$30 and under

French

Montrose

About the restaurant

Bistro Menil offers European-inspired, American fare paired with craft beer, cask wine and thoughtfully selected wines by the glass or bottle.

Top review

Glenda L

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent food and excellent service!!! Great ambience

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4.6

4.6 (2898)

$50 and over

French

Galleria / Uptown

About the restaurant

Artisans Restaurant, under the visionary leadership of owner Jacques Fox and the culinary expertise of Executive Chef Eric Cruz, delivers a unique dining experience that melds French eclectic cuisine with fine steaks and fresh seafood. The expansive menu includes French favorites such as Le Tartare de Bœuf, Les Escargots Bourguignon à la Crème d’Ail, La Poêlée de Foie Gras, Le Loup de Mer du Chili, La Longe d’Agneau Poêlée, Le Canard Confit with Sauce à l’Orange Pimentée, and La Côte de Veau. Each dish showcases artistic flair and is served in a setting of breathtaking décor. Guests at the Chef’s Table can watch as the culinary team expertly crafts these creations, making every visit a memorable event. Recognized as one of the "Best of the Best" by the Houston Chronicle, Artisans sets the standard for exquisite dining. For connoisseurs of the finer things in life, Artisans is the quintessential culinary destination.

Top review

Ryan

Dined 2 days ago

Dinner was fantastic! We had a great date night due to the awesome ambiance, food, and fantastic service.

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Une Poêlée de Foie Gras

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