Guides / Spots

The Best French Restaurants in Toronto

Stella Speigel

3 years ago

Scouring the city for excellent French fare? With no shortage of buzzy French bistros, upscale restaurants, modern fine-dining or casual wine bars -- we’ve rounded up a list of Toronto's best French restaurants. These spots are guaranteed to transport you out of Toronto's bustling nine-to-five, overachieving way-of-life to the quiet alleyways of Paris' Latin Quarter -- where a laissez-faire attitude dominates.

From a croque madame swimming in béchamel to a sizzling hot pan brimming with succulent escargot bathing in warm butter --there’s nothing quite like the tried and true classics of French cuisine. Whether you're hunting down a perfect beef bourguignon or you prefer the surprise in inventive modern French-inspired cooking -- we have you covered with Toronto's best spots for French food.

19

163 Spadina Ave 1st Floor

Aloette

Another home-run by Chef Patrick Kriss, Aloette is the casual sister restaurant of Alo, located on the main floor. This narrow French diner is outfitted with benches and a sprawling bar that spans the entire length of the dining room. The room's domed ceiling is reminiscent of the Parisian metro and the space is consistently packed. The restaurant is a contemporary take on French food, with favourites being the Aloette Burger with Beaufort cheese broiled to a golden crust.

18

592 Sherbourne St

Maison Selby

New to Toronto's restaurant scene, Maison Selby takes over the historic Gooderham House and is bringing exciting French food to the neighbourhood. Original accents were preserved in the renovations, from the door knobs to the silverware, but contemporary and colourful embellishments were added. The French Onion Beef Chuck Burger is outstanding.

17

1600 Dundas St W

Le Baratin

This eclectic spot on Dundas West offers a wide selection of French staples to share, or come Monday night and be treated to a $25 prix fixe menu.

16

130 Ossington Ave

Cote De Boeuf

Operating as part restaurant, part butcher -- this Ossington spot specializes in all things boeuf. Sit at the butcher's table and choose your preferred cut to have grilled up right on the spot or grab a sandwich on crusty French baguette with creamy Dauphin and French ham.

15

744 Gerrard St E

Batifole

Warm and relaxed, this French restaurant boasts itself as having the best French food in chinatown! Located on Gerrard East, Batifole offers classics like cassoulet, pate and frog legs.

14

35 Tank House Lane

Cluny Bistro

The sprawling bistro located in the Distillery District is inspired by France's modern cooking movement and bids farewell to pretentious attitudes that tend to surround French fare. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner -- offerings are expansive and include a wide cheese selection, as well as a raw bar.

13

163 Spadina Ave

Alo

Boasting the title of #1 restaurant in Canada, Chef Patrick Kriss' beloved Alo serves a refined and contemporary tasting menu in the elegant dining room located on the second floor -- above the more casual Aloette. Alo's dishes are influenced by a multitude of cuisines but the basic techniques are still rooted in French cooking.

12

492 Queen St W

La Palette

This romantic Queen West spot is practically an institution known for its steak frites. Classic French fare is served in this relaxed bistro setting with exposed brick, Parisian decor and vest-adorned servers. The crispy fries with house-made mayo are a must. Just like they do it in France!

11

156 Cumberland St

Chabrol

Cozy and nondescript, Yorkville's go-to French restaurant is tucked away on Yorkville Avenue (moving to Cumberland come March, 2020). The tiny spot serves upscale French food like Albacore Tuna Nicoise, Imperial Oestra Caviar and fish en papillote.

10

1190 Dundas St E

Gare de L'Est

A Leslieville outpost, this authentic French brasserie doles out all your favourite French classics, from French onion soup to Trout Amandine.

9

146 Ossington Ave

Paris Paris

This extremely popular wine and snack bar on Dundas West extracts influences from various cuisines, hailing itself as a global restaurant. The menu, still, is heavily influenced by French cuisine -- apparent from items like steak tartare, chicken liver mousse and the wide selection of charcuterie. The cool vibe definitely harps back to natural wine bars that are popping up all around Paris -- ones that don't necessarily conform to traditional techniques of French cooking.

8

72 Ossington Ave

Union

This laid-back, unpretentious spot on Ossington regards itself as a Canadian bistro with French-inspired dishes. The steak tartare is some of the best in the city and the elk sliders are a must-order.

7

432 Wellington St W

Le Sélect Bistro

This Toronto institution offers traditional French cuisine in a classic Parisian bistro setting -- equipped with tiled floors, poster-studded walls and relaxed rattan chairs. Prided on being one of the most authentic French eateries in the city, the menu consists of offerings like Salade Frisee Lardons and Magret De Canard A L'Orange; as well as pates, terrines and parfaits. Le Select Bistro also houses a wine collection with over 1000 bottles.

6

89 Harbord St

Cafe Cancan

This quirky and playful French bistro in Harbord Village offers beloved French classics such as escargot, steak frites, French onion soup and bone marrow. From the team behind Piano Piano, Cafe Cancan brightens up the typical bistro with vibrant pops of colour, a hidden patio in the back and a delicious brunch menu.

5

4150 Yonge St

Auberge du Pommier

This sophisticated and modern French restaurant is a destination spot in North York for romantic dinners and business lunches alike. Equal parts upscale and elegant, the restaurant was constructed from two woodcutters' cottages that date back to the 1860s. Staple French ingredients like foie gras, confit duck, escargot and tartare are reinvented into contemporary masterpieces by Chef Tim Schulte. Both the tasting menu and the a la carte offerings change seasonally.

4

1118 Queen St E

Greta Solomon's Dining Room

Greta Solomon is a Lesliville treasure serving up classic French fare in an intimate and charming dining room. The menu features amazing French staples like house-made bread, charcuterie and oysters; as well as more elaborate dishes like butternut squash risotto with smoked walnuts, chilli honey, toasty sage butter and salty cheese.

3

60 Yorkville Ave

Cafe Boulud

This French brasserie changes the menu seasonally, rotating between a wide selection of dishes in a vintage, colourful and elegant space. The rotisserie chicken is tender and crispy (they’ve also been known to rotisserie a whole pineapple). Cafe Boulud also features various cured meats, terrines and pâtés.

2

892 Queen St W

Le Swan

What does French cuisine and diner grub have in common? Comfort. Jen Agg does it again with another inventive restaurant sure to wow anyone. The French diner offers bistro classics and American comfort food in an atmosphere filled with cozy booths, art-deco wallpaper and romantic lighting. The Salad Nicoise at Le Swan is a must -- crisp frisee lettuce, blanched green beans, perfectly jammy eggs, house-dried cherry tomatoes and tender albacore tuna. Plus, the steak frites is piled high with herb butter and salty fries.

1

227 Ossington Ave

La Banane

This lavish brass, gold and marble accented eatery serves up contemporary French cuisine. Order anything from the raw bar and you won’t be disappointed. Plus, it’s all sustainably sourced seafood. The menu features classic French dishes with modern ingredient twists -- like seabass en croute served with yuzu beurre blanc or seared foie gras with hazelnut and grapefruit.