The best French restaurants in Melbourne

This addition to Scott Pickett's growing Brady Bunch clan of restaurants is steeped in the romance of 1920s Paris, from a stage-set salon to please the most devout Francophile to a menu steeped in the certainties of snails, saucisson sec and soufflé. There's an extravagance about Smith St Bistrot, and we're not just talking about the $250 caviar service. Everything wears a patina of age, from the enormous, artfully distressed mirrors to the minutiae of mismatched crockery. It's beguiling – as is the wine list, which has affection for both Australia and the Old World across a huge price range.

What is it? A swanky new four-level restaurant on Bourke Street from the Lucas Group, famous for its aesthetic plating, glammed-up target audience and social media hype that swept over the city in 2024.

Why we love it: This ambitious French-inspired diner is chic, well-executed and surprisingly warm where it counts. Though you can – and should – settle in for a refined multi-course meal in the bustling dining room downstairs, next try a table on the sunlit, second-level terrace. As pretty as a scene from The Great Gatsby, this area provides a more casual Maison Batard offering – perfect for sundowner cocktails and one of the city's best cheeseburgers.

Time Out tip: Though the chocolate mousse is a hit, we reckon that astonishingly good-looking soft serve sundae with red berries and Chantilly cream is even better. 

Address: ​​23 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Expect to pay: Starters $30-65, steak $65-250, share-style mains $110-185, plus drinks and a dessert

What is it? A laidback yet classy French bistro and wine bar in Brunswick.

Why we love it: You’d be forgiven for thinking Bar Magnolia is a lot stuffier than what it actually is, with its pressed white linen tablecloths and fastidiously attentive service. The more-than-a-year-old wine bar has retained the bones of the historical 1920s building it’s in – exposed red brick walls, stained-glass detailing in the upper windows. What you’ll find is a bistro fancy enough for a special date or notable occasion, but so warm and friendly it’s more akin to a neighbourhood wine bar. Bar Magnolia chef Mia Coady-Plumb is turning out some of the most inspired French fare around. 

Time Out tip: At $85 per person, the chef’s three-course seasonally rotating menu that includes nearly everything on the regular menu, bar dessert, is well worth the price tag.  

Address: ​​295 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056

Expect to pay: Set menu $85, plus wines

What is it? This project from Nomad Group has transformed Melbourne’s hallowed old Stock Exchange building into a European-inspired restaurant as ritzy as it is regal, with a speakeasy bar (the Rue part) accessible through an adjoining courtyard. 

Why we love it: The kitchen has collaborated closely with Victorian producers to curate a menu that pays homage to the French classics with fresh Aussie flair. At a glance, you might eye Lakes Entrance calamari charcoal-grilled with café de Paris butter, a retro lobster cocktail, fruits de mer platter and a Great Ocean duck with red wine jus and sugarloaf cabbage.

Time Out tip: Add to your order a plate of the wood-roasted leeks and hazelnuts. Under a snowy dusting of grated cheese, they’re remarkably velvety in their subtle smoky sweetness; the humble vegetable never dazzled so bright. 

Address: ​​380 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Expect to pay: Chef's menu $175, plus drinks

What is it? Powerhouse chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan has brought a sleek yet affordable modern French bistro to Flinders Lane's artsy Hotel Indigo.

Why we love it: Mangan was once trained under the revered Michel Roux at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in England, so here's a man who knows his stuff. 

At Bistrot Bisou, visitors are treated to perfectly executed classics, mainly compriing dishes cooked over the kitchen’s wood-fired grill, with slow-burning ironbark and hardwood charcoal used to add smoky flavours. The team also smoke their own salmon and craft housemade terrines from free-range Victorian roosters. 

Time Out tip: The midweek express lunch is excellent value at $35 for two courses, or $45 for three. The offer is available from noon to 2:30pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Address: ​​575 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

Expect to pay: Starters $21-27, mains $32-48, plus sides, a dessert and drinks

Melbourne's restaurant scene would be much the lesser without Philippe Mouchel. Our French elder statesman has ruled the Gallic roost since the 1980s and continues to delight at his Collins Street flagship. The roast chicken, skin bewitched to a dark gold on the rotisserie and accompanied by a buttery Paris mash, is a swoon-worthy triumph of real-deal flavour that deserves its signature dish status. But beyond the chicken liver and foie gras parfait and the amazing floating island dessert, you'll find modern technique adding its own oh la la, from the mozzarella emulsion with heirloom tomato gazpacho to the beetroot-cured salmon with creamed cucumber salad.