Diners' Choice: French restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

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

Bistro Elan

4.9

4.9 (59)

$31 to $50

French

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Bistro Elan serves French dishes created mainly from ingredients obtained from the local farmers. The cozy interior is ideal for a date night or a small celebratory dinner with friends. The open kitchen offers a homey feel where you can enjoy an apple salad or La Quercia Prosciutto before moving on to an entrée of local Petrale sole or a Sonoma duck leg confit. Bistro Elan offers outside seating. Dine on a pan-seared Scallops or Flat Iron Steak in the open air.

Bistro Elan has a modest international wine list that has been carefully chosen to pair well with each dish. Finish the evening meal with a dessert like Coffee ice cream, roasted strawberry ice cream, caramelized Valrhona chocolate mousse or a slice of Almond cake.

Top review

JamesVIP

Dined on Jun 14, 2025

Excellent food with frequent new flavor combinations to enjoy

The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil

4.9

4.9 (4942)

$50 and over

French

Rutherford

About the restaurant

With 17 consecutive Michelin Star awards, The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil provides a memorable feast for the eyes and the senses. Nestled within a sun-lit hillside overlooking lush vineyards and distant mountains, the spectacular vista views from the intimate dining room or the expansive outdoor terrace serve as an idyllic backdrop for one of wine country's most renown fine dining experiences. Showcasing fresh, seasonal ingredients, sourced from local purveyors, the Mediterranean-inspired menu is complemented by an extensive selection of international wines from the hotel’s award-winning 15,000 bottle cellar.

Enjoy a two- or three-course prix fixe lunch or your choice of a multi-course prix fixe or chef's tasting menu at dinner. Advance reservations required.

For a private, fine dining, restaurant-style experience, Le Salon is ideal for small groups. An indoor private room featuring floor-to-ceiling windows framing our panoramic valley views. Please reach out to learn more.

Top review

JackieVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Beautiful view from the deck while you enjoy well-prepared, delicious food. Especially nice for special occasions. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Atmosphere is quiet, unhurried. Lovely dinner!!

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4.9

4.9 (2702)

$50 and over

French

Lafayette

About the restaurant

RÊVE is not that snooty, splurge-on-your-anniversary kind of French restaurant. Au contraire.
This is your classic, everyday neighborhood French bistro run by Chef Paul Magu-Lecugy & his wife, Laura. That kind of cozy little place you’d imagine in Saint Michel or Saint Germain. Not smack dab in the middle of the 'burbs. But lucky for you, that’s exactly where 5-star chef Paul Magu will be paying homage to the French comfort food that he fell in love with as a boy growing up in Paris. We’re talking authentic French onion soup. Steamed mussels. Steak frites. And don’t forget creme brulee… 2021 -2024 Michelin recognized Open Table "Diner's Choice" 2017-2024

Reservations available for 8 or less people until May.

Top review

JodiVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Always my favorite for intimate special occasions!

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Popular dish

Poulet Façon Coq au Vin

Popular dish

Rêve Salad

Popular dish

Steak Frites Classique

Walnut Creek Branch - La Sen Bistro

4.8

4.8 (1278)

$31 to $50

French

Walnut Creek

About the restaurant

On Mother's Day, La Sen will only be offering the Dinner Menu and Special Menu all day.

La Sen Bistro in Walnut Creek is serving the parallel French-California classic samples of duck confit, rack of lamb, escargot, beef bourguignon and mussels - just to name a few. These great samples were recognized by the Diablo Magazine, San Francisco Chronicles, Contra Costa Times and San Jose Mercury News. In addition, these samples were also recognized by the Michelin Guide in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Come join La Sen Bistro for a glass of wine and a taste of French-California cuisine. Cheers to good food and great companies. Bon Appetit!

Top review

MayVIP

Dined 4 days ago

First time here in this quiet restaurant... celebrated birthday... delicious food... everything we ordered was yummy... started with the bread, escargot and fried calamari.... next came pear salad & crab salad to share... dinner included 2 of us ordering crab cake entree, pork chops, and the duck breast... all cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned... will have to go back to try everything else on the menu!

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Popular dish

Escargot de Bourgogne

4.9

4.9 (3465)

$31 to $50

French

Castro

About the restaurant

French Bistro serving traditional and authentic fare in a cozy atmosphere.

Top review

Alexandre

Dined 1 day ago

It was excelent. Beautiful place. We love everything.

Le Parc Bistrobar

4.8

4.8 (227)

$50 and over

French

Financial District / Embarcadero

About the restaurant

Le Parc Bistrobar is a delightful French restaurant in Union Square, San Francisco, nestled within the Galleria Park Hotel. Led by the renowned 2-star Michelin Chef Bruno Chemel, this bistro offers a culinary escapade that perfectly complements the city's refined tastes. The menu at Le Parc Bistrobar is a tribute to classic French cuisine, featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients that bring out the rich, traditional flavors in every dish. The lounge bar provides a wide variety of wines and cocktails to enhance the gourmet experience.

Top review

Auclair

Dined on Jun 29, 2025

Enjoyed the wild mushrooms Medley and the Wagyu Beef, exceptional food and delicious, service flawless, will tell all my friends about this new discovery. 🤩

Iron Gate

4.9

4.9 (3131)

$50 and over

French

Belmont

About the restaurant

Iron Gate offers excellent Continental cuisine in an elegant environment. The only restaurant with table site & flambe service in the bay area. Private Rooms available for 25 up to75 guests. The entire restaurant can be bought out for private parties.

Top review

Nicole

Dined 2 days ago

Great, as always! The staff is excellent and the service outstanding.

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4.9

4.9 (881)

$30 and under

French

Marina / Cow Hollow / Presidio

About the restaurant

Côte Ouest Bistro is a contemporary French bistro led by partners Laurent Monchicourt & Martin Sarrailh. In April 2021, the pair transformed the former Baker Street Bistro into a modern 21st century neighborhood gem. At the heart of Laurent and Martin's partnership lies a shared dream: to create a restaurant that embraces guests like family, offering a haven where they can delight in delectable food and wine, surrounded by warm companionship.

Nestle into one of the bay window seats and enjoy conversation over a plate of charcuterie with the perfect glass of Bordeaux. Chef Sarrailh prepares seasonal specialties as well as favorite French classics like Steak Frites and Duck Confit. The custard-soaked Croissant French Toast is not to be missed if you stop by for brunch on the sunny terrace.

Côte Ouest Bistro has been featured in Forbes magazine and The Infatuation and was named one of the "Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in the Nation 2024" by Open Table.

Top review

KenyonVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Another great experience! Shout out to Laurent and Doriane for always being so kind and making the dining experience so enjoyable :)

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Popular dish

French Onion Soup

Popular dish

French Onion SoupSoup of the day

Popular dish

Duck Confit

Chapeau

4.8

4.8 (3787)

$31 to $50

French

Richmond District

About the restaurant

Discover the essence of French culinary excellence at Chapeau! SF, a beloved bistro nestled in the heart of San Francisco since 1996. Celebrated for its warm ambiance and impeccable service, Chapeau! offers a delightful dining experience featuring both prix fixe and à la carte menus.

Indulge in our weekday limited prix fixe menu at $55 per person, or savor the $75 prix fixe menu available every night, allowing you to select any appetizer, entrée, and dessert. For those who prefer flexibility, our à la carte menu is also available anytime.

Chapeau! SF is dedicated to serving authentic French cuisine with a modern twist, curated by our expert chefs. Join us at 126 Clement Street and let us transport you to the heart of France with every bite.

A bientôt!

Top review

Steven

Dined 6 days ago

We have been diners at Chapeau for many years. The food quality & service has always been "1st class".

Bistro Vida

4.8

4.8 (2842)

$30 and under

French

Menlo Park

About the restaurant

Established in 1998, Bistro Vida is a neighborhood restaurant inspired by the great Parisian bistro culture and traditions of French cooking. Our mission is to bring the joie de vivre, comfort, and community of the City of Lights to downtown Menlo Park. The name " Vida" the Spanish word for life, was chosen as a toast to the enjoyment of life, love, and food. Each delicious detail of the chic interior from the smart bar to the blackboard menus, the huge cylindrical chandeliers to the long mirrors reminiscent of brasseries has acquired a warm patina over the years.

Top review

LaurenVIP

Dined 2 days ago

It’s always such a special time whenever I have a meal at Bistro Vida!

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