Best French Restaurants in Brisbane

Updated 5 months ago

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Most chefs start their training in classical French cooking, and for good reason: Gallic techniques are the cornerstone of modern cookery. In fact, we owe a lot of our culinary terms to the French. Chefs, sommeliers and maître d’s? All français. The same goes for the front- and back-of-house structures of modern restaurants, which originated in eighteenth-century Paris.

Brisbane has no shortage of excellent French restaurants worth your time. From brasseries and bistros, to bastions of both haute and nouvelle cuisine, here’s our selection.

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  • Shannon and Clare Kellam’s acclaimed bistro is largely responsible for putting French cuisine on the map in Queensland. And with a menu that pulls off the classics with contemporary flair, impeccable service and one of the city’s strongest cellars, it’s deserving of each and every one of its many accolades.

  • Chef-owner Dan Arnold is no stranger to a Michelin-starred kitchen. At his eponymous Brisbane restaurant, he draws on his time working under some of Europe’s most lauded chefs – and the result is a modern take on haute cuisine with top Queensland produce.

  • Though it only opened in 2018, there’s an undeniable air of tradition about this transporting restaurant. Set within a former wine cellar, it’s a faithful homage to its subterranean counterparts in Burgundy, France, with a Lyonnaise-influenced menu of French classics to match.

  • After a dramatic facelift, this once humble bistro transformed into a miniature French quarter in 2019, with a stunning restaurant, garden terrace and rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the city. Duck dinners, crepes for brunch, a formidable wine list and more lie within.

  • Enjoy French-inspired food in the bar or restaurant at this softly lit 80-seat stunner. Food might include Mooloolaba tuna loin, coal-grilled Moreton Bay bugs and organic Madagascar single-origin chocolate, alongside a 150-bottle wine list that draws from producers across the world.

  • Bisou Bisou (which means “kiss kiss” in French) is an elegant brasserie in the foyer of the Hotel X. Slide into a booth for classic French fare with local twists. Plus, a roving cheese trolley and a wine program with more than 200 bottles in-house.