Best French Restaurants in Brisbane

by Broadsheet Editors

Updated 5 months ago

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.

Restaurant Dan Arnold
Restaurant
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.
La Cache a Vin
Bar
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.
C’est Bon
Restaurant
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.
Hervé’s Restaurant & Bar
Restaurant
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
Restaurant
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.