On the Upper East Side, Le Veau d’Or should be your go-to spot for perfectly seared duck magret with stewed, boozy cherries. Open since 1937, it’s now run by the Le Rock and Frenchette team, and it's still a charmingly old-fashioned-feeling bistro, with porcelain calf-shaped vases, red gingham tablecloths, and icy martinis. You’ll find frog legs persillade swimming in at least a quarter-cup of garlic butter, a rich pâté en croûte, and an unmissable meringue floating in crème anglaise.

A narrow space with a pressed-tin ceiling, exposed brick, and a patchwork of Polaroid photos, Le French Diner has been open since 2005, but still feels like a well-guarded LES secret, even when there’s a wait to get in. Sit on a diner stool at the counter, so you can sip a glass of wine while watching the chef deftly prepare things like grilled octopus, or hanger steak with perfect dauphinoise potatoes from a short daily menu.

Frenchette is sceney, but it’s the rare sceney restaurant where food takes precedence over whatever B-list actors you might encounter. Get a booth at this noisy Tribeca spot and enjoy some roast chicken and sweetbreads. The menu features a mix of typical and less-common bistro classics, and you can trust that whatever you order will taste like pure butter. Try the duck frites, or just sit at the bar and have some fries and a martini if you don’t want to spend over $100.

If you’re familiar with Raoul’s, it’s probably because of the burger. Topped with watercress and encrusted with peppercorns, it’s one the city’s best, and it’s available in limited quantities. If you don’t care about burgers, Raoul’s is still a must-visit. The Soho restaurant—around since the ‘70s—is always packed, and the scene is one of the most entertaining in Manhattan. Do your best to grab a seat at the bar, where you’ll inevitably wind up talking to a stranger on their fourth martini.

You won’t find steak frites or salade niçoise at this West Village bistro, and that’s what we like about it. Instead, the chalkboard menus on the walls list things like oeufs mayonnaise, airy rice pudding, and a saucisse puree in a pool of onion gravy. Occupying an idyllic corner space on Christopher Street with big windows, Libertine plays the part of Neighborhood French Bistro perfectly. Just know they don’t really have casual pop-in prices, so save this spot for a special date.

We love many things about Minetta Tavern: The host’s expression when you ask for a walk-in table on a busy Friday. The multitasking waitstaff, who keep up a patter of in-jokes while pouring champagne and changing tablecloths between courses. The cozy red leather booths in front, and loud conversations around bigger tables in back. And yes, we love that burger, but for a very special night out, get the cote de bouef, which comes with salad and a half-portion of fantastically jiggly bone marrow.

Le Rock, from the Frenchette team, is a godsend for anyone planning a special meal in Midtown. With entrees that start around $40, this place isn’t cheap—you may need someone to rub your temples when the check arrives—but that’s the only downside. From the chopped steak and fried tripe to the agnolotti and escargot served under rounds of toast, the food is fantastic. The Art Deco-inspired dining room is also impressive, and you may see someone you recognize from the cover of TV Guide Magazine.

Daniel Boulud is still good at making food. For proof, check out Le Gratin, a FiDi bistro that pays homage to the chef’s hometown of Lyon. In a big, Belle Epoque-style space with flowers painted on the walls, you can eat a plate of deep-fried escargots accompanied by pig trotter croquettes and foie gras. Lyonnaise specialities like the pike quenelle and gratin dauphinois are always worthwhile, but you can also just get some moules frites or a burger.

This West Village institution is a very cute place, but that comes with a cost. Everything is tiny, and there isn’t much room to maneuver. It is, however, very much worth it to squeeze in here at breakfast. The signature steamed eggs are an essential order, and you can get them with either smoked salmon or prosciutto. Buvette is best used for daytime situations, but it’s also open for dinner, when you can stop by for coq au vin or roasted beets with horseradish crème fraîche.

This Williamsburg restaurant, which looks like the foyer of a renovated castle, has been making consistently good French food since 2019. In addition to their oeufs mayonnaise, get the roast chicken served with fries in a puddle of jus, and round things out with a martini and profiteroles. It's not too hard to get a table here, so if you forgot to plan an important dinner, keep this place in mind. For solo dining or an impromptu meal with a friend, grab a few seats at the bar up front.

In an unsurprising turn of events, this Hell’s Kitchen restaurant serves great steak frites. They offer a few different cuts, which start around $40 and come with thin fries and an intimidating dollop of compound butter. But don’t overlook the rest of the menu. Try the gnocchi gratin or salade lyonnaise with thick lardons and a perfectly poached egg. If you’re looking for a great lunch near Midtown, this is one of your best options.

Bar Bête is the least traditional option on this list. The menu at this Carroll Gardens restaurant is identifiably French, but it’s more experimental than most, with fun twists like chicken liver served in a parfait glass with prune jam and butter. That liver is reason enough to come here, and the olive oil poached cod that melts in your mouth is worth a trip as well. Come by for an interesting, casual meal, and don’t forget to explore the list of natural wines.

Despite its central West Village location, Le Baratin isn't a very high-profile place. It has a lot of regulars, so people obviously know about this charming little bistro, but it doesn’t get as hectic as nearby spots like Rosemary’s and American Bar. So if you want to impress someone who thinks they know every good restaurant in the neighborhood, bring them to Le Baratin for some well-dressed steak tartare and intensely garlicky escargot.

You don’t need us to tell you about Balthazar. Everyone already knows about this perpetually busy all-day Soho brasserie. Is it a tourist trap? A New York City classic? A place for overpriced eggs benedict? A fun spot to people-watch with exceptional fries? Yes, all of the above. Open since 1995, this is still a quintessential NYC restaurant, even if half the people you see here don’t actually live in New York.

Café Paulette is where you should eat steak frites with your grandma. The neighborhood bistro in Fort Greene is a Certified Relatives Restaurant, so she’ll be able to hear you, and won’t be uncomfortable with how small the plates are. Order as many steak frites as you’ll need (one order feeds two people, or one very hungry person and a grandma), along with a bottle of natural wine, and a few oysters. They also own the wine bar next door, Petit Paulette.

Le Coucou is not an everyday spot. Unless you have a trust fund, it’s also not an every-month spot. It is, however, perfect for when you want to eat precise French food under a chandelier in a chateau-like space in Soho. For your next milestone, come with a date, and eat some tender chunks of lobster in a cognac cream and peppercorn sauce. The atmosphere is upscale—tall candles, white tablecloths—but it’s not as buttoned-up as traditional fine dining, so you don’t have to get too dressed up.

The term “neighborhood restaurant” gets thrown around a lot. If you want the real deal, check out Tournesol in Long Island City. At this tiny place with a tin ceiling and sepia photographs on the walls, you’ll find plenty of families and other neighborhood folks eating endive salad and seared trout a la meuniere. There’s usually at least one order of steak frites on every table, and for good reason. It has an incredible char—to the extent that it’s almost, but not quite, burnt.