Beijing's best French restaurants to celebrate Bastille Day

Liberté, égalité, fraternité and plenty of great food, too

Sourcing decent French food in Beijing used to be something of a marche en merde, with most options being over-priced, over-seasoned and underwhelming. Recent years, however, have seen the French fightback hit the city's dining scene, and there are now plenty of classy establishments serving up some fine French grub. Vive la révolution and knock back a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while you're at it.

F Bistronome

China World Mall, the mall-to-end-all-malls is the home of F Bistronome, the latest offering from the team behind the très chic and très reliable Maison Flo and its patisserie-perfect sister, Café Flo. Situated on the seventh floor, F Bistronome offers hardcore urban views of the surrounding CBD – in particular the CCTV tower, which looms so closely over the restaurant, reflecting off every available polished surface within (and there are many), that it feels a bit like you're floating in some kind of futuristic surveillance spacecraft that just happens to be paying homage to the romantic glory days of Paris during the 1920s.

The steak is a definite menu highlight. Served on a rustic board with gravy, mustard sauce and braised vegetables, this is meat cooked by and for people who love meat. Red, juicy and chewy enough to make you feel as though you're up against a beast over which victory shall truly – and deliciously – be earned, this is the kind of dish you eat when you've come to a Beijing bistro and are looking to feel French AF (as France).

F Bistronome 7F, China World Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district (8595 9597)

Bistrot B

'Bistrot B: a theatrical food experience' is the tagline on the menu at the Rosewood Hotel's French eatery – and they nailed it. The kitchen's front and centre, an open and welcoming sprawl in the middle of the room. Chefs stand over stovetops deglazing pans with red wine and studiously plating dishes moments before they are whisked off onto the floor. It's chic and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows giving the space an open airy feel. Service is warm, engaged and sporting inordinately fashionable uniforms.

Bistrot B 1F, Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang district (6536 0066)

Maison Flo

Beijing's Maison Flo continues the spirit of grandeur of the shuttered Brasserie Flo, with the vast patio that spans the length of the restaurant's facade making a staggering first impression. Enter and you are welcomed with bonjours or bonsoirs from a gorgeous bar with a marble slab surface. The beautifully tiled mosaic floor sweeps you into a palatial dining room, divvied up by brass railed booths, that sings with the sounds of a bona fide brasserie: forks and glasses clink, dining carts wheel by, and conversations float throughout the high-ceilinged hall.

Maison Flo 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang district (6595 5135)

Bistro 108

For cosy French food that’s admittedly set in a car park (but one that’s near the French Embassy) head to Bistro 108 for food of a high quality and a more than reasonable price. Rather than the glitziness of other French offerings in Beijing, Bistro 108 is a homely, friendly spot to while away an evening with plenty of good French wine.

Bistro 108 104, Caochang Plaza (opposite the northeast entrance of the Embassy of the United States Visa Office), 19 Tianze Lu, Chaoyang district (5710 8106)

O'Steak

The main focus at O'Steak is (obviously) slabs of cow. The meat is brought in from Inner Mongolia, and as such it's more generously priced than a hotel cut. What you get is simple and pure, without any unnecessary pizzazz. There's plenty to tempt your caveman impulses, with lusciously tender steaks that are supple in form and with plenty of juicy texture that assures their value. 

O'Steak 1F, Jiezuo Dasha, 55 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang district (8448 8250)

Brasserie 1893

You might need some directions to make your way past the hotel's gleaming copper façade to the Waldorf Astoria's signature restaurant, Brasserie 1893. It's not an obvious route from the plush lobby lounge directly to the eatery even though, in terms of style, the two share a complementary Jazz Age vibe. But you'll know you're there when you see the massive, state-of-the-art open kitchen; a spectacle that occupies nearly half the floor space. It's pure theatre for diners, who are seated in an arena of gleaming silverware, carefully arranged on polished wood. In celebration of Beijing's warmer weather the French eatery is also currently serving up a six-course degustation menu featuring Norwegian salmon, roasted lamb rack and duck foie gras terrine from 468RMB per person. 

Brasserie 1893 1F, Waldorf Astoria, 5-15 Jinyu Hutong, Dongcheng district (8520 8989)

TRB Hutong

Fine dining is all about occasion, and no restaurant respects the pageantry of the formal meal more than TRB Hutong (formerly Temple Restaurant Beijing). Proprietor Ignace Lecleir commands an army of highly trained, attentive staff that wow you with kindness, complimentary champagne and a seemingly endless supply of canapés – all in a beautiful modern dining room inside a 600-year-old temple. Sip on a premier cru from one of the best cellars in China as the kitchen whiles the hours away with course after course of modern takes on classic European haute cuisine. Fancy a butter-poached lobster with crab foam, or maybe sweet pea soup with crème fresh and Beluga caviar? TRB Hutong is unabashedly luxurious, and we apologise for none of it.

TRB Hutong 23 Shatan Beijie (off Wusi Dajie at the end of the lane), Dongcheng district (8400 2232)

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