Decoding French Restaurant Menus: A Traveler's Cheat Sheet
French menus look intimidating because half the words don't translate directly. The good news: a small set of dishes shows up in almost every brasserie and bistro in France. Learn the patterns once, and you can read the menu at a corner spot in Lyon as easily as a Michelin-starred place in Paris.
The Menu Structure
French menus are typically organized in this order.
Entrées: appetizers. Important false friend: in French, "entrée" means the entry to the meal, not the main course.
Plats: main courses. This is the steak, the duck, the fish.
Fromages: cheese course, between plats and dessert. Optional.
Desserts: dessert.
You'll also see a few key page-level terms:
La carte: the a la carte menu (where you order individual dishes).
Le menu or menu fixe: a fixed-price multi-course menu, often a great deal. Two or three courses at a single price.
Plat du jour: dish of the day. Usually cheaper, often the freshest thing the kitchen made today.
Formule: a lunch combo (typically entrée + plat or plat + dessert) at a discount.
If you're on a budget, look for the formule at lunchtime or the menu fixe. Both run dramatically cheaper than ordering a la carte.
Classic Bistro Mains
Steak Frites(stek freet)
Steak with French fries. The French national dish, basically. Usually bavette or onglet (flat, flavorful cuts), often medium-rare, often with a sauce. The default move at any bistro.
Confit de Canard(con-FEE duh ka-NAR)
Duck leg slow-cooked in its own fat for hours, then crisped. Falls off the bone. Usually served with potatoes. Order this once.
Magret de Canard(mah-GRAY duh ka-NAR)
Duck breast, seared and served pink. Often with a fruit sauce (cherry, fig, orange). Different from confit. Both are great.
Coq au Vin(KOK oh VAN)
Chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms, onions, and bacon. Rustic, deep, comforting. Burgundy specialty.
Boeuf Bourguignon(BURF boor-gee-NYON)
Beef braised in red wine with carrots, onions, and bacon. Coq au vin's beef cousin. Also Burgundy.
Cassoulet(kas-oo-LAY)
A heavy casserole of beans, sausage, duck confit, and pork. From the southwest. Order at a brasserie, not a fancy restaurant.
Bouillabaisse(BOOL-yuh-base)
Provençal seafood stew with multiple fish, saffron, tomato. Served with rouille (garlic-pepper sauce) and toasted bread. Marseille specialty. Expensive, often for two.
Choucroute(shoo-KROOT)
Sauerkraut topped with sausages, ham, and pork. Alsatian. Hearty, beer-friendly.
Blanquette de Veau(blon-KET duh VOH)
A creamy white veal stew with mushrooms and pearl onions. Mild, classic, comforting.
Pot-au-Feu(POT-oh-fuh)
"Pot on the fire." Slow-simmered beef and vegetables in broth. The classic French Sunday dinner.
Cuts of Beef You'll See
French butchers cut beef differently than American ones. The cuts on French menus often don't have direct American equivalents.
Bavette(bah-VET)
A flat, chewy, very flavorful cut. Similar to flank steak. Often served at bistros with steak frites.
Onglet(on-GLAY)
Hanger steak. Flavorful, firm, slightly chewy. A bistro favorite.
Entrecôte(on-truh-KOHT)
Ribeye. Marbled, tender, always a safe order.
Faux-filet(foh-FEE-lay)
Sirloin steak. Leaner than entrecôte, less marbled, still good.
Filet de Boeuf(fee-LAY duh BURF)
Filet mignon. Tender, lean, the most expensive cut.
Côte de Boeuf(KOHT duh BURF)
A massive bone-in ribeye, usually for two. Like an Italian bistecca alla fiorentina.
Classic Sauces
Béarnaise(bay-ar-NEZ)
Egg yolks, butter, tarragon, vinegar. Rich, herbal. Standard with steak.
Au Poivre(oh PWAH-vruh)
Cracked peppercorn sauce, often with brandy and cream. With steak.
Bordelaise(bor-duh-LAYZ)
Red wine sauce with shallots and bone marrow. With steak.
Beurre Blanc(burr BLONK)
"White butter." Wine, shallot, butter. With fish.
Hollandaise(oh-lon-DEZ)
Egg yolk and butter sauce. With eggs benedict, asparagus, fish.
Gribiche(gree-BEESH)
Mayonnaise-style sauce with hard-boiled eggs, capers, gherkins, herbs. With cold dishes.
See every French dish before you order
Snap any French menu with MenuPics and see real photos in seconds. Free on iPhone.
French onion soup. Caramelized onions, beef broth, melted cheese on top of bread. The ur-version of every American knockoff.
Pâté(pa-TAY)
Spreadable mix of ground meat, fat, and seasoning. Pâté de campagne (country-style, rustic) is the most common. Served with bread and cornichons.
Terrine(ter-EEN)
Like pâté but firmer and sliced. Same idea: meat, fat, seasoning, served cold with bread.
Foie Gras(fwah GRAH)
Duck or goose liver, fattened. Rich, buttery, expensive. Served as a small slice with toast and fig or onion jam.
Escargots(es-kar-GOH)
Snails. Almost always served Bourguignon-style: in their shells, cooked with garlic, butter, parsley. Tastes like garlic butter.
Salade Niçoise(sa-LAD nee-SWAHZ)
Tuna, hard-boiled eggs, olives, green beans, anchovies, potatoes, vinaigrette. From Nice. A complete light meal.
Salade Lyonnaise(sa-LAD lee-on-EZ)
Frisée greens with bacon (lardons), a poached egg, vinaigrette. From Lyon.
Tartare de Boeuf(tar-TAR duh BURF)
Raw chopped beef with capers, mustard, onions. Served with fries.
Things You Might Want to Skip (Or Order on Purpose)
French menus include offal (organ meats) more openly than American menus. If you don't want it, learn the words. If you do, this is one of the best places to try it.
Ris de Veau(ree duh VOH)
Veal sweetbreads (thymus gland). Rich, creamy, delicate. Adventurous diners love it.
Rognons(roh-NYON)
Kidneys, usually veal. Earthy, distinctive. Often served in a mustard cream sauce.
Foie(fwah)
Liver. Often beef or veal liver. Foie de veau au beurre is veal liver in butter.
Tripes(treep)
Tripe (cow stomach lining). Strong flavor. Tripes à la mode de Caen is the classic.
Andouillette(on-doo-EYET)
A sausage made from intestines. Has a strong, pungent flavor. Most non-French diners do not enjoy it. Ask before ordering.
Cervelle(ser-VEL)
Brain. Usually veal or lamb.
Tête de Veau(tet duh VOH)
Veal head, slow-cooked. Traditional, rare on menus now, very polarizing.
Desserts You'll See Everywhere
Crème Brûlée(krem broo-LAY)
Custard with a torched sugar crust on top. Tap the top with your spoon to crack it.
Tarte Tatin(tart ta-TAN)
Upside-down caramelized apple tart. Often served with crème fraîche.
Profiteroles(pro-fee-tuh-ROHL)
Small cream puffs filled with ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce.
Mousse au Chocolat(moos oh sho-koh-LAH)
Chocolate mousse. Rich, dense, classic.
Île Flottante(eel flo-TONT)
"Floating island." Soft meringue floating on vanilla custard, with caramel drizzle.
Crêpe Suzette(krep soo-ZET)
Crêpes flambéed in orange butter and Grand Marnier.
The Phrases You'll Need at the Table
"L'addition, s'il vous plaît" (la-dee-SYON, see voo PLAY): the check, please. The check doesn't come automatically in France. You ask for it.
"Une carafe d'eau" (oon ka-RAHF doh): a carafe of tap water (free). Otherwise you'll be charged for bottled.
"Saignant" / "à point" / "bien cuit" (san-YON / a PWAN / byan KWEE): rare / medium / well-done.
"Pour deux personnes" (poor duh per-SON): for two people. Some dishes are sized for sharing.
Lunch is cheaper than dinner. The lunch formule is one of the best deals in France. Three courses for what dinner costs you for one.
Tap water is free. Order "une carafe d'eau" and skip the €6 bottle.
Service is included by law. The bill says "service compris." Tipping is optional and minimal (round up or leave a euro or two for great service).
Bread is free. They'll bring it without asking. Ask for more if you want.
Don't ask for substitutions. French kitchens dislike modifications more than most. Order what's on the menu or skip the dish.
The Bottom Line
Most French menus are made of about 30 dishes that show up everywhere, plus regional specials. Learn this list and you can order at any bistro in the country. Add MenuPics for the few unfamiliar items, and you've solved the French menu.
The other big move: order steak frites your first night. You'll never regret it, and it's a cultural rite of passage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the structure of a French restaurant menu?
Most French menus are organized as: entrées (appetizers, NOT main courses despite the English meaning), plats (main courses), fromages (cheese course), desserts, and sometimes a menu fixe (fixed-price multi-course menu) at a discount. The "menu" in French is the fixed-price option; the "carte" is the a la carte list. Be careful with these false-friend words.
What does entrée mean in French?
In French, entrée means appetizer (the entry to the meal). In American English, entrée means the main course. They are opposite, which causes confusion. If you order an entrée in France, you're getting an appetizer, not a steak.
Is steak frites a fancy dish?
No. Steak frites is the classic French bistro main course. Steak (usually a flank cut like bavette or onglet) with a pile of fries. Often served with a sauce (béarnaise, peppercorn, bordelaise) and sometimes a salad. It's the most-ordered dish in France for a reason.
What's the difference between a brasserie, a bistro, and a restaurant in France?
A brasserie is a casual, all-day spot serving traditional dishes (croque monsieur, steak frites, oysters). A bistro is small, often family-run, with a tighter menu of classic French dishes. A restaurant is more formal, often with a longer menu and a more elaborate experience. The boundaries blur, but the ranking from casual to fancy is brasserie, bistro, restaurant.