The best French spots in San FrancISCO

Our team knows how expensive plane tickets to France are, trust us, we know!! But the staff at the Alliance has found ways to miss home a little less while in San Francisco. Indeed, there are little corners of France all over the Golden Gate city and our team has picked the best ones, waiting for you to discover them. We made you a step-by-step guide on how to eat French food for a whole day (or more). 

To start the day, bakeries & pastries (or for a sweet treat after work) : 

When thinking of France, you probably think of “croissants, baguettes et pain au chocolat”. SF has some of the best bakeries in the Bay Area, one of them being Le Marais Bakery, a family-owned French bakery & bistro. They make classic French pastries (croissants, pain, etc.) by hand, using long fermentation, natural levain, local & organic ingredients. Their croissants were even called “sinfully good” by the Oprah Magazine. Le Marais has several locations all over the city : Castro-Mission, Mill Valley…

Le Dix-Sept, in Potrero Hill, is a French pâtisserie & bakery known for its botanical flavors & colors. The chef, trained at Michelin-starred restaurants, reinvents pastries like canelés, brioche, choux, macarons, and savory options like focaccia sandwiches. 

Boho Petite, in the Marina district, is a French-style pâtisserie and café. In addition to classic French pastries such as chausson aux pommes or pain au chocolat, they have a wider menu with cakes (whole or per serving), lunch items, waffles, drinks…

For lunch, authentic French food with a Parisian vibe : 

The Café de la Presse (Grant Ave.) serves French breakfasts, lunches and dinners in a 1920’s style dining room. There, you can discover charcuterie and cheese boards, the traditional onion soup, croque-monsieurs or moules-frites… The Café de la Presse can get quite crowded, so we recommend making a reservation if you want to enjoy those classic French flavors.

Chez Maman is another French restaurant, with two locations in Hayes (Gough St.) and Potrero (18th St). This neighborhood restaurant also has the Parisian bistro vibe, where you can enjoy the French savory crêpes (we recommend the “complète” for a truly French experience).

For the “apéro”, a French tradition : 

Amélie Wine Bar (“bar à vins”) in Nob Hill, aiming to make wine accessible, with good music and a European atmosphere. With the wine, you can get “petits plats” (for $10), or the “plateau apéro”, with cheese, cured meats and pickles. And if wine isn’t your cup of tea, there is a wide selection of cocktails and beers. The happy hour is every day from 4-6pm ! Amélie Wine Bar is also a restaurant, great for a French “dîner” with lots of French classics.

Specialty stores to take France home :

La Fabrique Délices is a producer of French charcuterie based in the Bay Area. They produce a variety of pâtés, terrines, foie gras, duck confit… using artisanal & traditional methods. You can find them in the top restaurants of the Bay Area and all over the country, but also at the Daly City Farmer’s Market (every Thursday & Saturday), and sold by retailers in-store in SF (Whole Foods, La Fromagerie…).

Maison Nico is a Michelin-starred French-inspired épicerie and pâtisserie. They offer a variety of sweet treats : choux, madeleines, cannelés - and savory items : pâté en croûte, quiche, salade niçoise…

For wine, PlumpJack Wine Store carries a large selection of French wines by region, from Bordeaux to Provence, whether you prefer whites, reds or bubbles. Their prices range from affordable bottles under $20 to prestige wines over $500. If you’d like to make your own cheese board at home, La Fromagerie in the Marina has a large selection of French cheese and charcuterie. Paired with a wine bottle from PlumpJack Wine Store, you get the French experience.