With an enclave of French restaurants, bakeries, bars, boutiques, and schools across Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn boasts its own petit Paris. This guide highlights the best spots for French fare and wine, cocktails and nightlife, shops with imported goods, and bakeries and cafés, and even French-immersion preschools and dual language programs!
Restaurants & Bars
Bacchus | Boerum Hill | Bacchus offers authentic bistro fare and French wine in Boerum Hill. They have an extensive selection of vino—20 wines by the glass, and 200 by the bottle. They offer a rotating menu every night of the week of six appetizers and six entrees such as moules Bacchus (mussels cooked in red wine, bacon, onions and herbs) and confit de canard (roasted duck leg). In the warmer months, diners can enjoy their backyard garden.
Bar Bête | Carroll Gardens | This intimate 50-seat restaurant is inspired by bistros of Paris, New York, Montreal and New Orleans. Chef/Owner Marc St. Jacques has created a menu that is seasonally inspired and always changing. Standout dishes include the scallop crudo, tuna toast, duck fat potatoes, an omelet with peekytoe crab and seaweed butter, baked seat trout, and caramelized duck breast. Bar Bête also offers an extensive wine list. Sidewalk cafe seating is available in the warmer months!
Bar Rêve | Cobble Hill | Bar Rêve is a cocktail bar inspired by the salons and soirées of Belle Époque Paris. Located at the corner of Smith and Butler Streets, they are open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 5pm to 12am (1am on weekends). Cocktails are inspired by “impressions” of classic drinks, like a Collins, Negroni, or Boulevardier. Try the Aurore, inspired by the Pornstar Martini, or Monet’s Impression, which is Soleil Levant and made with tequila blanco, Champagne, passionfruit syrup, and lemongrass liqueur. The food menu features French beignets, frites, and fromages.
Bar Tabac | Cobble Hill | Bar Tabac is Cobble Hill’s iconic French bistro, serving the neighborhood for over 20 years. You’ll find classic French fare—Niçoise salad, steak tartare, and Croque Madame—among vintage French posters and artwork. They host live music weekly, and on Bastille Day they throw a massive celebration. It’s a spot beloved by both Francophiles and expats. Sit outside in the summer months and you’ll almost feel as if you’re in Paris! Open 7 days a week, serving brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Big Tiny | Cobble Hill | This charming bistro serves classic French dishes like escargot, escargot, tartiflette, and cassoulet, plus pizza, tapas, and a solid burger. The food menu is paired with a curated wine list. You’ll find wall-mounted bicycles and vintage posters in the cozy dining room, and there’s outdoor seating in the warmer months.
Café LULUc | Cobble Hill | Café LULUc is a charming French-American bistro that is a go-to for family brunch on the weekends. The menu features dishes like fluffy pancakes, an outstanding French toast, savory omelets, and a variety of sandwiches and pastas. Outdoor dining in their charming backyard in the summer! Try their Croque Monsieur or Croque Monsieur. On Mondays, they have a full menu of mussel dishes “Mussel Night,” served with garlic toast and frites.
Chez Moi | Cobble Hill | Chez Moi is a neighborhood bistro serving French fare and creative cocktails in a cozy, brick-walled space on Atlantic Avenue. Expect classics such as Steak Frites, Escargot and mussels inspired by different regions of France, plus Crème Brûlée and Profiteroles for dessert. Downstairs from Chez Moi is Le Boudoir, a craft cocktail bar with live entertainment. Learn more below!
Le Boudoir | Cobble Hill | Inspired by Marie Antoinette’s private chambers, Le Boudoir is a craft cocktail bar downstairs from Chez Moi, open Fridays & Saturdays 7pm-2pm with burlesque shows at 9:30pm & 11:30pm.
Save the date for The Scenario New Year’s Eve Dance Party at Le Boudoir! Expect a midnight dive into 90s and 2000s hip hop, pop, reggae and everything that moves the room! Headline DJ TY-Michelle joins DJ Marc Bars for the night. 21+ only. Tickets are $50 and include a glass of champagne at midnight. Space is limited at Le Boudoir, so get your tickets now.
French Louie | Boerum Hill | French Louie on Atlantic Avenue serves up steak frites, escargot, and mussels in a cozy setting with a charming back yard. Pair your steak tartare, duck and roasted chicken with a glass of wine or a craft cocktail. They are open for dinner every night, lunch Tuesdays through Fridays, and weekend brunch.
Levant on Smith | Boerum Hill | This cozy French bistro with an outdoor terrace serves classic French dishes with Mediterranean touches, alongside a curated wine and cocktail list. Open for lunch and weekend brunch, it also offers a three-course $59 prix-fixe dinner Sunday through Thursday, featuring favorites like French onion soup, coq au vin, steak frites, and crème brûlée, with an optional drink pairing.
Petite Crevette | Carroll Gardens | Petite Crevette in Carroll Gardens has been run by Chef-owner Neil Ganic since 1993. The BYOB restaurant specializes in seafood, with a fish-market concept. The daily catch is displayed for customers, who can order their preparation alongside sides like vegetables and mashed potatoes. The bistro is cozy with affordable prices.
Shops
Lea Fromages | Carroll Gardens | This cheese shop in Cobble Hill sells both imported and domestic cheese, cheese and charcuterie boards, and even gift baskets. You can also order grab a snack, like a baguette sandwich with ham, Comte, and butter. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-8pm and weekends 10am-7pm.
La Pharmacie | Boerum Hill | Located at 450 Atlantic Avenue, La Pharmacie is known for its curated selection of French skincare products, with a knowledgeable team ready to help you find the best regimen for your skin type. They are also a full-service pharmacy that aims to make filling prescriptions easy and stress-free.
Café & Bakeries
Atelier Ariana | Caroll Gardens | This Parisian cafe specializing in croissants is a newer arrival on Smith Street. Ariana Barkin, who studied for six years in Paris, first opened a pop-up outside of her apartment during the pandemic. Don’t miss their the Croissant aux Amandes, a decadent French pastry made from a leftover or fresh croissant, split, soaked in syrup, filled with frangipane, topped with more cream and sliced almonds, then baked again until golden and dusted with powdered sugar.
Brooklyn French Bakers | Carroll Gardens | This bakery was founded by three French bakers living in Brooklyn.Their baked goods include mini buns, quiches, mini croissants, cream puffs and mini tarts. Don’t miss out on their croissant muffins. You can also find them at their Park Slope location on 2nd Street, and a new outpost is coming to Downtown Brooklyn soon, at 41 Flatbush Avenue.
L’Appartement 4F | Brooklyn Heights | This French bakery opened in 2022 to great fanfare in Brooklyn Heights. You’ll typically find long lines down Montague Street for customers hungry for their croissants, including their signature raspberry pistachio rose flowers. Beyond their croissants, don’t miss out on their tahini chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns.
La Bicyclette | Carroll Gardens | This bakery makes French artisan bread, including an award-winning baguette. There are lines around the block for the breads and laminated pastries, but they are worth it! You can also purchase French butter, cheese, and jams. Don’t miss their pain au raisin and their ham sandwich. You can also get their freshly baked breads at locations in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Williamsburg.
Le French Tart Deli | Carroll Gardens | Le French Tart Deli is run by Chef Laurent, who aims to bring a little bit of Paris to Brooklyn. The shop not only sells baked goods, but also cheese, charcuterie, and French-imported products, from shampoo to mustards to cereal. In the bakery, you will find bread, crêpes, pastries, macarons, sandwiches, and tartes. Don’t miss out on the madeleines, pain au chocolat, almond croissants, and kouign-amann.
Le Petit Cafe | Carroll Gardens | Le Petit Cafe is a casual, cash-only French cafe with an open kitchen and an enclosed back garden is open year-round. Stop in for tea cakes and fresh croissants.
French Preschools & Dual Language Programs
Smith Street Maternelle | Brooklyn Heights & Carroll Gardens | Smith Street Maternelle, with three preschools campuses in Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, and Brooklyn Heights, offers a French immersion program for preschoolers. Their Toute Petite (2s), Petite (3s), and Moyenne Section (4s) classrooms provide an immersive introduction to the French language and to school life. At Brooklyn Heights, they have a Grande Section (Kindergarten) program. They also offer afterschool enrichment and an immersion summer camp, both en français.
Petit Poussins | Carroll Gardens | Opening January 2026 | Petits Poussins is opening up a new location in Carroll Gardens this January, located at 283 Court Street. The French-English bilingual daycare, already with locations in DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn, serves infants and toddlers ages 3 months to 2 years. Each classroom has one French-speaking teacher and one English-speaking teacher, with a curriculum focused on early language acquisition, well-being, and the development of fine and gross motor skills.
PS 133 William A. Butler School French Dual Language Program | Park Slope | PS 133 serves students from 3K through 5th grade and is especially known for its French and Spanish Dual Language programs, which build bilingualism and biliteracy. The French Dual Language program begins in Kindergarten (Spanish DLP is available in Pre-K), with instruction designed for both native speakers and English learners; students entering 1st grade and above must be fluent in the target language. The school offers outdoor space and after-school programming.
International School of Brooklyn French Immersion Program | Carroll Gardens | The International School of Brooklyn is an independent school serving Pre-K 3 through 8th grade, offering a French language immersion program paired with the International Baccalaureate Primary and Middle Years programs. Students learn through project-based learning, with instruction gradually balancing French or Spanish and English as they advance, and a third language introduced in 6th grade. The school has outdoor space, extended-day options, and welcomes diverse language backgrounds in early grades.
PS 58 French Dual Language Program | Carroll Gardens | PS 58’s French Dual Language Program offers a 50/50 French–English immersion model designed for both English-dominant and French-fluent students. Beginning in Kindergarten, students learn academic content equally in both languages. Classes integrate both native English and French speakers. Most students continue through fifth grade, with limited seats for newcomers beyond Kindergarten, making the program a long-term, family commitment to bilingual education.
PS 20 French Dual Language Program | Fort Greene | PS 20’s French Dual Language Program begins in Kindergarten and is designed to develop full bilingualism and biliteracy in English and French. Children do not need to speak French to enter in Kindergarten, with classes intentionally balanced between English and French speakers and seats reserved for Francophone English Language Learners. After Kindergarten, entry is limited to native speakers or students transferring from another dual language program.
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Updated: December 16, 2025. Main Image: Le French Tart Deli in Carroll Gardens.
Dining and Cooking