France-Soir

We visited France-Soir in Melbourne on 02/08/25 after hearing many positive reviews. This place is the perfect restaurant for a “hustle-bustle” atmosphere - but keep in mind it is quite small. Regarding the food, we had already eaten quite a large breakfast so we only ordered a few popular entrees. This is what we ordered: - Steak tartare 100g $30 ✨ - Burgundy snails with garlic $28 - Scallops with saffron sauce $36 ✨ ✨ = Must-have Out of these menu items, we felt the tartare and scallops were the star of the show. France-Soir nails using fresh ingredients and perfecting the texture of our foods. The tartare and scallops were both smooth and soft. The snails were very heavy with the garlic flavour, which we did not enjoy. Overall we would love to visit again to try some of the mains. A great, high energy atmosphere!

A hidden gem serving French cuisine. Its quite packed and always crowded, best to make a booking. Friendly staff. Food was served quick. The escargot was delicious. They serve excellent bread as well. Duck was cooked nicely. Chips were crispy. Steak was good, wished it was a bigger portion. The dessert was exceptional. Pear tart was amazing, chocolate mousse was rich.

There is a reason that this is a beloved Melbourne institution, the food is delicious. The service is quick, attentive and friendly, the wine list is extensive. I love the steak tartare its perfect, the escargot is tender and packed with garlic, sopping up that butter with the fresh warm bread a delight. I had the rabbit special which was rich and moreish and the profiteroles were an obscenely generous serving.

Second time visiting France soir, this time for lunch. Loved the energy in this place. What makes this place appealing is the atmosphere, ambiance, and a very European feel. You really feel like you’re in a French restaurant. I do like the variety of the menu, and the entrees we had were good. Beef tartare was excellent- a must try. Escargot was hot, buttery, garlicky, and yum — for someone that doesn’t normally like escargot, it was tasty. Beef carpaccio was a special on the menu— recommend. I have had steak here twice, both times the steak was average. The fries were a little too fried this time, very hard and very yellow, and didn’t have that perfect crunch on the outside and softer on the inside. Perhaps intentional, but not my preference the way it was served. I’d come back again but probably for wine and sharing plates of smaller dishes and entrees rather than main meals. The wine book, is extensive. We had a wonderful bottle of red.

A classic French institution in Melbourne and definitely lives up to its reputation for traditional OG French fare. We came in with a list of recs and worked our way through a fair few: scallops, snails, quail, steaks, duck — all the good stuff. The complimentary bread was so good we polished it off in minutes, and the waiter happily offered more without even asking — a small thing but always appreciated. The scallops and snails were both solid starters. Scallops were a bit on the smaller side but packed with flavour thanks to the sauce, and the snails were steaming hot — be warned, I almost burnt my mouth but worth it. We also tried a cold meat paté-style dish, nice with the baguette but nothing overly memorable. The quail was slightly dry in parts but decent overall when paired with the mushroom mix it came with. The real winners were the mains — both steaks cooked spot on, and surprisingly well priced for the quality. Pro tip: go with the mushroom sauce over the pepper, it was miles better. The duck was also a nice change-up from all the red meat and done quite well. Service throughout was on point — our waiter was attentive and even gave helpful advice to stop me from overordering. Left a 10% tip not because of pressure but because the whole experience was well looked after and deserved it.

Wonderful French cuisine and a vibe that makes you feel like you are in Paris. On arrival you are given warm french bread with salted butter - delicious and the perfect way to start. My husband and I then shared a charcuterie plate for starters (though we forgot to leave some of the bread to have with it) - all meats and the gherkins delicious. Main course was a perfectly cooked scotch fillet steak with bernaise sauce that quite simply melted in your mouth - served with hot and tasty fries. Yummy! Cedric was a brilliant and attentive waiter! Byo for lunch was excellent. Just one word of caution. Beware the two tables at the back of the restaurant which are next to the flapping doors to the kitchen (and the worst table of the house the one in front of the cheese that is also next to the toilet door). Arrive early for lunch or dinner! (The one in front of the cheese should never be offered to anyone.)

The steak tartare here is the best, cannot fault it. A must-try Melbourne establishment everyone should go at least once in their life. It’s old-school and what you see is really what you get. The service was a little slow the day we went, however it was a busy lunch service so can be excused.

Came here for my husband’s birthday….After sitting down can see there are dried leftover stuck on the plate… maybe it’s from the last customer… idk.We paid the price like this shocked me they don’t double check the plate before putting it down on the table. My husband is white he loves this restaurant but for me all of the dishes are so plain. Nothing really stands out.The beef tripe taste soft but the soup base tastes like tomato flavor instant noodles….kind of speechless.If I HAVE TO recommend I will say go with the calamari because at least the base it’s mild spicy… and I love spicy but still can not explain it’s still plain.Anyway life is just trying out new things but this time I know for sure it’s not my piece of meat~

The first thing I noticed about France Soir is that it definitely resembles a French bistro. It's very unassuming from the outside, but inside it's lovely; divided into two sections that consist of a more modern looking first area, and then towards the back (the restaurant is deep) it looks a little more casual, but still nice. They pack people in, and it gets loud, but it's all good. The only other thing that might have made it feel more French yet, was the music. I imagined the French cafe type accordion music, but anyhoo ... The service was good. The staff are friendly. They run a very tight ship but got everything right. For starters, I ordered a beautifully fresh and delicious dill cured salmon that came with creme fraiche and toasts. It was so good. For dinner, I couldn't look past the Duck à l'orange. Another incredible choice. Many mains, come with pomme frites, so you think not to order anything else. The only negative, was that there are so few per meal. For mine, that had a lot of jus, it NEEDED something like a full serve of pomme frites, or else I would have ordered some other kind of side. However, it was delicious. Lastly, I ordered the Rum Baba which should have been delicious, and probably was, except there was way too much rum poured over it for my liking. It was fresh and had potential, and when I eat there next time and maybe order dessert again, I'd ask for no rum, to be honest. Overall, the experience here was great. We all enjoyed our dinners and again, the service was very good. Yes, it's a little pricey, but this was an occasion, so it was worth it. Parking could be a bit of a problem, so make sure to leave with enough time to search for a spot, but I would absolutely come back here again for sure sometime hopefully very, very soon!

Delicious food and one of my favourite French restaurants if not the fave, in Melbourne. Located at the top of Toorak road always packed. The food is super tasty and excellentX loud. Bussing service. The cocktails and drinks are fantastic and I've been coming here for 30 years so definitely worth putting on you must have list, cause it's an experience.

What a disappointment it was, we were stuck between 2 tables who clearly new each other, 6 on one and four on the other so they moved between the 2 with our table of four stuck in between them. They were obviously regulars as the staff were set on looking after them before anyone else. The place was horrendously noisy to the point we could hardly hear each other speak. The service was ordinary leaving far too much time to clear the table and to present the main course. We have been there before and didn't have the same amount of disappointment. The meals were ok but I would only rate the a 6/10 ,duck was rare and not edible for one on our table. We all agreed when we left Franc Soir that we would never return. As a group we have been to most of Melbournes best restaurants, I owned a successful restaurant some years ago so I think that I and we are more than equipped to provide this review. France Soir was extremely busy last night as I expect it is on every Saturday night Clearly the acoustics need to be addressed, solid timber parquetry flooring , walls and ceilings do nothing to address the issue of acoustics. There are so many excellent restaurants in Melbourne with many newcomers displaying great menus great presentation and excellent food. Sadly last night France Soir lost it for our group. No doubt it will continue to be listed as one of Melbournes best but not for me.

The food here would have been worth 4 stars but I am only giving it 3.5 due to the too cramped seating area. Sure the busyness and crowd only attests to how popular this place but I would like to enjoy my dining experience instead of having to avoid knocking into people the whole evening. That said, food was unpretentious and definitely well prepared for this French Bistro. Worth checking out the specials of the day which the waiters will read out.

Back at France Soir on 21 October 2017. It remains one of my favourite places in Melbourne. Superb food, lovely wine list, great atmosphere, cheeky and efficient wait staff. This was my 5th or 6th visit and I'm planning many more. Just a few highlights from this latest visit. You will struggle to get better oysters anywhere in Melbourne. They are always great quality and served beautifully and with the right amount of chill. And, there are not many top restaurants where you can bring your own. You can bring special bottles here for just $15 corkage. I'm not going to go through any more detail except to say the food was magnificent today - snails, calarami, steak, fish, rabbit - every single dish our group had was superb across every course. And, the wait staff were magnificent as always. A special day for a special birthday. Again, one of my favourite places in all of Melbourne. Previous review from 2014 Love France Soir. Lots to like here. The food is great. I had variously oysters, mussels and beef bourgignon and the cheese platter. Everything was wonderful. Loved every mouthful frankly. I found the service great. There's a lovely servile superiority about it. That's contradictory, I know. They think you're inferior but treat you with a grudging and slightly humorous respect. I loved it and so did the rest of the party. I'd come here anytime.

Located in South Yarra on Toorak Road, France Soir is the place to go if you want to splash out on some yummy French food. My GCSE French tells me that the name "France Soir" literally means France evening. And that's pretty much what you have from the quintessentially French menu to the charming French wait staff. The service was what you'd expect from a French restaurant in Saint-Michel and the waiters certainly ensured you were enjoying yourselves. Our particular waiter decided to take the piss out of my English accent comprehensively and it later emerged he'd lived their for a long time and loved it (some people love the UK!). The food was delicious and the wine list extensive. The steak with Bernaise sauce was cooked to perfection. This has to go down as one of the better dining experiences in Melbourne!

Since coming to Australia I have been in search of great steak. I finally found it at France Soir. Excellent meat cooked perfectly! We started out with a bueatiful bottle of red and lamb's brains. I am one to always try anything, but wasn't quit sure about brains. Let me assure you, they were fabulous! It was melt in your mouth goodness! They are now a staple every time we go. Next we got the steak frites and the rabbit confit special. The steak was a good cut, aged to perfection with side of thin chips and a salad. I am picky with steak and can assure you France Soir has got it right. The rabbit confit special, however, was the star of the show. Absolutely amazing! If I was on death row, this rabbit would be my last meal. Seriously, it was that good. Sadly, they haven't had the rabbit confit any time I have been back, but I guess it gives me a chance to try other dishes (sigh). The ambiance and waitstaff are also fantastic. The word is out on France Soir, so make sure you make a reservation.

I love this place. The busyness of the place, waiters that speak French even though I don't understand a word of it, it's the reason my partner come back here all the time. Sure, it may be cramped, by your opinion, but it's all part of the charm. If you've been to France, this place will bring it home. Good hearty French cooking to fill your soul.

Thank you to the staff tonight who allowed the lonely american to try your restaurant after a bit of hesitation from you. As having no reservations on a friday night was just rude of me. I went early right before the 6pm seating. Ordered quickly as the waiter "Cesar" was personable and absolutely hilarious as he and another danced hula after hearing I was from Hawaii. The specials were on the mirror and the menu is fabulous. I had just eaten 4 hrs earlier but I was craving a steak. The service was fast, attentive, as I watched a quiet restaurant turn into a french circus of plates and byob dinners consuming their wines. I watched the bartender chase an old lady with a chanel bag wearing old jeans down the street as she left her 2nd or 3rd bottle behind. The place was loud and fun to observe. Food was great, service was excellent and again...thanks to the bartender who looked at me crazy for trying to eat on a fri night! Thanks Cesar for making this out of towner feel welcome in this French bistro. If only I spoke French! Americans go...have no expectations and give it a try. Extensive wine list and definately a bustling place to enjoy great service, good french menu and beautiful hard working waiters. Its like watching Hamilton on broadway..happy to get the seat..so much going on...and applause at the end. Bravo!

Authentic French cuisine. How I wish I could speak fluent French!! I had Tarte Tatin and French Breakfast. C'est très bon

France Soir's food is solid but tables are squeezed too close and service is not great. It is almost impossible to get in or out seats without asking the person behind or next to you get up. You are forced to enter seats sideways, sometimes on tiptoe, and invade a neighbour's space. I fully understand that the more tables the more money France Soir can make, but their tables are really too tightly packed. There are many French restaurants in Melbourne, including one down the road (Bistro Gitan), where you can get delicious food, comfortable sitting, great service and save a few dollars.

France Soir? Franc No! No No No! Made a booking for 9pm, the earliest available, so was already quite hungry by the time we arrived. There was already no standing room when we got there, and nobody to ask about our table. When we finally got to speak to someone, he promised the table would be ready in 10 minutes. We went a few doors up for a quick drink, simply because there was literally nowhere to stand in there. We came back in time, but got the same treatment. Lots of others were crowding in, many with bookings much earlier than ours. Not looking good! By the time we'd spent an hour getting pushed around by their grumpy staff, it was time to leave, and try to find somewhere else to eat at 10pm. They just shrugged - who cares, when all your tables are full? If you're looking for the perfect restaurant to *kill* a romantic night out, this is it. They clearly overbook, more interested in their bottom line than in taking care of their customers. A true bunch of pricks.

Went here following my graduation ceremony. Arrived at 8:30 for our 9pm booking and they managed to fit us in. The tables are a little squishy but the atmosphere very Parisian. The food was delicious with authentic French flavours. Shared entrees of lambs brains with butter and capers which were lightly battered and melted in your mouth. The leek tart was also light and fluffy. For mains duck à l'orange which was a very generous portion and pink succulent meat. What let down the whole experience was the service. It seemed our waiter was more interested in having a drink at the bar then serving us our food. To accompany our mains we ordered salad and no chips. What arrived was chips and no salad we tried to get the waiter's attention but had to give up. There was a salad on the bar counter which remained there for the rest of our meal. Mistake maybe but there was no apology. We were keen to have desert given that it was a special occasion but it took so long for the waiters to bring us a menu and then almost 20 minutes and they still hadn't taken our desert order so we decided to give it a miss. Would I go here again? Whilst the food was delicious I think that there are plenty of French restaurants in Melbourne where you can get that plus great service which would make the whole experience far more enjoyable. Definitely won't be heading back in a hurry.

The best food that I have tasted, it really was like I had flown to France again unfortunately also in so far that we felt out of place and not measured good enough to be there. Quite determined to remain oblivious to any negative in my memory of draughty cramped table, wrong Salad and cold service because the bread was so perfectly French, the Tart just dissolved into flavour and the frites were crunchy salty deliciousness. All the food I don't generally eat or even desire I would make exception for here. One day I would like to go back but hard to gather the courage to walk through the door.

We ordered the grilled scampi with lemongrass for our entree; the 550g steak and the veal for our mains; and the wilted spinach and a bowl of fries as sides. The scampi and steak were delicious but the veal tasted like burnt chicken. Also, I ordered a glass of pinot gris and what they brought me tasted like sauv blanc. The spinach and fries were OK in so far as they tasted like what they purported to be.

One of the top French Bistros in Australia. The best wine list I have seen in any Australian restaurant. There is no pretentiousness here, real French Bistro, French waiters that treat waiting tables like the professional job it should be. The food is real, and the menu a classic! If you are looking for dollops of foams and fancy coulis dotted in a large white plate like a castaway in a vast ocean, this is not your place. My favourite, if I am in Melbourne for a day or a month, it always is first on my list of places for lunch or dinner. Be sure to book a table, it's cosy and tight and always full.

This Toorak Road French restaurant is located just down from the corner of Punt Road and next door to the French Fantasies patisserie. It offers the full range of iconic French dishes - escargot, coquilles St Jacques, duck l'orange, boeuf bourguignon - and does them very well. It's what you'd expect from a French restaurant in Toorak - white linen table cloths, a long mirror running along one wall with the daily specials written in white crayon, and real French waiters (or at least waiters who can produce more than a passable version of a French accent). I started with a Rickard and a French beer called Mont Blanc la Blonde and the charcuterie plate, which included prosciutto, a couple of varieties of salami and a little slab of terrine - the Spanish prosciutto was particularly good. I was in a grazing mood so I opted for a couple of entrees rather than a main. First up was the escargot. Really, you can't go wrong with snails can you? Exactly what I expected, served in individual pots with garlic butter. Tasty, succulent and delicious. This was followed by the Langoustines grilles a la citronella - prawns grilled with lemongrass. Very tasty and the light lemongrass sauce complemented the prawn meat really well. France Soir is good, solid French cuisine with no surprises. Entrees range between $15 - 25 and mains in the $30 - $40 price bracket.

Consistently good. Food is delicious Atmosphere when not to packed is nice. Music is nice Price not as nice... Average meals around $40-$50 but what do you expect from a high quality french restaurant in south yara The butter that comes with the bread is amazing Food 10/10 Value 8.5/10 Atmosphere depending on the time can be 7/10 - 9/10 Would definitely recomend.

Everything about this place exceeded my expectations. The food, the wine selection, the waiters, the atmosphere. My best experience of French food in Melbourne. What more can I say. It was a special occasion and they provided the excuse to enjoy the extravagance. I am saving up to go back soon.

It is like visiting Paris. I would go back any chance i got whether the staff placed me in the worst table or the best and ignored me or charmed me, after all it is the full French experience. I have never tasted food so delicious. It is rated as the best experiences of my eating experience and as i am not a foody or an avid eater and both picky and fussy this is saying alot. I don't eat bread or butter or pastry or cheese in general life but i would eat it here. Mind is constantly thinking up ways and events of justifying one day going back:)

As consistently awesome as last time, probably the best restaurant in melb? love the BYO for such a high calibre restaurant too.

Always delicious and great wine list A touch expensive but worth it Feel like your in France for the night Waiting lists to get in take a long long time :(

My favorite steak tartare in town. Kitchen open very late. No excuse to not have amazing food late at night. Love this place

This restaurant has the worst service i have ever seen. Dark, hot and cramped conditions make it an uncomfortable place to dine. To top it off. Our waiter was rude, arrogant and lazy. We will never return to this place again.

We went for our wedding anniversary and left really disappointed ,loud uncomfortable had people at the bar on top of us.No service and food poorly prepared....gristle in beef bourginion,brûlée heated and over cooked.one of my most disappointing dining experiences