Looking for a tasty French meal near you?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end French restaurants around Baltimore, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture when cravings strike.
1. Charleston Restaurant
Topping the list is Charleston Restaurant. Located at 1000 Lancaster St. in the Inner Harbor, it is the highest rated upscale French restaurant in Baltimore, boasting 4.5 stars out of 400 reviews on Yelp. The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Cindy Wolf, who has been named a finalist multiple times for best chef in the region.
There's a prix fixe tasting menu from which guests choose between three and six courses. The food is French but with Southern American influences. Expect menu options such as cornmeal-fried oysters, artichoke risotto and grilled French quail. Pair your fare with one of the hundreds of wines on offer. The full menu can be seen here.
2. Petit Louis Bistro
Next up is Roland Park's Petit Louis Bistro, situated at 4800 Roland Ave. It's another Cindy Wolf-helmed operation, with a more purely French menu.
A la carte options include hors d’oeuvres, like vichyssoise and mussels with herb butter, and main dishes like grilled lamb steak with pommes frites or duck confit. A dessert menu showcases crème brûlée, chocolate mousse and a selection of liqueurs and sweet wines. With four stars out of 254 reviews on Yelp, Petit Louis Bistro has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge.
3. La Cuchara
La Cuchara, located at 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 125, in Woodberry, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving it four stars out of 237 reviews. The restaurant specializes in cuisine from the Basque region, an area that straddles the French and Spanish borders.
Available tapas — or pintxos in the Basque language — include ham or bacalao croquettes, shishito chiles with lemon salt, and white anchovies. Larger plates include grilled vegetables, lamb meatballs and soft-shell crab with Dijon aioli. The restaurant has earned four stars out of 230 reviews on Yelp.
4. Chez Hugo Bistro
Finally, head downtown for Chez Hugo Bistro, another much-loved, pricey go-to with 4.5 stars out of 17 Yelp reviews. Diners in the 66-seat bistro (plus bar area) can watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen, where they prepare a seasonal menu of traditional dishes from the French countryside.
Menu offerings include the tartare de tomate pour deux (heirloom tomatoes with melon, cornhusk ice cream, raspberries, scallions and jalapeño), and grilled duck breast and duck leg confit baked in a puff pastry. There are a number of French ciders on the drinks menu, alongside wines and handmade cocktails. Head over to 206 E. Redwood St. to see for yourself.
