Our Favorite NYC Restaurants Serving Up Food from Francophone Regions

As a fun extension of our incroyable roundup of favorite French restaurants in New York City, we’re highlighting some lesser-known cuisines from French-speaking countries across the globe. So, when you’re ready to adventure off NYC’s tried-and-true moules frites, coq au vin, and quiche-filled path, savor an authentic dish from one one of these lauded Manhattan and Brooklyn eateries that offer food from francophone regions.

 

Haitian

If you love creole cuisine, Haitian food will be your new favorite—blending a combination of French, African, Spanish, and Arab influences, it’s full of strong, spicy flavor characterized by copious amounts of fresh herbs and peppers. Start with riz collé aux pois aka: “Riz National”—the country’s signature dish—which tops rice and red kidney beans with tomato, onion, and fish. 

• Djon Djon: This gem in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, is helmed by a Haitian-born chef and named for the country’s staple mushrooms. The bustling spot serves everything from Haitian sauce-stewed lamb to rich veggie-filled Haitian liberation soup to fried pork and pikliz (Haitian slaw) sliders.

• Joenise Restaurant: Head to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights for the ultimate traditional comfort food—think spicy griot (marinated roasted pork shoulder), smashed and fried green plantains, red snapper, goat soup, and much more.

• Rebel Restaurant and Bar: For a more modern take on the cuisine, try this spot on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where you can find Caribbean-Haitian spins on favorites like pasta tossed with green and red peppers, salted smoked herring with green plantains, and a build-your-own appetizer with options including plantains, shrimp, griot, goat, beef, and fried fish.

• Lakou Cafe: This buzzy vegan-friendly fusion spot in Crown Heights offers everything from the oft-ordered Haitian puff pastries (filled with codfish, chickpeas, or chicken) to their most popular dish, a braised salmon plate marinated in the popular Haitian epis spice mix, to traditional squash-based soup. There’s even a house-made cashew brittle, to finish on a sweet note.

 

Belgian

This country’s food reflects the cuisine of its neighbors—France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Traditional dishes often feature shrimp, leeks, potatoes, endive, and white asparagus—and yes, the Belgians are known worldwide for their frites, but locals also love rich waterzooi stew, an egg yolk and cream broth-based soup filled with vegetables and chicken or fish.

• BXL Zoute: This Flatiron, Manhattan hotspot leans into the region’s French flair, offering delights like croquettes de fromage, bone marrow with toast, and roasted chicken with applesauce. But the Belgian comes out in their baked endives au gratin, Belgian-style meatballs with tomato sauce, and mussels with endives and cream.

• Pommes Frites: The name says it all! Head to Greenwich Village, Manhattan for several twists on the classic double-cooked frites. From truffle to poutine to Greek-style, there are also 10 popular dipping sauces (think: banana ketchup, spicy mayo, and rosemary garlic) to include with your order. And you can also grab a popular Belgian dessert—the stroopwafel, filled with chocolate or caramel—to go.

• B Cafe: When on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this bistro is a must-visit—the interior’s warmly-lit, brick-lined walls give off cozy vibes, and the menu is all Belgian comfort. Enjoy the pillowiest waffles (both sweet and savory versions!) for brunch, croques, quiches, and endive salad for lunch, and beef stew simmered in Belgian beer for dinner. Speaking of—there’s a large variety of authentic brews on tap and by bottle, from lagers to ales to witbiers.

• Vol de Nuit: If you’re seeking a Belgian-only beer spot downtown, swing by this Greenwich Village bar, which stocks over 30 varieties of the country’s brews served authentically in large, chilled glasses. Beer is the main attraction here—the sole menu item is frites with four simple sauce options, but sometimes that’s all you need!

 

Swiss

Switzerland’s cuisine is as diverse as its languages—a mixture of German, Italian, Romansch, and of course French. Second only to the country’s reputation for incredible chocolate is their decidedly French love of cheese. Fondue, a melted cheese and wine dip, is the national dish—and it’s as fun to eat as it is delicious. Its cousin, raclette, involves heating the cut side of a large wheel of cheese and slicing the melted portion off onto a plate. Dipping items are fully customizable, though the Swiss love potatoes, bread, pickles, and apples.

• The Lavaux: No, the Alps have not been transported to Manhattan’s West Village—though this place could certainly make you believe it! Not only is this a perennially popular restaurant, but there’s also a private “Swiss Chalet” space modeled after a skiing cabin. They carry an extensive selection of Swiss wines, and their menu is delightfully cheese-centric. No surprise, fondue has its own category.

• Cafe Select: This classic “Swiss-French-European” restaurant and bar in Nolita, Manhattan has been a neighborhood staple since 2008. They’re one of the few spots to carry popular Swiss carbonated sodas Pepita and Rivella, and food options range from French onion soup to a plateau de fromage to burgers topped with raclette.

• Taureau: If you’re craving fondue while out and about in lower Manhattan, head to Soho for a restaurant that specializes in the dish (truly, it’s all they have on the menu!) The choices are separated into three categories: cheese, meat, and dessert. From there, you’ll have copious sub-options—so bring your appetite!

 

Senegalese

This West African country boasts heavy French influences in both its language and cuisine, the latter of which is quite fish-centric. You’ll also find ample use of peanuts (a major crop of the region), rice, black-eyed peas, chicken, and lamb. The national dish, thieboudienne, is a one-pot wonder combining rice, vegetables, and fish. It’s some of the most flavorful food from a francophone region that you can find on this side of the Atlantic!

• Teranga: This bright, buzzy eatery has two Manhattan locations—East Harlem and Midtown—and reflects the diversity of Senegal. Dishes with traditional Senegalese ingredients abound—try the chicken mafe bowl (which includes jollof rice and mafe peanut sauce), black-eyed pea stew or salad, and steak suya bowl (suya is a spicy peanut seasoning). 

• Africa Kine: Locals have frequented this Harlem, Manhattan restaurant since 1994, and they love the simple grilled, baked, or fried fish of the day, the brochette crevette (shrimp skewers), farci (fish balls in tomato sauce), and petit pois (peas cooked with meat or chicken). 

• Joloff Restaurant: Named for the popular Senegalese rice cooked with tomatoes and spices, this Bed Stuy, Brooklyn spot is owned and operated by a Senegal native. The menu is substantial, featuring everything from thieboudienne to vegetables cooked in peanut sauce to marinated grilled lamb chops to chicken braised in onion and lemon sauce.
• Cafe Rue Dix: Head over to Crown Heights, Brooklyn for a spot that serves both Senegalese and French cafe fare with great music. The menu has everything from beignets and croissants to fataya (spicy empanadas served with Senegalese hot sauce) to croquettes de duck confit to spiced African stew.

Want to brush up on your français before you crack open a menu at one of these hotspots. Find the right French class for you at L’Alliance New York—from in person to virtual, beginner to advanced, there’s an option très parfaite for you!