On the hunt for the most Insta-friendly French spots in the UK

Café Boheme: a picture-perfect Parisian bistro 

‘I’ve only been once, but the atmosphere there transports you straight from the heart of London to Paris! The service is very French — in a nice way — and the tables by the entrance window are very pretty. It’s the best spot to get natural light and a good overview of the whole room. Go for the perfect Parisian breakfast in the morning — a good croissant and coffee.’ says Alex Zouaghi (@a_ontheroad). 

Café Boheme 
13 Old Compton Street, 
London W1D 5JQ 
Mon-Friday 8am-10pm, Sat 9am–10pm, Sun 9am-10pm 
cafeboheme.co.uk 

Mariage Frères: the ultimate tea destination 

Paris’s famous tea shop and salon didn't go unnoticed for Matilde Espírito Santo (@mylondonfairytales): Mariage Frères is ‘a beautiful tea emporium where any tea aficionado can explore the tea culture in the UK, located in a street near Covent Garden Market.  

On the ground floor, you can find a fascinating collection of tea canisters displayed around the wooden hall as well as tea-scented items. In the tea salon on the upper floor, you can enjoy a unique selection of dishes inspired by tea flavours and culture — I recommend going for  afternoon tea with an, to sample an assortment of distinctive flavours and have the opportunity to sip on rare teas from around the world’. 

Mariage Frères 
38 King Street, 
London WC2E 8JS 
Mon-Sun 11am-7pm 
mariagefreres.com 

Pant-y-Gwydr: a surprisingly diverse Gallic menu 

Leyla Kazim from thecutlerychronicles.com visited Swansea a couple of weeks ago and had a crush on Pant-y-Gwydr, ‘an elegant and simple French bistro serving genuine Gallic food using local Welsh ingredients. But what’s particularly interesting is that alongside the hearty and traditional meat-based dishes, there is a separate and very creative vegan menu. So you could start with something like a vegan courgette gateau and move onto a classic beef bourguignon, which is exactly what I did. I've never come across a French restaurant that caters so well to differing dietary requirements. And it was all totally delicious’. (@Leyla Kazim) 

Pant-y-Gwydr 
Oxford Street, 
Swansea SA1 3JA 
Tues-Sat 12-3.30pm and 6-10pm, Sun 12-4.30pm 
pantygwydr.com 

La Petite Auberge: welcome to the South West 

Great British Bake Off self-taught baker Manon Lagrève felt in France the minute she walked into this small restaurant on Upper Street: ‘Checkered red tablecloths and a brilliant duck confit with salardaise potatoes — I’m not quite sure how well-known this dish is here in the UK, but to me it’s quintessentially French. I spent some time in the South West over the summer so I ate some more duck there! When I’m in the mood for some good traditional, no-fuss, homey French food, this is definitely where I go’. 

La Petite Auberge 
283-284 Upper Street, 
London N1 2TZ 
Everyday 11.30am-10pm 
lapetiteaubergebistro.co.uk