Best Trendy Table Hotspots French Restaurants in University Village

A SoHo fixture since the 1970s, Raoul’s is a dim, classic French bistro known for peppery steak au poivre, escargots, and a small but coveted bar burger. Regulars lean on it for late-night dates, celebratory dinners, and a transportive room that still channels old downtown energy.

Opened in 2025 by the team behind Libertine, Chateau Royale is a bi-level Greenwich Village townhouse serving updated French classics like duck à l’orange, lobster thermidor, and caviar-stuffed beggar’s purses. Critics and early regulars treat it as a modern special-occasion spot, anchored by theatrical martini carts and a plush, vintage-leaning dining room upstairs.

Chef Paul Denamiel’s Little Prince has operated on Prince Street since 2013, serving a tight menu of bistro dishes in a compact, plant-framed room. It’s a neighborhood choice for steak frites, the much-talked-about French onion soup burger, and cozy brunches that feel more like a local hang than a destination spot.