A French menu may name a classic dish without explaining the ingredients. The descriptions below tell you what the name usually signals—not the exact recipe at every restaurant. Sauces, garnishes and allergens vary, so confirm anything important with the staff.
Choose quickly: what kind of dish are you looking for?
| If you want… | Start with… | Know before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| A familiar, comforting main | Bœuf bourguignon, blanquette de veau or croque-monsieur | Rich sauces may contain wine, dairy or pork |
| Something light or starter-sized | Poireaux vinaigrette, œufs mayonnaise or a small terrine | Portion and garnish vary; terrine is often meat-based |
| A deliberately bold experience | Andouillette, escargots or steak tartare | Andouillette has a strong aroma; tartare is raw; escargots are usually butter-rich |
| A cheese-heavy winter dish | Aligot, tartiflette or raclette | These are filling and usually include dairy; tartiflette commonly contains lardons |
| A classic dessert | Tarte Tatin, profiteroles or Paris-Brest | Paris-Brest contains nuts; profiteroles and custards contain dairy and eggs |
If raw meat, pork, alcohol, dairy, nuts or a strong offal flavour would change your decision, ask before ordering. The dish name alone rarely lists every ingredient.
Starters, spreads and cold dishes
- Rillettes
- Meat or fish cooked slowly, shredded and mixed with fat into a coarse spread, usually served with bread or toast.
- Terrine
- A preparation cooked and served in slices from a mould. It may contain meat, fish or vegetables; pâté is only one possible style.
- Pâté en croûte
- A seasoned meat filling baked inside pastry and served cold in slices, often with pickles or salad.
- Œufs mayonnaise
- Hard-boiled eggs served with mayonnaise; a simple bistro starter whose garnish varies.
- Poireaux vinaigrette
- Cooked leeks served cool or at room temperature with a sharp vinaigrette, sometimes egg, herbs or nuts.
- Escargots
- Snails, commonly served in shells or a special dish with garlic-parsley butter. Ask how many are included.
Beef and other meat dishes
- Steak tartare
- Raw chopped beef seasoned to order or by the kitchen, often with capers, onion, mustard and egg yolk. It is not a cooked steak.
- Carpaccio
- Very thin slices of raw meat or fish with a dressing; ingredients named after the word identify the main item.
- Confit de canard
- Duck leg salted and slowly cooked in its own fat, then usually crisped before serving. Rich, tender and savoury.
- Bœuf bourguignon
- Beef slowly braised with red wine and aromatics in the Burgundy tradition, commonly with onions, mushrooms or bacon.
- Blanquette de veau
- Veal simmered gently and served in a pale, creamy sauce, often with mushrooms, small onions and rice.
- Andouillette
- A coarse sausage made from pork intestines, known for a strong aroma and distinctive texture. It is intentionally assertive, not a mild sausage.
- Jambon-beurre
- A baguette sandwich with French cooked ham and butter. Simple ingredients make bread and ham quality especially noticeable.
Fish, shellfish and delicate mains
- Quenelle
- A light oval dumpling made from a smooth mixture traditionally involving fish or meat, egg and a panade; often baked in sauce. Lyon-style pike quenelles are a classic version.
- Sole meunière
- Sole cooked with flour and butter, usually finished with lemon and parsley. Ask whether the fish is served whole.
- Moules-frites
- Mussels served with fries. The words after moules describe the broth or sauce, such as marinière, crème or curry.
Cheese, potatoes and winter dishes
- Gratin dauphinois
- Thinly sliced potatoes baked slowly with cream or milk and garlic. Traditional versions do not rely on cheese, though restaurant recipes vary.
- Aligot
- Mashed potato worked with melted cheese into a smooth, stretchy texture, traditionally from Aubrac and often served with sausage or meat.
- Tartiflette
- A rich baked dish of potatoes, Reblochon cheese, onions and lardons, associated with the Alps.
- Raclette
- Melted raclette cheese served over potatoes, usually with charcuterie and pickles; it may be a shared tabletop experience.
- Choucroute garnie
- Fermented cabbage served with a substantial garnish, commonly sausages, other pork cuts and potatoes. Choucroute alone technically refers to the cabbage.
Café and brasserie classics
- Croque-monsieur
- A hot ham-and-cheese sandwich, toasted or baked, often with béchamel. A croque-madame adds an egg.
- Salade lyonnaise
- A salad commonly combining frisée, lardons, croutons and a poached egg with vinaigrette.
- Soupe à l’oignon
- Onion soup usually topped with bread and melted cheese, then gratinéed. Stock and toppings may contain meat, dairy and gluten.
Desserts that are easy to misread
- Île flottante
- Soft poached or steamed meringue floating on vanilla custard, often topped with caramel or nuts.
- Profiteroles
- Choux pastry puffs, often filled with ice cream or pastry cream and covered with warm chocolate sauce.
- Paris-Brest
- A ring of choux pastry filled with praline cream, created in connection with the Paris–Brest bicycle race.
- Tarte Tatin
- An upside-down caramelised apple tart, usually served warm; cream or ice cream may be added.
- Café gourmand
- Coffee served with several miniature desserts chosen by the restaurant. Ask what is included if allergies matter.
Words that change the dish
| Word | Useful meaning |
|---|---|
| Maison | Presented as the house’s preparation; not the same regulated wording as fait maison |
| Fait maison | A regulated indication for qualifying dishes prepared on site from raw ingredients, with permitted exceptions |
| À partager | Intended for sharing |
| Selon arrivage | Depends on what was delivered or available |
| Du jour | Of the day |
| Gratiné | Finished with a browned crust, often under strong heat |
| En croûte | Enclosed in a crust or pastry |
| Meunière | A flour-and-butter preparation, often with lemon and parsley |
Ask before ordering when…
- You avoid pork: lardons, stock, sausage or garnish may not appear in the title.
- You have an allergy: sauces, pastry, custard, praline and cross-contact need confirmation.
- You do not eat raw food: tartare and carpaccio are normally raw.
- You want a light dish: confit, aligot, tartiflette and many gratins are deliberately rich.
- You expect a particular side: classic names do not guarantee the same garnish everywhere.
Learn how entrée, plat, formule and cuisson structure the menu
Choose the right type of Paris restaurant
Understand water, tipping and payment before the bill arrives
Find a neighbourhood that fits your food and mood
The safest translation tool is a question
Even a perfect dictionary cannot tell you a restaurant’s exact recipe. Ask “Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dedans ?” (What is in it?) or “Comment est-ce préparé ?” (How is it prepared?). Good menu reading is not knowing every word—it is noticing which details matter to you.