Outdoor enthusiasts, professionals, and out-of-towners staying at Boulder’s St. Julien flock to this French-inspired dining room and open-air terrace. The menu includes classic bistro dishes such as steak frites, brique au poulet, bouillabaisse, warm goat cheese salad, and chocolate pot de creme, as well as an upscale brunch menu with everything from oysters to chicken and Belgian waffles to French dip sliders with gruyere and horseradish creme.

Indeed, the French have a timeless love affair with cheese — stinky, creamy, indulgent cheesy goodness — which is why LoHi’s cheese bar, Truffle Table, earns its way onto this list. Pair a Brie, Camembert, or Roquefort with a Bordeaux, chardonnay, or pinot noir, or, go big with a steaming, sloppy portion of fondue.

Chef Linda Hampsten Fox’s first foray into the Denver dining scene came about late last year with The Bindery in LoHi. Having spent 10-plus years in Europe, she brought back modern American twists on classic fare, including her eatery’s delightful take on Boulder hen coq au vin.

Parisian cuisine comes to Denver’s Larimer Square community, reflecting the City of Lights’ Left Bank. Though the bistro has been in place for more than a decade, chef Jennifer Jasinski still manages to make it feel like an undiscovered secret. Thursday evenings are exclusively reserved for French classics, including tournedos Rossini, coq au vin, and sole meunière.

This retro bistro is the latest of Frank Bonanno’s culinary creations in the Mile High City, which serve to spread the gospel of classic French cuisine. Try the Hudson Valley foie gras, the escargot gratin with garlic parsley butter, the canard a l‘orange with roasted fingerling potatoes, and haricots verts, or the bouillabaisse with salmon, shrimp, mussels, tomato fumet, and baguette. Lastly, a wide variety of the eatery’s eponymous cocktails are a must-try.

A neighborhood eatery highlighting French cooking techniques, Mizuna combines high hospitality with culinary mastery. Restaurateur Frank Bonanno’s Capitol Hill gem is intimate with a stunning wine list — it makes for a memorable first-date location, bound to secure a second. Try the decadent mac and cheese with hunks of butter-poached Maine lobster and the breast of pheasant au jus with creamed kale.

This warm Washington Park haunt was originally a spinoff of Telluride’s longstanding La Marmotte, but it found new owners early last year. Featuring white linens and delicately artistic flair, the bistro serves up a mussel starter with fennel, prosciutto, tomatoes, and spicy saffron cream; a hanger steak au poivre (with loosely cracked peppercorns), and a brunch selection ranging from beignets to Benedicts.

Atelier by Radex, a welcoming French-influenced restaurant, now sits in the space that Il Posto formerly called home. This bistro marks chef Radek Cerny’s re-entry into the Denver dining scene, where he taps into his love of French fare and offers classic dinner dishes such as salade de homard (a lobster salad), Cassoulet d’Agneau (a lamb cassoulet), and Magret de Canard (shaved duck carpaccio) at affordable prices.

Cherry Creek’s quintessential French haunt gets busy crafting gourmet but homespun French meals, emphasizing seasonal produce, exotic game, and seafood. For morning visitors, the check out the extensive list of crepes. Try the pâté maison — a chicken liver mousse — or the beef bourguignon braised with red wine and a veal demi glace, or the lamb chops provencale. Though vegetarian friendly French fare can be hard to come by, La Merise prepares a daily meat-free main dish as well.

The people of France, especially those of the northwestern region of Brittany, have enjoyed eating crepes since the Middle Ages. Here they’re made by popular Denver chef Alain Veratti on imported iron griddles while customers sip cappuccinos or a glass of French wine. Choose from a selection of gluten-free, buckwheat, or wheat crepes, with a range of fillings from savory salmon to fresh fruits and ice cream.

This French inspired bakery in Hilltop dishes out flaky croissants, rotating macarons, baguettes, and beautiful cakes. The brainchild of Melissa Yanc, an experienced chef and baker and her sous baker, Keturah Fleming, La Fillette, meaning “little girl,” is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. presenting freshly baked goods each morning, some sweet and others savory.