survey result

Summary

£65
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This popular small bistro group is “so very French”, especially when eating at the original “buzzy” Battersea branch, which opened in 2007 “at an attractive location near the river”. The other branches – in Putney, Wandsworth Common and the City (plus one inside the Institut Français in South Kensington) – are also applauded as “good value” options, but results can also seem a little “unadventurous”.

Summary

£64
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This “buzzy” and “well-priced” modern Gallic quartet (Clapham, Putney and Wandsworth plus the City) keeps regulars happy with “interesting twists on the starters” and “some great weekly offers, eg ‘Lobster Night’”. One or two critics feel their performance is “half-hearted and disappointing”, but on most accounts they are an “extremely likeable attempt to recreate a French bistro”.

Summary

£59
   ££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“So VERY French in every way” – this southwest London trio (Clapham, Wandsworth and Putney, plus a Holborn branch) “has worked so hard to keep going with style and panache” over the years, and is recommended unreservedly by many reporters. For quite a few sceptics, though, it’s “a great concept”, but the execution “needs sharpening up”. Top Tip: “the best steak tartare in town”.

Summary

£53
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This Gallic duo in Clapham and Putney (Balham is now closed, RIP) score well for “lovely classic French bistro food”, “good vibes from friendly staff” and a “really good value prix fixe lunch”. They also run sightseeing meals on luxury double-decker buses in London and Paris. Top Tip – “seasonal offerings (e.g. fondue, morilles etc) keep the menu interesting”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

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Best French restaurants nearby

Brasserie Blanc Chancery Lane
French restaurant in Holborn
£62
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
2
Average
Cigalon
French restaurant in Holborn
£62
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
Bleeding Heart Bistro
French restaurant in Clerkenwell
£64
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
4
Very Good

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

Brasserie Blanc Chancery Lane
French restaurant in Holborn
£62
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
2
Average
Cigalon
French restaurant in Holborn
£62
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
Bleeding Heart Bistro
French restaurant in Clerkenwell
£64
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
4
Very Good