Harden's says
Formerly Bob Bob Cité, Leonid Shutov has rebranded his £25m City creation as Bob Bob Ricard City, and making it similar in style to the Soho original.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Tap the ‘Press for Champagne’ button, add a little caviar tasting plate to the low-level lighting and small booth seating, and you have an ideal formula for a romantic dinner!” or, indeed, for a casual business tête-a-tête at Leonid Shutov’s willfully decadent retro-diners, styled in a kind of Art Deco steampunk. Both at the Soho original and in the newer City spin-off that occupies a floor of “The Cheesegrater”, they provide “an amazing setting”; and “somehow the totally OTT gaudiness of the place makes the overall experience a genuinely fun one”. Fans also say “the Beef Wellington is really very good” and approve of its other luxurious comfort food like Lobster Mac ’n’ Cheese, Chateaubriand for One, or Salmon en Croute. “It’s not cheap mind you” and harsher critics say the food “just doesn’t cut it” (“the novelty of the fun Champagne button sadly wears off when the dishes arrive; and while the bling and the booths create an atmosphere of unrestrained wealth, I prefer restaurants where food is the prime objective”).
Summary
The ‘Press for Champagne’ button has become an Instagram classic – made famous by the original Soho branch of Leonid Shutov’s decadent diners, which provide luxurious treats like caviar and beef Wellington all served in a sumptuous environment, whose dark wood and polished surfaces evoke the deco glam of a trip on the Orient Express. “A fun place for a celebration” or romance, they are also notably “overpriced” – a factor harder to overlook in the era of straitened post-Covid expense accounts, when splashy business dining (for which they are a favourite) has been reined in. Perhaps that’s why the renamed ‘Bob Bob Cité’ – a “nightclub-like space” occupying a floor of the City’s Cheesegrater – has failed to make waves, and generates very few (albeit positive) reports. In August 2023, the group (celebrating its fifteenth year) started a new, 56-seat spin-off, a few doors down from the original, called ‘Bébé Bob’: the offering here will shoehorn champagne and caviar into a more dressed-down offering, alongside rotisserie chicken as the main event.
Summary
“Always fun with the ‘Press for Champagne’ button!” – Leonid Shutov’s decadently boothed joint sets an extravagant tone, ideal “for special occasions” and also “taking the awkwardness out of any business lunch or dinner”. It’s “not a cheap option, though, so you have to like the guest...”. The luxurious food, including a selection of caviar, is “fair” – “stick with the classics (such as beef Wellington to die for) to avoid disappointment”. Fortunately, the wine is “not overpriced” thanks to a £50 mark-up limit which favours the top of the list. In late 2021, Shutov relaunched the glitzy offshoot in the City’s Cheesegrater, changing its name from Bob Bob Cité to Bob Bob Ricard City. Early reports say it’s “got a lot to live up to, but it turns out the vibe amongst the banks, bling and skyscrapers of the Square Mile really works!”. More spinoffs are planned, as in late summer 2022, the brand announced it has VC backing for national and international expansion.(Note: Bob Bob Ricard has raised funds for Ukraine and changed the spelling of chicken Kyiv following the Russian invasion).
For 34 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).
Have you eaten at Bob Bob Ricard City?
Restaurant details
Best French restaurants nearby
French restaurant in City
French restaurant in City
Steaks & grills restaurant in City
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
restaurant in London
British, Modern restaurant in City
British, Modern restaurant in City
