Harden's says
The team behind 40 Maltby Street have teamed up with chef Anna Tobias (P Franco, Rochelle Canteen) at this site, which takes over a greasy spoon of the same name.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Really nice, and often outstanding dishes” are acclaimed by most reports on this former greasy spoon in Bloomsbury from ex-Rochelle Canteen chef Anna Tobias and the 40 Maltby Street team: and they say the simple, modern bistro dishes are backed up by a “very fair wine list” with a “good selection of natural wines”. (A more sceptical, minority view is that “although the place hits the nerve of the Zeitgeist – with food suggesting honesty and simplicity, complete with an air of sophistication – its success is a pricey London phenomenon possibly explained by the decline in home cooking”).
Summary
The “superb neighbourhood café we’d all love to have around the corner” – this upgraded greasy spoon “in a dead area of Bloomsbury” provides “particularly tasty, modern French fare” realised with a “delicious and light” touch by co-founder Anna Tobias, former head chef at Rochelle Canteen.
Summary
“It can feel a little uncomfortable” and “canteen-like”, but this converted greasy spoon in Bloomsbury (nowadays a ‘bar, restaurant and wine shop’) belies its looks by serving “imaginative seasonal cooking from a constantly changing menu reflecting the availability of ingredients”. The involvement of chef Anna Tobias (who’s worked with a host of star chefs) and the hip 40 Maltby Street team hasn’t harmed its PR – our feedback is positive, but not quite at the level of raves from the likes of Grace Dent and Tom Parker Bowles.
Summary
Bloomsbury greasy spoon that’s been artfully transformed into a simple bar and modern bistro by the team behind 40 Maltby Street, with Anna Tobias (P Franco, Rochelle Canteen) at the stoves. It was launched in December 2020 and won a big thumbs-up from Guardian reviewer Grace Dent, who – while noting that it “looks a bit like a sandwich shop with lofty aspirations” – found “finely judged, nicely eccentric cooking with a strong undercurrent of country-house living”. Our early feedback is limited but similarly upbeat.
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 Café Deco?
43 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Restaurant details
Café Deco Restaurant Diner Reviews
"A small but perfectly crafted menu means it's hard to choose from the five or so starters and mains. Everything we had was exceptional, the ingredients are the star here and the dishes sing, all so deliciously scrumptious. No frill or nonsence here just Flavour with a capital F. The so simple shaved brussels with grated lancashire was the star of the show. Fish cooked to perfection. Want to come back it's divine."
"Very good kitchen. Small but very nice"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £20.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
43 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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