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
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 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).
Have you eaten at Café Deco?
43 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Restaurant details
Café Deco Restaurant Diner Reviews
"To me a London phenomenon and possibly explained by the decline in home cooking. The food served is simple but comes along with an air of suggested sophistication when studied on the menu. What is then served up at very considerable price is to me disappointing. The service is friendly, the atmosphere rather nondescript as seen on the website. It hits a nervo of e, the Zeitgeist; the food suggests honesty and simplicity but dear me the food is to me one big disappointment."
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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