Marylebone, French Restaurant Guide

“Still the best cheap steak in London” for fans, despite growing competition – these “bustling” and “tightly packed” Paris-based ventures thrive on an “unchanged formula (steak + salad + frites + secret sauce + French staff outfits + bustle)” with branches in Marylebone and the City, whose permanent queues testify to their winning style. “A bit bish, bash, bosh but great fun”, they “do what it says on the tin, without grandstanding or ludicrous pricing (are you watching Hawksmoor?)”.

This “cosy and welcoming Marylebone” wine-bar/restaurant from sommelier Xavier Rousset is “perfect for an unrushed evening”, combining “charming service” and a menu of “excellent Mediterranean (mostly Italian) dishes done really well” with a “specialist Rhone wine list that’s a real treat”.

“The location is the star” at this museum café – “a charming and very civilised glass-covered courtyard”, which inspires a high level of feedback. It is most recommended for “a not-OTT afternoon tea”. For other occasions, “the food is pleasant enough but the place wouldn’t warrant inclusion were it not for the setting”.

“I love it!” say fans of this stalwart of Marylebone dining, set on the first floor of a former stables overlooking St Marylebone churchyard; and with a “lovely rooftop terrace for hot weather”. Opened in 1997 by the late Terence Conran and now part of D&D London, its accomplished modern French cuisine delivered a couple of best meals of the year in our current annual diners’ poll, and is generally judged as very “reliable” (especially by the standards of the group).

“A splash of Mediterranean sunshine in Mayfair” – the “food tastes of its ingredients” at this Nice-comes-to-Mayfair fixture, whose “loud music” and energetic crowd only add to the vibe. True to its Côte d’Azur impression, it’s also “nose-bleedingly expensive”, a factor acknowledged by both fans and the odd foe alike. The latter says it “thinks it’s better than it is” and is just “chock-full of hedge fund types having business lunches with a shocking bill to match”. But to boosters, “it’s brilliant and the best” – “sure, prices are high, but when even the table-display tomato tastes like one of the best you have ever had, it has to be worth it!”. “Service is spot-on and there’s always some fun to be had people watching. It’s only ever a good experience!”

With the closure of Pollen Street Social opposite (as Mary’s, see also), Jason Atherton’s elegant small Mayfair venue is now one of his two remaining ‘Socials’. It still wins praise for its “delicious, bistro-style offer” (e.g. “superb succulent pork chop with mash”) and “lovely booths and dining at the bar”. But its ratings slipped this year: service has seemed more up-and-down of late; and there is a view that it’s “a competent bistro with sound cooking but otherwise unexciting”. Perhaps as the dust settles on the reshaping of the Atherton empire, it will regain its va-va-voom?