French Restaurants in Buckhurst Hill
1. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“If it was good enough for Queen Elizabeth II, it’s good enough for the rest of us!” – Gavin Rankin’s “very civilised, old school” brasserie in a cute Mayfair mews has a “lovely old-fashioned vibe” (and was one of the few restaurants in the UK in which the late Queen ever ate out). “Peaceful and very enjoyable”, it’s one of those rare dining rooms where jacket and tie are still the norm (although the dress code is an unwritten one). Staff are “utterly professional” and “predictably discreet”. “Start an evening with cocktails at the bar (next to the restaurant)” and then move next door for “classic French cuisine” that’s “lovely” but won‘t scare the horses. Top Tip – “the counter bar is also a great spot in which to have a posh fish finger sandwich!”
2. Le Garrick
French restaurant in Covent Garden
10-12 Garrick Street - WC2
Looking for that “great, little, traditional French bistro in the heart of theatreland”? For many in our annual diners’ poll, this “family-run” venue where much of the seating is in an atmospheric brick-arched cellar is “a firm favourite”, helped by its “reasonable prices”: “we have been visiting for 20 years, celebrating birthdays and engagements as well as their Bastille day and Beaujolais special events – it feels like a home from home”. Don’t expect culinary fireworks, though – sometimes the food is “underwhelming” (“still, despite it being below par, because of the staff we enjoyed ourselves!)”
3. Club Gascon
French restaurant in Clerkenwell
57 West Smithfield - EC1
“An unfailing choice, near Barts” – Pascal Aussignac’s & Vincent Labeyrie’s homage to gutsy Gascon cuisine and wine opened in 1998 in an idiosyncratic and grand marble-walled former Lyons Tea House near Smithfield Market. It’s now one of London‘s longest established temples of French gastronomy, but chef Pascal has lightened and modernised his cuisine over the years (and foie gras – once omnipresent – only makes the odd appearance on menus nowadays). There is a six-course tasting menu for £120, but also a much cheaper three-course version; and you can also eat here à la carte.
4. La Poule au Pot
French restaurant in Pimlico
231 Ebury St - SW1
“Nothing changes, and it doesn’t need to” – at this “old-fashioned” French “hideaway” in Pimlico: “always a delightful experience” thanks to its “rustic” and “quirky” candle-lit setting (“you may need your phone torch to read the menu”), which every year ranks near the top of our annual diners’ poll as one of London’s top choices for a smoochy ‘dîner à deux’. Its “comforting, homely cooking” is “unashamedly French”, and essentially unchanged since circa 1964 (which is when it opened); service, similarly, is very Gallic and, for the most part, “utterly charming”. Top Tip – “particularly lovely in the summer: sitting outside, one could be in La Belle France”.
5. Les 110 de Taillevent
French restaurant in Marylebone
16 Cavendish Square - W1
“A truly epic wine list” (almost 2,000 bins), “with virtually all options available by the glass” – and including some “lovely, mature vintages” – is the special appeal of this Parisian import, which occupies a traditionally smart corner-site in Fitzrovia, across the square from the back of John Lewis. The modern French cuisine that provides a foil to the wine is in a fairly conventional mould but consistently well-rated.
6. Seven Park Place
French restaurant in St James's
7-8 Park Pl - SW1
A “real favourite” of well-heeled foodies, this classy if relatively unsung Mayfair hotel dining room boasts in “William Drabble, the most underrated of chefs – and one of great longevity” after 15 years at the helm. There is an eight-course ‘Menu Gourmand’ (for £125), but also à la carte options (starting in the evening with a two-course meal for £82 – lunchtimes are cheaper).
7. Pied à Terre
French restaurant in Fitzrovia
34 Charlotte St - W1
“A new chef has arrived but standards are maintained” at David Moore’s hallowed Fitzrovia townhouse, which has remained in London’s top culinary ranks ever since it first launched in 1991 despite numerous changes of personnel, the latest incumbent at the stoves being chef Phil Kearsey, appointed in May 2024. With the option of a forward-looking plant-based menu, it provides a “great experience for all types of diner” (“we had a mix of omnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans and the tasting menu catered for us all”). “Service is attentive and the sommelier always happy to chat”. Over the years, the limited space has been carefully refitted and designed, and it suits most occasions: “if you need a restaurant to perform for you, try Pied à Terre”.
8. Clarette
French restaurant in Marylebone
44 Blandford St - W1U
Owner Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos is a scion of the family who own Bordeaux’s epic Château Margaux, which explains the unusually heavyweight wine list at this attractive and comfortably converted Tudorbethan pub in Marylebone. Over 50 vintages, including 14 Château Margaux wines, are available by the glass (using the Coravin system) from a list whose emphasis is on clarets and top Burgundian names. Its modern European cuisine has Francophile leanings and – though not the main event compared to the wine – plays a respectable supporting role.
9. Chez Antoinette
French restaurant in Covent Garden
Unit 30 The Market Building - WC2
“Excellent for an informal French meal at very affordable prices” – this Gallic pair are the creation of Lyon-born Aurelia Noel-Delclos, who named them after her food-loving grandmother. With its “child-friendly menu” and “well-designed bistro-brasserie ambience”, the newer Victoria branch has overtaken the site in the touristic heart of old Covent Garden market in popularity. Don’t expect the earth – they serve “reasonable, bistro-type fare”.
10. Cabotte
French restaurant in Bank
48 Gresham St - EC2V
“In the culinary void that seems to exist in the City”, Xavier Rousset & Gearoid Devaney’s venue is one of the few places that “rarely fails to deliver” when it comes to a high-quality meal and – “especially for this location – provides a great blend of decent food, wine, and particularly service” (“amicable and timely without being overpowering”). “Excellent food in the French style” is overseen by executive head chef Edward Boardland and ownership by two master sommeliers results in a “superb, heavily Burgundy-facing wine list” that’s also “reasonably priced”. Top Tip – “very knowledgeable sommelier as you’d expect, but the team are equally accepting if you BYO” and “corkage is reasonable too!”
11. Provender
French restaurant in Wanstead
17 High St - E11
This “local French venue in Wanstead” has been a reliable bastion of classic Gallic bistro cooking for 14 years. Its founder, veteran restaurateur Max Renzland, stepped down during the pandemic, since when the odd regular complains that the “the menu has been dumbed down”, but its food ratings remain generally sound.
12. Royale at East London Liquor Company
French restaurant in Bethnal Green
Bow Wharf, 221 Grove Road - E3
2022 Review: Born of necessity but now here to stay – this pandemic pop-up from the team behind Leroy turned permanent in June 2021. Within Bow Wharf’s East London Liquor Co – and with a large outside terrace – it aims to bring some easy going Provençal good times to E3, in the form of rotisserie chicken and other ‘comforting’ dishes, plus gluggable wines.
13. Bistro Aix
French restaurant in Crouch End
54 Topsfield Pde, Tottenham Ln - N8
“Lovely food, lovely atmosphere and discreet staff” are the attractions at this “local” bistro, a Crouch End fixture for more than 20 years. “Love it! The rooms are like a maze”, with white tablecloths adding a touch of style.
14. Planque
French restaurant in Haggerston
322 Acton Mews - E8
This “beautifully designed wine drinkers’ hangout” (both a restaurant and a wine store) in a pair of Haggerston railway arches has “a cellar full of real rarities, super-knowledgeable and hospitable owner and staff. It’s the creation of a Franco-Australian duo, founder Jonathan Alphandery and ex-P Franco chef Seb Myers, and its stimulating menu is made with the wine in mind”: “dishes presenting elegant and fresh modern twists on French and Nordic cookery”. Club members get priority booking and can store their wine in the cellars, but members of the public can eat in the restaurant and one or two enjoyed their “meal of the year” here.
15. The Boundary
French restaurant in Shoreditch
2-4 Boundary Street - E2
2023 Review: In May 2022 (too late for any survey feedback), this Shoreditch design hotel reopened its ground-floor bar/restaurant (fka The Albion Café) as an all-day brasserie. The 100-seat space, whose original hard-edged design was overseen by the late Sir Terence Conran, has been modified and somewhat cosied up (no longer with its own street entrance). Chef Robin Freeman also looks after the hotel’s glam-looking refurbished rooftop bar and restaurant, while what was once Tatra in the basement is nowadays an event space. The rooftop looks set to become the place to be here.
16. La Petite Auberge
French restaurant in Islington
283 Upper St - N1
This “friendly French bistro on Islington’s busiest street has all the predictable Gallic offerings – onion soup, escargots, crepes – and a decent wine list”. It inspires few criticisms and is “pleasant enough” to be a useful address “well-placed for the Almeida theatre”.
17. Le Mercury
French restaurant in Islington
140a Upper St - N1
“I simply don’t grasp how they keep their prices so low!” – this “insanely cheap bistro” has provided “decent” Gallic fare in a prime Islington location opposite the Almeida Theatre for 40 years. It hardly matters that the cooking is “pretty run-of-the-mill”, “but you can’t argue with the highly quaffable French plonk, amiable staff, and dishes that are very pleasant”.
18. Le Sacré-Coeur
French restaurant in Islington
18 Theberton St - N1
This “well-established and reliable French bistro” with a “faux-rural dining room” in Islington is “good value, friendly and welcoming”, while the “simple and traditional cooking packs plenty of flavour in quite generous servings”. Top Tip – “go for the set lunch” (three courses for under £20).
19. Bellanger
French restaurant in Islington
9 Islington Green - N1
“I used to be a regular, now I’m so sad”. The June 2023 reformatting of this “very handsome-looking” Wolseley Group outpost on Islington Green (which had closed in 2019 and then reopened in 2020 after failing to sell the site) is not going well. It’s a large site, evoking a fin-de-siecle Parisian haunt with a “newish design that’s pleasant enough” and a fairly traditional, French brasserie-style menu. For too many, though, “since reopening after a further refresh results are dire”. One reporter neatly summarises the mood: “This is written with huge sadness, as it was my favourite place for nearly any occasion in the Corbin & King days. Now it feels like a Café Rouge, with a cynical and over-priced menu and average service (I really feel for the staff, a lot of whom were there in the good old days). What a waste, and what a loss for Upper Street: it was such a godsend to have a grown-up restaurant in the area when it first opened, and then reopened”.
20. Galvin La Chapelle
French restaurant in Spitalfields
35 Spital Sq - E1
“A stunning venue with top-notch Gallic-inspired cuisine”: the Galvin Bros’ “beautiful” operation has all the elements for a “memorable experience” and – though its City-fringe location by Spitalfields Market makes it a huge hit for expense-accounters (“when you want to impress with a very elegant meal”), it’s also a “romantic favourite for the most special occasions”. Often mistaken for a converted chapel, the “dream location” of its ecclesiastical-style space was actually constructed to house a late-Victorian girls’ school, and was superbly stylishly converted by the Galvins in 2009. “Despite the striking surroundings, the staff manage to make it feel relatively informal”: “they are attentive but give you space and time”. And the food? “first class”, “precise French cuisine” that’s fully priced of course, but few begrudged the bill this year. Top Menu Tip – “Always try the magnificent Crab Lasagne: to die for!”
View full listings of 124 French Buckhurst Hill Restaurants
Popular Buckhurst Hill Restaurant Searches
Buckhurst Hill Restaurant News