St James's, French Restaurant Guide

This “smart bit of France in swanky St James’s” is becoming an established favourite in the West End thanks in large part to its elegant and “buzzy” setting and the fact that it is “well organised”. The classic menu of “French brasserie classics” has “lots of crowd-pleasers”, but opinions divide on the results – to critics it is “a little expensive for what it is”, but fans feel “the food is top-notch” and ratings tend to support those who say this is “a place for serious cooking, not just a big café”. Top Tip – “the dessert trolley is an utter treat”.

2022 Review: Below Maison François (see also), this amiable, new, no-bookings wine bar in St James’s mixes a nowadays-proven formula of unconventional wines with hearty Gallic small plates: charcuterie, pâté and so forth. Handy to know about in a pricey area.

This “delightful” and “very trad (in a good way) French resto” in St James’s thrives on its “unpretentious, classic cooking delivered by efficient and accommodating waiting staff” under an “entertaining boss who seems to know everyone”. “There have been several very good restaurants on this site (Boulestin and L’Oranger inter alia) and Saint Jacques is up there with any of them”. Top Menu Tip – “the theatre of crêpes Suzette cooked by the table is highly recommended”.

This ‘Franco-Japanese fusion’ – a two-year-old Mayfair spin-off from TV chef Cyril Lignac’s Paris restaurant St Germain des Prés – excites contradictory responses (and relatively little feedback overall). For fans, “the fusion of Japanese food with French expertise has resulted in an excellent dining experience”. For the odd critic, though, it’s nothing more than a “flash, cramped and noisy Euro place with prices that reflect the name of the celebrity French chef and the fancy crowd”.

“Excellent, stylish Gallic fare” sets the tone at this “friendly” bistro, run by a trio of French brothers who named it after their mother, that has notched up a decade in Soho. “I’m already planning my next visit!”. The only real complaint is that “in true Gallic style, the settings can be a bit cramped”.

2021 Review: An all-day brasserie-concept from luxury Mayfair restaurant Park Chinois: the 92-cover venue launched in July 2019, with chef Gennaro Vitto, who was previously a pastry chef at Park Chinois, at the stoves.

2022 Review: Following closure of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and the death of the man himself, this Picadilly café is now one of two London ventures opened in late 2019 by the group he founded. It’s all very chic and continental, but you don’t come here for culinary adventure – but to buy or snack on everyday staples (lots of tempting patisserie and viennoiserie, lasagna, club sandwich, Caesar salad…).

“Transport yourself to an imaginary 1930s world of Parisian glamour, as might be imagined by Fitzgerald or Hollywood”, when you visit this Art Deco basement, “bang in the heart of town”, just seconds from Piccadilly Circus. “The vast (Grade I listed) room is a crowded symphony of marble and gold leaf, with an immense buzz” and is “a faithful facsimile of a traditional French brasserie”, complete with an excellent American Bar. Fans say “if you want to impress without spending a fortune then this is the place to go” and since its founding (in 2015) it’s become a byword for “affordable luxury”, with most folks tolerating its “dull and unmemorable” Gallic staples for the overall package. Since changes in the group, however, the equation is beginning to shift and fears are growing that “the package all-round is not quite good enough”. “Service in particular has fallen notably in the post-Jeremy King era” and for more critical types “the whole experience is rather underwhelming” (“it was busy, but instead of making the atmosphere vibrant, there was a tired feel to the experience”). That’s not yet the dominant verdict though: most diners still “never tire of visiting… it always feels like a wonderful and extravagant treat”.

2023 Review: With a menu inspired by the French Riviera, this spacious outfit in Golden Square “quickly became a firm favourite for business lunches”, despite the unfortunate timing of its launch in late 2019. Parisian patron Guillaume Depoix’s vision of the ‘perfect Soho brasserie’, it delivers “delicious French food done simply and well”, with a “great clubby feeling, especially when the DJ is there at weekends”.

As Le Comptoir Robuchon (RIP), this Mayfair outpost of the famous French chef’s global empire (which opened after his death) has never been a huge talking point for the fooderati. This was despite it providing a “top gastronomic experience” combining a very elegant interior with traditional Gallic fare that’s “worth the price”. Now, from September 2023, it’s being re-jigged to sit under the group’s international, flagship ‘Atelier’ brand – so creating a successor to the erstwhile Covent Garden site of that name that closed in 2018. Chef Andrea Cofini will be at the stoves, and doubtless aiming to put it on a par with its siblings in Hong Kong, Miami, Taipei, Vegas and Geneva, each of which holds at least one Michelin star (and most two or three).

“This intimate little counter-dining venue” in an ancient pub that nowadays finds itself part of Chinatown “shows levels of skill and technique to compete with much better-known places that leave you with a far higher bill”. James Goodyear has taken over from Luke Selby (the latter departing to be head chef at Le Manoir), but all reports swoon over “a truly special experience” and a multi-course tasting menu that’s “absolutely exceptional”. “Love the counter-top layout of the restaurant and the chefs are very happy to talk, explaining in detail how things are made (important to me because I am a very keen cook!)”. “It has a buzzy vibe and is a bit of a squeeze (in both space and time), making it a very different formula than nearby Aulis. Having said that, the cooking is consistently delightful, imaginative and bold. The menu feels well thought-through, building and balancing as it progresses”. “File it under ‘one to watch’ as they plan to build out the ambition even further”: from mid-2023 they are opening on Monday nights and also incorporating their wine bar, The Mulwray, and the pub, The Blue Posts, into the overall offering at Evelyn’s Table.

This “simply stunning” fairytale chamber on the top floor of the well-known Mayfair palazzo won many 5/5 reviews this year, while avoiding the brickbats often thrown at it in former years. “In these curious post-Covid times, where even the most indifferent restaurants are charging hard, this one now seems good value”, despite its notoriously vertiginous prices. Overseen by Gallic über-chef Pierre Gagnaire – Daniel Stucki provides a “divine” selection of intriguing modern French dishes, be it from the £190 tasting menu or £210 three-course à la carte. If this venue continues on its current “outstanding” form, we will have to finally agree that it is “deserving of its three Michelin stars”.

A gorgeous, Grade II Palladian Mansion… glowing pink-hued walls, high ceilings, glam banquettes… incredible artworks from Yinka Shonibare… über-chef Pierre Gagnaire’s menu… what’s not to like about this famous Mayfair venue? The fact that it’s seen as being mightily “overpriced” with forgettable food is the chief fault, which means that few other than fashionistas and first-timers are prepared to make the investment… even to go to the bog in a WC shaped like an egg!

2021 Review: In a Mayfair townhouse that was formerly the short-lived Babel House (RIP), this ‘contemporary bistro de luxe’ features a southern French menu from chef Thierry Laborde, and opened in mid-2019, too late for any survey feedback. In his early review, The Evening Standard’s David Sexton focused on its handsome design, variably realised and expensive cuisine, impressive wine list and bargain set lunch (£25 with wine).

Jason Atherton’s elegant, “professional” wine bar and bistro is decked out in an understated, classic style that’s a little more retro than at his main gaff (Pollen Street), which is across the street. Here, chef Frankie van Loo offers less ‘foodie’ “bistro-style” dishes raised to a “superb” standard. The bar area is tiny, but “you can always have a pre-dinner drink at its big brother opposite, which has a great cocktail bar”. Top Tip – visit in summer, when you can eat outside on the pedestrianised street.

“Alexis is now 100% vegan and the result is outstanding”, say disciples of his quirky Soho venture – a “beautiful townhouse with a series of intimate, romantic rooms”, which he’s run since 2010, and which went fully meat-free in 2021. Vegetarians of course worship it, but so do many meat-eaters too (“I am an avowed carnivore and my mind was blown by this restaurant – how anyone can create something so superb from the humble vegetable is beyond my comprehension”). But that’s not to say it’s all plain sailing as many diners are in two minds about the switch and “still not completely convinced that the vegan offering is as good as the old omnivorous one”. One or two are just outright disappointed; but for most there’s a feeling that “some menu items are trying too hard and miss the mark”. A recurrent gripe is that “it seems odd that so much of his vegan menu imitates meat forms” (“I have no problems with a vegan establishment; my only annoyance is the tendency to imitate non-vegan dishes. I just wish they would stick to their guns and stop impersonating non-vegan cuisine because there is no question that Alexis and the team are very talented chefs”). The “slick service” and “fabulously atmospheric” space are the same as they ever were.

“A secret, below-ground escape from the mayhem of Leicester Square” for more than half a century – this “well-hidden”, “old-school” wine bar has “only got better” over the years, first under founder Don Hewitson and latterly under Will Clayton. Top Menu Tip – “share the ham and cheese pie (it is absolutely enormous)”, and has sold around a million portions since 1971.

A “gorgeous homage to the Côte d’Azur” – this “exciting” operation, just around the corner from Claridges, serves beautiful, fresh-tasting Med-inspired sharing plates to an “urbane and international” crowd, who like its informal, somewhat “cramped” style. But while the prices here have always been eye-catching, its (previously stellar) ratings slumped this year amidst a feeling that you increasingly need “more money than sense” to pay them. (“There is no doubting the cooking skill and the careful sourcing of produce. But the dishes are so simple that it feels eye-watering to pay so much for a lentil salad… that is literally just a lentil salad”).