Westminster, French Restaurant Guide

“Everything is comme il faut” at this “rapid-service and good-value” duo from Lyon-born Aurelia Noel-Delclos, which capture “something of the style and liveliness of a French bistro”. The newer branch, in Victoria, has “clearly been discovered by Civil Service bods, so is often full” (and the “excellent breakfasts” there are an added bonus). Covent Garden is easily overlooked in the tourist ‘Ground Zero’ at the heart of the market itself. Top Menu Tip – “well-flavoured chicken breast with a good piperade and smoked new potatoes; good example of duck confit; decent creme brulée”.

“Chef Anthony Demettre will often come out and have a chat” if you dine regularly at this “good stand-by in the heart of the West End”, where “beautifully presented dishes with hints of France are served by smiling waiting staff” in a stylish and “well-spaced” chamber convenient for Trafalgar Square and Theatreland. Long-term fans remember the two smaller, more personal incarnations of his Wild Honey project (“I was concerned its spirit would have been lost in the move to a Sofitel. I need not have worried: Anthony Demetre was very much at the stoves and it was clear his enthusiasm for French regional cooking was still reflected in a range of memorable dishes of some skill, using top ingredients: no corporate corner-cutting here!”). Top Tips – “a new, more informal bistro sits alongside the main restaurant and offers a similar authentic menu for a more modest outlay”; “great-value lunch menu”.

“Wow!” – “a hidden gem” in St James’s, next door to venerable wine merchant Berry Bros (on the former site of Boulestin and L’Oranger) – a “great, genuine French restaurant” serving “proper French food, beautifully prepared and presented”. Founder Richard Weiss, who ran Brasserie St Jacques just up the road, is a sommelier so there’s a “good wine list, very well priced for the area”. Top Tips – “it’s worth coming just for the steak tartare and crepes suzettes, prepared in front of you on the trolley”.

“Busy and full of energy” – this “joyful” and highly successful, high-ceilinged room in St James’s stylishly introduces some refined chic into central London with its white leather seating, elegant lighting and subtle earthy tones. In particular, it is a big hit with business-types: “clients love it” even if it can become “loud (that is what comes of being a hedge fund and art world favourite!)”. But even fans – who see it as “several cuts above a typical Parisian brasserie with exceptionally good, traditional food” – admit “there is a price for delight”; while to less charitable reporters it’s merely “pleased with itself” and “astoundingly average given the inflated prices”.

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.

“Hidden away in a basement at the side of Leicester Square”, “a marvellous little subterranean wine bar with a decent selection of mid-range wines that are not too overpriced for central London”. A “wide-ranging” food menu (including the famous ham-and-cheese pie that has been on the menu since 1971, of which about 1,000,000 portions have been sold) makes it a “great pitstop in tourist central – happily off the radar for most of them”. “You can’t drink in this place without feeling part of the iconic venue’s history”: its “tried and tested reputation” was established by founder Don Hewitson and is maintained by his successor Will Clayton.

“Famous for being London’s top romantic dining spot with good reason” – this bewitching Covent Garden “haven” comes complete with an “exquisite” rear conservatory, with “a glass roof that opens in summer” and “the treat of a log fire in winter” – and “on the first floor you dine under a vibrant canopy of flowers”. By most accounts the European cuisine is “beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks” too, although a slight slip in its ratings of late supports those who feel that “it’s more hit and miss since the pandemic”. No change in its “wonderful wine selection” however: “a surprisingly eclectic list of wines, alongside the bonus of an extensive cognac offering (and Armagnac dating back 70 years!”). “A must for a special celebration”.

“Kudos to the chef” – Seamus Sam, who arrived in mid 2024 and is maintaining the culinary renown of this funky 12-seater in the cellar of Layo & Zoë Pasking’s period pub on the fringe of Chinatown, where he delivers a five-course menu for £135 per person. By all accounts it’s “just a wonderful experience” with “extremely interesting cooking” and “some intriguing wine pairings”, all delivered by “excellent staff”. “Not one for claustrophobics” perhaps, but most reporters find its style “lovely and intimate”.

The Balthazar website promises an ‘elegant evocation of a traditional French brasserie with an authentic Parisian feel’, and many reporters feel that this “big” Covent Garden destination delivers just that: “good Gallic classics, a bustling (noisy) atmosphere all in a touristy area” (“with a wide menu for everyone, kids included… French onion soup and steak frites excellent!”). But while fans say that “if you go with that in mind, it’s a good choice for the right occasion”, there’s a persistent minority happy to write the place off (“very disappointing food and rushed service trying to get you out ASAP”, “at a high price”).

“Unbeatable value for money and wow factor” underpins the titanic popularity of this “superb” and “bustling”, “Beaux-Arts dining room”: a “unique” setting that’s all-the-more remarkable for being in a gigantic basement less than 100 metres from Piccadilly Circus. “It feels just like a proper Parisian-style venue and the menu is exactly as you would expect of such a place”: a huge assortment of “brasserie-stye French staples” that are incredibly “reasonably priced” for the heart of the West End (although careful selection is advised: “results do have their ups and downs, so stick to the cheaper dishes”). Service is occasionally “grumpy” but is mostly “excellent even when busy” (and “the expected disaster of losing Corbin & King from the management has not materialised”). Top Tip – “stick to the ‘Formule’, enjoy the view of the great room and you’ll never have a bad time”.

“Good pre-theatre option very close to the Royal Opera House” – this Covent Garden fixture is “not overly expensive”, and even if its French brasserie food is sometimes “OK but uninspiring”, it “hits the spot for a quick dinner” and provides a very “buzzy” launchpad for an evening in the West End. Top Menu Tip – “excellent onion soup”.