Harden's survey result
Summary
“A superb location in the temple of Michelin House” – this famous destination occupies a space originally created by the late Sir Terence Conran in 1987 and was, in its time, an icon of London’s restaurant renaissance. As a design classic, it can have an “amazing ambience” – particularly at lunch when it is lovely and light-filled – but strike unlucky and the space can also seem oddly characterless. Chef Claude Bosi has staged his own culinary renaissance here since 2017 and his intricate (some would say “over fussy”) modern French cuisine has won the place an impressive two Michelin stars. But buoyed by such acclaim, prices have risen to a level that a very high proportion of reporters in our annual diners’ poll now consider excessive, and – though its ratings are solid – enthusiasm for the place was muted in the commentary we received this year.
Summary
“The lovely Michelin building is so cool”, and its “well-spaced, light and airy dining room” is perhaps the late Sir Terence Conran’s most enduring contribution to London’s restaurant scene (best visited at lunch, when all the natural daylight makes it serene and “romantic”). Under Claude Bosi, its foodie renown has grown, and fans say he is “still setting the bar for outstanding contemporary French cooking in the capital” (for which he’s held two Michelin stars since 2017). Its ratings blipped rather this year, however – as at a number of other top restaurants coping with the cost of living crisis, it can now just seem “too expensive” (“used to be great – recently disappointing”).
Summary
With its “light-filled setting and high ceilings”, this “beautiful and iconic dining room” (converted in 1987 by the late Sir Terence Conran) on the first floor of South Kensington’s landmark Michelin Building makes an “impressive” choice for either a business meal or a date, and is “best seen at lunchtime”. Over the five years since Claude Bosi took over the stoves, he has started to make the venue his own, and many reports this year are of a “stupendous culinary experience” thanks to his “incredible” and “inventive” cuisine, matched with “an amazing cellar” and provided by “attentive but not over-pompous staff”. The caveat is an obvious one – a meal here comes “at a cost…”
Summary
“Claude Bosi is really nailing it with his classic French cuisine” (“wonderful flavours and very refined…” with “a complexity that is astounding”) in this “very special” first-floor dining room, in South Kensington’s iconic Michelin Building. Shaking off the pandemic chaos of the past year, scores here have actually gone from strength to strength, and criticism is most notable by its absence. And the room itself – perhaps the late Sir Terence Conran’s finest contribution to London’s restaurant scene – is a major draw, especially at lunchtime, with its “gorgeous, bright and spacious” interior, not to mention the “epic wine list”. “A fantastic all-rounder”.
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 Bibendum?
81 Fulham Rd, London, SW3 6RD
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £145.00 |  |
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| Dinner | £165.00 | |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 195.00 | Always available | 5 |
| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £73.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
81 Fulham Rd, London, SW3 6RD
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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