Harden's survey result
Summary
“A joyous celebration of how restaurants used to be and how they should be”; “eccentric Otto” is “a breath of fresh French air”, and his “gift of showmanship”, “traditional service” and “classic Gallic cuisine” – all in a “pleasant and old-fashioned”, if slightly “faded”, dining room in out-of-the-way Bloomsbury – is part of a nowadays “unique” approach that most diners feel is “always a wow”. “Otto’s duck and lobster à la presse is superlative” (he’s recently added pigeon too), “the steak tartare is London’s best” and such culinary throwbacks form part of a “magnificent”, unreformed, old-school menu. Caveats? – some of the food is “devastatingly cream-rich – not all modern eaters could manage it” – and “though it’s all very likeable, watch out as the bill stacks up quickly”. “But it’s one-of-a-kind”.
Summary
“Immune to trends and setting its own agenda” – visiting this “old-fashioned” Bloomsbury parlour is a little “like stepping back a generation”. “Wonderful, old-fashioned, French, classic cuisine” is served in a “delightful” dining room, overseen with “charming professionalism” by the owner Otto (“invariably there”) who is “amusing and fun”. Top Menu Tips – “everyone raves (rightly) about the pressed duck and Poularde de Bresse, but Otto also does the best Steak Tartare in the UK (made at the table with Otto’s inevitable theatrical flourish)”.
Summary
“For a superb, Escoffier-style dining experience”, this “quirky”, unpromising-looking fixture on a grungy, out-of-the-way Bloomsbury street might seem an improbable destination, but it’s something of a “dream restaurant”. “Proper, old-school, luxurious French gastronomic dishes” are “served with charm and wit by Otto himself” in an “attractive and old-fashioned” room (“where you can hear yourself speak”). Top Menu Tip – “everyone should go here for the pressed duck at least once in their lives”.
Summary
How did this “oasis of traditional and consistently superb Gallic cooking” end up in a nondescript corner of Bloomsbury? Its overall approach is “pleasantly old-fashioned” but “not stuffy and always with a humorous twist” thanks to the “very personal” attention of “effervescent” patron Otto (who also provides “helpful advice on the impressive wine list”). Top Menu Tip – “the Canard à la Presse helped me find god!”
Owner's description
Pop art meets velvet banquettes and antiques in a restaurant serving updated classic French dishes.
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £26.00 | £32.00 |  |
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Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £11.00 | £27.50 | £8.50 |
| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Restaurant details
Otto's Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Good food; patchy service. Will need to save up for pressed duck or lobster! Poulet de Bresse not cheap either."
"Noone else is cooking this stuff - but lacked passion and generosity - and at these prices should be better."
"There is something completely charming about this old fashioned French restaurant"
182 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EW
| Number of Diners: | |
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Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
