Holborn, French Restaurant Guide

“Is there better value in London?” query fans, than the £54.50, 5-course tasting menu at this intriguing, “discreet” converted Georgian auction house in Chancery Lane, from Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon group, where the elegant, light-filled interior with large roof-light hints at its former purpose. The “simple southern French cuisine” is “precise, cleverly flavoured and pleasantly served”, while the wine list offers equally “good value”. Top Tip – head down to the vaults for an end or two of indoor pétanque in Baranis cocktail bar.

“A good staple” that’s “convenient for the City, Inns of Court and legal profession” – this convivial bistro hidden away in a courtyard near Hatton Garden is “still a safe choice if not quite what it was” (when it was part of a larger, grander concern, which closed down during Covid). Service is “engaged”; the “creditable” Gallic cuisine is “always reliable” (e.g. “sound Mediterranean fish soup; well-balanced salmon fishcake with a good Hollandaise, and a very decent crème brulée”); and the overall package remains a hit with expense accounters, who often nominate it as their favourite choice for a business lunch.

2022 Review: On the fringe of the City, this large tavern is part of the well-known eateries grouped around Bleeding Heart Yard, all under common ownership. A “decent-all-round and handy standby”, it was in particular “a perfect place to meet people for the elusive business meetings that could take place between lockdowns”. Reported by Google as ‘Temporarily closed’ in October 2021, we have rated it on the basis that – as the Square Mile picks up – its return is likely.

“How can you not love Otto’s?” In a world of corporate, Identikit restaurants, Otto Tepasse’s “old-fashioned” and “exceptionally quirky” fixture in an obscure stretch of the dull Gray’s Inn Road is “a treasure”. On the menu: “proper Old-School French cuisine” (“zero nouvelle”) which might not please your cardiologist, but might put a smile on your face: “Indulgent. Over the top. So, so rich”. More than the cooking, though, the secret to its success is that it preserves “a dying essence of French culinary exceptionalism and theatre”, with a passion for hospitality that’s “beyond professional”. “The Duck à la presse – basically four courses of duck – is absolutely superb, but it’s Otto’s performance whilst cooking at the table that’s peerless”. (“The only downside is that Otto will charm your date better than you ever can”). The wine list is “always a treat” too, and only adds to its popularity for client entertaining. “You always roll out but you already can’t wait to go again. Art de la Table? This is the real address, not The Ritz. It’s always a treat going here”.

2024 Review: “Very decent” French-influenced food helps elevate this fine old Clerkenwell pub restaurant into being a “good all-rounder”, as does its attractive, glazed dining area. That said, it doesn’t attract the attention it did a few years ago when Henry Harris was at the stoves.

“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”.

2022 Review: “The duck burger is sublime and the triple-cooked duck-fat chips are moreish” at this offshoot of nearby Club Gascon, which offers a more informal venue for simpler but similar cuisine from SW France. We’ve rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance, as it remains closed as of September 2021 while the team waits for folks to return to their offices around Smithfield.

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”).

A “family favourite” that “brings back memories of small French restaurants” – this “reliable” Battersea brasserie has outposts in Putney, Wandsworth Common, South Ken, the City and most recently Clerkenwell, where it opened inside Marrable’s Hotel in late 2024. Harsher reports say they can be a little “underwhelming”, though – one reporter complaining that the “cute dining room was let down by mixed quality of the food and somewhat lax Gallic service (in a bad way)”.

“Can’t fault it… It’s impossible not to have a good time here!” – Henry Harris and his team are cooking up a veritable storm at this “real pearl” on the City borders north of Smithfield Market, delivering “French classics in the most sublime manner: Tête de Veau? Snails? Terrine?” This is “first-rate, down-to-earth, bourgeois food in generous portions” that’s “the stuff of dreams” (“you have to like offal to get the best of their offer, but the more standard fare is fabulous too”). “The team never misses a beat” either – “fun, yet professional”, while the “slightly unexpected” location on the first floor of a pub is “not fantastically grand or anything”, but “filled with the cheerful vibe of people enjoying themselves”. “If you can secure a table, this is the best brasserie cooking in London”. Top Menu Tips – “I would cheerfully walk over broken glass for the rabbit in silky mustard sauce with Alsace bacon and the spinach with foie gras”; “exquisite andouillette, I have never had better”; “creme caramel with prune in Armagnac, as good as it gets”; “so many great dishes I have lost count! Grouse; Chicken to share with pumpkin, or morels; Beef to share”; “eat everything on the blackboard!”

2024 Review: Yuma Hashmi’s latest venture is a seventies-styled wine bar (complete with a peacock rattan chair, famous from 1974’s X-rated film Emmanuelle) directly opposite Tehran-Berlin (fka The Drunken Butler), his Persian restaurant in Clerkenwell. The wine list is modern, with natural and biodynamic options, and is backed up by French and Iranian snacks and small plates.