French Restaurants in St James's
1. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“With its quietly thrumming ambience, well-spaced tables and unobtrusive service from staff used to looking after royalty”, this “eternally discreet” brasserie hidden in a cute Mayfair mews is a long-established favourite for a blue-blooded, establishment crowd (and “perfect for doing business in”). Elegantly suited owner, Gavin Rankin, smoothly commands the space – “his team are wonderfully welcoming” and “all this is supported by classic French food, an excellent and keenly priced wine list, and a set lunch menu that’s a bargain (ideal for when Finance put a cap on your entertaining budget)”. Top Menu Tips – “Martinis, oysters and staples like steak tartare are prominent”.
2. Seven Park Place
French restaurant in St James's
7-8 Park Pl - SW1
“In a part of Mayfair heaving with Michelin stars, William Drabble and his team (operating out of a townhouse hotel) continue to knock it out of the park”, providing a “wonderful and very extravagant time”. “William is always in the kitchen where he belongs, not in the TV studios” and some fans feel he “doesn’t get all the plaudits he deserves” for his “exceptional cuisine, with big bold flavours. Nothing is done only for effect, as every ingredient on a plate serves a purpose. The tasting menu delivers upon this, course after course. Combine all that with knowledgeable and approachable staff and this really is a place to rave about”.
3. Maison François
French restaurant in St James's
34 Duke Street St James's - SW1Y
“Paris comes to St James’s” at this “beautiful and buzzy” two-year-old, which has been one of the more impressive arrivals of recent years (it opened in autumn 2020). “Proper, well-executed French-brasserie food” (snails, crab salad, roast chicken, veal, steak and chips…) – “such a relief after all of the faddy nonsense dominating the London restaurant scene” – is delivered by “first-rate” staff throughout the day, from breakfast onwards. And together with the “amazing” high-ceilinged interior, the overall combination makes for a superb “all-round experience”, if one “with prices to match the location”. Top Tips – “the best dessert trolley in London!” and a “fun” basement wine bar called Frank’s.
4. Frank’s
French restaurant in St James’s
36 Duke Street St James's - SW1Y
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.
5. Saint Jacques
French restaurant in St James's
5 St James’s St - SW1
“This beautiful and impressive dining room and outside terrace has a rich restaurant history” (most recently as Boulestin and L’Oranger), and its latest “pricey-but-good” incarnation is proving “a useful addition to St James’s”. “Solid and traditional” in style, it provides “accomplished French cooking and helpful service” in a luxurious interior that’s “very stylish and relaxed”. And come summer, “the courtyard is a destination” in itself.
6. Bar des Prés
French restaurant in Mayfair
16 Albemarle Street - W1S
“Asia meets France” at this Mayfair yearling from French TV chef Cyril Lignac, named after his Paris restaurant in St Germain des Prés. “There’s a large team of sushi chefs and the place has a lively, Parisian feel”, with “French desserts, which are superb” – as they should be, given that Lignac trained as a pâtissier. It’s no shock that the place is pricey, but fans say it’s worth it: “absolutely top class, can’t wait to return”.
7. Blanchette
French restaurant in Soho
9 D’Arblay St - W1
“A real gem in the heart of Soho”, this little slice of Belle Époque Paris serves small plates of “proper bistro food in a proper bistro setting” – “not fancy, but delicious”. Founded by three French brothers and named after their mother, it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
8. Moncks of Dover Street
French restaurant in Westminster
33 Dover Street - W1S
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.
9. Le Deli Robuchon
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Piccadilly
83 Piccadilly - W1J
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…).
10. Brasserie Zédel
French restaurant in Piccadilly
20 Sherwood St - W1
“A unique feature in London’s dining scene” – this “incredible subterranean cathedral of Art Deco glamour and French classic cuisine” was created 10 years ago by Corbin & King in homage to the brasseries of Paris. It occupies a “vast” and “absolutely stunning Art Deco basement” (Grade I listed with “gilding, marble columns and red velvet seating”) and “what is so outstanding is to find a restaurant of this quality just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus”. To be clear, the lengthy menu of brasserie staples “won’t surprise you” – the catering has always been “OK” at best, and the food score this year was beyond humdrum. But next to the “white tablecloths and terrific old-world atmosphere and buzz”; plus “formally attired” service that’s “efficient and charming”; then “the food is almost beside the point” and the availability of “some extremely cheap menus” underpins its “eyebrow-raisingly good value (so you can forgive it a lot)”. With the management changes within The Wolseley Hospitality Group just prior to our annual diners’ poll, many reporters feel “it’s sad to see the founders no longer involved” and continue to worry – “will its distinctive qualities be lost?” Top Tip – “try to go later in the evening when the band is playing for an authentic French vibe. Also pop into the Bar Americain for a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.”
11. Folie
French restaurant in Westminster
37 Golden Square - W1F
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”.
12. L'Atelier Robuchon
French restaurant in Mayfair
6 Clarges Street - W1J
With its marble bar and banquette seating, this gracious venue (which opened in late 2019) near Shepherd Market is the London flagship for the late Joel Robuchon’s global luxury restaurant chain (Robuchon International). It inspires curiously little feedback for its luxurious, rather safe, modern French cuisine (‘Le Burger’, £36; ‘La Sole Meunière’, £59), but all reports are uniformly upbeat. Top Tip – “good-value fixed lunch menu with generous courses”.
13. Evelyn’s Table at The Blue Posts
British, Modern restaurant in Chinatown
28 Rupert Street - W1D
The Selby brothers’ “very snug little basement venue for counter-top fine dining” shows “levels of skill and technique to compete with much better-known places that leave you with a far higher bill”; with cooking that’s “consistently well-thought-out, imaginative and bold”. “Ultimately there can be a clash between the expectation of enjoying fine cuisine and fine wines, while being perched on a stool with people brushing past”, so “file this under ‘one to watch’ as they plan to build out the ambition even further”.
14. Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library
French restaurant in Mayfair
9 Conduit St - W1
“In an utterly fairytale setting full of glamour, you can’t help but feel a sense of occasion” on the “unbelievably OTT” top floor of this grand Mayfair palazzo: “from the entrance to the fine-dining experience, it makes for a fabulous date night!” But its “pocket-bursting prices” are a source of widespread complaint, and one or two reporters feel that its elevation by Michelin to its highest echelons was misjudged (“three stars! REALLY? Nowhere near”). While converts are “over the moon due to the stunning reality” of the “joyful intricacy of the cuisine” from a “wacky but delightful” menu designed (from afar) by Gallic superstar Pierre Gagnaire, others discern “a confusing medley of French fiddliness that feels rather outdated”. Service is “faultless” on most accounts, if “in the breathless French-formal style”. Top Tip – “best to go for lunch if you want value for money”.
15. Sketch, Gallery
French restaurant in Mayfair
9 Conduit St - W1
You pay top dollar to eat quite literally inside an art installation in this room within Mourad Mazouz’s idiosyncratic Mayfair venue, where artist Yinka Shonibare’s pan-African vision replaced the former lurid pink-walled David Shrigley showcase in spring 2022. It makes for “great artefacts to look at”, while the food – either a lavish all-day ‘afternoon tea’ or dinner – is “very, very good”. “But my word it’s expensive” – even “unbelie overpriced” – is a repeated lament even from very enthusiastic reporters.
16. Ferdi
French restaurant in Mayfair
30 Shepherd Market - W1J
2019 Review: “Hope they can get their act together...” This year-old London outpost of a models-and-celebs hangout in Paris’s 1er arrondissement (where Kim and Kanye are apparently regulars) has failed to inspire much gastronomic excitement for its international comfort food since landing in Mayfair’s cute Shepherd Market.
17. Les Platanes
French restaurant in Westminster
26-28 Bruton Place - W1J
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).
18. L’Artiste Musclé
French restaurant in Mayfair
1 Shepherd Mkt - W1
2019 Review: For a taste of ‘la vie en rose’, head to this atmospheric Shepherd Market bolthole – “a reminder of bistros in small French towns years ago”. “The cooking is simple traditional French, with some depth of flavour”, while “the wine is very reasonably priced, especially for Mayfair”.
19. Antidote Wine Bar
French restaurant in Soho
12a Newburgh Street - W1
2019 Review: Quirky, French-run wine-bar (plus upstairs dining room) tucked away just off Carnaby Street, which has dropped on and off the foodie radar in recent years. Scores currently are well off their highs of a few years ago, but it’s still tipped for its wine list and reasonable selection of accompanying nibbles (which incorporate some fairly substantial options).
20. Little Social
British, Modern restaurant in Westminster
5 Pollen Street - W1S
“Opposite Jason Atherton’s flagship in Pollen Street”, its “high-class and intimate” younger sibling is in a more straightforward bistro style, and offers “simple food done exceptionally well”. “Surroundings and service are warm” too, and “in summer you can eat outside on this pedestrianised street”.
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