Waltham Abbey, French Restaurant Guide

This “local French venue in Wanstead” has been a reliable bastion of classic Gallic bistro cooking for 14 years. Its founder, veteran restaurateur Max Renzland, stepped down during the pandemic, since when the odd regular complains that the “the menu has been dumbed down”, but its food ratings remain generally sound.

“Locals and visitors” beat a path to this “lovely pub with top-notch food” from chef James Rix and his wife Bianca, who have transformed it into an “Interesting and exceptionally busy venue” over the past 20 years. Top Menu Tip – “dessert on a whole different level: Paris Brest, choux pastry, praline cream, hot chocolate sauce & toasted nuts of exceptional taste and quality”.

“Lovely food, lovely atmosphere and discreet staff” are the attractions at this “local” bistro, a Crouch End fixture for more than 20 years. “Love it! The rooms are like a maze”, with white tablecloths adding a touch of style.

East Finchley is “so lucky to have this hidden high-street gem” – one of north London’s more popular and “welcoming” local restaurants “serving delicious, well cooked food” from a resolutely French menu. Top Tip – “the three-course set lunch is a wonderful bargain”.

“Slightly off the beaten track but worth the trek” – Max Rocha’s “joyous” if “minimalist” Hackney canalside spot is “a fantastic venue, and a slightly quirky one given the charming but industrial view”. It inspires nothing but upbeat feedback for “French bistro food (e.g. Onglet & Chips) cooked to perfection”; and it does a “very good breakfast” too. “Busy, but they don’t hurry you”.

This “beautifully designed wine drinkers’ hangout” (both a restaurant and a wine store) in a pair of Haggerston railway arches has “a cellar full of real rarities, super-knowledgeable and hospitable owner and staff. It’s the creation of a Franco-Australian duo, founder Jonathan Alphandery and ex-P Franco chef Seb Myers, and its stimulating menu is made with the wine in mind”: “dishes presenting elegant and fresh modern twists on French and Nordic cookery”. Club members get priority booking and can store their wine in the cellars, but members of the public can eat in the restaurant and one or two enjoyed their “meal of the year” here.

This “friendly French bistro on Islington’s busiest street has all the predictable Gallic offerings – onion soup, escargots, crepes – and a decent wine list”. It inspires few criticisms and is “pleasant enough” to be a useful address “well-placed for the Almeida theatre”.

This “well-established and reliable French bistro” with a “faux-rural dining room” in Islington is “good value, friendly and welcoming”, while the “simple and traditional cooking packs plenty of flavour in quite generous servings”. Top Tip – “go for the set lunch” (three courses for under £20).

“I used to be a regular, now I’m so sad”. The June 2023 reformatting of this “very handsome-looking” Wolseley Group outpost on Islington Green (which had closed in 2019 and then reopened in 2020 after failing to sell the site) is not going well. It’s a large site, evoking a fin-de-siecle Parisian haunt with a “newish design that’s pleasant enough” and a fairly traditional, French brasserie-style menu. For too many, though, “since reopening after a further refresh results are dire”. One reporter neatly summarises the mood: “This is written with huge sadness, as it was my favourite place for nearly any occasion in the Corbin & King days. Now it feels like a Café Rouge, with a cynical and over-priced menu and average service (I really feel for the staff, a lot of whom were there in the good old days). What a waste, and what a loss for Upper Street: it was such a godsend to have a grown-up restaurant in the area when it first opened, and then reopened”.

“Consistently good food and a lovely atmosphere” backed up by “intelligently engaged and well-informed service” deliver everything you could reasonably expect from this handsome Georgian tavern in Hampstead, run for more than 20 years by Beth Coventry (sister of Fay Maschler, the doyenne of London restaurant critics). “The pub’s keenness to welcome dogs (with their own menu) may divide opinion” – but also wins many friends. Top Menu Tip – “save room for dessert; it’s sometimes the star of the show”.

“A stunning venue with top-notch Gallic-inspired cuisine”: the Galvin Bros’ “beautiful” operation has all the elements for a “memorable experience” and – though its City-fringe location by Spitalfields Market makes it a huge hit for expense-accounters (“when you want to impress with a very elegant meal”), it’s also a “romantic favourite for the most special occasions”. Often mistaken for a converted chapel, the “dream location” of its ecclesiastical-style space was actually constructed to house a late-Victorian girls’ school, and was superbly stylishly converted by the Galvins in 2009. “Despite the striking surroundings, the staff manage to make it feel relatively informal”: “they are attentive but give you space and time”. And the food? “first class”, “precise French cuisine” that’s fully priced of course, but few begrudged the bill this year. Top Menu Tip – “Always try the magnificent Crab Lasagne: to die for!”

“Galvin restaurants always deliver”, say fans – but even so it is difficult to avoid a sense of missed opportunity with this bistro next door to the brothers’ flagship, La Chapelle. All reports rate it acceptably well, and no disasters are reported, but amidst some “fabulous” accounts, there are also those with elements that are “average” or “slightly disappointing”.