Chelsea, French Restaurant Guide

“Changing very little over the years (which is one of its strongest points!)” – Didier Garnier’s “Grande Dame”, tucked away in a quiet Chelsea backstreet at the back of the Royal Marsden Hospital, “sails serenely on, in its unapologetically old-fashioned manner”. “It’s a classic French upmarket bistro of the sort you find serving traditional French dishes in prosperous towns and cities all over France”. The food is “perfectly good without being startling – just what the customers expect – and by Chelsea standards, is reasonably priced”; service, in the Gallic style, is “impeccable”; and “it has a good buzz and is busy” with a silver-haired clientele who “love it”. Top Tip – “the wine list has to be one of the best-priced in London… unlike many places fleecing their ‘cash cow’ clientele, Le Colombier is the polar opposite and clearly prices wines to attract those who appreciate their excellent list and strong cellar”.

“People who don’t rate this restaurant are crazy”, according to boosters of the Chelsea HQ of the world’s most famous chef – including American YouTuber ‘UA’ who – as reported in the Daily Mail – flew in from the US just for a meal here at Christmas 2024 and pronounced it ‘absolutely worthy’ of its global renown. Gordon’s disciples extol head chef Kim Ratcharoen’s “extraordinary” modern European cuisine, plus the “lovely” setting of this fairly compact (45 covers) dining room at a picturesque SW3 address, all with a “great team looking after you”. You can eat from an à la carte menu for £180 per head, or the ‘Menu Prestige’ at £210 per person, or you can book The ‘Inspiration Table’ experience for £300 per person. But there’s a problem: over half of diners in our annual poll disagree with UA, nominating the venue as either their “most disappointing” or – more commonly – “most overpriced” meal of the year, slamming “stupid prices”, and a final bill that’s “an embarrassment”. Other long-term bugbears are “OTT service (at times you are surrounded by waiters”); and the “stilted” atmosphere of the room. There’s also the perennial question of whether the “nice” cooking truly deserves its renown? The overall verdict – “Three Michelin stars… really?…”. (“This was nice but ordinary. I wanted my mind to be blown away by food that costs this much. My mind wasn’t blown away. Disappointing”… “The food was very good, but not as innovative as some other top-end UK eateries. The bill was stratospheric and did nothing to improve my opinion of an over-busy, over-priced, over-rated place. Sorry Gordon.”… “It shows the obvious corruption within the Michelin guide that he keeps getting three stars for a style of cuisine that seems barely changed in 25 years”.)

In Old Church Street, Chelsea, the first pub from the Gladwin brothers opened in mid 2024 – the latest addition to their ‘Local & Wild’ stable of restaurants supplied by the family farm in West Sussex (which includes Rabbit just up the King’s Road). The grand late-Victorian tavern on a corner site was lavishly renovated as recently as 2021, when it was known as ‘The Chelsea Pig’.

Claude Bosi offers a “masterclass in apparently effortless classic dining” matched with “superlative wines” at this famous destination, in the “iconic setting” of the Michelin Building on Brompton Cross. It’s “a beautiful room in a very accessible location”, and fans say that “while it’s not cheap by any means it is perfect for a special occasion” thanks not least to its “impeccable service”. The space was created by the late Sir Terence Conran in 1987 and it has a long history as a seminal London dining destination, although ironically one that – at night in particular, when it’s no longer bathed in natural light – has always struck some diners as a little “bland” and “lacking a little in character”. And while Claude has undoubtedly maintained its culinary renown, he also continues a tradition of vertiginous pricing which leads a large proportion of sceptics to conclude that “although this is fine cuisine, it’s not worth the cost”.

“A love letter to Claude Bosi’s Lyonnaise grandmother” – this “Francophile’s dream” near the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is not just “a great addition to the neighbourhood” but also one of London’s most commented-on and best-liked venues in our annual diners’ poll. At heart, it’s a “classic French bistro” and fans adore its “quite, quite dreamy combination of to-die-for food, attentive and cordial service”, all at “sensible prices that won’t shock you”: so “ideal as a regular haunt, if you’re well-heeled [as, indeed, most of the customers appear to be]”. That much of the menu is “heavy and calorific” is “heartwarming” for its huge fanbase (although one or two spoilsports “don’t get it”). Fans do admit that “tables are too close together” and that it’s “noisy” (“it feels like you can’t have a private conversation even if you whisper”), but they just don’t care, such is the “real buzz”. See also Josephine, Marylebone. Top Menu Tip – “French onion soup to die for”.