Greenhithe, French Restaurant Guide

This smart neighbourhood restaurant and bar from Stuart Gillies, for many years Gordon Ramsay’s right-hand man, “never lets you down with quality, value or service – can’t get enough of this place”. The menu offers a mixture of classic British and modern European cuisine, with bottomless brunch on Saturdays and traditional roast on Sundays. There’s now a sibling restaurant on similar lines, Number Eight in Sevenoaks.

“Excellent French bistro cooking at realistic prices” are the prime ingredients of this “great local restaurant on the leafy streets of Wanstead” – “more neighbourhoods need places like this”. Industry legend Max Renzland was a co-founder back in 2011, but the “reliable fare and service with a smile” have carried on since his retirement. Top Tip – “prix fixe is fantastic value”.

Bright, modern haunt – complete with big floor-to-ceiling windows and an outside terrace – that’s long anchored Peckham’s emergence as a food scene. Billing itself as ‘Your friendly neighbourhood wine bar’, the vino is the highpoint here, but the grub’s a cut-above and good value.

A “great looking venue and friendly staff” are key features of this “buzzy” yearling at the Wood Wharf development near Canary Wharf – a floating pavilion that houses this large modern Paris-via-Manhattan brasserie, with a tight menu put together by chef Robert Aikens – identical twin brother of Muse’s Tom – now returned after three decades working across the Pond. Telegraph critic William Sitwell rated it highly in his October 2024 review.

“What a find” on Deptford High Street – “a friendly local wine bar with delicious tasting plates” of “top-notch French-influenced food”, from an operation that started out catering for events before opening a bricks-and-mortar venue three years ago. Ex-Camberwell Arms head chef Sam Soane and former musician Matt Klose have known each other since they were lads in southeast London.

1970s Roman cinema is the thematic backdrop to this June 2025 opening from the extrovert, French-owned Big Mamma (the people behind Gloria, Ave Mario, Circolo Popolare, Jacuzzi et al) which brings the group’s familiar OTT take on Italian dining to Canary Wharf – this time in a two-storey waterside setting with an open kitchen. Early views suggest it’s typically big on atmosphere and retro style with cocktails and gelato also featuring in the mix.