Greenhithe, 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.

This “great sharing-plates restaurant with very accommodating staff” – and a “good wine selection”, its primary focus – has been a linchpin in the emergence of Peckham’s going-out scene (“I’ve never had a bad meal here: in principle I’m not a fan of small plates but here it all works”).

Open in late summer 2024: another huge floating pavilion at the Wood Wharf development near Canary Wharf, with a Manhattan-style French bistro from chef Robert Aikens: the identical twin of Muse’s Tom, now back in London after 30 years in the US. Classic French dishes, plus a terrace and bar with a ‘two-sip martini’ costing £6.

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.