London , French Restaurant Guide

With “stunning summer views from its large terrace towards the Royal Exchange, Mansion House and back to St Paul’s Cathedral” – this modern French restaurant atop No 1 Poultry from Evolv (fka D&D London) is currently riding high under executive chef Damien Rogollet and fulfilling its central mission as “a good upmarket City choice”. Staff are “really helpful and friendly despite the restaurant being busy inside and out” and if “a la carte is on the expensive side”, the “very good value set lunch menu” compensates; and while the “wine list is mainly aimed at high-spending corporate accounts, there’s plenty to be had for the layman without breaking the bank”. Top Menu Tip – “Rabbit terrine starter, stuffed with pistachio nuts, and with a little mustard… excellent!”

Operating to a no-frills “time-tested formula – How do you like your meat cooked? Would you like red or white wine?” – this Paris-based operation offers an “excellent, no-choice menu of salad, steak & frites, all of which are delicious” and “at an extremely good price (including a second helping if you’d like one)”. There’s “no booking and a permanent queue” at the two London branches (Marylebone and the City), so “get there early” for an “unbeatable meat fix”. “What’s in the addictive secret sauce?” – “who cares when it works so well!”

Solid bastion of City life that has provided a “slice of France with the usual French flair” for four decades, along with service that is “excellent given how busy they are”. On the upper floor of the wrought-iron Leadenhall Market, it makes an “always reliable choice for a work lunch or dinner in the Square Mile”.

“Discreetly tucked away from more fashionable eateries and with a lovely atmosphere” – this charming veteran of over forty years’ standing near Smithfield Market is “an old favourite which doesn’t change much… hope it never does!”. “A lovely take on a French bistro/brasserie”: its combination of “rich and comforting, old school, classic French food in a warm and convivial setting” makes for a “stylish and low-key” destination that’s “romantic” by night, and also a “good place for a quiet and atmospheric business lunch near the City”.

2022 Review: “The duck burger is sublime and the triple-cooked duck-fat chips are moreish” at this offshoot of nearby Club Gascon, which offers a more informal venue for simpler but similar cuisine from SW France. We’ve rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance, as it remains closed as of September 2021 while the team waits for folks to return to their offices around Smithfield.

“A good staple” that’s “convenient for the City, Inns of Court and legal profession” – this convivial bistro hidden away in a courtyard near Hatton Garden is “still a safe choice if not quite what it was” (when it was part of a larger, grander concern, which closed down during Covid). Service is “engaged”; the “creditable” Gallic cuisine is “always reliable” (e.g. “sound Mediterranean fish soup; well-balanced salmon fishcake with a good Hollandaise, and a very decent crème brulée”); and the overall package remains a hit with expense accounters, who often nominate it as their favourite choice for a business lunch.

2022 Review: On the fringe of the City, this large tavern is part of the well-known eateries grouped around Bleeding Heart Yard, all under common ownership. A “decent-all-round and handy standby”, it was in particular “a perfect place to meet people for the elusive business meetings that could take place between lockdowns”. Reported by Google as ‘Temporarily closed’ in October 2021, we have rated it on the basis that – as the Square Mile picks up – its return is likely.

The Galvin Bros’ five-year-old Spitalfields bistro, next door to their La Chapelle flagship, offers a “tasty” menu of French classics (mouclade, cassoulet, baba au rum, tarte tatin), and at busy times the “ambience is helped by the fact everyone seemed to be having a fine old time – including the staff”. Ratings are held in middling territory, though, by one or two sceptics who say the food is “better than average… not quite good”; or who find the atmosphere a little elusive.

“Always impressing anyone who visits” – the Galvin Bros’ “elegant and professional” destination by Spitalfields Market boasts one of London’s most “glorious” dining spaces: “a high-ceilinged Victorian room that seems far too grand for its one-time use as a girls’ school”. “To accompany this wonderful atmosphere is a menu that really showcases fabulous international dishes focussing on the classics”, alongside “a wine-list offering plenty both at the high end for celebrating and at the lower end for when you need to stick to your expense-budget!”. (The cellar has “the largest collection of La Chapelle outside of the Rhône”, with a complete selection of vintages back to 1952). Boosted by its City-fringe location, it is “perfect for business entertaining” with just the right “serious tone” but also with a bit of a bounce to the occasion. “The food can misstep when it’s trying too hard, but the more traditional dishes are really very good”. Top Menu Tips – “an absolute winner is the crab lasagna: divine!”: “excellently slow- cooked Herdwick lamb shank and tarte tatin properly infused with a Calvados caramel”.

“Is there better value in London?” query fans, than the £54.50, 5-course tasting menu at this intriguing, “discreet” converted Georgian auction house in Chancery Lane, from Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon group, where the elegant, light-filled interior with large roof-light hints at its former purpose. The “simple southern French cuisine” is “precise, cleverly flavoured and pleasantly served”, while the wine list offers equally “good value”. Top Tip – head down to the vaults for an end or two of indoor pétanque in Baranis cocktail bar.

“Magical Korean/French food delivered with precision and style that blows your mind with its brilliant combinations of flavours” continues to win acclaim for Woongchul Park & Bomee Ki’s “very likeable” passion project near The Shard (which was hailed as Top Newcomer of the Year by Harden’s after it opened in 2020). The cuisine is “reasonably unique for London with its fusion of European and Korean traditions” and the resulting dishes are a “delicate” and sophisticated combination of the two, with pastry (prepared by Bomee) a particular strength. Opinions on the room differ: to fans “beautifully decorated in quite a subtle style”, to others “comfortable if plain”.