Marylebone, French Restaurant Guide

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!”

With its “lovely authentic decor, excellent small plates and comprehensive wine list”, this “small wine bar and bistro” from Xavier Rousset – a former head sommelier at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons – has established itself as a Marylebone fixture in the last 10 years. The Rhone-heavy list offers more than 30 wines by the glass. Top Tip – “exceptional value at lunchtime” (when sirloin steak with salsa verde, fries and salad costs £19.50).

“What a great location for afternoon tea!” – the superb, glass-covered courtyard of this museum just north of Oxford Street offers a supremely “relaxed tea for Londoners (rather than the excesses of the tourist teas)”, all “at a reasonable price”. Historically, its other catering has come in for sharp criticism, but all reports were upbeat in this year’s annual diners’ poll.

As the name hints, there’s a Bordeaux connection to this converted Tudorbethan pub in Marylebone, whose owner owner Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos hails from the family who own the legendary Château Margaux (helping to explain the very heavyweight wine list here, which includes 14 Margaux vintages available by the glass). Its modern European cuisine necessarily plays something of a supporting role but feedback regarding it this year – though limited – remained positive.

A “flagship of D&D London” – the group that has changed its name to The Evolv Collection – this first-floor operation over Marylebone’s Conran shop was one of the late Sir Terence Conran’s better creations: a “lovely” space, if one constrained by the narrow proportions of the building, with a fine view over St Marylebone churchyard and with the addition in recent years of a super rooftop terrace. Reports on its fairly “classic” modern French cuisine were steady in their approval this year, noting “interesting dishes with good flavour and presentation” provided by “friendly” staff. Top Tip – “excellent-value set menus”.

“Sublime food, plus all the special touches that make it so special: the incredible olive oil, bread, tomatoes…” – sunny Mediterranean vibes and the finest sun-soaked ingredients to match inspire enduring adulation for this glamorous taste of the Côte d’Azur in Mayfair. When it opened in 2007, it was originally called ‘La Petite Maison’ for the Nice restaurant that inspired it; nowadays it also has a summer pop-up on Mykonos, with openings for late 2025–2027 planned in Kuwait, Marbella and the Maldives. So long as you like hanging with the boujee crowd, “it’s hard to beat… other than on price!” (Salad Nicoise, £29.50; Marinated Lamb Cutlets [portions aren’t super-generous] £49). Top Menu Tip – a house speciality is Whole Roast Black Leg Chicken (at £150).

Jason Atherton’s small Mayfair venue does still have a fan base, who promote its “great atmosphere” and some “fantastic” posh bistro food; and it remains a central London link to his original ‘Social’ empire (Pollen Street Social, RIP, used to be opposite). The view gained currency this year, though, that while it’s “not a bad small restaurant, it’s nothing outstanding” these days – perhaps inevitably now that his prime focus has shifted to newer London projects including Sael and Row on 5.

Hopes are high for this late-spring 2025 newcomer, which launched – in the former Daylesford Organic premises in Marylebone – just after our annual diners’ poll concluded. It’s the second helping of Claude Bosi’s tribute to the bistros of his native France (see Josephine, whose Fulham launch was one of the smash hit openings of 2024), this time taking inspiration from Paris rather than Lyon. Breakfast is a new addition to the repertoire here.