Soho, French Restaurant Guide

“Luxurious decor, booths and the infamous ‘Press for Champagne’ button by the table, make it all feel quite Russian oligarchy” at Leonid Shutov’s “fun”, “blingy and gimmicky” Soho diner, which feels a bit like a stage set for ‘The Orient Express’. It also has a less commented-on sibling in the City’s ‘Cheesegrater’ building, decked out in a similar but more glossy style, which puts a Bladerunner-esque spin on the theme suited to its skyscraper setting. Both offer privacy and a supremely cosetting setting and are often tipped for special dates or less-formal business entertaining. “The menu likewise has oligarch vibes, with the likes of caviar, vodka shots, oysters and truffles, but this is alongside a great mix of comfort food like pie, chicken Kyiv, and mac ’n’ cheese”. On balance, the food is judged “well-executed” but even so fans can still feel that “some items are highly priced for what they are”. Top Menu Tips – “the real reason to go is the beef Wellington… utterly delicious, cooked perfectly and a generous portion”. Also “fine wine mark-ups are capped at £75” – so if you push the boat out enough it can be a relative bargain!

2023 Review: With a menu inspired by the French Riviera, this spacious outfit in Golden Square “quickly became a firm favourite for business lunches”, despite the unfortunate timing of its launch in late 2019. Parisian patron Guillaume Depoix’s vision of the ‘perfect Soho brasserie’, it delivers “delicious French food done simply and well”, with a “great clubby feeling, especially when the DJ is there at weekends”.

“Unbeatable value for money and wow factor” underpins the titanic popularity of this “superb” and “bustling”, “Beaux-Arts dining room”: a “unique” setting that’s all-the-more remarkable for being in a gigantic basement less than 100 metres from Piccadilly Circus. “It feels just like a proper Parisian-style venue and the menu is exactly as you would expect of such a place”: a huge assortment of “brasserie-stye French staples” that are incredibly “reasonably priced” for the heart of the West End (although careful selection is advised: “results do have their ups and downs, so stick to the cheaper dishes”). Service is occasionally “grumpy” but is mostly “excellent even when busy” (and “the expected disaster of losing Corbin & King from the management has not materialised”). Top Tip – “stick to the ‘Formule’, enjoy the view of the great room and you’ll never have a bad time”.

“A buzzing French-style brasserie with excellent service and attractive atmosphere” that helps “lift the spirits” if you are counting the pennies – “where else in central London can you get three courses of decent grub for £20-odd?”. “Splendid for pre-theatre”, this Soho fixture offers an “unusually wide choice” on its set menus, “while the dishes are well executed and flavoursome”. Top Tip – “eating à la carte may be a mistake. True to its name, the fixed price menu is probably a better option”.

“Showing what can be done with plant-based ingredients. Bravo!” – Alexis Gauthier gave up meat personally in 2016 and professionally in 2021 at this “intimate” townhouse in Soho – a destination renowned before he took it over in 2010 (from Richard Corrigan when it traded as The Lindsay House) for its air of quirky romance, from the moment when you knock at the door for entry (“I love the many different rooms to eat in”). The French cuisine here remains, in essence, “fairly traditional”, but nowadays has “a superb meat-free ethos” resulting in “some of the most complicated and sophisticated vegetarian food around”. At least, that’s the majority view, although even a number of fans do “miss some of the old dishes from previous, pre-vegan visits” (and ratings, here, have somewhat trended down in recent years).

“Spectacular food, spectacular service, spectacular theatre… amazing!” – This glittering and gilded chamber occupies the top floor of one of Mayfair’s most impressive mansions and is a fairytale location and showcase for the cuisine of star French über-chef Pierre Gagnaire. One or two reporters do dismiss it for its “silly prices” and “the number of Instagrammers taking pictures of themselves”. On balance, though, it stacks up better than many competing London outposts of Gallic star chefs dutifully blessed by the French tyre men: “the various small plates provide never-experienced-before combinations” for some diners, and all acknowledge the “stunning” nature of the “beautiful” and “romantic” interior (and that’s just the Swarovski-clad toilets…)

If Willy Wonka was a restaurateur, he might open this perennial fashionista favourite in a huge Mayfair Palazzo, with its shimmering walls and artworks by Yinka Shonibare adorning the walls (not to mention the egg-shaped WCs). Actually, it’s the work of Parisian dining impresario, Mourad Mazouz, and has been a talking point of the London restaurant-scene since it first opened in 2003. For the uninitiated, maybe dip your toe in the water with afternoon tea, with its “delicious finger foods, sprightly service and no rush to move you on”. That it’s “very expensive” is part of its DNA however, and those visiting for its dinner menu of wacky European dishes are fairly likely to find it “poor” and/or “overpriced”.

“Solid, classic Gallic cooking in the heart of Soho” has proved an enduring formula for London’s oldest French restaurant, which opened in 1927 (but has origins dating back to 1896). It helps that it occupies a “charming” and “timeless” dining space where the “professional service” (“no intrusions”) adds further to its “traditional” appeal, making it ideal as a place “to impress” for “a central London business meal” or to charm a date. There’s some debate over whether the food is “superlative” or merely “solid and classic” but it is consistently well rated in reports. Top Menu Tip – “excellent (and very reasonably priced) pre-theatre venue”.

“Kudos to the chef” – Seamus Sam, who arrived in mid 2024 and is maintaining the culinary renown of this funky 12-seater in the cellar of Layo & Zoë Pasking’s period pub on the fringe of Chinatown, where he delivers a five-course menu for £135 per person. By all accounts it’s “just a wonderful experience” with “extremely interesting cooking” and “some intriguing wine pairings”, all delivered by “excellent staff”. “Not one for claustrophobics” perhaps, but most reporters find its style “lovely and intimate”.

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.

This “fun and glitzy” offshoot from Art Deco-style Bob Bob Ricard nearby focuses on chicken dishes – served from the rotisserie, or as a schnitzel or burger – plus caviar and Champagne. Fans say, “it’s a bit of a one-trick pony… but it’s a good trick”. Sceptics, though, were more in evidence this year – “the chicken needs to be exceptional in a restaurant that only does chicken, to justify a return visit!”

On a site off Carnaby Street that was till recently poke vendors Kua ‘Aina, this Francophile May 2025 opening aims to import the spirit of bar à vins in Paris’s outer arrondissements to this corner of Soho. Headed by owners Michael Searle & Josh Anderson alongside chef Giacomo Peretti, it provides a modern take on Gallic dishes while still respecting the classics, with a cozy interior comprising 47 covers split over two floors. On the menu: Chicken liver rocher, hazelnut & morello; Fried courgette, rouille & trout roe; Escargot, seaweed & pine nut cream; Crab tart with crab bisque; Millefeuille, strawberries & chantilly; Raspberry & tarragon sorbet. All this alongside an all-French wine list selected by Searle.