London's top 50 restaurants: French
Sure, Paris is only two hours on the Eurostar, but with bistros and brasseries this good, why leave London?
Ooh la la! Why travel to Paris when the best of France comes to London? Here's our pick of the best Parisian-style brasseries and fine dining restaurants in London. Do you agree with the choices? Use the comments box below or tweet your suggestions.
© Michael Franke
Bar Boulud
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 3/4
It pains us to rate a US import so highly – Bar Boulud’s a branch of the original in New York. But the fact is, this is a seamless dining experience, with faultless service and exquisite French food in a smart Knightsbridge hotel – and all at prices which seem like a bargain for this standard of restaurant. Charcuterie takes centre stage, with an array of terrines, pâtés, hams and sausages. Mains run from classic croque monsieur to coq au vin and steak frites. To finish, there are cheeses divided by type (‘stinky’, ‘old and hard’) and classic puddings. So how does Bar Boulud make any money? The wine list is the answer – go easy on the delightful, but pricey wine list if you want to keep the bill below three figures for two.
When to go: When you want to show someone you really love them.
What to have: The charcuterie is a must; the set-price meals a steal.
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA
Amy Murrell
Bistrot Bruno Loubet
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
Chef Bruno Loubet has a short menu of Modern European dishes that reads like a dream. Beetroot ravioli, fried breadcrumbs and sage with rocket salad could be followed by a course of braised beef with mango and herb salad. This restaurant initially seems to lack the ‘wow’ factor of some of our other top-rated restaurants, but once you’ve tried the dishes, then you’ll understand why we rate it as one of the capital’s best – and most enjoyable – meals out.
When to go: For an understated meal out with exceptionally well-rendered dishes.
What to have: Whatever Bruno suggests – he’s a celebrity chef who’s always there, visible in the open kitchen.
- 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ
© Rob Greig
Les Deux Salons
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
The team behind Arbutus and Wild Honey have gone full circle from creating cutting-edge Modern French food to recreating classic French brasserie fare. This belle epoque setting is perfectly recreated, from the polished brass to the clenched-buttock, formal service. The cooking’s classic and very accomplished, and reminds you why the French have their reputation as culinary masters. Simple dishes such as steak bavette are perfectly cooked, and even desserts such as the rum baba are a delight.
When to go: ‘Pre-theatre’, ie between 5-6.30pm, when in the West End.
What to have: The pre-theatre prix fixe, £15.50 for three courses.
- 40-42 William IV Street, WC2N 4DD
The Ledbury
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
Brett Graham’s Notting Hill restaurant is fiendishly consistent when it comes to cooking and service. The Modern European menu doesn’t read like many others either, with just enough flair to impress but not alienate. The service is some of the best in London, too – the friendly, Aussie-accented staff really know their stuff. The weekday set lunch is astonishing value considering the calibre of cooking: £27.50 for two courses, £33.50 for three, with all the amuse bouches, pre-desserts and petits-fours included. An affordable luxury.
When to go: When you want the best midweek lunch in London.
What to have: The celeriac cooked in ash is a classic, but scallop ceviche with horseradish ‘snow’ is a rising favourite.
- 127 Ledbury Road, W11 2AQ
Guy Dimond
Little Social
- Rated as: 4/5
Rather than make a carbon copy of his ever popular Pollen Street Social, Jason Atherton has tweaked the formula a little for the restaurant’s younger sibling. Located just across the road from the original, Little Social is a luxe homage to Paris with a slightly Manhattan accent. Dishes put seasonal ingredients to good use with bold flavours and impressive execution.
When to go: When you’re after a French bistro with a modern twist. And, with set lunches at £25.50 for three courses, there’s no need to save it for a special occasion.
What to have: The braised ox-cheek with a thick sticky sauce and buttery mash was old-school French, and excellent, but most of what we tried was exemplary.
- 5 Pollen Street, W1S 1NE
© Britta Jaschinski
Terroirs
- Rated as: 5/5
- Critics choice
Why do we rate this wine bar so highly? Because it’s a place we’re happy to return to time after time, and also somewhere we feel utterly confident in recommending to food lovers in a very central location. When it opened more than two years ago, the small tasting plates of Frenchish, pan-European food seemed almost revolutionary, because they were more than just an afterthought to the extensive wine list –in fact, they eclipsed the standard cooking of most French restaurants in the Big Smoke. The menu is a frequently changing list that takes in charcuterie (pistachio and pork terrine is first-class), tapas-style bar snacks (duck scratchings, Marcona almonds) and plats du jour (pot-roasted quail, bavette steak).Two years on and little has changed, except that Terroirs has expanded a little, it’s still packed, and it’s much-imitated. The new branch, Brawn in Bethnal Green, is good too – but not as good as this original.
When to go: When nibbling near Charing Cross.
What to have: The tasting plates.
- 5 William IV Street, WC2N 4DW
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