Where to Find the Best French Food in London

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french food

London is so multicultural that you can find just about any cuisine you fancy just by strolling through the city centre, from British chippes to Indian Street food, Italian sandwich shops to Japanese sushi spots. However, if it is French food you are after, then you are going to want to follow this guide because the best spots are scattered all around the city. 

 

Granary Square Brasserie 

If you are staying in hotels near Brewery Roadyou are never far from King’s Cross, which is an area absolutely overflowing with wonderful restaurants to visit. Most importantly in the context of this guide, Granary Square Brasserie, where the classic French “laid back but classy” combo is in its element. This restaurant is more of a hybrid French and modern British/European dining, but you can still order French classics like hollandaise-covered brunches, a Sole meunière worth writing home about, mind-blowing Crème brûlée, and steak tartar… to name just a few! Not to mention the bright terrace, lush greenery and decor make you feel less like you are on London’s Regent’s Canal and more as if you are in a lovely bistro on the French riviera. 

 

Address: 1-3 Stable Street, Kings Cross, London N1C 4AA

More info: www.granarysquarebrasserie.com

Contact: 020 3940 1000

 

Margaux

Margaux is an up-market French restaurant in Kensington, about halfway between the RIver Thames and Hyde Park. Instead of the river-side aesthetic achieved at Granary Square Brasserie, Margaux is going for more of a rustic French villa look and trust us when we say that from within, you will hardly believe you are in the centre of London and not Bordeaux. It is also important to say that Margaux maintains the balance between getting all your favourite elements of fine dining on the plate without you being made to feel like you aren’t getting enough food. The brunch menu includes drool-worthy tartines, the wine menu is dreamy and a la carte menu has classic dishes like Jerusalem artichoke veloute as well as smoked duck tartare. 

 

Address: 152 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW5 0BE

More info: www.barmargaux.co.uk

Contact: 020 7373 5753

 

Clos Maggiore

Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden is so good that you will find yourself constantly on the lookout for discount hotels London just so you can get back to the city to be sat with a glass of red by their wood fire waiting for your contemporary French cuisine to arrive. 

 

If you are planning a romantic weekend getaway, Clos Maggiore was voted the most romantic restaurant, so that seems like a bit of a no-brainer. The wine list is impressive, the food is award-winning and the decor is about as quintessentially French as it gets. There are tasting menus which include dishes like Pan Roasted Les Landes Duck Liver, dessert menus which crush the Soaked French Savarin and a Sunday dinner menu to trump all others. 

 

Address: 33 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8JD

More info: www.closmaggiore.com

Contact: 020 7379 9696

 

Casse-Croûte

The little French bistro that is Casse-Croûte is straight off the postcards – red-checked table cloths included. Their food is overwhelmingly authentic and delicious, with a menu of the day daily. This means that the food is all fresh, seasonal and made with the utmost care and love. Considering how petit the location is, you would be blown away by their French wine selection. Ultimately, if it is a traditional French lunch you are after with flavoursome bisques, freshly baked bread and the likes, you have found your spot. Tucked away on Bermondsey Street, this absolute gem is a short walk from Tower Bridge and yet seemingly reclusive, like the kind you may find on a little Parisian sidestreet. 

 

Address: 109 Bermondsey St, Bermondsey, London SE1 3XB

More info: www.cassecroute.co.uk

Contact: 020 7407 2140

 

Le Boudin Blanc

This French brasserie serves the kind of rustic Gallic food you would expect to be served in from a rustic Parisian home – the decor aims to achieve that, too, with mismatched furniture and colourful artwork. There are no home chefs at Le Boudin Blanc – they are all absolute experts of the trade, yet they serve up home-style cooking that warms you from the inside out. The New York Times describes the restaurant as a bit of Paris in Mayfair, and that is exactly what you are getting. There are private dining as well as communal dining options, and it also proves popular for business-people. 

 

Address: 5 Trebeck St, Mayfair, London W1J 7LT

More info: https://www.boudinblanc.co.uk/

Contact: 020 7499 3292

 

L’Escargot Restaurant

This French haute cuisine restaurant in Soho sits in a converted townhouse with artworks on the walls by the world-famous likes of Miro, Warhol and Picasso – it is quite the destination, which has been described as a Soho institution. Do you feel like you have heard the name of this restaurant before? It is certainly a likelihood if you are familiar with the history of food in London. L’Escargot was the first restaurant in London to serve French cuisine but specifically its namesake: snails. This is less of a fine dining facility and more of a full-blown cultural activity akin to visiting a museum or a historic landmark. Here’s a great piece of trivia for you: their L’escargot (or snail variety, though this sounds considerably less exotic) used to be farmed in their basement. It goes without saying, though, that everything cooked and served from within these four walls is a gastronomical legend. 

 

Address: 48 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EF

More info: https://www.lescargot.co.uk/

Contact: 020 7439 7474

 

The easy answer to the question of whether there are any good French restaurants in London is “Oui!” The slightly more complicated part, once hearing all these options, is choosing which of the magnificent spots you are going to visit. Your best bet is to pull up their menus online and see what is on offer and choose based on the meal that really gets your tummy rumbling.