3 restaurants open right now
French restaurant · Victoria / Westminster
French restaurant · Covent Garden / West End
French restaurant · Mayfair
Classic French dishes turn up across most French restaurants regardless of formality: moules frites, French onion soup, coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, steak frites and duck confit are all common, alongside a strong bread and cheese course tradition. Sauces and technique matter more here than in many other cuisines, since a lot of French cooking is defined by method, a beurre blanc, a proper stock-based sauce, rather than a specific ingredient list.
French restaurants in London range from casual bistros serving simpler, rustic dishes to formal fine dining rooms built around multi-course tasting menus and precise technique. Regional variation matters too: Brittany and Normandy lean on seafood and butter-based sauces, while the south leans on olive oil, garlic and Provencal herbs, and a restaurant's regional focus shapes its menu as much as the general French label does.
Looking at the 3 french restaurant listings we track, the highest concentration is in Westminster (3), Tower Hamlets (2), Hackney (1).
Seafood has a strong place in French cooking, particularly from Brittany and Normandy, where mussels, oysters and white fish are everyday ingredients rather than a special occasion food. Bouillabaisse, a Provencal fish stew, and moules frites are two of the most recognisable French seafood dishes, and a French restaurant leaning toward a coastal regional style is likely to have a genuinely strong fish and shellfish section.
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A bistro is generally more casual, with simpler, heartier dishes and more relaxed pricing, while a formal French restaurant tends toward multi-course tasting menus, refined presentation and higher prices. Both fall under the same broad French restaurant category.
It varies a lot by region and dish. Classic dishes like boeuf bourguignon are rich and hearty, but Provencal and coastal dishes, salads, grilled fish, ratatouille, tend to be considerably lighter, so it's worth checking a specific menu rather than assuming everything is butter and cream-based.
3 french restaurants are listed in our directory right now, most heavily concentrated in Westminster (3).
