Great no frills fresh seafood. I ate downstairs but inside which was still cold in winter. But would do so again read more

Bibendum - Oysters and a festive tree - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Located on the ground floor of one of the most beautiful and ornate buildings in all of London, The Bibendum Oyster Bar was a very nice place for an early pre-show bite to eat. Service and food do not quite live up to the surroundings, but the casual vibe, nice wine list and very good food were exactly what we wanted. In particular, the fish and chips main course was an elevated version of the British staple and excellent! Recommend. read more

NOTE: This review for the 2-Michelin starred Claude Bosi restaurant on the second level, not the oyster bar on the ground level. I am actually quite surprised this place has just 2 Michelin stars and not 3. Every single bite of this multi course experience was ethereal... magnificent. Every. Bite. It all started with some wonderful amuse bouches: a savory mini cake and a beautifully presented egg dish that was so delicious, I was literally trying to scrape every bit of it out of the shell. The next dish - Duck Jelly - simply blew my mind. First of all, when the server lifted the cloche, I was in awe of how absolutely stunning it was, visually (see photos.) Then, when I took that first bite, I did that thing where my eyes automatically close so I can focus on savoring everything happening in my mouth... the unique cool, creaminess and the oh-so-interesting gelatinous layer... and the flavor payoff just soared. How on earth did they get so much rich, intense duck flavor in that jelly? My mind couldn't comprehend, but it was simply magnificent. The meat pie was delicious as well - a strong French twist on a British classic. The pastry was flaky, and when I cut into a piece, you could see the gorgeous juices flowing out of the meat. Even the salad... I wish I would've asked how they dressed it... even THAT made me do that eye closing thing. The beautifully presented cheese course and the lovely sweets were the perfect ending to a perfect meal. By the way, their service was so special. Everyone was so incredibly warm and welcoming. I love when the staff makes you feel as though you are genuinely a welcomed guest in their home... that's how they made me feel at Claude Bosi. Michelin team, you need to revisit this one!!! Hint: 3! read more

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I was really looking forward to trying this restaurant after passing by the historic building which was a draw.I made a reservation at the oyster bar on a weeknight. They have another posh restaurant on the upper floor of this establishment which apparently has earned two Michelin stars. Bibendum oyster Bar, on the street level, is the step sister of the fancier restaurant above. The French vinyl bistro chairs were quite uncomfortable. I was seated next to an Australian couple who were engaging and they took the edge off the poor food experience. Perhaps Claude should come down stairs once in a while to check on his staff in the Oyster bar kitchen because what they are sending out is truly disappointing. I ordered a pasta dish with crabmeat , the pasta was so undercooked it was crunchy, there was hardly any crabmeat in the dish and it was COLD. The squid was Just laying there in a pool of sauce that was bland. The fish I ordered was hardly seasoned and only on one side; it was void of any flavor with a crust on one side ~ no creativity, garnishes, or sides... bad presentation and a total letdown. There were some cute touches like butter dishes that looked like ashtrays with a porcelain Michelin man sitting on the side. And, there were lots of vintage "Michelin" tire posters & memorabilia...The building truly has a lot of history & character, which is what lured me in originally. The oyster bar left me disappointed. I doubt I would return to this place. You don't mind paying good money for good food but you will mind paying good money for bad food. read more

Holy wow. I was on the fence about the set tasting menu compared to surprise as I don't love all the ingredients - but thank goodness we did it anyway! Everything was absolutely delicious, even the things I thought I wouldn't like. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the John Dory, which was my favorite. Finding the place was a little weird - it seems like the primary entrance you're supposed to use isn't well marked, so we went in through the restaurant downstairs and were guided to an elevator. Once we made it in though, worth it. read more

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A relaxing Sunday brunch at this historic building. The patio area of the building is very nice with the beveled tile and depictions of automobiles from the days of yore. We dined on a dozen oysters (chef selection), the moulins frites, the soup of cannellini bean and chorizo soup and bread & butter as well as a ton of wine. The butter was very French farm style where it almost tastes of cheese. Totally delicious. The mussels were probably the best thing we had. The frites were just ok. The soup was confusing as there were no pieces of cannellini bean or chorizo in the soup so it was not as rustic or as hearty as we expected. The oysters were of good quality but were not shucked very well as we found shards in about half of them. We also waited about 30 min to get a raw product. The service over all was a bit slow and they forgot to bring us our rocket and Parmesan salad. Pros: nice area to sit and a few decent things to eat. Cons: poor service and food prep. Probably wouldn't return although I really wanted to like this place. read more

I love to have breakfast or lunch here, when I come to London.. Seafood excellent, I mad about oysters so it's for sure my place... Not cheap, nice service and it's included to the bill... read more

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When I go to places of this sort of quality, I'm constantly amazed that a team of people can create such flavour, such unadulterated joy, through food. I'm in absolute awe of them. As a cooking enthusiast (I'd never suggest I'm anything more) I can only dream of creating something as good as this. I wish I'd gone to food college rather than pissing around in my insurance job. Oh well. I guess it pays for these meals (not literally but you know what I mean). Anyway, on to the review. I've found another one for the anniversary/special birthday for the wife list. It now consists of Sat Bains (Claude's protégée), Ynyshir and now Bibendum. They are the three most extravagant and enjoyable meals I've had in my life so far and I want to share them with the one I love. Soppy prick. I'll also throw Cornerstone in there now I think about it. Thinking back to this meal gives me the warm and fuzzies. And I had another 'chills down the spine' moment with the veal sweetbread, or more accurately, the macadamia purée. More on that later. The venue for Bibendum is grand and feels like it's steeped in history. I can't even conceive of the amount of incredible meals that must have been served from the kitchen. Even the name - Michelin House - tells you what you're about to experience. It's decorated beautifully inside as well - deep blue carpet and brilliant white walls - it's all very classy. The staff are superb - while it's clearly very high class, and the clientele for lunch were clearly from money (I.e. I did NOT fit in) it didn't feel overly stuffy. They were the perfect amount of attentive, and the food was served quickly enough. Plenty of bread and a nice selection of snacks and a DELICIOUS amuse bouche to keep things ticking over. Speaking of which - the 'olive' was lovely! Served under a tree and made to deceive, it did just that. I'm reliably informed it was 'pissaladière' - whatever, the olive cracked with an absolutely deliciously smooth inside. Alongside this came 3 other snacks, all of which were lovely but the only one I remember was the foie grad 'oreo' which was absolutely insane and full of rich flavour. Next was the famous Bibendum Egg, which is definitely one for the 'gram. More deceptive dining, it was full of pea purée and a delicious curry flavour. Stunning. The bread course came which was typical fayre - crunchy sourdough in both white and brown. Then came the starter - Cornish cock (lolz) crab. Topped with a gazpacho jelly, it was full of texture and flavour - chewy, fleshy crab, the juicy jelly and an intensely flavoursome crab sauce at the bottom. Beautifully presented and a great intro for what was to come. Then. The veal sweetbread. The macadamia purée. The walnut sauce. The pickled walnut. Words can't describe this. It was a religious experience. The aforementioned chill down the spine experience happened on the first bite of both the sweetbread and the macadamia. A further happened when the two combined. This just worked incredibly well together. It also came with a side of theatre - the waitress bringing out the sealed (by pastry!) bowl which was full of arabica coffee beans that had been infusing with the sweetbread for a number of days I'm assured. The crack of the pastry as she cut through the side of it, letting the steam escape was a vision. This is in my top 5 dishes of all time. One for the annals. The vacherin to end proceedings was a bit of me. The combo of cherry and amaretto is always a winner. The presentation again was awesome, and it was a delight cracking through the almost urchin-y exterior, to get to the juicy, sweet innards. Lush. The orange wine was a beautiful accompaniment throughout the meal and worked with every dish. I love a good orange wine. The whole meal was ended by a capp and petit fours, which were very nice. And in a great touch as I was leaving, the very friendly waitress asked if I wanted to meet Claude! Which was amazing and I was completely fan-boying. Lovely guy, big hands. An absolutely phenomenal meal and experience and I can't recommend highly enough! read more

This was a very good meal, but I'm evaluating it against other two-star meals I've had, and I think Bibendum has a lot of work to do if it wants a third. First, the excellent points: all of the amuse bouche, and particularly the chocolate "olive". The Bibendum Egg is also worthy of the brand - a perfect layering of mushroom, coconut, and curry flavors. I worked hard to scrape the last traces of it with my spoon, and it made me think that Bibendum's kitchen has the talent for a third star. The service is also excellent, and the desserts are worthy of special mention. Both the blackberry/matcha interlude and the (unexpectedly) delightful banana/mushroom closer were three-star worthy. But between the start and the finish, there were a series of misses! The nosotto was an unpleasant, overly tangy, unintegrated blend of seasonal items. The turbot was too hard; the langoustine too soft - their cooking imprecise. And the crab dish was almost too briny to eat - it needs something in balance! Lastly, the first half of the wine pairings were uninspired. Chef Bosi wasn't cooking the night I visited, which may have had something to do with it, but at this price point (350 GBP all in), you expect the spectacular at every step. There wasn't a main at Bibendum that I'd line up next to the highlights at Eleven Madison or Le Bernardin. It's a beautiful space and the highlights were memorable, so I hope they can work out the kinks! read more

We ordered a dressed crab, some prawn and lobster spaghetti. Firstly, the prawns. You can't expect anything special from the steamed prawns. But they are definitely not the freshest we ever had in London. The crab, they are cold, and mixed with some I-don't-know-what-it-is herb. Flavourless, I would say, and it does not have that amazing flavour you would get from crabs. Lastly, the lobster spaghetti. I really love lobster, and I've tried quite a few of lobster spaghetti. Not only it is the worst, but its taste makes me feel sick, both the spaghetti and the lobster. Overall, the food doesn't taste good at all, and the price is quite high, and definitely not with the price. read more

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This is possibly the worst restaurant I have been to this year. It does not deserve its Michelin title at all. Service was horrible. We got sat down at our table for 20 minutes and no body has paid any attention to us, until I gave one of the managers a look. When I asked him to recommend wine, he just said OK and walked off, did not explain the wine list to me. The place was no where near hygenic either. My napkin had a massive stain on it. The toilets floors are wet and the cubicles dirty. Food is absolutely ridiculous. The presentation is ugly and not appetizing. The food was very average that you can from most restaurants. THE qualoty of the food simply did not match with its price tag. We ordered a "bibendum classic" which was the lobster tart. It came with a bunch of dry greens and a deep fried lobster claw... We also ordered escargot and it was hands down the worst I've had. The dish was so bland that it brought out the slimy taste of the snails......awful. I don't understand why my experience there was so bad as I have seen many good reviews on this place. I am guessing the best bit of this place is the oyster bar downstairs? I felt so ripped off and I am never returning here again. read more

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No bookings needed to sit and drink wine and down oysters in this ornate former car repair garage from the beginning of last century. They're also one of the only places in London to do a seafood platter to share. Combine the platter and the lack of booking with a sunny day on the patio and Chelsea-types galore and this is a recipe for success for those who want a relaxing afternoon of Sloane-life. Sadly on our visit the sunny day was not in attendance, so rain forced us indoors into the spot where the King's car used to get repaired. Despite being an ex-garage this is now a beautiful and historic spot to sit and chew through crabs, winkles and lobster. It is a bit echoey though, and when the Chelsea types in red trousers start Rah-Rah-ing a little too loud it can be a bit much. We shared a carafe of white with the seafood platter with added lobster. Adding in a liver pate starter took our bill for two just into three figures total. Not seaside-cheap sadly, but This Is London (TIL). The platter is impressive looking, perched on a pedestal on a mountain of ice. Every morsel is freshwater-fresh indicating care and quality; the prawns in particular were a notch above any I've ever tasted, and the crab was its usually awesome self (I love crab). However, the half lobster was disappointingly small, and the langoustines a bit too chewy. Beyond that we also got loads of time-consuming winkles and rubbery potted-shrimp. Whelks were not available that day ( ;__; ) and other favourites of cockles, muscles and razor clams were nowhere to be seen. Compared to seafood platters in Essex, Kent, Devon and Hampshire - this is the polished, pure, posh and pricey version. Good for an impressive date, but you can do better elsewhere. read more

Bibendum - Ready to rock - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Yum! Love this place for lunch. The food is excellent and presentation beautiful. If you are new to this place be sure you go to the host stand, it's confusing because this place has 4 different areas to eat. You want to go upstairs to the MIchelin House. It use to be a garage this is why the MIchelin is seen in this restaurant's decor. If you are in a rush for lunch you may want the dine elsewhere, this is an experience and worth the wait. I had the Turbo and my partner had the beef. Everything we put in our mouth was an delicious! read more

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A London favorite. The menu style is French which means it's a good place to have a quality steak in London. They also have other traditional English dishes like grouse stuffed with chestnuts in a brandy sauce. Having been there a few times, everything on the menu I've tried is excellent and the quality of service is everything you would expect. The building that this restaurant is in is very historic, having been the original Michelin tire hq in London. The upstairs where the restaurant is located has been meticulously restored and features the original stained glass art depicting 'Bibendum'. The attention to detail is really cool, including the custom-made plates, glasses, butter dishes and wine carafes, all reproductions made to precisely copy the original custom items made for the restaurant since day one. Props to these guys for keeping it real with this place! read more

I would caution all travelers, particularly from the US, to be careful about booking with this place. They charged my credit card $300 after we missed our reservation due to a calendering error (which booked the reservation from Los Angeles, and made it appear to be the next day, Los Angeles time). We used Open Table to make the reservation, and explained the mishap to them. Open Table acknowledged the simple mistake on their end, but these guys took a more aggressive posture, which says something about its financial situation. Beware! read more

I had dinner here with my boyfriend on our last night in London. We were staying down the street just off the tube station and so glad we tried this place. We started with drinks and oysters - they were excellent. I then had the caesar salad with chicken and my boyfriend had beef. Both were delicious. The portions were just perfect and I wasn't hungry after eating just a salad. The chicken was good as it was shredded and the cheese was freshly graded. For desert we had orange cheesecake which had a frothy texture and was very light. Perfect end to a perfect last night in London. read more

Amazing food. Amazing service. Amazing atmosphere. Started with drinks downstairs and everything from start to finish was incredible. Wouldn't expect less from a MIchelin restaurant. read more

Just got food poisoning from their oysters! Their servers were all over the place and acted overwhelmed with only like 8 tables. Then the waiter couldn't even tell us which oyster were which. And now we have been sick for 25 hours and counting. Don't go here! read more

One of Sir Terence Conran restaurants in the city. GREAT GREAT Oyster bar at the ground floor... TOP restaurant upstairs. I went there for lunch. It was FABULOUS!!! I had a GREAT Ceviche of tuna as starter... served perfectly.. and very very yummy!! As main course the Duck confit.... WOW!! How can they prepare it soooooo juicy!! NOICE. For dessert I had both the cheeses and the mango sorbet. Delish! As it was lunch I had a white Pinot Grigio from Alsace. GREAT CHOICE and suggestion from the sommelier :) Not cheap.. not at all... but totally worth it! Service is stellar!! read more

When I visited this classy restaurant, the in-laws were in town and needed to be shown a good time. To be honest though, the location alone is enough to impress anyone. A cafe and oyster bar takes up the ground floor of this historic and beautiful Art Deco ex-Michelin headquarters. The restaurant proper is housed upstairs in the light-filled dining room. No messing about, you should do like we did and start with champagne before ordering the seafood platter. This ain't no curmudgeonly smoked salmon affair either. It's a two tiered mountain of mussels, oysters, scallops, crab claws and other fruits of the mer. Four of us couldn't finish it. Service was excellent throughout and, I'm happy to say, daddy dearest was so bowled over, he insisted on footing the bill. As long as someone else pays, there's not much you can fault Bibendum for. read more

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Literally go anywhere but here. This is one star for the service. I ordered a cocktail off the menu with tequila instead of Mezcal and it took 30 minutes to get that drink, by the time I drank it I realized it was Mescale and not tequila. So I waited for the way just to come back and politely asked if I could have the drink that I originally ordered and then I waited another 40 minutes for that drink to come back only to have been made with Mezcal AGAIN. Then the wait staff made me feel like I was inconveniencing them to get my original order, and also our waitress never came back to ever check if our meal was OK but instead walked by us 20 times tending to their other tables while skipping over ours continuously. This was also my birthday dinner to add the cherry on top. So I waited over an hour for a drink at my dinner party and never even got it And they still charge me for the drink that was wrong that they made me wait an hour and a half to have, that I didn't end up drinking. And if you get the waitress with the short brown hair and the Bobbed haircut asked to have a different section. read more

We went there for a late night dinner after seeing a show at the Royal Albert Hall. It's a perfect restaurant after being dressed up for a show, great interior with fun pictures from past Michelin advertising. Food - truly French influences in all of the menu, solid dishes, tasty flavours - we had a great experience. Wine list extensive with selections from around the world. Looking for a French restaurant that delivers great food in an rather special environment this is the place. read more

I quite like the idea of this place. Very continental feeling with the flowers outside, tables strewn about, posh nibbles, nice wine list. I think the toilets always speak volumes about an establishment, and these urinals still have the ashtrays next to them. One never needs to put out a perfectly good cigar whilst using the bathroom! The wine list descriptions are a bit emphatic so take them either with a grain of salt or appreciation that they're in words you would like to use instead of the technical aspects of flavor (ok, without so many superlatives). I've been told that the price for quail's eggs is a reasonable value, though when we went, they were out. Sad times. But the parm crisps were delightful. read more

Bibendum consists of a restaurant, an oyster bar, and a crustacean stall all under one roof. Located on Fulham Road in the historic Michelin House, Bebendum serves some of the best French food in London. Its 20 year history should tell you something about this place. I took my girlfriend here for her birthday and it proved to be the perfect, romantic spot I was looking for. I had the steak au poivre and a salad. Both were perfect...could not have been better. My girlfriend had scallops and raved about them for days. The dining experience we had here was first rate and an ideal place for a special meal. read more

The best meal I've had since November. Perfect Quails' eggs. I was torn between the baked crab gratin and the lobster macaroni. I was leaning towards the former, but the waiter was keen on the latter. He won. And he was completely right. Exquisite soft delicate macaroni in a lobster bisque with lumps of beautiful lobster topped with crunchy gratin. Genuinely perfect. And the house cold white wine was a perfect accompaniment. Well done. read more

Very cool atmosphere--light and bright with beautiful windows. Its a pretty fancy restaurant--white table cloths and linen napkins. You pay for it too. I went with 3 other ladies and it was lovely--but expensive! We had the escargot, based on some of the other Yelp reviews, which were delicious. We found the menu to be too formal for lunch though. I had fish with clam stuffing and it was good. It was very rich but cooked well and beautifully plated. I agree with some of the other reviews...you should go on an expense account or for a special occassion. Its a nice dining experience with really wonderful servers, but a bit over the top for an average Wednesday lunch. read more

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Really, really like this place! It was great. Service was good but the food was exceptional. To start I had the avocado which was served on sour dough with prawns and jalapeños. My main was the half lobster with potato salad Both were great and quick refreshing to eat out and not be sent into a food coma by the size of the portions. Really, really nice - will definitely come back. read more

I only have very positive things to say about Bibendum. While I visited for lunch, I am sure it would be as glorious in the evening. The atmosphere is refined and I found our waiters knew the correct balance of attending to us and leaving us alone. The food was absolutely outstanding (see my photos), service excellent and atmosphere classy. They offer fixed price menus that are a great way to experience the menu and are more affordable. This place would be good for business lunches/dinners and great as a special date night restaurant. I would certainly go back whenever visiting this area! The stain glass Michelin man windows are impressive! read more

Nice places with fresh air but weird (sometimes noisy) street views. Very nice oysters but other than that food is just average and very pricy!! read more

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Awesome. We started downstairs with oysters, which were some of the best I've tasted. Also, the decor downstairs was beautiful. Afterwards we went upstairs, got seated and had the most amazing dinner. I had the pork cheeks which were excellent, while my colleagues had a boeuf bearnaise and some lamb. Finished with the creme brulée which was spot on. Also, the cheese can definitely be recommended - excellent choice. In total: definitely coming back, and would certainly recommend to anyone. read more

Went here for a family birthday couple years ago. The food was great and the service immpeccible. We had the set menu but I was very jealous of a neighbouring family eating steak. The architecture of the building has to be mentioned and the delightful stain glass inside. read more

Bibendum - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

This restaurant is housed in a magnificent building with a stunning, but cavernous, interior, it is for that that I give the two stars. Apparently they have great seafood (it better be at the prices listed) but unfortunately I can't say anything about that because the service was so terrible that my friend and I never ordered. It was around brunch-time on a weekend, yet the restaurant was deserted (never a good sign) with several wait-staff hanging around in a group, by the entrance, very, very far away from our table. Despite having nothing to do, and having seen us walk straight past them to sit down, no one brought us menus until we literally made noises to get their attention. The waiter didn't offer us drinks or bring us water but just plopped down the menus and then went back to the group until we were able to get his attention again, several minutes later. I wanted to order the Eggs Royale, which is an Eggs Benedict style dish only with smoked salmon substituting for the ham/bacon. However, I noticed that nowhere else on the menu did smoked salmon appear which seemed odd for a seafood house. I am already well-versed in the lousy habit of some restaurants, especially in London, who will sell "familiar dishes" only it turns out that the chef has deviated wildly from the recipe but not warned the customer. I have had "Caeser's Salad" made with boiled eggs, tomatoes and spinach leaves; I have had "American pancakes" as thin and flat as a crepe; I have had hamburgers made with half sausage pork. So I decided to ask the waiter if the Eggs Royale was indeed made with smoked salmon. First mistake: he didn't immediately know the answer and had to go to the kitchen, which took a relatively long time. Second mistake: when he returned, he told me that in fact they do it with their own house-smoked whitefish but not in any kind of apologetic way but just as information "that's how we make it". "OK, but as I continued to point out, it's not "Eggs Royale" then, is it? If I hadn't asked you, I would have been unhappy when my food arrived, so you really must tell the chef to either call it something else, make the recipe the way it's supposed to be made, or note on the menu, the variation. Right?" Blah blah blah. I might as well have been explaining algebra to a field of daisies. His face bore only the vaguest signs of comprehension. That's because he barely spoke any English. London restaurants seem to hire their waitstaff based on a proven lack of ability to communicate in the host language. It's a self-perpetuating cycle: the society doesn't respect service industry as being "real jobs" so they let just anybody do it any old way, so the jobs are considered low paid and unskilled, so they get unskilled people to do em for low pay, so nobody tips, so now it's a no-tipping culture, so nobody is rewarded when they do give good service, so those good service people don't stay in the business, so the whole industry ends up having a rotten-to-the-core, built-in, culture of "why bother" service. That is "Great Britain" for you. After just getting blank looks for my feedback, my friend and I left without ordering and went across the street where I had....you guessed it, Eggs Royale, which was indeed made correctly, with smoked salmon. Sadly, I don't remember the name of the place but if you are standing on the steps of Bibendum it is diagonally across the street and over the intersection. read more

Atmosphere is beautiful for breakfast but the food was unfortunately I guess very British and therefore very bland. Got the Michelin House Special Breakfast and it looked beautiful on the plate. The quality of the ingredients were superb as well but unfortunately the flavor of the dish completely fell flat. read more

I took my parents there for their anniversary and it was the perfect place. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted and treated with charm and professionalism. We were offered Table 1 (usually reserved for celebs and regulars) and immediately offered an aperitif before handed menus. The extensive menu (over 10 starters and 10 mains) had pretty much something for everyone some inventive dishes and a few classics. It's not cheap but it was a special occasion and portions are generous. The wine list is also extensive to the point of ridiculous but not unappreciated. We opted for a reasonably priced red Rhone. I ordered the Pied de Porc Pane on a bed of mash as a starter and the Sea Bass with Nero Linguini as a main. My parents had the grilled Langoustine (mum) and salad of Salad Paysanne with fried calves brains (dad) as starters, and the breadcrumbed Veal with Fontina cheese and proscuitto (mum) and ribeye beef with bernaise sauce (dad). We all tried each other's dishes (except the calves brain, I just can't eat that!) we love to share and it was all excellent. My Pied de Porc was delicious if a tiny bit rich, the langoustines sweet and fresh. My sea bass was perfectly cooked, with a creamy sauce. The veal was tender, very slightly over salted but this was probably the proscuitto and cheese, and there wasn't a crumb left. The service was slick, unobtrusive and helpful when needed. Too full for dessert (the complimentary petite fours were more than enough), we called it a night but perfectly sated and happy all round. read more

Awful service. Average food. Over priced. I would absolutely pass. Upstairs is apparently better.

I will admit that I would never have made it here if it hadn't been for my parents. One of their foody friends from home recommended it, and I will NEVER DOUBT THAT MAN AGAIN. The building itself is really cool just because it used to be a Michelin Tyre factory. The Lower floor is an oyster bar and upstairs is a full restaurant. but they have restricted hours, so you can't just show up and get in. We made a reservation ahead of time. My mom got the set meal with mussels, and while I don't like mussels i tried them and they were delicious. The service was amazing, and I had my glass refilled before I even finished it. My dad and I shared the 2- course chicken, it was for 2 people to share and cost £42 total. My dad also convinced me to try steak tartare for my 1st time. And I was open to it, b/c i knew if I was ever going to eat raw steak and raw egg, this would be the place to do it. Mom's chocolate mousse dessert was scrumptious. I miss it. Someday when I am wealthy and live in chelsea I will go there all the time. read more

An amazing little place to spend a wonderful Saturday afternoon. I had been craving Oysters for quite a while and this was an absolutely charming little place! Sipping a Rose, described as wistful and haunting, while enjoying 6 oysters was my ideal of a London afternoon. The prices are decent, considering you're in the middle of Kensington, with 6 oysters for about £10 (depending on what type you get). Would love to go back, if the weather ever decides to cooperate again!! read more

I just don't get why this place is so popular. Ambience is pretty mediocre and the food is passable but dull. I see a lot of expense account diners from American IT companies and people with rolly bags. It's a beautiful building but the seafood's much better across the street at Poissonnerie de L'Avenue. read more

The beautiful art deco architecture lured me into this place. The fact they have a great oyster bar helped, too. You can also just buy seafood, especially shellfish, at their store up front if I'm not mistaken. The interior is spaceous and light. Great for a short, romantic rendez-vous. One of the best places for shellfish in this part of the city and maybe even whole of London. read more

I'm adding Bibendum's Oyster Bar as a separate listing to Bibendum Restaurant because it's a totally different animal. While upstairs houses the formal dining room, the downstairs bar area is a casually beautiful affair - all tiles and windows inside, or in the summer months, outside along with the crustacea stall and florist. Obviously, you can get excellent oysters here, but they also offer smallish plates perfect for noshing on while enjoying a fine glass or two of wine. read more