Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

It's hard to pen a review when words cannot do the cuisine justice. I don't have the vocabulary to adequately describe the meal I had at Galvin Bistrot de Luxe.. but so shall I try.

The first thing to note is while the Yelp page for Galvin mentions it's pretty pricey, they offer a prix fixe menu that is incredibly affordable. You get a personally curated meal by Chef and an extraordinary dining experience. It was 25 pounds each, which was the cheapest meal we ate in London - how is this possible?!

The atmosphere seems stuffy and uptight, but the food is comforting and adventurous. We had a 4-course tasting menu that satisfied our appetites and we didn't arrive full. I can't spoil the courses, since the promotion is still active, but I will say that everyone was packed full of flavor and dimension. I would eat here time and time again.

I'll leave the photos below to paint a picture of the whole meal, but just know that Galvin has outdone himself with this idea, it's absolutely inspired.

Formidable! I mean wonderful!

The food, the wine, the impeccable and friendly service, all very, very good.

This is an excellent french bistro serving high quality fine cuisine in a very French, very nice atmosphere without overdoing it, no posh push or whatsoever.

If you want to try it out without spending it all on food you can try the extremely good value Saturday lunch with the same quality dishes but for a very affordable price so that you can keep some money to spend on an excellent bottle of wine you can choose from their great wine list.

I selected from the Saturday lunch menu a beautiful smoked salmon tartare with potato gazpacho, an extremely tender and tasteful slow cooked lamb with a puree of carrot and cumin and a vanilla cheesecake with Yorkshire rhubarb and amaretti a bit Eaton Mess style, so not looking like cheesecake at all :-)

Will definitely come back, on Saturdays or maybe to try their Sunday roast, could be interesting to see what the French twist would be to a Sunday roast.

The Bistrot belongs to the Galvin Restaurant Group with outlets allover London and the UK.
This is a classic bistro, rustic, which you would find anywhere in Paris.
Service is fine, nothing really outstanding, attentive and friendly. They have a little wine list with good value wines by the glass.
The food menu is small with some classic bistro dishes and some more innovative ones.
Quality of food is fine, fresh ingredients but from point of view nothing spectacular.
This place is not cheap and I was a little disappointed. I expected more from Galvin Bistrot de Luxe. There are just too many better choices in London!

Lovely meal! We had the steak tartare and the Sunday roast. The roast was splendid, great flavor. Healthy wine pours too. Desert was really good. My friends were very happy with the meal which averages about 45 pounds ea with 4 glasses of wine and three courses and tip. I'd probably pass on the tartare again, mainly as the dish had a very light ketchup like sauce it had been minced with which was not to my taste. Service was wonderful too.

The interior has the look of a private men's club circa 1930s, but the food in this lovely bistro is strictly classic French with some contemporary touches. Be forewarned - if you're concerned about calories or cholesterol, this isn't the place for you.

You must start with the crab lasagne with chive beurre blanc. Layered between perfectly al dente noodles are chunks of fresh crab swimming in a delectable sauce. I wish they served it as a main course because as generous a portion as the appetizer is, it's so sensational you'll crave more.

The entrees are large enough that light eaters probably will want a doggy bag for the next day's lunch. An enormous ribeye steak, grilled medium-rare exactly as ordered, was served with crisp green beans and a wedge of potato casserole, both swimming in butter. Pork cheeks and sausage, braised with shallots, were served on a bed of lentils. The meat was so tender it flaked with a fork.

Rice pudding with roasted figs and an apple tarte with cream were the perfect end to a perfect meal.

Ordering a la carte, the tab for two, with wine and tip, will run a very reasonable £90 or so. Bargain hunters will be happy to find they offer a 3-course lunch for £15.50 and, from 6.00 - 7.00pm, a 3-course dinner for an amazingly low £17.50.

Used their online reservation system and made a special request for a drink order to be waiting at the table. They acknowledged this request only after we had been seated which is an automatic star deduction. I understand it is a gamble for them to make a drink or two & set them on a table because the customer may not show up etc, but it's just a couple of drinks. This is the kind of service that sets apart a truly great restaurant from a good one and also why I am being a jerk about it. I don't mind paying good money for my meals or even paying exorbitantly, but I do expect the level of service to be commensurate with my cost and being the customer I figure if I want to have drinks waiting for me & my wife when we sit down then that really isn't too much to ask...

In typical French fashion the service was a bit on the slow side even when the place was pretty much empty on our arrival.

All my complaining aside the real reason we were there of course is to eat and let me tell you, the food was absolutely fantastic! Starting with the crab lasagne you simply know more good things are sure to come... Everything placed on the dish was paired with items that either complemented or contrasted seamlessly with every other component for both taste & texture and all of it cooked to perfection. One item that really stood out was some sort of celery puree. I have never had anything like it in my entire life and it will never cease to be on the forefront of my tastebuds. The apple tart dessert was the only regret of the evening as I feel I could have made a better choice rather than relying on the waiters suggestion, but that's my fault not his.

The restaurant was recommended to us by our hotel Hotel Concierge. We were a bit skeptical but was too hungry to be picky. Not only was the food great, service was impeccable. The down side is menu selection is limited.
Escargot is one of the best.
Prime beef is yummy!

This place is decent but I wasn't blown away. We were seated quickly and it's obviously a nice looking restaurant. They were slow to serve us and there was no one to hand our coats back at the end of the evening despite there being staff members who weren't doing anything and weren't waiters who could see us hanging around. The food was decent but not outstanding.

Good recommendation with wine, food is decent although a little salty (plaice and cod), lamb was very nice and probably the best out of 3. Dessert "free island" is a little too sugary, "banana brûlée with ice cream" is REALLY nice. Service is ok tho sometimes under-staffed. Overall experience slightly above average. Might come back again.

Wow, what an amazing French restaurant, now celebrating their 10th anniversary. A beautiful bistro suitable for an intimate dinner, celebration or private function. The selection of exquisite sparking French wines is enough to draw you in.