French Living in Nottingham

Wonderful! Delicious food served by attentive but not overpowering staff. Everything cooked to perfection, presented well, but again without too much fuss. Really felt like I was in France. We stayed well after closing with no hints for us to leave. So laid back and friendly. We chose the house wine and that didn't disappoint either. Can't wait to return.

I have been wanting to visit this restaurant for some time and my expectations were not disappointed. The food was fantastic, the service was great. It was really nice to be able to have either the set menu or a la carte in the evening. We can't wait to visit again and this time will be a lot sooner.

Visited here before attending the theatre, which is close by. Food was fantastic and just absolutely delicious. Proper cooked French food, beautiful. Also loads of choice. Service was good and staff polite and friendly. Would definitely recommend French living to anyone visiting Nottingham city centre and I hope to return in future.

Excelente comida y servicio. ¡Como estar en Europa! Sin duda recomendaría. ¡Qué joya en Nottingham! Gracias X

We loved this place... We took a chance and turned up for lunch without booking... Thankfully they had a table available .. prompt service and quality food.. you got the steak served as specified on the board non of this asking for it well done malarky... Seasoning was on point so not a salt shaker in sight

Just had a super lunch at French Living. It really felt like being in a French restaurant.

What a gem .fabulous ambience steph and Hannah are wonderful warm and inviting .food was excellant.. very cosy atmosphere ..cant wait to return ..

Authentic French according to my missus. Was busy great atmosphere, lovely food, we will be back. Wednesday evening we booked and walk ins were mostly accommodated. Book to avoid disappointment. Reasonable price.

Marvellous French food, great wines , and wonderful service from the knowledgeable staff. Both had mussels starter and venison main. Delicious.

Wonderful place to eat, staff are great, food and wine are both excellent.

Absolute gem of a restaurant. Been a firm favourite of ours for many years and never disappoints! We visited again on a wet and windy Saturday for lunch and had a beautiful 2 course meal in a snug, warm and welcoming environment. Merci!

We especially enjoyed the venison as well as the starters of mussels and snails. Excellent service.

The service was welcoming and friendly. I was very happy with the choice of wines. My partner liked her soft drink. Our food arrived in good time. My venison was cooked to perfection with plenty of tasty vegetables and a delicious sauce. My partner enjoyed her steak frites, which was very good value from the menu du jour. We were truly replete, so no chance of a dessert. We were pleasantly surprised by the total bill.

Set lunch was outstanding - as ever. Salt cod fritters followed by steak onglet with a good house wine (Languedoc). Stephane in great form. Highly recommend.

Excellent advice given about nearby parking for our disabled friend

Absolutely wonderful meal pre-theatre. Quality ingredients, portion size always just the right amount and seasoned to perfection. Lots of choice and very affordable. Always our first choice of restaurant whenever we are in Nottingham.

Lovely atmosphere and delicious lunch pre theatre. Perfect venue.

French Living is always wonderful.

2nd time I've visted in 1 month. Food is incredible and reasonably priced. Service is fast and the servers are friendly. Would reccomend if you fancy a delicious treat when in Notts!

Either employ more staff or book less covers. It was pre-theatre but a minimum standard of care and attention should still apply. Little/ no communication from the staff depending upon who was looking after one (maitre'd was particularly miserable). Wine dumped unceremonially on the table. I will return because there is little competition now that Petit Paris has closed but, come on monsieur, sharpen up your game! The food was excellent.

Absolutely first rate, as always.

This has long been our favourite restaurant and we are never disappointed, definitely recommended A*

Second visit, just as good as the first. Always delicious and v good service. Highly recommend.

An Excellent pre concert/theatre venue

the very best French bistro in nottingham

Thank you for a lovely lunch and looking after the needs of our family (from 2 to 63 years of age) :)

A regular lunch menu - seasonal plat de jour - typically French dishes - Nottingham is lucky to have this independent gem in the city centre - highly recommended

Siempre agradable. El personal es servicial y amable y la comida siempre buena. Es nuestra primera opción para una comida fuera. Si tienes la oportunidad de experimentar sus Discovery Evenings es una experiencia muy especial, ¡pero no cojas el coche!

A very authentic French restaurant. The service is excellent and the meals are fantastic. It’s Nottingham’s French culinary secret!

10/10 as always, lovely ambience and friendly welcome. Service excellent, very knowledgeable about the menu. Fabulous food. We’ve been for lunch and dinner many times and we keep coming back as it’s just so good! Tartiflette was superb 🥰

Food was excellent as usual, service was first class and ambience wonderful

We just love everything about this place and it is our ‘go to’ place when in the City…….fabulous!

We enjoyed the early evening menu - always great value. It's a genuine French eating and drinking experience in the heart of Nottingham. We've eaten there often since the restaurant opened and we're always happy to return.

Wonderful fresh authentic home cooked food.

We are both French and love good French cooking. French Living is our absolute favorite. It's always a great experience, with perfectly cooked starters, mains and desserts and really good French wines. A little corner of France right in the heart of Nottingham!

Magnificent food, especially the mussels starter. Took great care that I could access the table in my wheelchair. Lovely experience

Fabulous - just like being in the Loire valley but with friendliness from the owners. Experienced French chef. Lamb Cutlets gorgeous as always, and a great pear and Gorgonzola salad to start.

Very tasty French cuisine in a bistro atmosphere.

Un montón de elección en el menú del día y elegí pollo en una salsa de estragón mientras que mi pareja eligió el filete. La comida tardó un poco en llegar, pero uno esperaría la de una comida recién cocinada y estaba delicioso. Luego corté en una parte más gruesa de la pechuga de pollo y estaba cruda! Se lo dijo a un miembro del personal y ella se lo llevó junto con el filete para mantener el calor. El mismo pollo fue devuelto cocido esta vez. No es una gran experiencia.

My granddaughter and I had lunch today - as always the food was delicious, the service impeccable and the atmosphere delightful.

Enjoyed a lovely meal here on Saturday Night. Delicious food, excellent wine and very good service.

Excellent value lunch . Great food and service

Reserved after reading reviews on trip advisor. Small place, no set menu, you have to read whats written on black board, limited menu. Bread served with no olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Did not ask how the meat should be cooked, choice was so limited, my wife had to eat somewhere else after the dinner. For £100, hardly any decent food + wine. Bit disappointed.

Reserved after reading reviews on trip advisor. Small place, no set menu, you have to read whats written on black board, limited menu. Bread served with no olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Did not ask how the meat should be cooked, choice was so limited, my wife had to eat somewhere else after the dinner. But disappointed.

Excellent value fixed price lunch menu. Classic French cuisine.

Excellent food in a lovely casual setting. House wine was super too. I’m a slow eater so I would prefer a warm plate to keep my meal hot longer but this is a minor point.

Another lovely pre-theatre dinner. Friendly staff, calm ambiance and feel of a small French restaurant. Starters of goats cheese tart and chefs pork terrine were tasty as were the onglet steak and chicken cordon bleu with pomme frit. Helped down with a glass of house white wine. A great start to our evening.

Excellent food in an authentic setting. Good service and an ideal place for a pre theatre meal.

Another brilliant night at French Living, great atmosphere, the team are friendly and helped make it a great night and as usual,.the food was exceptional. Can't wait to come back.

Dined herewith friends before attending the theatre . The food was tasty and well cooked and, at £30 for three courses, was very good value. The red wine sauce with the steak and fries was delicious. The staff were friendly and efficient.

Gorgeous food, environment and service as usual. Always a pleasure.

Love this restaurant, food was delicious and staff so friendly and fun, as ever.

It's an exceptional place and a credit to the whole team. Keep it up!

We had a lovely quiet lunch service and food perfect.

Great independent restaurant, lovely staff and very knowledgeable about the dishes they serve , lovely food. Very authentic .

Always superb and authentic thank you!

Venison was superb, staff were very friendly and engaging but it took over an hour for us to be served our first course which felt a bit too long.

Fantastic French food. Great place x

Lovely food. Great service. Nice to find a typically French restaurant in the middle of Nottingham. We will return.

A big thank you to the FL team for a great lunch today, consistently good food with a good varying daily menu and a wider selection available via the seasonal menu

A genuinely French restaurant. our meal was excellent as always.

Eating at French Living has always been a very enjoyable experience for me, whether with a small or larger group. There is no other place like it in Nottingham. It offers a very good choice of dishes and wines, the food looks like and tastes like authentic French food. Staff are very friendly and eager to please and advise......Some very happy to speak in French! The atmosphere is relaxed, with music (mostly French) playing in the background at just the right level, which doesn't stop you having a conversation. Thoroughly recommend it as a special treat!

A little piece of France in Nottingham 🇨🇵 The welcome, the service, the decorations, the music (and above all) the dishes are excellent! Keep it on guys!

We ate the couscous themed three course meal, so we did not have dishes from the normal a la carte menu. It was exquisite! One item I can recommend for dessert lovers is the sorbet. This was a very creamy and sweet dish. I am accustomed to much sharper versions. I will be awaiting news of the next themed evening with much interest!

Love this little place! Took my partner here for her birthday meal and they were very attentive, the restaurant looks like you're in France, and the food was great. I put a birthday request for my girlfriend on the booking details and they surprised us both. Definitely going again!

I am still not sure if I like couscous .... if I did, I am sure I would give it five stars!!! French Living is really an exceptional place to eat

We've been several times after a friend recommended French Living It's a lovely place and always worth booking a table.

Very enjoyable evening - as always.

Excellent food, highly recommend Can’t wait to come back again

Lovely place to eat and drink. Food always delicious and particularly love the variety of vegetables accompaniments.

A surprising quaint French restaurant tucked away near the city center. The blackboard boasts a wonderful array of interesting foods. The escargots were delicious and piping hot. For mains, I had the haddock cooked two ways with squid ink and tiny relishes sprinkled about the dish. My dining companion had the monkfish with scallops. The food was fresh and zesty. I liked the little touches of French living throughout the restaurant including an address in French, colorful striped table cloths and interesting wicket basket lamps. It gave the place a certain joie de vivre which I appreciated. I finished dinner with the magnificent crème brûlée. What a lovely restaurant.

We have been enjoying the wonderful French bistro French Living for many years. As confirmed francophiles, we love the authentic experience and focus on eating well in a pleasant atmosphere. Heartily recommended whether it be for a special occasion or a relaxed midweek lunch

After many months visiting Nottingham and its many restaurants, I came across French Living and it is now my go-to place. The ambience, the food, the father and son staff, just everything was more than I could have expected. I started with a pastis of course and a carafe of their wonderful house rose, followed by steak frites and a marvellous crème brule of course. An expresso and a couple of Calvados to finish (the second glass on the house, courtesy of le patron) and in between courses, some casual conversation. I eat upstairs in the bar area as that felt very intimate, there's dividing wall between the bar and the main dining room, so solo eaters like me don't feel so conspicuous and also a larger dining area in the basement which looks really nice. Overall, a wonderful dining experience that I would recommend to anyone. If you want genuine French food and ambience, avoid the chain 'French' bistros and come here for the real thing.

4 of us came for lunch and all had 3 courses including both menu's. We were all impressed with every course and would happily return. Including the service and atmosphere a fabulous place to dine in Nottingham for a French dining experience .

My wife uses French Living on a regular basis for a good number of years and highly recommends it.

First time visit very impressed menu very well explained will definitely be back value for money

Absolutely fab as always. Excellent wine choice and always feels excellent value. So friendly .

Excellent food and service as always!

Beautiful quirky little place. The seating is lovely and staff are very friendly and very helpful and have a good sense of humour too. The food was delicious, a great varied choice to pick from on the menu. 10/10, thank you!

The perfect place to celebrate a graduation. The 2 course meal was excellent value and the tastiest meal we’ve enjoyed in Nottingham. It was a lovely atmosphere too - could have stayed there the whole afternoon.

As always, French Living serves delicious, authentic and reasonably-priced French food. One of my favourite restaurants.

Have been to French Living twice in a week after a long time since COVID. really loved this very French restaurant. lovely food, service is indeed very good. highly recommend.

Cute little place Well cooked food. Portions aren't big, but depends on your appetite, worth a visit. Good for a pre-theatre dinner You are looking at around £50 for 2 main courses and 2 drinks.

The food and the presentation are fabulous! I ordered the lamb chops, which looked and tasted excellent! I also loved the Crème Brûlée. Service was also good. Two things we didn't like so much: Although we had booked well in advance, we were seated at a window table right behind the entrance, with a step right next to our small table. So it felt a bit "squeezed". That table might be suitable for a single dinner, but too tight for two. Secondly, the absence of a paper menu. Reading the menu board on the wall turned out to be a bit of a challenge. As shortly after we had arrived, the guests at the table next to us (located between us and the wall with the menu board) turned up. So they actually had to get up from their chairs to read the board on the wall, in order not to twist their necks, but in the process then blocked our view of the board... We felt that was not ideal, as browsing the menu should be a relaxing affair. And this wasn't. Neither for them nor for us.

The food and the presentation are fabulous! I ordered the lamb chops, which looked and tasted excellent! I also loved the Crème Brûlée. Service was also good. Two things we didn't like so much: Although we had booked well in advance, we were seated at a window table right behind the entrance, with a step right next to our small table. So it felt a bit "squeezed". That table might be suitable for a single dinner, but too tight for two. Secondly, the absence of a paper menu. Reading the menu board on the wall turned out to be a bit of a challenge. As shortly after we had arrived, the guests at the table next to us (located between us and the wall with the menu board) turned up. So they actually had to get up from their chairs to read the board on the wall, in order not to twist their necks, but in the process then blocked our view of the board... We felt that was not ideal, as browsing the menu should be a relaxing affair. And this wasn't. Neither for them nor for us.

Excellent lunch menu and chicken liver starter,excellent.

Never had a poor meal and I have been many times over many years. Always good.

I had the Venison, probably the best Venison dish I have ever had.

Fab. Great experience. I’m coeliac do need to eat gluten free. Nothing too much trouble. I had the cheese and some g/f biscuits would have been nice. Other than that thoroughly recommend

Very good food, friendly attitude, and patient staff. Have a very good lunch time with friends. The steak is very delicious even though it just cost £18

Lovely to be back! My guest was very impressed and we were both delighted that all aspects continue to please.

Excellent food in this quintessentially French restaurant. Good service and atmosphere.

A gem of a place! Had some excellent food and the house wine is amazing.. dreamy creme brulée!

Always a great meal, excellent wines and friendly helpful staff!

The food is unbelievably good. Must go more! Perfectly french. The saltfish and goats cheese starters were divine. We had the pork with dauphinoise potatoes and ratatouille. Totally recommend these.

A wonderful authentic little piece of France. Great friendly service, not at all rushed. The quality and taste of the food is superb. A real treat. This is a place where you can be confident to order the house wine and not compromise on quality. The cider was also good. Only slight negative, I don’t find the seating too comfortable but I appreciate the chairs suit the style of the venue. We will be back.

Lovely balanced plates of food. Friendly service. True french style.

When I first arrived my friends were already seated with drinks. I sat down and although the owner was sat behind the bar I wasn’t asked if I would like a drink so in the end I asked for one. I asked for a glass of dry white, preferably a Chardonnay to which he replied ‘our Chardonnay is stronger than most, it comes from the mountain, I don’t think you’ll like it, would you like the house wine!’ We were seated by the wedged open door and it was a cold evening so I asked if we could sit round the corner as we were cold. ‘Why don’t you close the door’ he said then got up to close it. I said I felt I couldn’t just get up and close it that would be rude. We asked for butter to go with the lovely but dry bread and were brought the smallest piece you’ve ever seen between four of us! The meal was truly average but nobody asked us if everything was ok and nobody asked us if we would like more drinks and when I asked for the salt he said of course but all the food is seasoned you know. The dessert was lovely and the female waitress was also lovely but he even had a dig at her as she was asking us if we knew what a Tuile was and as he was walking past he said to her ‘of course they know what it is’. We all felt that we were most unwelcome and not valued as customers and I know this review will be dismissed as unreasonable by the proprietors wife because I looked over the reviews and not once does she apologise or any wrong. I won’t be returning, not necessarily because of the food but because of the socially inept person that did little to make us feel welcome.

Excellent, as always. Full menu of great food, high end house wine, friendly and efficient service. Can't fault the place, can't wait to get back.

Shame no table menus to browse sitting down, they are on boards now. My terrine was dry. It tasted like a thin slice of cold stuffing. My steak should have been rare and was well done. It was probably someone elses. The chips were very dark brown and over cooked. Not up to usual standard.