Galvin Cafe a Vin in Tower Hamlets

Food was nice but left you wanting more. Service was terrible, first of all the threw a portion of chips over us and then had the audacity to charge us for 2 portions of chips for replacement that they brought out. Then they kept trying to take our food away before we were finished. Won’t be going back

Real food, real chefs, real service, love this place

Good value and consistently good.

Bon appétit… London style! Dinner @galvinbistrot last night was nothing short of spectacular. Think rich, buttery sauces, perfectly crisp frites, and indulgent French classics that make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Parisian hideaway—without leaving London! 🍷🍽️ From the silkiest chicken liver parfait to a show-stopping duck confit, every dish was pure perfection. And, of course, we couldn’t resist ending on a sweet note with a heavenly tarte Tatin. 🥰 If you love good food, great wine, and a bit of French charm, this is your spot! Who’s up for a little bistro magic? ✨

This is a destination place attached to Galvin la chapelle. Great food and service. Fresh Czech beer on tap Top notch.

Delicious food in generous portions. Even starters seem a bit larger than expected. Confit Duck Cassoulet is very good, but again, I couldn't even finish the whole dish - could easily be shared between two ladies. We had a nice evening. Nice setting. Just a little noisy.

The food is just a masterpiece. Delicious! Especially the tartar, I was looking this dish across the whole London restaurants. Venison and fish was fantastic, the service on a high level. They prepared the table for the Valentine’s Day in the special way as well which is so lovely.

I had emailed ahead of time as I was on a date and the hostess had reserved a table in the corner as requested and even brought a complimentary bottle of champagne. The food was lovely and the atmosphere is great. Will definitely be back!

We had a lovely evening at Galvin Bistrot. As always the food, service and ambience were excellent. We really enjoyed the Taste of Winter menu. We look forward to visiting again soon. Our thanks to everyone for making our evening so enjoyable, it's what makes visits to the Bistrot always feel special.

The food and service has always been excellent.

Set lunch: squash-pumpkin soup was incredible comte cheeseboard was unimpressive

We visited tonight for my birthday. Brilliant service and made to feel special. Regular check ins by the waiting staff and manager. Toilets were easily accessible and very clean. Would definitely recommend and would return xxx

Superb food for a very good price. Staff were pleasant and efficient. The room is a bit echoey which makes conversation a bit difficult. Service charge is high

La comida era muy buena pero a las 10. A las 10 de la noche se encendieron las luces y nos informaron que el restaurante cerraba a las 10 . 30 pm. Apresurado a través de nuestros cafés y luego presentado con una factura de 14. Cargo por servicio del 5 %. Nunca esperé que me dijeran que me fuera temprano y con amigos que habían viajado un largo camino para unirse a nosotros. Un giro inexplicable de los acontecimientos en un restaurante un sábado por la noche en el centro de Londres. No volverá.

One of our favourite restaurants. The menu has been changed too for 2025.

El Bistrot and Bar está a la vuelta de la esquina de la aliada La Chapelle, y ambos restaurantes están a pocos pasos del metro de Liverpool Street, y el bistrot posiblemente se encuentre más simplemente caminando por Bishops Square desde Brushfield Street. Uno de nosotros llegó unos buenos 45 minutos antes de nuestra hora reservada, pero fue llevado inmediatamente a la mesa reservada y cuidado con agua, y un menú de bebidas, etc. No hubo presión en absoluto durante nuestra comida, y nos relajamos completamente en la noche. La comida que pedimos incluía el jamón y la sopa al principio, seguido de la cassoulet y un filete, y mousse au chocolat como postre. Había borrador de Pilsener Urquell para quedarse mientras esperaban la llegada de otros, un tinto Languedoc muy agradable para la comida y Calvados al final. Este bistrot es un lugar excepcional e, incluso una semana antes de Navidad, fue tan tranquilo y memorable como uno podría desear - donde una comida realmente ayuda a relajarse a través de alguna manera la gestión de la tranquilidad entre el bullicio de Londres en la tarde.

Went for the late sitting on New Year’s Eve for at least the third time and it is our favourite way to celebrate New Year. The food was excellent as expected and the service as impeccable as always. The ambience and party atmosphere make it a great way to celebrate and the staff are always so professional and friendly. Thank you to all the kitchen staff and to Franco and his team in the dining room.

Staff were nice but very keen on upselling drinks and menu items we didn’t request and getting us out of the restaurant the minute our meal was over.

Main dish was NOT as described on menu. Instead of salsify I was served shredded sprouts. As I detest sprouts this ruined my dining experience. We were rushed as staff wanted to close. Won't bother again.

Soy alérgica al sulfito. Tuve que irme como me dijeron solo las ostras y el bistec sin salsa a 39 libras estaban libres de sulfitos. No hay ensaladas para comer sin aliño... así que sugerí que el jamón de Bayona... podría haber sido curado con vino aparentemente.

Nice bistro, good atmosphere and good food. Excellent service. A little bit more expensive but worth it.

Excelente. Reservamos una mesa en el bistró, pero eran cortos en espacio. La única mesa estaba cerca de la puerta. Solicité una mejor mesa, Jeff Galvin se dio cuenta y nos llevó al restaurante principal, realmente nos cuidó. Champagne y ostras, delicioso fletán y la mejor baba de ron que he probado. El personal era excelente, experiencia muy especial. Gracias Jeff y su equipo, nos fuimos muy llenos y muy contentos.

Galvin's' needs to decide whether it IS a 'restaurant' or 'fast food' outlet! The signs before we even arrived were not great - i.e. - chasing for credit card details already given at the time of booking on OpenTable? (Scam? No, Galvin's confirmed they had sent the email!) - 5 days before they emailed requesting we confirm. They seemed not to trust 'OpenTable'. - 2 days before they emailed again advising we had a 2-hour time slot! We should have trusted our instincts and cancelled. Who wants to be rushed through a Christmas Lunch? We arrived early (11.50 am) for our noon time slot. The staff seemed to be having a team meeting. They did not break off - instead an archetypal 'snooty' type staff member raised his eyebrows and looked towards the door. He confirmed I was in the correct place! He proceeded to squeeze me into the smallest space possible. (Punishment??) The restaurant was empty. We asked to move to a more comfortable table (with more room) to be told by 'Mr Snooty' they were all 'reserved'. It turns out they weren't and indeed considering it was a week before Christmas, there were quite a few empty tables! We ordered quickly. Before I had even finished my 1st Course, the waitress had brought over my Main!! She blamed it on the Chef! The Main was warm (it had been sitting for a while), the sides were piping hot! It was 1.10 pm and we decided on a dessert. Before taking our order, the 'speedy' waitress informed us our slot was 2 hours! We still had 40 minutes! They were not used to guests having 3 courses! They wanted us out! The portion size of the dessert, was a 'panic' portion - no bigger than a 'Kit-Kat' finger! It was as if the Chef had not made enough and had to do the equivalent of 'feeding the 5000!' Overall it was not a pleasant or comfortable experience. The icing on the cake? A 14% service charge! Service? What service? Verdict- AVOID this fast food outlet with 5 star drinks prices!

I have been many times to the bistrot but this review is specifically about our wedding dinner earlier this year in August. I'd like to thank (with a little delay) the entire team of Galvin Bistrot for being the most welcoming, accommodating and warm hosts we could have asked for. The entire experience was a pleasure for us and our international guests. Thank you! We love you! 🫶 P.s. bring back the tank beer!

Lovely food with friendly service. We have eaten here a number of times and it has always been very good

Had the Beaujolais Noveau menu and it was superb. The coq au vin was to die for! The Beajolais Noneau was very drinkable as well! Service and atmosphere were really good.

We went for the Beaujolais Nouveau evening: service was slow and the nouveau really wasn’t a great example but good atmosphere and fairly priced

Excelente almuerzo del viernes. Servida profesionalmente. Cote de veau - servicio muy jugoso y generoso con médula ósea. Excelentes chips. Excelentes escaroles. Carta de vinos a un precio razonable y un tinto Rhone spiffing (Galvin propiedad de viñedo aparentemente).

Love coming to Galvin for an easy and delicious meal. The staff is always pleasant and my last experience was exceptional thanks to Lumi.

Very good food, very friendly and fast service! Recommended

Excellent food and staff. Lumin remembered me from last time and provided another excellent experience.

Nice evening staff are good fun food was good

Amazing service Amazing food the team were so attentive totally recommended this restaurant. May we thank the team outstanding.

The food was so good and the staff so friendly. The atmosphere is easy and comfortable. One of our favourite restaurants.

Interesante ver todas las críticas negativas en allí - si las hubiera leído antes probablemente no habría reservado. No puedo decir que mi experiencia se repetirá cada vez, pero tuve una buena comida aquí. Iba a la hora del almuerzo un sábado y apenas estaba ocupado (aunque este era el fin de semana cuando los disturbios habían estado ocurriendo así que quizás la gente decidió mantenerse alejada). Reservé el menú de ajuste como el de la página web sonó muy bien - cada curso apelado y eso es raro para un menú de ajuste para mí. Cuando llegué al restaurante me enteré de que el menú del día era diferente y menos atractivo, lo que fue decepcionante ni dice en su sitio web que el menú establecido es una muestra. Sin embargo, pedí cualquier plato vegetariano disponible en el menú y aunque la berenjena miso no es algo que haya probado o hubiera optado por el menú, me sorprendió muy gratamente, estaba deliciosa. El servicio era bueno. El precio era razonable. Me encantaría volver. Ojalá el menú que tenían en su página web fuera el menú actualizado. Tampoco parecen cambiar sus menús lo suficientemente a menudo, ya que en su menú a la carta el único principal vegetariano sigue siendo miso berenjena - aunque era agradable, ya lo he tenido y me gustaría algo diferente.

Nunca más. Muy decepcionante. El “Roast Beef” fue servido sangrando de color rojo y apenas cocido (es decir, frío y cortado horas antes). Yo no como carne “bleu” y cuando pedí que se sirviera “medianamente rara” el plato volvía al rojo vivo y la carne hecha en exceso y de textura cuerosa. Así que es obvio que simplemente lo ataron en el microondas. Qué desperdicio. Atroz. ¿Por qué no dicen en el menú “nuestra carne de res se sirve mal hecha si desea que su carne medio rara por favor háganoslo saber”? Tan simple pero obviamente esto es imposible para una entidad corporativa disfrazada de bistró francés. Nunca más y atroz desperdicio de £ 33 para el menú fijo

The set menu is very good value and excellent food

Brilliant french food done classically, at really good value for central London. Lovely outdoor seated area and the bistro feels like you've been transported to France. The French Manager from Alsace is absolutely brilliant even making me feel welcomed though I was wearing a scruffy hoodie. Bon ape!

Great place for a business dinner. The service was excellent.

have always liked this place and other Galvin places. However a recent Sunday lunch with my mum and family was very poor - and the waiting staff agreed. Not enough staff to serve the tables and something going on in the kitchen that meant no-one outside had any food for quite a long time and when it arrived, it was not worth the wait.

Food and service good, enjoyed the terrine and fish from the set menu. The accompanying wine, whilst reasonably priced, was rather acerbic.

Expensive but superb experience.

Stunning food staff handled my allergies without hesitation. My dishes were changed and explained, so I felt confident eating my friends had amazing food as well , and we will definitely go back

Portion sizes on pre theatre extraordinarily small, even with extra sides we left hungry.

Amazing food, a wonderful ambiance and outstanding service from the lovely Lumi - who went out of her way to make all the guests feel special. I had the delicious Confit Duck Cassoulet and the indulgent Tarte Tatin - both of which were fabulous. Highly recommended.

Amazing experience in Galvin Bistrot and Bar! The service was stunning! Lovely staff and the food is super! From starters to dessert! Everything was impeccable! Big thanks to Gwen, Noe and Yodie and to all the chefs!

Sweetbreads where off tasting like made from spoilt meat. Cassoulet was dry and flavourless. Bad food.

The best bistro in the city. Most awesome food. Exceptional service and the most joyful atmosphere. Can’t recommend enough. If you don’t do anything else. Make sure you dine here

Very enjoyable meal. Good quality food at reasonable prices. Service was friendly and helpful

Superb food, lovely setting and great friendly service!

Lovely and friendly staff a gem and delicious food

Another superb restaurant. Recommended by OpenTable app. It was on my list but there it popped up as an Experience Option. The winner here was the staff. Experienced, professional, just what you want. The food was delicious. The overall effect made it a must return.

After receiving an email regarding the summer menu we booked here for Saturday lunch. The summer menu sounded really good and we were looking forward to it. However on arrival we were told that as we hadn’t specified that we wanted this particular menu when booking we could not have it. The chef was quite adamant apparently. Even though I pointed out that I could book online for this menu in the next fifteen minutes the waiter would not change his mind. Nowhere when booking did it state that we should ask specifically for the summer menu. Needless to say we took our custom elsewhere.

I very rarely write reviews but felt that others should be aware. After an enjoyable meal (food was acceptable but nothing special) we were presented with our bill and due to time constraints paid and left without fully checking the charges. I checked later and found that we had been charged £72.00 for corkage although this was listed on the bill as two bottles of wine. A member of our family had brought the wine with them from overseas and after being assured that they wouldn’t be charged corkage on this occasion we decided to share the wine with our meal. When I queried the bill the agreement not to charge was dismissed by manager Gwen Leugen. Customers should also be aware that the ‘optional’ gratuity is added to your bill without checking with you first. Therefore it is not an option and in our case an expensive one at over £40.

Superb food. Taste of Summer menu was superb value for money. Great service and relaxing environment. Totally recommend it.

Now the sun was shining but the welcome by Gwen and her team set the scene for a relaxing and enjoyable lunch. Ambience was relaxed and comfortable Food and vino excellent quality and good vfm Definitely a venue on the return list

The food was very, very fine. The service was very accommodating, friendly and helpful!! The atmosphere in the restaurant and in the garden is very pleasant.

It was fabulous from start to finish! We were very welcome, the staff is very friendly, the menu is rather small, but everything was TOP. We can only recommend it. It is also in a quiet location and has a great atmosphere. Again any time!!!

Boring front "bistro" of a brilliant Galvin restaurant, that provides mediocre, lifeless service. The outside seating is hideous. Tried explaining this to the RM lady, but she just shrugged it off.

Food is always reliable but the service on last two occasions has been lamentable. This last occasion was so poor it was almost funny. Wrong starter delivered and wrong main course.

4 courses and bubbles for only £33pp . Fantastic value for money summer menu. 4 courses and complimentary bubbles for only £33! @GalvinBistrot is a cute and romantic French restaurant and as a part of the menu you will try chilled melon soup, rillettes of sea trout, ballotine of corn fed chicken and to finish, lemon posset with berries. Only until mid September. . 📍Location: Old Spitalfieds 🚇Closest station: Liverpool street 💰Price: £33pp for 4-courses and glass of bubbles

My partner and I came for Friday night dinner; great atmosphere, delicious food and drinks and friendly service really made our evening. We shared olives, delicious fresh bread and also the peach and burrata starter, all tasted fresh with lots of flavour, before gorgeous sea bream for main each and the tarte tatin. Delicious champagne and fab provence. Great meal. We'll be back

A Bit annoyed as my friend had booed the Al la Carte menu and I asked if I could have the set menu. The manager said no as the Al la Carte menu had been booked and I cannot change that! Seriously, I have been to other restaurants where if I want the set menu they would offer it. If it wasn't for the fact I was part of a large group I would have walked out. Also, the miso aubergine needed to be cooked for longer and the miso paste caramelised more . It needs to be served with noodles!

As ever, 5 stars from me (and from our friends). The food, wine and service were excellent at Sunday lunch. Generous portions complemented by the well-curated wine list.

We had the outside garden area for a company event, thoroughly enjoyed everything about the venue

I came here for my birthday, lovely dishes and service was amazing.

Lovely bistro with good food and excellent service

Oh dear. A second rate Father's Day treat here made us all a bit glum. Soggy service (drinks took an age to arrive - after several reminders, we only got them by the time we had finished starters). They failed the kir test (we got kir royale instead, and were still charged for their error, even though they offered a refund), tasteless parfait, hugely fatty pork belly with very little meat and a teaspoon of gravy, another long wait for a reorder with the wrong beer etc etc. Cut our losses after the second course but were hoping for a nice celebration rather than feeling we were battling with the restaurant, which seems more interested in the bottom line than customers.

We have just had an amazing dinner here. Lumi has taken great care of us this evening - she has been extremely attentive, kind, hilarious and kind. The food was incredible - thank you so much for reminding us why date night is so fun.

This was my first visit to Galvin Bistrot. This was a VIP Dinner for customers following a day event. The food was very average and the service appalling. The manager was incredibly rude and unfriendly, a stark contrast to the team at the event venue in the daytime. I don't know if she was having a bad day but considering the size of our party and the money we spent there I was taken aback. I will not be visiting again!!

Went to this resturant with my mother for a birthday lunch, The atmosphere was super, the staff was very friendly and made the lunch extra special and very memorable. The food was super and worth the price with fair potions and excellent taste will recommend to anyone

Fantastic meal, fish and the Escargot lovely 👌 Will be going again.

very friendly staff, delicious food and great setting.

After a reasonable meal the whole experience was ruined by the manager's attitude, a seemingly genuine mistake where we were double charged for a course. We noticed after they had taken payment and were told to wait for the manager to resolve it. After leaving us waiting for 15 minutes the manager appeared and she said to us that she would refund the "£18 in cash as it was easier". I pointed out that we had also been charged service charge on this as she clearly knew, being the restaurant manager and she pointed at the receipt showing the £18 line and tried to push that it was £18. I reiterated that yes it was £18 but we'd also been charged 14.5% service charge on this and we didn't want to pay service for something that we had not had/been overcharged. At this point she said there was nothing she could do about the service charge and she was not going to refund us for this, then decided to insist that she would give us a free drink the next time we came... Sadly we won't be coming back, if you charge someone for something they didn't have then you need to refund them in full, you don't steal the money because it's more convenient for you. Very disappointed with the attitude and being treated like it's our fault they made a mistake, then being refused a full refund for this, left a sour taste and put off a long-term Galvin fan.

Great food, a little slower than we would have liked for a quick lunch.

Sat outside, and it was comfortable (more so with the help of the heaters), and it had a nice atmosphere. We had a really lovely delicious meal and the service was fantastic.

Had such a wonderful lunch here. It was exactly what I was looking for. The food was so delicious, and my server was really kind and helpful. She gave me excellent recommendations. If I lived in London I’d be a regular. Will definitely go back next trip.

Superb. Great service. A really solid 'french' bistro.

Very expensive. At least as a tourist who is very new, it's kind of difficult to adjust to the rates over here

Always a reliable choice for good food served in atmospheric surroundings by efficient, friendly and unstuffy staff

Great food and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Made my son's birthday extra special

Lovely birthday meal for 2. Easter set menu was delicious and all the staff were absolutely brilliant, very friendly and chatty! Thank you

Lovely friendly service. We went for the very nicely priced Easter set menu at £25 for 3 courses. The vegetarian choices were delicious. As were the meat choices, however we felt the lamb main was a little on the small side but acknowledge the set menu price. Lovely ambience for us to have a girls meet up and chat session over food and bubbles.

Great food and service and lovely wine. A bit noisy for a business lunch

Escape the hustle and bustle of London and enter this charming French Brasserie for some delicious food! We enjoyed three courses here, all indulgent and tasty. The stars of the show were the chateaubriand for two and the classic creme brulee for dessert. No pomp and ceremony, just French food and wine done well. If you want all the bells and whistles, you can go next door to Galvin Le Chapelle. Expect paper table cloths, pouring your own wine and looking after your own coat. All aspects you might expect to recieve for the price tag, but that doesn’t take the charm out of the place as it is oh so French. The staff were lovely too.

Not only has Galvin's returned to great Ambience and the service is now spot on, but most of all the food is amazing. A more authentic French Bistro tha many in France, with amazing food. Simple sounding offers such as pork chop or calves liver are cooked and presented perfectly.

An excellent well crafted meal with professional service. Everyone in my party enjoyed the choice of food and drinks, along with the lively ambience of the restaurant.

I booked the restaurant for Saturday 3rd February, to meet with some friends who were visiting London. I had seen, at the time of booking, they offered a table d'hote menu and that attracted me to the restaurant, in addition to the generally good reviews on TripAdvisor, a site I use a lot. We arrived and was presented with the plastic encased a la carte very limited menu and, as we were not offered any thing else, assumed this was the only menu available as the restaurant was quiet, being a Saturday in the business district of London. We duly ordered from this menu. I must admit I was quite surprised at having to pay £6 for a few pieces of baguette to accompany the snails when they were £30 for 12. We did, however, enjoy the food! My complaint is that at the end I discovered, behind the coat rack, a pile of table d'hote menus offering a 4 course menu at £32. Something we definitely would have preferred to have chosen from being such good value in an otherwise overpriced restaurant. I asked the waitress why we were not offered this menu and she said she only gives it out if requested. We are hardly likely to ask for this menu if not aware of its existence! My son has told me this practice is becoming more common in restaurants these days. I'm used to a lot more honesty than that so will be more vigilant in future. I complained to the manager who bumbled something incoherent and was unable to even consider a response. I obviously took him by surprise. We paid £24.50 for a pheasant course, £29.00 for liver when we could have enjoyed a good selection of 4 courses for £32. The liver consisted of about 3 ounces of calves liver, mashed potato and a surgically thin, tiny strip of pancetta. I consider this to be very sharp practice, at best, and not something I would expect from a restaurant I believed to be respectable such as Galvin's. I wrote to the restaurant several days ago hoping for some form of comment or even an apology but clearly they are out to ensure they collect as many extortionate costs as they can. Oh yes, while on the point of extortionate, service Charge is 14.5%.

We had a lovely family birthday lunch at the Bistrot. We chose from the set menu and the food was excellent, as was the service.

We went to the Bistro which is next to the main restaurant. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. Between us we had 2 starters, 2 mains plus 1 side and 2 desserts. To drink we had water, one pint of beer, bottle of wine and 4 bourbons. The total came to £213 which included a 14.5% service charge (a little higher than the 10=12% norm). A great bistro, the only (minor) downside is that the tables are very close together giving a slightly cramped feel (in summer I would use the exterior tables).

Our goto restaurant when we venture into London. The set menus are a great way to have a wonderful eating experience without totally destroying the bank balance. We drag it out all afternoon before settling into a cinema or theatre

An overly small table compensated for by the big, warm welcome on New Year's Eve from attentive and charming staff. A good menu (for a pescatarian like me). I believe a refit of the interior decor is happening in next couple of weeks. Will definitely visit again.

Delicious food, delicate portions, good service, clean room, reasonable prices, music could be more tasteful 👌

Excellent food and service - not my first time and certainly won't be the last!

Lovely French Bistrot with a nice terrace. Delicious wine and great service. Food was ok, not the best steak I’ve had but not horrible either. However, the fries were great.

Wir hatten mit neun Personen reserviert. Tisch war bereit, als wir ankamen. Wurden freundlich empfangen. Fanden wunderschöne Dinge in der Speise und Weinkarte. Hatten einen total guten Abend. Das Essen ist auf einem tollen Niveau. Wer mehr möchte, kann nebenan ins Sterne Restaurant. Die French Fries zum Châteaubriand waren wunderbar. Die Buttermischungen hausgemacht. Alles in allem ein wundervoller Abend.

The bistro is a small cozy extention to the Michelin star resteraunt. It has two parts, a quiet inner room and a the bar area at the front. The staff are excellent, knowledgeable and very friendly. The bistro has a relaxed informal feel and you are not held to a strict time slot we stayed drank and talked all evening. The food is classic French Bristo food. Call outs for the food was the steak tartar perfect and topped with a raw egg. The chateaubriand was excellent and the ginger creme broulee. Wine is well priced from 34 to 100 for city resteraunt. But the winter cocktail specials were really good. In summary a perfect relaxed evening without the crowds and noise of London.

We had a lovely evening, food and wine superb! Lovely and charming staff made us feel very welcome and looked after us well. Cancellation/no show policy is a little scary but I can understand why restaurants have to resort to it.

Nice welcome, shown straight to table, Servers were attentive to our needs but were not pushy at all. Nice selection of food, and portion size was good, the food tasted even better. Would I recommend- 100%

My 'go to' when around Liverpool street or showing visitors an off the tourist trail a treat. Good seasonal proper British-with-a-twist variety menus, large portions without compromising on delicate layers of flavours, superb seafood, great wine list, fantastic service. Fun fact: Weekly delivery to the unique Pilsner Urquell copper tank includes testing the quality of the lager. Can get a little loud when busy.