Gazette South Kensington in Kensington and Chelsea - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Too bad to agree with the other terrible reviews on TripAdvisor but they were right should never have gone there. An unlisted service charge was added at the counter card machine for payment in advance for a glass of wine. Then rudely told not to sit at any table laid with a napkin although it was virtually empty. Then the glass of wine tasted off like from the bottom of an old bottle. On reflection it seemed watered down I wrote the whole thing off and escaped asap.

Very disappointing. Ridiculously slow service. 2 hours for lunch including one hour wait for just the starters. Were planning to get coffee and desert but ran out of time. We ordered some bread as we were so hungry, extra charge and very sorry looking few pieces of baguette arrived. Guy at the next table was so hungry waiting he started to eat some protein bars he’d brought with him. Waiter said this was normal speed for us to expect at the weekend. But admitted there was only one chef in the kitchen, clearly not enough. They shouldn’t be filling the restaurant if they can’t cope with the numbers. 3 waiting staff would probably have been ok for the size of dining room, but all stayed around the bar rather than serving, whole restaurant was desperately trying to get their attention. Often didn’t bring things that had been asked for. Said they’d come to check on the food but didn’t. Main course was incredibly poor and absolutely not as advertised. By then we were in a big hurry to pay and leave but no apology offered. Otherwise food no more than ok, rustic and small portions, so felt very overpriced especially considering the service. Very sub-standard compared to the numerous other decent and fairly priced restaurants nearby. A great pity! Had booked for a family celebration, hope they get the place sorted because I think they’ll have a lot of disappointed customers. Avoid.

great food but appalling service - despite the restaurant being almost empty I had to go to the bar to request a menu after sitting for 10 minutes without a waiter coming to the table. They were just sitting at the bar chatting to each other. I had to later again go to the bar to request water and cutlery to go with my pudding. great shame as the food is very good and the service used to be good but it's gone right down.

Very bad service. Totally ignored. Food very slow to be served. Felt as though we were unwelcome. Dessert never arrived. Then saw our waiter was sitting at the bar eating his own supper. Spoilt our evening.

Food good but service unacceptably slow and no one appears to take responsibility. Avoid, sad as such a missed opportunity.

Nice place. Went for drinks after a movie, plenty of choice. Lost a star because we got a second round and once it was served we were told they were closing up in 10 minutes😠

Totally indifferent staff ( just 2 "waiters"), one seated at the bar with his back to the room. No greeting on entering. My dining companion, used to a decent standard of food, was not at all pleased with her order of the dish of the month, supposedly a regional dish , from the Strasbourg area : a thrown together rubbery, tough,near inedible sausages in a pool of tasteless sauce with bits of sauerkraut floating in it. No bread on the side. A side dish of 4 limp, overcooked, unadorned, white asparagus added an extra £15 to the bill. Sad to see French cuisine descend to this level, especially in an Institute representing French culture. No professionalism or friendly politesse from the one or two staff , mainly engaged in a private conversation among themselves at the bar. When we politely mentioned our disappointment with the food, we were assured that they have never had a complaint. Maybe the other restaurants in this chain are better. But this branch is nothing but a sad parody, an imitation, of a French restaurant, when it comes to food. Not a place for the seasoned visitor to France, hoping to find the real thing in the Institute.

I was here in October and again in January 2024. In October the Maitre d' said the reason we were waiting 2 hours for a main course was because they were short of chefs in the kitchen. Same excuse again this time. Not good enough in a French cultural institute, even if the man on the desk said the restaurant had nothing to do with them. The restaurant should, like the Institute, be showcasing the best France has to offer. Anyone who's been to France knows this is not the best food or service France has to offer. The longer this goes on the more it reflects on the Institute that they are doing nothing to solve the problem. It's a pity as I think French food and service is the best, but not here.

Avoid. My husband had thought it would be good, being at the Institut Français. But the service was breath-takingly bad - a cheery young man who didn’t know what he was doing, so no water, no drinks, no bread for the first half hour. He was overseen by a woman who was rude and aggressive and should not be in a customer-facing role. She literally slammed my expensive glass of wine down on the table, having earlier appeared at our table to tell me that her colleague had made a mistake and I had no right to a glass of high value wine just because I didn’t want the free Bellini and the half bottle of wine that were included in the Christmas dinner offer. I had never suggested that I expected that trade-off - though you might imagine a decent restaurant would see the sense in it….. The amuse bouche that was included in the Christmas dinner never appeared; the starter arrived after my husband’s and only after chasing; the tuna was overcooked; they forgot my husband’s chips. To the chef’s credit, the duck and the ceviche were good. Throughout this, the TV was switched on, to a French news programme, projecting dire and tragic headlines. It was set on silent, but no such luck: they had music going throughout, from a separate source, and it was the worst type of cheap  « belt em out » American Christmas carols. So much for French culture. The woman turned up near the end and barked « How are we doing. » It would have taken too long to say. We just wanted out and were late for the cinema next door because of their incompetence.

Excepcional experiencia Es un gran sitio para comer, en Londres todo es carísimo y no estaba nada mal de precio. Nos atendieron super bien y estuvieron muy atentos. Pedimos un risotto, una ensalada caesar, unas gambas y un tartar de atún, riquísimo todo. Los camareros fueron excepcionales

Même sans réservation, nous avons été parfaitement accueilli, un vrai bol de France au cœur de Londres. Excellente cuisine et bon choix de vin ( Français bien sûr 😄) merci à tous

Hidden Gem located in the beautiful French Institut, very friendly service received from Jeremie, busy atmosphere yet very relax, classic French food very well executed. My favourites are the onion soup and bavette steak, oh and the fresh warm baguette with butter! Highly recommended. You must try.

We had a fantastic time in Gazette! Food was great and the service outstanding! Will definitely return!

Reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Risotto okay in a sweet French pudding sort of way, frites crispy and fine, but mussels incredibly dried out, stringy and tasting of dishwater - unpleasant. Must have been cooked some time before and left sitting somewhere. Poor for something so easy to do well and in what purports to be a French restaurant.

Booked a table for four for an early dinner on 2nd August to invite friends before going on to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Received a confirmation email and then, two days beforehand, a request that we reconfirm our reservation, which I duly did. We duly arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before the appointed time to discover that it was closed for the whole of August, leaving us desperately scrambling around the neighbourhood to find an alternative venue. If this bunch of idiots can’t even turn down reservation requests (indeed, actually confirm them) when they know the restaurant will be closed, how can they be trusted to organise cooking and serving a meal? Conclusion: don’t waste your time and effort. Reserve somewhere else. Connards!

Gazette is the latest chain to inhabit the food area of the French Institute. I’ve eaten here twice. Yesterday was dire. Steak that was lukewarm with parts that were inedible. Pinot noir served warm. Bearnaise sauce - a £3 supplement - missing, but appeared on...