Le Vieux Comptoir in City of London, Westminster - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I used to live in the area and have fond memories buying wine and dining here. And it used to feel more homely and welcoming, with the owner and shopkeepers recognising you, being inviting and showing passion for the products they sell. But returning in recent years the quality has slipped considerably especially when it comes to service. In a recent visit the blonde lady front of house was brusque and impatient when I came in to make a purchase. I see other reviews have pointed out inconsistent and poor service in this venue, which tracks and is a shame.

Delightful spot adjacent to a little park, and relaxed reasonably spacious interior. Authentic French menu, tasty and attractively presented dishes. Good wine list. Even on a quiet day, service was somewhat lacking. . . slowish and unenthusiastic.

Best tartare de bœuf I've had in London and I've tried more than a few.

Such a fantastic hidden gem!! The food was great and the service was amazing!! This is one place in London if you want fantastic French cuisine, this is the spot!! Highly recommend!

We were 6 at a working lunch. We had a private table in a quiet area. Service from andrada was excellent and friendly. The food was French reasonably priced hot and tasty. Excellent omelettes and steak tartar. It is a French wine shop and there is an excellent wine list at fair prices. Recommended

Had the charcuterie and cheese boards and a steak tartare. Steak tartare was lovely. Despite some comments in the reviews, the service is really friendly, I even the complimented the owner as it was a pleasure.

Lovely atmosphere and obliging patron but not accompanied by food of memorable quality - £189 lunch price for party of three including beer and one bottle wine seems a lot even by London prices. Decent home cooking at best..

Fairly certain they don't actually want anyone to be there.

The waiter, an older man, was rude and arrogant. The snails were tiny and tasteless and the bavette served tepid. The cheese and wine was good but very expensive for what it was. Dingy basement atmosphere. Will never go back.

The waiter or manager, an older man, was rude, arrogant and as another reviewer put it "casually insulting". Suggested I need glasses when I queried something on the menu and then flirted at my dining companion. Embarrassing. Regarding the food, The vastly overpriced snails were tiny and tasteless, the bavette was served tepid so as to be barely edible. The cheese and wine were good but very expensive for what they were. Additionally, the service was inattentive and I had to walk to the bar at the back a couple of times to ask for sundries. Dingy basement atmosphere. We were the only two dining in there, claimed he had 50 earlier when they couldn't even co-ordinate the food temperature for two. A joke. Rushed us out at the end saying all the tables were booked for a large party. Will never go back. No danger of that!

Joke restaurant. Rude, nasty behaviour by the manager. Shows you a table and takes your order at 9.30pm, doesn’t tell you they close in an hour, rushes you through your meal whilst insulting you and your guest in the process to then place the food & wine bill under your nose whilst you’re still chewing your food down and stands over you until you pay ahead of 10.30pm. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Once to the most awful dining experienced ever: The Manager took our service at 9pm telling us we needed to order by 9.30pm before kitchen closing which we promptly did. He then decided, since we were on a date, to pass casual insults and get fresh, all whilst rushing through the service, before proceeding to say he was closing the restaurant at 10.30pm due to Westminster licensing laws As a result, my main course was taken away before I could finish it , and I was requested to pay the bill which was put under my nose whilst I was still chewing my food. My date, who the manager had decided earlier to flirt, was speechless at the audacity and rudeness that we were greeted with. Avoid the French edition of Faulty Towers, unless you are looking for an alternative to a local Comedy Club.

Lovely place! Amazing food, great service - authentic French food. Recommend the French onion soup, it’s delicious!

Absolutely terrible! AVOID! Me and my fiancé purchased our engagement ring and booked a meal in this restaurant to celebrate this monumental occasion. My fiancé specifically chose it and mentioned when booking that it was a special occasion. We absolutely regret coming here and wish we could go back in time. The service was non-existent, I had get up multiple times to even get the attention of the staff for even the smallest thing such as plates and butter for a simple bread basket. I decided to get up and explain it was an important occasion and that we were expecting a little better service. We were met with an arrogant and condescending tone from the waiter on how things are meant to be until my fiance felt the need to say everything was fine simply because she was so uncomfortable. Update - as we were leaving my partners coat caught on a glass which fell on the floor and broke, quite the unfortunate thing to happen and a complete mistake. I suppose some would see this as a sign. The server felt it appropriate to say that I should add that to the review that I had made clear I was going to post and berate me while I left the restaurant.

The vibes are terrible, very noisy and most importantly the staff behaviour is arrogant. The food was just ok, not great. All served at once, with no consideration for the enjoyment of the guests. I would not recommend this place.

I invited my father and girlfriend in this restaurant in London. I was looking for a place to eat cheese fondue and this was the best option I found when looking online, we were not disappointed! The food was amazing and we had a great moment

Had a lovely time! Great host and the raclette was delicious. Really lovely atmosphere and fantastic wine.

We had a great get together to remember an old friend at what was one of his favourite restaurants. It certainly lived up to its reputation. The staff were welcoming, efficient and attentive throughout our visit. The food quality was amazing, the wine selection wide and the prices reasonable especially given the quality. Well worth a visit.

Boutique restaurant for authentic French wine and cheese testing.

Very rude front of house. Brought wrong bill twice. The lady that served was nice.

Ambiance très chaleureuse dans ce joli restaurant français. Les plats sont très bons et tout à fait comme on pourrait les déguster en France. Le service est également très agréable.

Accueil chaleureux, cuisine excellente, service impeccable, ambiance très sympa, on revient avec un grand plaisir et merci !

Nous avons passé un excellent moment dans ce restaurant typique. Nous avons pris une raclette (40 gbp par personne), copieuse mais un peu trop salée. Possibilité de demander plus de charcuterie.

Changing my review from five to three stars. Went back with my parents tonight. While the food was still very nice, the gentleman at the front, which I assume was the owner, was making a bit of rude remarks because I asked to change the tables as my parents did not feel too comfortable being next to the kitchen. I was just trying to make them comfortable and did not need to be told that I am asking for the moon.

What a delightful location which we only discovered by chance recently. Very welcoming staff and a pleasant interior decoration. We only visited for drinks but the atmosphere and ambience were great, coffee excellent, as was the wine. A place to keep in mind next time we are in this part of London.

The French onion soup and the escargot are excellent! These were so good that I could have ordered them twice instead of the main course. The entrance is a little confusing. It is not through a door at ground level, which seems to be the main one, but go down stairs beside it and you can find a correct door! The atmosphere in the restaurant was also good. I would like to go back to eat there again.

We were comped our meal, which was kind. But we really would have preferred a lovely French brasserie meal, which is not what we experienced. The place was empty—literally the only two diners—at 7 on a Saturday night on a bank holiday weekend, that should have tipped us off.

A perfectly pleasant experience but hard to really recommend. They didn't have the all all you could eat raclette and the fondue felt pretty mean portion wise. Wine was (as to be expected) very good, as was the Creme Brulee.

I really love Le Vieux Comptoir. The food is always delicious and served in a wonderful way in a beautiful room. Dependably reliable. I am always delighted to eat here and highly recommend it.

I really love Le Vieux Comptoir - it is always a wonderful experience with fantastic food and excellent service in a beautiful room.

Booked via bookatable. Came had a dinner and still got charged a no-show fee. It was impossible to get it back.

Malheureusement, la qualité de la nourriture était loin d'être à la hauteur de mes attentes. Un conseil, passez votre chemin.

I like this restaurant I must have eaten there 2-3 times. I recommend the quiche 🤤😋 The warm service. The adorable French waitress and the pleasant manager. If you are looking for a quiet and delicious place there we go. French food its the best for the first date 🥰

I went to Le Vieux Comptoir with a friend for a long overdue catch up and the restaurant is a wonderful hidden gem. I'm not usually a red wine person, but the Malbec was one of the best I've had! We had a delicious cheese & charcuterie board to start which came with a basket of bread. We both ordered the Confit de Canard which rivalled one I recently had in Paris. And the service was wonderful. The staff were friendly, welcoming and made lovely conversation The thing which really ruined our evening was a woman and her friends (see KKSpecialAgent's review below). When the staff came to clear their plates she responded by saying 'she could have made better at home' - just incredibly rude. Why didn't she say something before they cleared their plates?! They politely thanked her for her feedback and offered her some bread or a replacement meal, which she declined, before complaining to her friends that she was still hungry. She then spent at least 20 minutes complaining incredible loudly to her friends and all members of staff who came by her table, which ruined the evenings of everyone around her. When the bill came she complained loudly again at the cost, which was very reasonable given three of them had wine, starters and mains. She was so rude that when she went to the bathroom her friends apologised to the staff on her behalf. Honestly, a horrible woman who really impacted my evening! She could have quietly said if there was something wrong with her meal and the restaurant would happily have provided an alternative. Her review is not reflective of the restaurant at all!

Can forgive when food may not be up to scratch but to order a boeuf bourguignon in a French restaurant that was not edible and was sent back almost untouched and then when asked if meal was ok the attitude was as if I was looking for a free meal…. If anyone looks at my reviews they will see that I rarely post anything other than positive reviews. Purpose of this review is to perhaps encourage a more amicable approach when a diner is not satisfied! After the difficult time that the hospitality industry has had we all want to give support but this is a two way street… Please take this feedback as way to improve client experience and accept that sometimes things do go wrong and perhaps a better way of handling dissatisfaction

Certes un accueil très sympathique du propriétaire français ! Le prix des plats est correct, mais la planche de charcuteries & fromages est vraiment très succincte. Ma déception est sur le verre de vin suggéré par le patron (« Vous me faites confiance ? Dit-il), aussi cher que le plat !!! Et bien sûr, n’oubliez pas le service de 12,5% (certes pas obligatoire, mais la serveuse était sympa) En résumé, 85£ pour une légère planche de charcuteries & fromages, une fondue et 2 verres de vin, un peu abusé ! Sinon, le cadre est sympa et le service correct.

Very nice fondue savoyarde, very friendly service.

This place is the French style: the service is French (i.e. not great), the wine is great, the menu is pretty odd, but it comes together wonderfully and the food we had (cheese, salad, quiche) was extremely good. The quiche in particular was stunning - I like quiche but I can’t say I have ever been particular excited or impressed but it before, but this one was a joy. Five stars from me, l understand that some people expecting more typical London restaurant conventions may be disappointed, I was not.

Lovely authentic french restaurant with attentive service and great homely atmosphere

Awful vibe and staff come across super arrogant. My steak tartare came cooked and I found a hair in my side. I would NOT recommend this place as all our dishes were mediocre and we were treated like school kids.

Supposed to go with best friend who is visiting from out of town. She wasn’t feeling well and tested positive for Covid. I rang to cancel and am being charged £80 for giving less than 24 hours notice. Essentially fined for trying to avoid giving the staff Covid for Christmas- perhaps the restaurant would have preferred the Covid. Refuse to believe they will not sell the table again on a Saturday in peak season. Never going back.

Bon accueil du patron,joli cadre,et nourriture bien Française,simple et bonne.Salade Lyonnaise,steak tartare au couteau,crème brûlé.Bon service.Je recommande vivement…

Petit endroit très sympathique de Londres où vous pouvez manger à la française avec des produits importés tout droit de France, Serveur/service hors pair !

On se retrouve en France au cœur de Londres. Accueil charmant alors que nous y sommes passés en plein après-midi pour réserver pour le début de la soirée. L'accueil au dîner a été tout aussi chaleureux, en français au surplus. Tout a été parfait, tant en entrée, au plat principal qu'au dessert. Les profiteroles au chocolat valaient le détour à elles seules. La facture est à l'avenant, mais la qualité du service et des assiettes est irréprochable.

We visited this restaurant for an early evening dinner. The place looked very nice with great lighting and pleasant enough staff. However the food was a great let down. I ordered a favourite of mine French onion soup and what arrived was a clear broth with vastly undercooked onions, I was very disappointed. Our Main of a shared Fondue was equally poor. Not terrible but again just really not very good. As such we did not stay around to try a dessert. A nice bottle of wine but not cheap and as such I really felt the final bill was over the top for what I had received. Had been here before and had liked it so this was a return visit. We will not go again.

We wanted to stop just for a quick glass but when we went downstairs it was all dark and there was just a couple seated in a corner and nobody else . We thought some of the staff will come but after standing there for a few minutes looking for someone, we were feeling uncomfortable and akward and we decided to leave. it was just weird. Shame

Cancelled my reservation in advance and they still charged me cancellation fee. They have guaranteed that I will never visit again.

Great wine, very friendly staff.

Change of plans on our way back home and glad we did. We had to wait a bit due to not having a booking but definitely worth it. Delicious food and great service, our wairess Andrada was very attentive but not intrusive. Myself and my wife had an amazing evening. Thank you, we will definitely recommend to friends and family. Looking forward to next visit when we are in the area.

O experiență minuată! Domnișoara blonda ne-a făcut seara mai minunată ! Sper că la următoarea vizită vom fi serviți tot de ea!! Totul a fost excelent! Mii de mulțumiri!! Cu siguranță ne vom revedea!

Incroyable expérience, je recommande. Nous avons manger des fondues qui étaient excellentes. Le personnel est très sympathique et aux petits soins. Très bonne adresse.

Doskonaly serwis. Wielkie dzieki dla blond kelnerki!

Amazing experience. One of the best wine bars in London, very rich selection of French wines, the food was amazing and the service as well. Many thanks for the blonde waitress Coming back again

Restaurant qui nous refuse car nous sommes 8 JEUNES. Interdiction de manger tous ensemble. Raison ? La serveuse blonde grincheuse et impolie fait fuir tout le monde !

Bonne cuisine mais un service horrible incarné par cette horrible femme blonde exécrable. Traitant les clients comme des moins que rien elle se permet des insultes. A éviter de toute urgence ou alors virer cette folle

We came here for lunch today after reading some lovely reviews. We found it charming & cosy , the waitress was very friendly and attentive, lovely selection of cheese and my salad was very generously sized, will be back if we return to the area for sure😊

Excellent Chicken liver parfait! Fantastic Duck Confit, superb quiche wonderful desserts and wine (which we the bought upstairs in the shop to enjoy at home) Lovely little hidden gem off Marylebone high street

Excellent friendly/charming service, lovely atmosphere, let down by decidedly average (at best) food that really disappointed. We wanted to love the place but came away thinking we didn’t need to go back. Could have been so much better and would love to see this place be amazing. But it just isn’t.

As good as you can get, anywhere in the world.

Just to make clear, nothing pleases me more than leaving positive reviews and supporting the restaurant industry after the chaos of recent years. However... This was a really negative experience all round, especially for a date when trying to impress! Dingy basement with no background music/other diners/atmosphere of any description. Waitress was relatively pleasant but manageress v curt and unfriendly..I'd go as far as to say that she was rude. Food was very average for the price (£140 for 2 people) and was shocked to notice that they added £5 to the bill for a little extra chocolate sauce for our profiteroles..seriously guys, come onnnn?!! We will most definitely not be going back, and hopefully some of you will read this and follow suit! I suggest you look at the many other great French restaurants in the area..Auberge/Orrery/Clarette. Far nicer food atmosphere and service. Plus..most importantly.. extra choc sauce is complimentary ;)

I would say Not a safe food to eat 😡😡😖😖😖

A gem, hidden away on a back-street in Marylebone. The duck liver parfait was excellent as was the rest of our menu as well as the selection of wines through out. The "low-key" atmosphere, good service and absence of any disturbing background music added to...

Had a lovely 3 course lunch here. Good value, nice wine, great service, can’t recommend more!

Went for the first time last night. We had the mixed platter to start and then the Duck Burgers. The food was delicious, the atmosphere wonderful, as was the service. Definitely going to try the Raclette next time! The restaurant is hidden away in a...

The food is very good but the owner is way too stingy. Portions are way too small (and I do not eat that much). The boeuf bourguignon came with 2 little slices of potatoes and the plate was tiny. This is not how you serve a boeuf bourguignon. Same for the other dishes. This atmosphere focused on optimization just kills the vibe. It is really a shame as the food is really good.

Never post reviews but the food was so awful - escargot with no taste, steak tartare was off, fondue with vinegar and water - we didn’t eat our food. The wine was average. We live nearby and was always intrigued by the place. Safe to say that we will not be coming back.

Looked cute and authentic from the outside. However the fondue we were served was the worst I’ve ever had. Watery, tasted like vinegar, and just didn’t taste right. Escargots were also underseasoned. Avoid.

Good old style French restaurant in the heart of Marylebone. Good wine, great chacuterie board, great cheeses in the fondue, tasty snails, crème brulé and profiteroles were a big hit!!

Great food, great atmosphere, perfect if you are looking for something a bit different in London. The staff is amazing too, our waitress (the Swiss girl) was fantastic. 10/10

Nice selection of wine but food is unfortunately pretty disappointed. Overall the place is overpriced for their quality.

Great service, lovely selection on wine. Food could be much better though unfortunately. Otherwise, lovely looking place

The best way I would describe this restaurant would be awesome service, overall a very welcoming atmosphere but the food was really not up to par for the price. The dressing on the salads we got was minimal, and overall those didn’t taste that good. The bread was really not great for a French restaurant (I am French myself so I have a point of reference), and the fact that they charged us extra for another small basket was a bit ridiculous. In terms of food, the best item we had was the steak tartare. To finish things up, my girlfriend and I got the profiteroles and those tasted like they had just come out of the freezer. We talked for a bit with what seemed to be the manager, who was French, and he was very friendly and welcoming so that made the experience better. Overall an okay restaurant if you compare it with other French places in London, but as mentioned earlier, the food is lacking quite a bit.

From start to finish the food and service was amazing.... will certainly be going back. We had a mixture of starters and mains to share so we got to try a good selection. The Beef Tartare was the highlight for me.

so many cheeses and one room is a walk in fridge!

I am afraid the food at this restaurant is quite mediocre. I ordered an omelette and it was cooked in fluffy American style rather than French and baveuse. The profiteroles were also rather generic. A very charming waiter however. It was busy so it works at some level but I am afraid I was unhappy with the experience.

I loved coming here when I lived by Marble Arch about six years ago. I was so excited to come back here for drinks now, hopefully in advance of a full dinner when I had time. We arrived here at about 9.15 and had a nice 175 glass of wine. We then further ordered a 250ml at 22.10 with no comment from the waitress. She then returned at 22.20 to say that the restaurant was closing at 22.29 and we had to finish our drinks and leave asap. That was - literally - the first time we had been informed of that requirement. She refused to allow us to take our drinks outside and her entire demeanour was (out of absolutely nowhere) extremely aggressive and rude. We would have been fine if those were the rules explained to us when we first sat down, but they were categorically not. Her manager eventually allowed one of us to leave with their leftover drink in a plastic beaker (the other of us having downed what was left) but that was just pretty rubbish. I am so upset about how much this restaurant has gone downhill since I remembered it. I was hoping to return to eat there for dinner but, for pretty obvious reasons, have no intention of doing so now.

Lovely place with a great menu in a casual French setting. The staff is super friendly. Perfect for a cosy date or hang out with your friends.

Love this place! A hidden gem in Marylebone. I’ve been coming over the last 6 years. Very good quality food, low key atmosphere, great service. There is a wine store above the restaurant, and you can have any wine with a small corkage.

Condescending manager who we felt like only cares or knows how to cater for fellow french people. Ordered an "all you can eat raclette" and they set up a melting cheese block, gave us a pan and a scraper and just walked off. My girlfriend had never eaten raclette like this before so was confused and thought they would come back to explain the best way to do it. A very rude table of what I would assume was french regulars then spent the evening laughing and making snarky comments at us (not aware I am fluent in french) and at the surrounding tables of non french people who have clearly not eaten raclette served like this before. The manager was joining in with them. He even came and gave us our bill while we were drinking coffee before we even asked for it. Which made us feel rushed and unwelcome. Would not eat here again or recommend it to anyone.

Always excellent; relaxed, low-key and discrete environment. Charming staff and extensive choice of food and beverages; old school.

Great place, a real hidden gem.

A wonderful new find. Although it has been in Moxon Street for 8 years we had no idea it was so close. Tucked away right in the corner is a little piece of France that is charming and serving delicious food and wonderful wines. The patron, Laurent is on hand to greet you as you pass through the wine shop on the ground floor and descend to the large welcoming restaurant on the lower ground. The menu is very french and everything is delicious. Portions are generous and staff charming. It is definitely going on our list very near the top.

Poor to mediocre food (how one can mess up an onion soup is still a mystery to me). Very questionable selection of drinks. As a cherry on top, a restroom that can compete with the worst public toilets out there. My guess is that all the good reviews are from times before the pandemic, and the whole staff has changed since then. Not for good.

Des prix exorbitants pour une cuisine fade et sous-vide, un champagne sans bulles, et un staff peu chaleureux.

Des vacances en France en perspective ? Afin de réduire la période de quarantaine, vous pouvez la démarrer au Vieux...

Never eaten in the basement due to covid restrictions /lockdowns but this is one of the best wine shops in the city! The staff is also super helpful and extremely knowledgeable - highly recommend!

If you love French food you must visit. Highly recommend.

The rudest & most unprofessional service from the start... I arrived being told I couldn’t join my table because I had a dog & was told to stand in the corner(although they are dog friendly). We had put it in our booking notes which they missed. I had to look at their bookings on their iPad to find ourselves a table where we were welcome. We were told we have the table for 1hr 30mins but with 45mins to go,still with our main courses on the table we were asked if we want dessert..COFFEE! Then 20mins before our sitting ended they brought the bill, with the card machine at the same time (a little premature) but still with all the mess of our main courses not cleared away. Just to add insult to injury the manager stood at the table & loudly shouted TICK TOCK TICK TOCK YOUR TIME IS UP. You could just call them French.. I just call them rude.

I was a little bit apprehensive about coming after seeing some bad reviews- after eating there I feel like these people just don’t understand how restaurants work! It was a wonderful evening with a very nice waitress who made a kind effort to speak both...

I’ve ordered a portion of bread, and had to pay for the butter coming with it. The confit duck was overcooked, and the snails frozen. I had better dinner experiences at Wetherspoons.

Surprise find! Walking into the restaurant one would not expect to find such and interesting ambience, and a simple but excellent menu. Everything about it is well thought out. Great place for an intimate evening out or a business meeting.

The waitress was very rude to all of us. We were half French and foreign people and she didn’t make any effort to speak English to them, it seems to annoy her. We had for example to ask many times to have a bottle of...

Great experience @ Le Vieux Comptoir: cosy restaurant, nice atmosphere, good food and amazing wine selection. Had a great time there and definitely be back!

Had dinner in the basement. It's definitely an interesting place, with what I'll call "straightforward" food (nothing subtle, but decently done), and the service a little erratic.

Called two weeks ago to book a table on Thursday evening for my friend and I and asked if it would be possible to have a table respecting social distancing due to Covid. I’m French and the person on the phone, French as well, asked...

Came today for an All You Can Eat Raclette. Service was super friendly and the food was superb. Little piece of France in a tucked away corner of London. Well done team!

I don't understand the bad reviews on this page.. maybe it's people with high expectations or expecting a Michelin star experience in a little cellar? I have been to this restaurant twice and both times the food was excellent and service very good. Huge portions...

One of my favourite places in the world! Proper French food and wine. So happy they’ve survived the lockdown.

Outside of Paris it's hard to find traditional French food so this is a joy.The wine shop upstairs is good but needs a little more adventure as it's catering to a very stuffy clientele. The food though, no criticism whatsoever.

I always have the best experiences when I come to Le Vieux Comptoir, the services is amazing and the food is even better. I was really missing this place and was super excited to come back after the last few months of absence, it was well worth it. Thanks again