The best restaurants serving French food in England

We lived in Hammersmith several years ago and then the place was our favourite- not a day without their fab baguette, not a weekend without their amazing desserts (you would enjoy each and every from the menu!) A magnificent taste of real France on the bank of River Thames it was then! Then we moved and only rarely I had a chance to pop in and buy as much as I could to enjoy these treats as long as possible!.. But my two recent visits really shocked me: not a baguette, not a single piece of dessert or tart was the same as before!?! That’s how I discovered what I actually started to suspect: the new owner. Thus - a totally new place, taste and aftertaste… Now I know why I don’t have to take this long trip to this once a gem of Hammersmith: a very average quality of every dessert, a very poor quality of pastries (croissant shouldn’t be called that name here anymore…) and bread (brioche is anything but a brioche here now…) I agree with other reviews, that new owners were too bold to keep the same price level for their products, but the worse thing is, that they also are trying to cut down their expenses by using lower quality (or quantity) of the ingredients. But more importantly, I agree with the statement , that you can’t use the history of this place as your own, you have to clearly tell customers, that you are new there and just TRYING to keep this place as good as it once was… Adieu, Patisserie Saint Anna UPDATE. Received a response from the owner today: “Fake review”,. Sorry, guys, but this one is not fake. As a proof, adding a photo of my yesterday dessert (couldn’t finish it, sorry…). Use to love it so much, but now it has lots of lumps in it, so no pleasure of eating that at all…

Mi esposa y yo fuimos a Lanesborough Grill hoy por primera vez. Tuvimos el almuerzo de 3 platos y yo tuve vinos a juego. Toda la experiencia fue muy impresionante desde el saludo inicial del hotel hasta frente de la casa y el servicio de camareros. El entorno del comedor es precioso y la comida, los vinos y el servicio excelente. ¡Estábamos malcriados! ¡Regresaremos!

The food was excellent. But the service was sadly lacking. Would go back and hope it was just an off day.

It doesn't get any better than this. What a great place for that very special meal. I cannot fault it in any way. Wonderful views from the dining room, great service and the best food.

My wife and I booked in to the restaurant for dinner. The staff were excellent polite, attentive but in no way over bearing. We enjoyed a lovely meal, my wife's food carefully crafted around her special dietary needs. I would echo the praises of other reviewers regarding the surroundings, absolutely outstanding. Already planning a further visit to Cliveden with friends in the near future. Thanks for a lovely evening.

Goats cheese tart lovely, and service was good, and generally expensive...... But £4.00 for 2 carrots... I will say no more🤔🙄

Me and my friend decided to go to Coco Retro on a Saturday night,, I had the Bouillabaisse fish stew and ordered some fries and a glass of glass of Sauvignon. The service was slow and tbh the waiter seemed very uninterested in us. My fish stew ended up being a bowl of mussels with a few tiny prawns thrown in, the sauce had absolutely no flavour at all, the fries were dry and the wine warm and not pleasant, when asked if I enjoyed my meal I did mention that I wasn’t satisfied politely, the response was “oh that’s a shame”. I certainly won’t be going back again and won’t be recommending either

A very lively and friendly venue with great staff attitudes and service matched by a lovely range of food and drinks. Our waitress went above and beyond for this birthday occasion.

We enjoyed a family lunch for my son's eighteenth birthday today. We were looked after by Phillipe and his colleagues wonderfully. The whole team went the extra mile and the food and drinks were excellent value and the food was some of the best I've had anywhere. The steak was cooked perfectly, moules were a great starter and everyone had a great time. I'd recommend this restaurant wholeheartedly. Thank you. We'll be back!

Great food both quality and selection. Cheese board to die for (sooo reasonably priced at less than the supplement other restaurants add for cheese on a set menu). Amazing wine list - reasonably priced, and with some gems not even listed. So many dishes to try when we get the chance. My only criticism would be the lack of soft furnishings - it was really full when we were there, and quite difficult to hear with nothing to deaden the sound. Great value for money.

We were not at all impressed. First of all, we were not attracted by the facade which appeared to front a small cafe, the window and door being made of grubby, white painted wood. However, we discovered a second glass door that looked more pleasant, and the main entrance, and decided to see what was on offer. It opened onto a larger space than was anticipated. This seemed hopeful. As a type 1 diabetic, my diet has to take into account insulin requirements. That means I need to work out what foods on offer are least glycaemic, and the amount of insulin and the timing of injections are paramount considerations. I decided the best food for me that was available at this cafe was the Nicoise salad. To slow down glucose absorption and to add protein too, I asked if I could have a little cheese. I also asked if I could have olive oil as other dressings often contain sugar. I also enquired about waiting time as after insulin injection the meal needs to be eaten within 20-30 minutes. Despite enquiring at the point of ordering about these various factors, and the waitress assuring us she would find out, she did not return with any answers, and five minutes or more later I therefore decided to go up to the counter to ask again. When I asked again, I was told I 1. "could not have cheese because it was market day" (?!); 2. They could not give me any olive oil as they did not have any.; and 3. They were unable to give me any idea as to how long the wait for food was! We found this total lack of consideration for an individual's dietary and health issues/needs completely unacceptable, and as a consequence told the waitresses so, and then simply walked out, taking our custom to another restaurant which willingly and happily supplied a suitable and lovely meal across the road. So, the advice is: if you have any specific dietary needs, avoid this cafe.... Neither the waitresses nor (apparently) the manager /owner gives a toss about you!

We visited to celebrate my aunt's birthday and were thoroughly impressed. All three courses were delicious and our waiter was excellent and very friendly.

Lovely restaurant, you need to arrive very hungry as the food servings are generous and delicious, a real feast!

Lovely but slightly pricey. Sadly, closing due to owner/chefs health.

4 de nosotros vinimos a compartir una botella de vino después de ir a un espectáculo cercano. Hacía tanto ruido en el interior que pedimos sentarnos fuera, después de pedir el vino en el bar. Era su casa blanca y costó £ 38 que es la botella más barata que tienen. Nos ofrecimos a sacar el vino con nosotros y dijeron que no, que alguien lo sacaría. Lo hicieron, después de lo cual lo abrieron y llenaron los cuatro vasos hasta arriba. Les pedimos que se detuvieran, ya que no todos estábamos bebiendo tanto como los demás, solo quería medio vaso mientras conducía. Pero para entonces estaba derramada. Lo redistribuimos. No nos trajeron agua ni nada más. Pedimos la factura y la pagamos - después me di cuenta de que nos habían cobrado £ 4. 75 cargos por servicio. Debería haber revisado la factura en su momento, por supuesto y tendré más cuidado la próxima vez. No volveré a ir allí.