Maison Francois

London, UK

All-day, high-quality eating and drinking establishments in St James are few and far between, so the launch of Maison Francois in late 2021 – which proffers breakfast from 7.30am and elevated bistro-leaning French cuisine from lunch through dinner – made for a seriously welcome addition to the neighbourhood. Its dining room immediately installed itself as one of the most beautiful in London and has picked up design awards to that effect. It’s inspired partly by tropes from grand European rail stations, with a centrepiece clock looming above the open kitchen and cleverly divided booth and banquette tables that afford privacy, but maintain the feel of a bustling restaurant. Gallic influence, from Lyon to Gascony to Paris punctuates the menu, which should always begin with one of the regularly rotated flatbreads – escargots, lardons, bone marrow is an ideal choice. Tableside prepared beef tartare is an essential order, arriving on a bespoke-designed trolley that groans under the weight of condiments available to select. A range of seasonal salads are ever popular (also available to take away), best followed by hearty brasserie mains such as pork chop with mustard sauce; veal chop with beurre noisette, sage and capers; or entrecote with sauce poivre. The excellent Frank’s Bar is located on the subterranean level, which makes good use of the sprawling 200-bin wine list, serving good cocktails to boot.

Key Information

• Average price per person $60
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner: Mon – Sat, Lunch: Sun
• +44 20 3988 5777
• Visit Maison Francois's Website

Location

34 Duke Street, , St. James, London, SW1Y 6DF