Best French Restaurants in London

London has long been home to some of the world's finest French restaurants outside of France itself — a reflection of the historical ties between the two countries, the significant French community in London (estimated at over 300,000 in the Greater London area), and the enduring prestige of classical French cuisine among the city's restaurant-going population.

The Ritz, The Connaught, and Sketch in Mayfair represent the grand French tradition in all its formal splendour. Mon Plaisir in Covent Garden, open since 1943, is London's oldest French restaurant and remains excellent. The more casual bistro tradition is well served by Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in Covent Garden and the excellent natural wine and French small-plates bars that have proliferated in Soho and Shoreditch.