La Poule au Pot

The manager here is one of the most arrogant and rude individuals I've ever met!
He was openly swearing at his waiters in front of us, which is not acceptable behaviour. He shouted at my table for signing happy birthday to a friend and he absolutely ruined our meal.
The restaurant is so pretty , the food is ok ( although I've had better food in other French bistros in London ) and it could be a fabulous establishment to eat in. However the manager here would probably be better suited bullying his staff and patrons at a wrestling match, NOT managing a supposedly nice restaurant! Very disappointing, I urge you not to bother going.

I have been going to La Poule au Pot on and off (probably annually on average) for years and it's like many frustrating things in life – you anticipate it with relish only to be let down by the reality. Presumably the gaps between my visits are as long as it takes me to forget the bad and hang on to the delusion of proper French charm and quality.

The good bits tend to be the starters and desserts. Deserving special mention, the quiche a l'oignon, the tarte tatin and the creme brulee are all bistro staples beautifully and simply executed.

But the main courses are another matter. The steak frites, should be another classic and the essential meaure by which a bistro is judged, but here for two of the party the beef was tough and over-cooked and the frites were chunky chips. I had pheasant which was also very tough, and almost impossible to cut. Really poor.

The other main downside is the service… it can take ages to be noticed or served (and there were five of us on the most recent visit – so we were quite visible). There is nothing ‘charmingly aloof about the waiters’ – they were perfectly friendly, but inattentive.

I had wanted to try La Poule au Pot for well over a year. An opportunity finally arose but MAN was I disappointed. It was like Epcot had come to Pimlico – all atmosphere an NO true, authentic delivery. The design of the restaurant is charming and seduces you immediately into sweet expectation of the food to come. But then they bring you around a choice of brown or white bread served out of a big basket and it is here where the nightmare begins.

This restaurant can't be owned and run by the French…the bread is dense, mush American style. The escargots devoid of that beautiful garlic and parsley yummyness that you salivate for but replaced with a disgusting, off, bitter fishness that I have NEVER tasted in an escargot. When I apologetically told the waiter 'Ils ne sont pas bons, I got a shrug and a On va dire le chef.

We waited in fear for our main meals. I ordered le Lapin au moutarde and my daughter le Coq au vin and they were, at best, ok. Not much flavour, but give them points for being hot. Shame me for expecting decent renditions of these French classics in a French restaurant – what was I thinking?

Third time lucky we thought? How bad could the chocolate mousse be? OMG!!! Anyone could have made it better, again terrible texture and insipid. The coffee was even less than you would expect from an establishment Francais.

I am so sorry this was a bad experience. It made my blood boil that this restaurant is posing as providing quality French classics, those recipes that we have come to know, love and be comforted by.

Poor Stephanie! She either got out of bed on the wrong side or is very unlucky. I have been eating at la Poule au Pot for more years than I care to remember and can honestly say that I have never had an experience such as hers. In general I have found the service charming and attentive with the odd hiccup when they are very busy but never disturbing. The food whilst not Michlin star cooking has always delivered, as promised, classic French bistro/brasserie dishes executed to a high standard. It is not cheap, however the quality of the ingredients and the size of the portions result in what I consider to be good value for money. Ignor the detractors and try it for yourselves.

I hadn't been in many years and decided to visit again with some friends. It was certainly nothing like I remembered it! The service was generally dire – we had to ask repeatedly for water, glasses, etc.

I had the mushroom soup to start which was reasonably good, followed by the tuna which I asked to be “grillee au point” – it arrived cooked completely through. No one thought to take the time to ask us how our food was and gaining the attention of any of the staff was difficult at best.

The creme brulee I ordered would have been the redeeming point of the evening – it was indeed excellent – however, by this time the food poisoning (I suspect from the tuna) had started to set in and I had to excuse myself to head to the loo. I then managed to make it home to spend the better part of the night in the toilet.

My husband asked to speak to the manager before leaving to alert him to the fact that something I'd eaten was off as to avoid any other patrons taking ill. He made a huge show of taking down our details, telling him that he'd ring the following day to see how I was doing – not surprisingly, no call was received.

Needless to say I have no intention of returning any time soon!

I have been going to La Poule au Pot for the last ten years but had not been for 12 months, I was worried by the reviews I read on here ahead of my visit last weekend but decided to go and see for myself…I was not disappointed from the service I received when booking to when I arrived at the restaurant, we had a great table, the service was excellent and the atmosphere (which is, undoubtedly, its main draw) was as intimate and charming as always. The restaurant was buzzing and there was not an empty table. The food we had the fish soup and the foie gras to start followed by the duck and the steak were all very good. I will definitely be going back and will be telling others to not be put off by bad write ups…

Simply dreadful service. Ruined my night. Go for good food but not if you expect friendy service.

Went for Sunday lunch having been here several months ago. Prices have crept upwards while the standard of cooking and service has shot downwards. The restaurant manager seemed proud that his kitchen served tinned peas and mash that had been sitting for hours under hot lamps in the kitchen. Service was non existent – had to ask three times for tap water and twice for bread – empty bottle of wine left on the floor for over half an hour after we had finished- never asked us if we wanted coffee or dessert – (maybe Iceland supermarket was shut) – restaurant was nowhere near as busy as our last visits – maybe Londoners are finally getting it!! French restaurant with a nice atmosphere but poor food and service – Racine in Knightsbridge two thirds of the price and twice the quality and staff who understand English.

A little piece of France in London. Book early and don't be surprised if they're full… The food is excellent and the Wine list is intersting but it's the atmosphere which makes this place so special.

Never had anything other than beautiful food here in a perfect restaurant ambience. The onion soup is delicious and we very much enjoy any of the main courses here, in particular the sea bass which is so beautifully presented and cooked. The service is always prompt, but the front of house needs a little more warmth to make the entrance the perfect welcome. Amongst our favourite, honest and reliable dining experiences…little bit of french perfection in a very romantic environment.

Wonderful dark French venue which is ideal for a romantic meal for two, especially in winter. It is Pimlico's French gastronomic retreat and serves really rustic food. Good wines, but a little pricey.

I was really looking forward to re-trying La Poule au Pot since it had been ages since my last time. The whole experience started off in a slightly negative tone since the person I booked with was appropriately rude, à la Francaise. I was also concerned that the dimmed lighting and the ‘romantic’ atmosphere I remembered had clouded my food judgement.

Luckily, my fears were unfounded. I had asparagus as starter and the veal escalope as main and both were delicious. I also tried my girlfriend’s foie gras and her garlic lamb, and although the lamb was served a bit too cold, it was really tasteful and tender. The foie gras outshone my asparagus, which was good, but appropriately straight forward.

Most people rave on about the atmosphere, but to some extent I must say it’s all in the dim lighting. The actual place is getting quite worn down, a bit more than the customary “French” brasserie style interior should allow for. That said, I’m still a fan, both of the atmosphere, the service and most importantly the food.

On the minus side, and although I truly enjoyed the food, it is slightly overpriced, with most mains around or above the 20 mark, but I would definitely recommend a visit. Finally, as if it’s not clear already, this is a place to go to with your girl- or boyfriend, not as a group of friends..

Over the years this restaurant has pretty much become my neighbourhood caff, going there it is a bit like putting on an old jacket, it is always as expected and somewhat reassuring in a turbulent world. Like many I have been going to the Poule au Pot since the days that it was located in Walton Sreet. and I suspect that many feel the same way.

The secret of the menu is not to order from it – except for the eponymous poule au pot and the steak and frites, which seem to be hand carved – but rather to listen to the day's specials which are extensive and occasionally unexpected, these daily specials tend also to be chea;per than the dishes on the printed menu.

They have a custom of serving house wine by the two litre bottle and charging for the amount drunk, they are quite fair about this. the house wine is perfectly good and suits the food well.

The managers are very efficient, always welcoming and ever helpful, the waiting staff, who seem to change quite a lot are interesting, they tend to be young and French and often they have real Gallic ‘attitude’. I quite like this as it is a change from the London norm and makes one feel as if you might just be in France not Pimlico.

Once I took some American friends there and that particular evening the waiters were charming for some reason, never having experienced this before and I was truly concerned. One of my guests suggested that perhaps the food had gone off or the chef had walked out or something, but everything turned out fine, fortunately it was a one-off.

This is a restaurant that you have to work at. After three visits most people are hooked for life and many consider it to be the most romantic restaurant in town. The decor is wonderful, it was until quite recent times that New Yorkers were paying huge sums to interior designers in order to capture a similar feel in their urban lofts.

i fully accept that the whole thing will not be to everyone's taste,, in fact I hesitated before writing this as it is now taking a day or two to get a table and longer for weekends.

i love this little place
rustic french
great atmosphere
food always good and reliable – again rustic french
good service with the waiters chatting away in french adds to the ambience candle lit tables spread over a series of small rooms magnums of house red wine take the edge of any afternoon!
good value set lunch with plenty of choices
i will be back