The French House Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "The French House is a beautiful old pub and a Soho institution."
• "This is an atmospheric old pub with lots of history."
• "The decor has not changed for years, it was a favourite of veterans returning from fighting in WW2."
• "An old haunt of mine since the 1980's I always visit this cosy central Soho bar."
• "The walls are full of pictures of previous booze-happy patrons."
• "The atmosphere is warm and comforting, and you actually get to talk to the staff about the food, drinks, and life."
• "It is a very cosy pub, however, with a very nice atmosphere."

Cons:

• "downstairs was way more crowded space with hardly room to move."
• "It's been extremely busy each time I've visited which means I haven't been able to soak up the atmosphere as much as I'd like."
• "Nothing amazing, just an overcrowded pub, with some french references."
• "The atmosphere seemed no different to any other Soho city centre pubs."
• "Horribly overpriced, grotty bar and grubby."
• "A small group of us walked past at around 8pm on a Friday and were intrigued as it looked nice from outside. Little did we know how racist this place is."
• "Non-whites are not allowed in!!"

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "The wine list is short but very good with some very affordable options."
• "Great selection of cheap wines and spirits."
• "Then masterfully cooked Lamb Navarin with aligot mash potatoes. This was out of this world."
• "The confit and goats curd toast is heavenly. The oysters were luxurious."
• "Particular stand outs for me included the chili/garlic prawns, the steak with white truffle sauce and the zucchini fries."
• "Brilliantly cooked French food with superb ingredients. The calves' brains are absolutely divine - a must-try even if you're squeamish."
• "The garlic confit and goat curds on toast and the rhubarb crumble completely exceeded my expectations."

Cons:

• "The only duff note was the salad of pea, fennel and ricotta which didn't have much fennel flavour and was fairly bland."
• "I paid 8 quid for a watery, tasteless Aperol Spritz which was 90% ice."
• "The food now is ordinary and doesn’t match the prices asked."
• "Only two mains to choose from, neither of which I really wanted... Had three starters, two mains and a side between the two of us and left hungry."
• "Went here for a special dinner... Save your money for China town and get something filling, delicious and much better value."
• "They were serving full pints last time I went in though, which is a bit off brand."
• "Gets too busy in here sometimes and the beer is nothing to write home about."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Good staff though."
• "Lovely service too from our cool, kind and knowledgeable waitress."
• "The clientele makes the place, reasonable prices and consistent service keep it going."
• "The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and clearly passionate about what they do."
• "Terry was MARVELLOUS. He gave us brilliant wine suggestions, and let us sample anything we wanted."
• "We were served by Leo and Jazz last week, the food as always was brilliant and so was the service."
• "Staff are friendly and usually the same people which makes it feel personal and very welcoming."

Cons:

• "Seeked this pub out based purely on the francophile and bohemian reputation I had read about, have to say was left feeling disappointed."
• "Bar staff seemed a bit stressed and curt."
• "One can see from the lowest reviews that the one downside to The French House is that the staff unfortunately are INCREDIBLY RUDE - shouting at patrons, telling them they're in the way, saying they're laughing too loudly."
• "Some of the staff look bored or angry."
• "However the cocktail/front of house guy just acted like a total *** at the end."
• "Rude staff hurried my friends and i through our drinks seemed deeply offended that only one of us ordered a drink the second round."
• "Staff are rude and arrogant and seem to have a chip on their shoulder."

Policies & Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Usual no pints, no mobiles rules and all the better for it."
• "Loved the no pints policy - draft beers by the glass only!!!"
• "The no phones rule which all pubs should have."
• "They will only serve you half pints and don't event think about getting your phone out."
• "A slice of France in the middle of Soho, friendly and chatty staff."
• "A SOHO institution that I'm so glad survived the Pandy, it's one of the few places keeping London's romance alive."
• "Since 1917 London's premier pub!"

Cons:

• "Poor customer experience."
• "It's the most ridiculously stuck-up pub in London."
• "This place is always full to overflowing. Packed with drunks, suits and artists."
• "I liked the pace initially, until be called attention cause I was in an important phone call. No Phones Allowed!"
• "Guessing the friendly welcome others are reporting wasn't from the fire breathing dragons behind the bar on the day we went. 100% cannot recommend."
• "Sadly our experience here was soured by the waiter pretty much asking us to leave after we had finished our drinks."
• "This is the kind of place you need to visit in order to learn not to come back."