The French House is a british gastropub restaurant in Soho, London.
Editorially verified August 24, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: An upstairs Soho dining room above a historic pub that bans mobile phones and serves the Modern British canon to a hushed dining room of regulars.
Tip: No mobile phones, no music. Tables book one week ahead. The downstairs pub still pours a proper half-pint of bitter for £2.50.
Guided tour · 3.5 hours
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Guided tour · 3 hours
Join us for a food tour through Soho and Chinatown, two of London’s liveliest culinary hotspots, where you’ll skip the planning and enjoy tasting delicious internation...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste Mediterranean, Indian, Chinese, and British flavours on a guided Soho and Chinatown food tour with pre-booked tables, a set menu, and fascinating local stories.
Address: 49 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 5BG
Andrew Edmunds's candlelit Lexington Street bistro in Soho London, opened 1985 by the print-dealer Edmunds, still the city's preferred Soho dining-room.
Why locals goA candlelit Georgian townhouse bistro hidden between the Soho tourist circuit and Carnaby Street since 1985, established by Londoners and missed by visitors.
TipBar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30. The handwritten daily menu does not appear online.
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch.
Why locals goA daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus that opens only for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner since 2004.
TipOpen Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no printed menu; the day's run is on the wall.
Gergovie Wines's importer-run wine bar and kitchen inside a Maltby Street railway arch in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, the home address of London chef.
Why locals goA natural-wine bar and kitchen inside a Bermondsey railway arch run by an importer, open Wed-Sat only and long-favored by London chefs who eat here on days off.
TipWed-Sat only; closed Sun-Tue. Walk-up at the counter from 12:00. The kitchen rewrites the chalkboard every service.
Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson's Regent's Canal cafe on the towpath in east London, opened 2010, an outdoor-only seasonal cafe closed November to March.
Why locals goAn outdoor-only cafe-and-restaurant on the Regent's Canal towpath between De Beauvoir and Haggerston Park that closes November through March every year.
TipOpen March to October only. No bookings, outdoor seats only, cash and card. Daytime kitchen runs to 17:00.
Andrew Edmunds's candlelit Lexington Street bistro in Soho London, opened 1985 by the print-dealer Edmunds, still the city's preferred Soho dining-room.
Why locals goA candlelit Georgian townhouse bistro hidden between the Soho tourist circuit and Carnaby Street since 1985, established by Londoners and missed by visitors.
TipBar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30. The handwritten daily menu does not appear online.
The Smoking Goat charcoal Thai BBQ kitchen on Shoreditch High Street in east London, opened 2014 in Soho then moved to a larger Shoreditch site in 2017.
Why locals goA charcoal-fuelled Thai canteen on the corner of Shoreditch High Street and Redchurch Street with wok-burners and smokers run by chefs who built the menu from northern Thai.
TipWalk-up at the bar; tables book a week ahead through their site. The fish-sauce wings and lardo-curry are the canonical orders.
Will Lander's wine shop and bar next to Quality Chop House on Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell London, opened 2019, the city's smartest neighborhood wine-shop.
Why locals goA wine shop and bar tucked beside Quality Chop House on a Clerkenwell side street where every bottle pours for £15 corkage at the bar.
TipBuy a bottle off the shelf, then drink it at the bar for £15 corkage. The lunch sandwich menu comes from Quality Chop House.
