Alongside the sturdy likes of Quo Vadis and L’Escargot, Kettner’s is one of Soho’s grande dames of gastronomy. Dating back to 1867, this French restaurant wowed the city’s most fabulous flaneurs with foods even richer than they were. Head chef Auguste Kettner might have been German, but he knew his way around a bouillabaisse, serving as personal chef to Napoleon III (the one who rebuilt all of Paris) before opening up this luxe corner spot.
Instantly cloaked with the seductive air of scandal, it was said to be where King Edward VII wooed his mistress Lillie Langtry. Over the years, the great (Oscar Wilde) and the good (Agatha Christie) and the absolutely despicable (Margaret Thatcher) have all dined at Kettner’s, which survived the Blitz, but not the 1980s, when it became a Pizza Express.
Kettner’s is made for flirtation, or at the very least, a night of shocking, flagrant gossip
In 2016, the regal but dusty site was bought by the Soho House Group, who restricted entry to members only, closing one of London’s prettiest dining rooms to regular folk. Thankfully, they backpedalled in 2023 and reopened Kettner’s to the public with a Med-ish menu devised in collaboration with Stoke Newington gastropub, the Clarence Tavern. Then, another backpedal, and in 2024 the French bistro fare of yore was reinstated.
Like a lowkey Palace of Versailles side suite, lit only by a handful of creamy coloured sconces and white taper candles, you can see why King George thought Kettner’s the perfect place for an affair. It’s almost impossible to see who’s on the next table, let alone the other side of the space. The very epitome of discretion, Kettner’s is made for flirtation, or at the very least, a night of shocking, flagrant gossip between friends.
We start with a sweet and ever-so-demure champagne martini, before the creamiest of cheese soufflés arrives, sporting a fetching bonnet of chives. Nothing less than Death By Dairy, it is followed by a gleaming, magenta steak tartare with a side of toasted brioche. This is a little lighter – but only just. Unrepentant French cookery means butter is everywhere you look and some places you don’t. Bliss.
Steak frites with a punchy béarnaise glowing with tarragon is, for the area, a relatively reasonable £18, while a main of confit rabbit with mustard sauce only a quid more. In fact, there’s a three course set menu for £29, which doesn’t seem crazy at all; especially when it includes their heady mousse au chocolat.
Oscar Wilde no longer swivels in his grave. Order has been restored, and Kettner’s is once again the Kettner’s it should always have been – and at a decent price, too.
The vibe Dreamy romance in the middle of Soho.
The food French bistro bangers.
The drink French wine, naturally, as well as a curated cocktail list inspired by the streets of Soho.
Time Out tip See if you can be seated in one of the two plush velvet booths at the back of the room for unparalleled elegance (and more scatter cushions than your local IKEA).