Randomness Guide to London Menu

A tiny French-themed pub and dining room in Soho.

The pub downstairs is indeed exceedingly small, with a few little tables in an alcove to the left of the bar, some high tables opposite it, and stools around the walls. It's very much not a place to meet groups of friends. However, the clientele have definite character, and seem to embody a lost side of Soho: it continues to feel like a locals' pub and its walls are decorated with vintage images of French actors, not to mention famous patrons of the past (such as Francis Bacon).

The bar itself has no handpulls for ale, and only a couple of draught lagers (including Kronenbourg). Beer is served only in half pints: it is a point of pride that they do not offer pint glasses. This means that the wine offering is to the fore, and as such it is fairly extensive; the house wine is priced reasonably.

As of April 2010, bar food is served noon-4pm Monday to Saturday.

There's also a restaurant upstairs which focuses, as one might expect, on French food, though we haven't tried it. Note however that as of July 2010 multiple sources report that Polpo are opening a sister restaurant, Polpetto, above the French House — what's not clear is whether or not this replaces the French restaurant.

See also:

• Beer In The Evening comments
• Fancyapint review
• Time Out review
• London Appetizer review
• London Eating comments
• Yelp comments
• Wikipedia entry
• The Times article