Pierre Victoire

I am glad I am not the only one who finds this so called ‘gem’ of a restaurant to be disappointing. Living in SE and working somewhere near Old Street I don’t often frequent Soho for dinner or drinks but I had heard great things about Pierre Victoire.
We went here for a friends birthday dinner and I just wasn’t impressed. The place is tiny so all night you had people pushing past you and you practically had to climb out of your chair to go to the toilet. We had booked for a fairly big group so I put this down to that. However, we all ordered our mains with a few people ordering starters. The starters came, they were fine, the food was in fact quite tasty. Then came the mains, well all of them except one. Out of a group of 9, most of whom ordered full mains of cooked food, one girl ordered a salad, For some reason this was too difficult for the kitchen and it took nearly an hour (after everyone else had received their food) for her salad (yes salad) to come. The apologies were not particularly heartfelt and when it finally arrived it was sort of thrown in her direction. By this point she was quite upset considering everyone else had finished their food (after waiting as long as we could). We then went to order desserts. and were told that we only had 10 minutes before we had to leave our table as it had been booked by someone else so could we hurry up if we wanted desserts.
We couldn’t believe it. Putting aside the fact that a 2 hour limit was never communicated to us on booking the table, they had taken over an hour to bring a salad. Needless to say we paid the bill minus the service charge and left the restaurant only to be chased down the street by a waiter demanding we pay the service charge! We explained that we didn’t feel the service was good enough and it wasn’t until they fetched a manager that we were able to get them to understand. After all that we weren’t even offered an apology.
Basically it was an awful experience and one I don’t want to repeat. Even if it was a one off I doubt i’ll ever be going back here again which is a shame as actually the food was delicious!

My husband and I had a really disappointing experience here last night (thanks TimeOut voucher =/​).
It started off well: the place was bustling when we got there at 7pm but as we had a rez, we got a table (with the piano to my back) near the entrance straightaway. We got our menus and one of the staff (four were on last night) let me substitute a glass of white wine for the prosecco (as part of the voucher). Warm French baguette bread came out shortly.
And then, this is where it mostly goes downhill. I ordered the beetroot cream cheese as a starter and my husband the pork shoulder croquette. For mains, I ordered the Roast Cauliflower and hazelnut carbonara with parmesan and parsley and my husband the Chargrilled Entrecôte steak with homemade frites, crispy cos and rocket salad & maitre d butter.
And then we waited, and waited, and waited some more.
Finally, our apps arrived and the cream cheese platter had a delightful presentation and tasted just as phenomenal. Explosive hints of butter and garlic and honey and OMGGGG so good. My husband said his croquette was middling.
Then we waited again. And some more. Then the two tables that sat down AFTER us got their food. And finished their food. And we were STILL WAITING 20 minutes later for our mains.
At this point, I nearly walked out.
An hour and 20 minutes after we were sat and our orders had been taken and we got our food… and it was tasteless. The pasta looked amazing but was one of the worst I have ever had– completely bland. The meek, scant cauliflower and hazelnuts scatterings couldn’t help it at all. Similarly, my husband said his was pretty flavourless as well.
I made sure we got the oh-​so-​stupid gratuity all London restaurants add of 12.5% removed and we left in disgust.
The only somewhat saving grace was the waitstaff were all very apologetic, explaining there were only 2 cooks on staff that night. Still, TRULY good customer service (which only happens in the US of course, so silly of me to expect) would have removed the charge for the extra glass of wine I had and/​or the 6 pound supplement charge for my husband’s steak.
I gave my leftover pasta to a homeless person; maybe he would have enjoyed it more!

I went for dinner with an ex-​colleague, and it was a great decision.
Food was solid. I ordered shredded crab on toast for starter, then the mussels for main. I particular liked my starter — it was fresh and very flavourful. My main was also good, though I felt like my mussels weren’t 100% fresh.
Ambience was great — very cozy and French. Service was prompt as well.
Would definitely go back for the great food at very reasonable prices!

Me and a group of friends had our christmas meal here, all in all there about ten of us.
First disappointment was that they had given us someone else’s table, so the number of seats was wrong and there were NO CRACKERS! Thankfully, when I asked for them they promptly gave us our required cracker each, otherwise how could it be a Christmas dinner?!
The food itself was pretty good, however the setting was more cramped than cosy (we were sitting in a corner downstairs).
I don’t think I’ll try this place again, but perhaps the experience would be different if it was just a meal for two.

Went for lunch with a (french) friend and the first impression is of a really nice and cosy tiny restaurant, with wooden tables and large vintage mirrors.
The set menu for lunch is really cheap as you can get a whole 2 course meal for around £8 and a 3 course for £11.
The quality of the food is impeccable. I mean, I loved it, but my French friend also commended it.
If a proper 2 course lunch wouldn’t make me too sleepy to go back to work «fully operational» I would likely have lunch here every weekday :)

Cozy feeling French bistro style restaurant with good food at a very reasonable price. The suggested house red complimented the beef ribeye very well. My friends had the mussels as a starter and enjoyed them. The candle burning atop an old wine bottle adds a nice touch to the atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and seemed eager to please. A very pleasurable dining experience.
Post Script. I was persuaded to have dessert. After agonizing over an amazing array of scrumptious options, I chose the Banoffee Pie. I wasn’t disappointed. You won’t be either.
AND THEN… the pimple faced kid with the impossibly thick accent who was just serving food sits down at the piano an starts «playing around» tickling the ivory while chatting with a waitress. Smooth move kid. Impressively unexpected piano skills.
BONUS POINTS!

Excellent restaurant, as someone living in the USA I was able to get back some great taste from France.
The pianists was awesome. We had a great dinner. Thanks a lot!!’

This is a very good value, French-​style restaurant, which also caters pretty well for vegetarians.
The restaurant itself is rather cosy with an unpretentious, lived-​in feel — tables are quite close together, the wooden furniture is second-​hand — but not exactly shabby chic. It’s very different from the usual Soho joint, and all the better for it. There’s a cosy downstairs area as well.
As others have said, the set menus — which offer over half a dozen choices of starters and mains — are excellent value for the area. Even the a la carte is not bad, given the quality of the food. Friends who had steaks and the ox cheek were delighted by both quality and quantity — they cook the steaks as you wish — although serving frites in a jar in the modern style doesn’t add anything in my view. I had falafel to start and mushroom pappardelle, followed by sticky toffee pudding.
Service is efficient and unfussy. One tip — the lighting is very subdued and, while this lends a romantic air, in the evening take a phone with a torch facility!
A real find in the area.

This restaurant is a MUST visit for me whenever I’m visiting London. (10+ years) the quality of food, quality of service has never changed.
Food is always delicious, great wine selection, served by fabulous friendly people.
If you are near Soho, Oxford Street easy stop.
Fixed menu makes it super easy too.
I wish we had places like this in The US

Very authentic French restaurant. The starters, grilled mussel and steamed mussel, are amazingly delicious. The grilled one is more of a garlic taste and the steamed one is more creamy. Desserts are also beyond my expect, I personally recommend the Crème brûlée.

Really nice atmosphere with low lights and candles, and food was delicious — my steak was tender. tasty and cooked just right, and the chocolate mousse was heavenly. Very reasonable prices too… a really good find. Have already recommended to others!

I had a dinner with a group of friends on a Saturday night.
The food and service was good, well worth their price, we were all satisfied with our food. There was a piano player and a lot of people so the place was very very noisy, which could be a problem if you want to sit down and have a chat. Candles on all table, low light otherwise, it creates a nice cozy atmosphere. The decoration brings back French souvenirs from the 1920’s with posters and paintings on the walls.
All in all, I’d recommend it.

Wow! We went here a Tuesday night — 3 courses for 12 pounds before 7:00 pm, which we thought was a very good price compared to other London restaurants.
The ambience here was quite lovely with dripping candles on the tables; and we were even spoiled with live piano playing during our dinner.
Now, regarding the food: The menu (it changes from week to week, apparently!) was really exciting in its variety, and we had trouble even choosing. We finally came down with seafood soup, smoked salmon & prawn roulades, thai fish cakes, Beef Bourguignon, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Everything was great, lots of different tastes and very good, attentive service throughout. The only thing that can be criticized a bit was the tempo in which the courses was served; we had had all of our courses within 1,5 hour, which felt a tiny bit too fast.
But everything else was spot on and we would definitely recommend anyone who is looking for a cozy night out with excellent food for a good price to head for Pierre Victorie!

I have a soft spot for this place, it introduced me to good French history food as a teenager. Good food, nice prices, a restaurant full of character in terms of décor and atmosphere. Even the set menus which are usually to be avoided in this part of town are good. A great place to chew the fat and some French food with a bottle of wine with a group of friends or one special friend. No wonder it’s been around so long.

Amazing value for money. We shared a starter, each had a main plus a bottle of wine. It came to only £60.
Shared main was asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon topped with an egg plus beet root. I’m not sure this really worked, to be honest. Egg was fried and the yolk cooked through. Not sure the beet root was needed. Overall, an ok but not very special dish.
But the mains were very good. Roasted seabass fillets were served on thick slices of potato and came with one stuffed calamari. The standout of this dish was oddly the pieces of beet root! Delicious.
My friend had the lemon sole which was a really good sized piece of fish. Lovely with capers. She said it was a little on the oily side but otherwise very good.
Definitely would come back. Very buzzy restaurant with friendly service.

Teresa C. recommended meeting here one evening. She told me about the price range and I made an assumption about what I would be getting for my money.
Boy! Did I underestimate this place! It’s quite an understated place. You could easily walk right by it. But look out for it if you can. It’s got the intimate feel you would expect of a little french bistro.
The quality of the food far outweigh the prices. We got there quite early in the evening on a week night. We had no reservation but getting a table was easy. It was starting to pick up as we were leaving.
This place is extremely good value for money.

I loved coming here when I was studying in London. It’s located in Soho and is a short walk from the Tottenham Court Road tube stop.
It has a low-​key atmosphere with beautiful dripping candles and large wooden tables. The servers are always friendly and the dishes are absolutely delicious. They have fantastic gluten free options along with hearty vegetarian entrées. A rarity for French cuisine.

Got in here without a reservation! A French restaurant on Dean Street. Walked in with supreme scepticism. Ok, so worst, we’d break a baguette and butter it up. Let’s look at the menu … oh là là! £12 set menu!!! I’m sorry, am I not in the overpriced West End? My foie will cost £12 one block over on Frith Street! As the scepticism increased (maybe they were in fact going to serve us buttered up baguette?), our waiter escorted us to a six seater in the middle of the downstairs dining area. Wooden tables teeming on the wooden floor with low lighting mainly from the candles that adorned the tables; almost sticking to each other with very little room to manœuvre your physical self. Ouch. But very cosy. Just remember, a £12 menu which hasn’t been outright slammed in any of the seemingly effortfully written reviews.
The baguette did come in, only not buttered, but accompanied with little packets of butter. Mussels, mackerel, onion soup, mushrooms; so a fairly well balanced range of starters. We shared 3 carafes of reasonably priced house wine. I’ve had superbly cooked steak here, and slow cooked lamb, and both were above average. The menu changes from time to time, so you can always go back for new stuff on the menu. It’ll be hard to find serious issues with the food, and for the price, location and the overall experience, I would award this place four stars.
The fine print at the bottom of the menu will tell you that you will pay an additional 15% service.

My friend came to me the other day with a need for a romantic spot. And it had to have a bunch of different qualifications:
— Must be open until midnight (or at least 11:30pm)
— Must not break the bank
— Must be romantic, and have all the trimming (food, drinks, good service), etc.
— Must take reservations
— Must be central.
It’s weird, because it felt like she was testing for me to say Pierre Victorie, since it hits all those qualifications easily, and more.
This is a great, romantic but casual romantic bistro. Nothing fancy but nothing to overlook either. There’s a candle at every table, the service is great, the wine is reasonably priced and it’s just a nice place. They even have live music from a piano often at night, making the whole experience even better.
Have a date? Need a spot. This one is great, you cannot go wrong.
If construction is still going on around it, it can be a little tricky to find. Otherwise though, you’ll be good to go. It can get a little crowded, so make a reservation if you can, but they have a ton of tables, so just showing up shouldn’t be bad either. Bön appetite.

Zut Alors! How have I only just discovered this place?
Until recently, the only French cuisine I had ever sampled had been baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolats. I’m a regular in the Soho area and thought I had tried all the best restaurants in the area until my recent visit to Pierre Victoire.
The interior was stereotypically everything I expected it to be, which I loved. The rustic décor, the wine bottle candles and french memorabilia; all of this along with the low lighting and french music added to the warm and ambient atmosphere.
The bistro has great set menus if you are on a budget, but since I was here for a special occasion a little bit of indulgence was required. I started off with the escargot-​style grilled mussels in garlic, parsley and Pernod butter with bread crumbs. I wasn’t a big fan of mussels until recently and they were delicious. My main course was one of the best I have ever had; confit of duck with dauphinoise potatoes, garlic fine beans and green peppercorn cream. Despite parts of the duck being a bit more chewy that i’d like, overall simply exquisite.
To drink, what else would you have in a French restaurant but of course wine! We started with a bottle of Ca’Lunghetta Pinot Grigio Blush and moved on to a bottle of Merlot Rosé.
Everyone agreed that the food was delicious and the menus are extensive enough to suit any budget. With a very central and easily accessible location this gem of a restaurant is unfortunately no longer a hidden treasure.
I staggered home after one too many glasses of wine after having a very enjoyable evening and will definitely be visiting again.

Une adresse incontournable pour manger autre chose que du burger ou du fish’n’chips !! Plats raffinés, service impec’, pain baguette, et vin de choix.
La formule du midi permet de manger 2 «courses» (entrée + plat) pour 8,90£. En entrée vous pourrez vous laisser tenter par des falafels, une soupe, ou encore des moules, et en plat, vous aurez le choix entre des morceaux de viande (mouton, boeuf), de poissons ou des pates.
La présentation des plats est réfléchie et les saveurs sont au rendez vous.
A faire !

Oooh la la, le cuisine sont tres bien ici! The bavette steak is covered in the most scrumptious sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Pierre Victoire is one of those cute little French restaurants that everyone needs to have on their list. Perfect place for dates, celebrations, bar mitzvahs, you name the occasion and this place delivers.
The chicken liver pâté is so good, I was still eating it off the knife after the bread had run out. The bavette steak as mentioned is served with a heady and wine-​rich sauce, with soft flavoursome onions.
I had the roast chicken another time with the pan-​fried shiitake mushrooms and it was divine. Plus the desserts are mouthwatering amazing and there is a nice atmosphere to the place.
The staff are, always friendly and polite and helpful and I just really love it here. Plus their set menu really makes the place even more appealing, as you get more for your money, and get to eat even more or try new things. And if I haven’t gone on enough about how a-​mazing this place is, there’s the piano player (bien sur), who tinkles tunes.

Pierre Victoire ist ein einladendes, gemütliches Restaurant mit gutem Lunch-​Angebot: 2 Gänge für 7 Pfund 95. Da dort immer viel los ist, haben wir das letzte Woche einmal ausprobiert.
Als Vorspeise: Lachs-​Roulade, nein, keine Sorge, kein Kraut involviert :-) gefüllt mit einer Paste aus sour cream und Kräutern; als Beilage einen Ingwer-​Karotten-​Salat. Sehr, sehr lecker, ich hätte eigentlich direkt eine 2. Vorspeise essen können. Als Hauptgang hatte ich das vegetarische Thai-​Curry aus root vegetables. Das Leckerste hieran war sicher die Soße, aber die root vegetables waren auch gut, nicht überkocht und in allen Farben von blassgelb zu sattem orange. Der Reis war genau richtig und nicht klebrig. Die Portionen waren wirklich reichhaltig.
Oh, fast vergessen: trotz der Protionsgröße auf keinem Fall auf der Baguette verzichten, dass man zu Beginn gereicht bekommt. Das beste Baguette, das ich je in London gegessen habe! Dazu hat man gesalzene Butter.
Wer also nach Ausschau eines guten, reichhaltigen Lunches ist, der sollte Pierre Victoire probieren.
Das Personal ist freundlich und schnell — genauso wie man es sich in der Mittagspause wünscht.
Bön appétit!