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Bistro Freddie

London, Shoreditch - Anglo-French - Restaurant - £££

Hot-ticket bistro dealing in rich, rustic cooking

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Very Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Very Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

Restaurateur Dominic Hamdy’s Francophile follow-up to Bar Crispin in Soho is ‘like walking into a Parisian bistro’. Certainly, the white tablecloths, bentwood chairs, flickering candles and soigné crowd, are very much comme il faut. While it 'feels like it’s been there forever,’ Bistro Freddie only opened in 2023, with Alexandra Laforce Reynolds (ex-Hide and Eline) succeeding Anna Søgaard in the kitchen in 2024. The wedge-shaped dining room was packed to the rafters by 7pm when we visited, suggesting that the kitchen is in safe hands. The handwritten A4 menu reads well, bolstered by a short list of steaks. We eschewed snacks of grilled lamb skewers and egg mayonnaise, and dived right into a quenelle of smooth chicken liver parfait, blushing pink, paired with candied quince and Guinness bread – British ingredients and French ideas in harmony. An on-trend flatbread was not quite so elegant – although the topping of egg yolk, ham an...

Restaurateur Dominic Hamdy’s Francophile follow-up to Bar Crispin in Soho is ‘like walking into a Parisian bistro’. Certainly, the white tablecloths, bentwood chairs, flickering candles and soigné crowd, are very much comme il faut. While it 'feels like it’s been there forever,’ Bistro Freddie only opened in 2023, with Alexandra Laforce Reynolds (ex-Hide and Eline) succeeding Anna Søgaard in the kitchen in 2024. The wedge-shaped dining room was packed to the rafters by 7pm when we visited, suggesting that the kitchen is in safe hands. The handwritten A4 menu reads well, bolstered by a short list of steaks.

We eschewed snacks of grilled lamb skewers and egg mayonnaise, and dived right into a quenelle of smooth chicken liver parfait, blushing pink, paired with candied quince and Guinness bread – British ingredients and French ideas in harmony. An on-trend flatbread was not quite so elegant – although the topping of egg yolk, ham and undersalted crisps was a winning combination. Main courses might be a ‘darn good pie’ for two (beef tongue and brisket or chicken and tarragon) or one of updated bistro dishes.

A quick consultation with the chef persuaded us that the Devonshire chicken leg (boned out and stuffed with pumpkin) was a must – as was a green salad to mop up the Marsala sauce afterwards. Pigeon, roasted pink on the bone, with savoy cabbage and bacon was lavishly sauced too. Such cooking calls for a nice bottle of red, so hats off to the sommelier who redirected us to a Bordeaux from the lower end of the excellent all-French list.

Desserts are ‘one minute in Blighty, the next over the Channel’. For example, sticky toffee pudding or, our pick, a Maya Gold chocolate choux bun – not a looker, but at £12 it's enough for two. A note about noise levels. One reader mentions ‘appalling acoustics’ and ‘high-decibel braying’ at lunch, although we had no such concerns – there's no denying there's a buzz about the place. 

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VENUE DETAILS

74 Luke Street
Shoreditch
EC2A 4PYGB

020 8050 0374

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OTHER INFORMATION

Counter seating, Wheelchair access, Family friendly, Dog friendly

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