Le Pot Lyonnais

Most of the reviews on here reflect the unpredictability of Le Pot. The staff are sometimes moody, sometimes charming, sometimes slow, sometimes nip-outside-for- a-sneaky-cigarette, sometimes friendly and fun. No-one should be surprised if you have ever dined in Lyon. This is a beautifully authentic French restaurant with a similarly authentic owner and staff.

I've been here several times and loved it, felt very welcome and had a great banter with the owner. But i've also been here and felt quite a cold atmosphere. That said, I allow this place its off days because I have a great time there, most of the time.

The food is generally really good and very French, there is a good selection of wine served in traditional Pots and the staff are (normally) very friendly.

I will go back many times and 8 times out of ten have a great time.
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8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, January 30, 2012

I live very close to this restaurant in clapham and have many different places to choose from but always get lured back for another meal. Its weird in the sense that there is nothing that blows this place away in terms of a swanky place to go its just got a really homely feel about the place. Its just very relaxed and the food is always good. I have had the onglet here pretty much every time i have been there as i find it so good I sort of feel i dont want to go off track but today my girlfriend and I went for dinner and found out it was steak night so there were a number of other more expensive cuts to try for much less than on non steak night (which is only friday and saturday night) We went for the chateaubriand which was absolutely delicious and I now dont know what to do next time I go there as i really like both dishes!!

In terms of the owner he is a sort of typical slightly grumpy french restaurant owner, but in a sweet and endearing way. He has been there for a long time and I think he genuinely cares about the food he produces. I have nothing to gain from writing this article other than i would hate for this restaurant to ever shut down as it has that 'je ne sais quoi' that french restaurant that has been transposed from any back street french city feel to it.

I am sorry that some people have had bad experiences but i have never one and will continue to go back. Go there if you are looking for a laid back atmosphere and rustic french dining experience, not if you are looking for a posh dining experience.
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Great place, very chilled, one of my favorite places to chill and have a beer, maybe some food in london.
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Jay
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, July 09, 2011

IF ONLY I KNEW !!

I WOULD NOT HAVE GONE THERE.THE AMBIANCE WAS AWFUL,THE OWNER INSULTING HIS STAFF,SCREAMING,AN A VERGE OF A BREAKDOWN ,THIS GUY IS READY TO PACK IT UP...

THE FOOD WAS ALL RIGHT BUT HOW CAN ONE ENJOY IT IN SUCH CONDITIONS ? I DID NOT !!

I FELT BAD AND SORRY FOR THE STAFF.

IT IS A SHAME,THIS PLACE COULD BE NICE BUT INTENSIVELY UNWELCOME.

TO AVOID AT ANY COST UNLESS YOU ENJOY PAIN !!
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N/A
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, May 28, 2011

After searching for good, genuine French cuisine, I came across Le Pot Lyonnais... and I did not regret it.

I've travelled to France several times purely for the food and atmosphere. This restaurant is as close to the real this as it gets.

Patrick (the manager and only full time chef) produced some of the best food I have ever placed in my mouth. I started with 3 starters (between me and my partner) of a lovely cold traditional meat dish (chacuterie), a beautiful French salad, and of course, some of the most flavoursome snails in London.

Following the starters (served beautifully and quickly by the brilliant Adrian and lovely Lorien), I went on to have one of the French specialties: steak and chips... rare of course.

I have been to several steak houses in the UK and in France... none of them compare. The steak was cooked to perfection and the chips were crispy and fluffy just as a good chip should be. The peppercorn sauce was beautiful, and did not burn the throat whenever a peppercorn was accidents swallowed.

I have since been back several times to try the wines. I did one order the steak baguette from the bar. This was no ordinary 'subway' steak baguette... it was a fully blown steak... cooked how you like it... served in bread made the same day and coated in melted cheese. I was served b the beautiful yet efficient Holly. My glass was never empty thanks to the amazing service.

I wish Patrick and the team the very best of luck. With only small staff numbers the place become hectic. Highly recommended food... highly recommended wine... and an atmosphere and company to die for.
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9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I agree with everything written here, with the exception of any suggestion to avoid the place. I have a great time every visit and that is not altogether infrequent. The service is substandard, so I can see how somebody trying impress a friend, colleague or significant other, might feel agrieved that their every whim is not catered to in the professional and courteous manner one might expect of a reasonably priced establishment. That said, the service is so informal that it actually makes the experience (in my opinion) more comfortable, relaxing and ultimately enjoyable.

I should point out that I generally find being called 'Sir', an unpleasant side-affect of treating myself to a night out in a restaurant or hotel. Unless the Queen one day dictates that this is how I should be addressed, a simple "Can I take your order?" will suffice.

The food is always very tasty, with the exception of some slightly obscure hash browns I had about 3 months ago. I have never felt hurried by over attentive staff seemingly looking to shift me asap, and in this respect I find it the most welcoming place ever. If a night (or late morning) out, chatting with friends, reading the paper etc. with food and drink turning up at reasonably regular intervals sounds good to you, then I thoroughly recommend this place. If however, awkward silences are frequently a problem amongst your chosen company and you require regular intervention from the staff to relieve the situation, or if you've a tight schedule to keep, I'd probably suggest somewhere else.

McDonald's family restaurants do a fine hash brown and in good time too...
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Craig Saddington
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Sunday, October 31, 2010

I don't normally write reviews but after dining at this establishment twice in a matter on months i felt i had to break with tradition. This first time i went here with my family, we spent three hours in the restaurant and only had two courses along with copious bottles of wine to relieve the boredom of waiting! Cofffee was put on hold to have at home!

I went there again for lunch today with my father. I was already sceptical after the last woeful escapade but i thought a quick lunch would see them in a better light. Far from it....

We arrived and were greeted by a surly waitress who spoke little English. We sat down and ordered a glass of wine, a lemonade and two glasses of tap water. She then, after 5 minutes, returned to say she couldn't remember which type of wine we had ordered! We then told her and then after another five minutes the wine, lemonade and one glass of water appeared.

To eat we both ordered the lamb stew off the specials board only to be told that they had run out! So instead we ordered a platter of charcuterie and two gravadlax - all to be brought at the same time please. After a fairly short wait a basket of (warm! - only good point in the whole event) bread arrived with the charcuterie. All perfectly palatable except some rather ancient looking spam!

The waitress then brought us two beers which we hadn't ordered! Next she cleared our plates and then arrived with a plate of cheese?! We then questioned her and she said i thought you said cheese platter and not gravadlax! We sent this back only for her to return a few minutes later saying the chef ran out of gravadlax last night!!! At this point we gave up and said could we just have the bill!

To add insult to seriously underfed stomachs she had charged us for the two 'beers' we never ordered! Not even Fawlty Towers and dear old Manuel were this incompetent!!! AVOID!
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Henry - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, September 29, 2010

I find the reviews confusing. We've now been 4 times and each time really enjoyed the food.
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Rob
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, August 28, 2010

I went here last week, and can safely say 'NEVER AGAIN'. Awful.
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gooseman
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, August 12, 2010

I went to have brunch with two girlfriends there last sunday and could not disagree more . We had a great time, staff wasnt the most friendly but this place is great VALUE for the money, atmosphere is very good and the food...

The best place to go for breakfast on this area.
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Ana
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 23, 2010