Brasserie Zedel

I really didn't think this place was all that good. My main course of pollock (£12 or £13 - fries another £3 on top) was a very small piece of lukewarm fish that was dried up on the outside. What was billed as a nicoise salad was a tiny indistinguishable pile of shredded vegetables that had been semi-cooked by the fish on top. My in-laws, who don't like a fuss, were paying but otherwise I'd have complained. There were eight of us. A couple of people said their food was good but the verdict from the rest was an unenthusiastic "fine". Service was pretty good but when we asked for some ketchup for two under-10s to have with their steak haches it took ages to arrive and there was about a spoonful in a tiny container. It was obvious the kids wanted a good dollop to liven up their meal. It's nicely done up but the decor is much better than the food.
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sean farrell
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Friday, May 24, 2013

I went again in December; still a great place to go. Excellent value, superb location, delicious food and really attentive and professional service.

Keep it up.
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James - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

We are an exceptionally terrible culinary experience recently at Zedel. We had lunch - I had the special - assuming it would be wonderfully fresh. Rabbit in mustard sauce - a classic - instead i got a dried piece of rabbit with a lukewarn sauce over it. It felt like it had been languishing in the kitchen and quickly reheated. really appalling.

My friends steak hache was not much better. Will be avoiding this over rated place from now on.
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5 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, April 13, 2013

Amazing value for money for a restaurant that looks like something from the decadent jazz era.

Menu was what you expect for a French brasserie with lots of classics on there done very, very well, for example Ile flottante (a particular highlight for dessert).

Can't fault the service, apart from my booking appeared a week later than I had booked it.

Frites were over-salted for my liking.
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LondonYum - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, January 21, 2013

Zedel is about as close as you'll get to a Parisian brasserie in London. The size, clientele and staff all pay homage to restaurants like La Coupole, Montparnasse. It has the brasserie buzz.

Zedel is a good visit for a casual lunch or dinner with your mates. The menu is a touch limited but the prices are competitive. My confit du carnard was good but a couple of diners thought their boeuf bourguignon had a touch of boil-in-the-bag about it. Having said that they did devour all of it. The wine list is good, varied and with a fair price range to suit most wallets.

The interior décor is terrific and so it should be. This was once the Grill Room of the Regent Palace Hotel, a splendid art deco establishment that declined and it's good to see that its original style has been reflected in the Zedel makeover. However, the entrance to the restaurant is visually forgettable.

Staff were very mixed. The meeters and greeters were friendly and welcoming. The waiters were trying too hard to imitate the efficient but curt and detached style typical of Parisian waiters. They needed to lighten up a bit. Be aware that tables are subject to time restriction.
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Warthog
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, January 14, 2013

It has a menu that feels real, where a Café Rough one feels pastiche. The wine list is large enough and well priced. I liked being offered Pastis 51 instead of Ricard. Not that I can tell the difference, but it felt good.

Zedel is a big place and the kitchen sends out high volumes of good food, well presented and quite soon after ordering. And it is extraordinary value. But the food isn't the star of the show.

The room is stunning, with marble walls and columns, shiny gold bits and plenty of table linen. The clatter of cutlery is matched by the rise and fall of conversation. But the atmosphere isn't the star of the show.

The real stars are the staff. Professional beyond words and yet friendly, welcoming, confident, the whole place runs like a well made watch. They don't seem to have students or resting actors waiting table, but instead have grown-ups, knowledgeable and alert. It made Zedel feel more authentically French than anything else.

Lots and lots of fun. Bon appetit.
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Jes - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 11, 2012

I had planned to celebrate my 30th Birthday at Brasserie Zedel and Bar Americain over the weekend however I was shocked to be told by an extremely rude doorman that my guests were not able to enter the bar on the night as they had reached 'maximum capacity'. This was despite numerous email and face to face correspondence with staff advising me 3 months before my birthday that they would be able to accomodate my party.

Before rudely getting turned away from the bar, 7 of us dined in the restaurant which I can only say is one of the worst culinary experiences I have ever had in my life. It took at least 20 minutes for the waiter to ask for our drinks order and about another 20 minutes for him to bring us the drinks. Food was burnt and tasteless.

This venue ruined my 30th Birthday and did not show any compassion for this. They were not at all helpful when I had to try and arrange another venue with no notice. Avoid it at all costs!
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, October 16, 2012

I was catching up with my cousin Simon for lunch on Friday and after hearing good things decided to try Brasserie Zedel up in Piccadilly. I wasn’t quite sure where it was but after wandering through the upstairs café and down the 1920’s inspired sweeping stair case it suddenly hit me. This was the site of the old Atlantic Bar which had featured during an epic night out celebrating my 30th birthday! As we walked down Simon who is a big jazz fan noticed they have a cabaret lounge which seems to be back in vogue nowadays. I choose Zedel because I heard it was reasonable and held back a good number of tables for walk ins. It was good to the hype in that upon walking into a huge busy dining room we were shown through with reservations to a spacious table for 4 by the unoccupied piano looking out onto the room. Now décor wise it’s a mixed bag, the chandeliers, ornate cornicing and sheer scale of the room is impressive however I was less taken with pink colour scheme which felt a bit tacky, it was a bit like a 1960’s large provincial hotel dining room. Also the size of the room and hard surfaces actually made it quite hard to hear conversation.

We skipped starters and had a couple of lovely refreshing Pineau de Charentes to kick off proceedings. Simon decided to go for a classic French Steak Frites whilst I thought I would give the Dish of the day: Marmite de Poissons a go. Simon’s steak came and he really liked it. A nice big piece of ribeye cooked a perfect medium with lovely chips. However my dish was a real disappointment. I had the expectation of a little copper pot of fish stew what I got was a stainless steel dish of rice and stew which had more potatoes than fish in it. It wasn’t particularly warm (when will restaurants learn to cover food like this at the table) or tasty. This was dish of the day - it should be one of the best dishes on the menu, you wouldn’t have seen anything this bad at a the humblest brasserie in France. Fortunately I ordered a side of nice frites. We washed down the meal with a Carafe of Bordeaux which was good.

To follow Simon had a very nice rice pudding, it was titled “riz de grand mere” which translates as grandmother’s rice! I had the lemon tart which was perfectly nice. To follow we had filter coffee which thankfully came in a proper cafetiere. I can’t stand restaurants that only do you a cup of Americano. I still get a childish thrill of pushing down the plunger. The bill came to just under £70 which I thought was a bit toppy. A couple of critics have banged on about how cheap this place is based on their £2.80 soup but for £70 for two you can eat better than this. The service is pretty good though we had about 4 different members of staff look after us. Some of the food going to their tables looked very nice but I was let down by my meal. I would like to go back to try some of the other bits on the menu but my first impressions were this is a bit of a victory of style over substance. Someone has taken a lot of time and effort recreating a bustling French brasserie but not quite understood what makes it work.
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david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Monday, October 15, 2012

We took advantage of the splendid walk-in opportunity that the restaurant provides to have a great family supper at Zedel.

The set menu is great value, but of course most people don't have it! Everyone loved what they had, the room was full and buzzy, and the service was, as ever, impeccable.

Great fun.
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James - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 11, 2012

What a great find. The dining room is breathtaking marble pillars and gold.

And the food and service all match, and at very reasonable prices.

We ate here on the night of the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games which was a Sunday evening.

The service was just as it should be attentive but not overbearing.

The food and wines were fantastic.

A must if you are in London
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Jeremy Stevens
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, September 20, 2012