Pierre Victoire

We booked a table and had been looking forward to visiting this restaurant all week. We arrived on time and found the place in chaos. Ten people were crowding by the door. After politely waiting for the best part of ten minutes my wife finally pushed her way to the front to see what was going on and to make sure that they had not given the table we had reserved to someone else. She expected that they would tell her some horrific story of one of the chefs having an accident or the back of the kitchen having collapsed. Instead she was told that they had two large groups booked (10 and 15 people) and they they had not set up the tables yet. We were then instructed to wait outside in the rain. Now I have nothing against group bookings, but this restaurant simply could not cope with bookings of this size. To pretend they could because they wanted the money is simply greed. A lot of people say good things about this restaurant, but if they put money before guests then I think good reviews will soon be a distant memory.
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NT
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, January 22, 2012

Authentic French Bistro with buzzy atmosphere. Very competent food. No frills service. Good value for money - highly recommend.
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slowloris - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Mixed reviews below, I see. Unfortunately our experience reflects the more negative ones.

The Sunday before Xmas, we thought it might be crowded, so were the first to arrive and ordered minutes before a party of c20 arrived (the rest of the restaurant quickly filled up post this).

It was an impressive/creative menu and the quality/quantity of our food was good (it was the much more expensive Xmas Set Lunch Menu, not the usual more reasonably priced one....so guess it should have been). However, it arrived lukewarm on cold plates.

As food arrived at other tables, we realised we hadn't been given the (quoted) "side selection of veg". But seated at the window seat, it proved impossible to catch the eye of our waitress ......well, until we wanted the bill !!

Service @ 12.5% was automatically added (for our table of 4) and we were tempted to ask for it to be removed (because we felt we didn't really get any service!!) but by then we were running out of time (we were en route to a theatre matinee performance) so (begrudgingly) simply handed over our credit card.

And be warned. The acoustics here are terrible, we could hardly hear ourselves speak (and we were well away from the party of 20). Goodness knows what it is like when the noise kicks in from Crossrail (the massive hole, for which, is only c2 metres from the restaurant door).
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L Warren - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 8
Thursday, December 22, 2011

Good value for the set lunch. Large helpings, served piping hot which probably suggests microwave cooking.

When our wine arrived (Chenin Blanc £17.50) it was already opened and say about 100ml missing. The waiter actually PRETENDED to open it at the table. Certainly not a crack of a screw top heard! Being English.....we said nothing!
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R Morse
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Saturday, October 08, 2011

The food is usually spot on here with a buzzy atmosphere.

This time I enjoyed my Spatchcock chicken and Crayfish starter. However, the good lady wasnt best impressed with a medium steak cooked to medium-rare at best.

Service was fairly slow when we were looking to get out for the theatre.

Still one of my favourite resturants in London.
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GHW. - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, July 28, 2011

I went to Pierre Victoire for dinner with a friend last week. We were given the menu and then forgotten about. Because we were so tired we didn't want to leave and look for another place so we tried to get the attention of waitstaff to get our orders. Twenty minutes later we succeeded.

It is a cramped place with poor acoustics, it got so noisy that we had to shout to hear each other as if we were in a bar. Our questions about the fish were greeted by a shrugging "I don't know and I don't care" attitude (obviously not in those words) so with fear of losing the waiter again we gave up ordered the duck and the chicken. Half an hour later my chicken arrived, and my friend had to wait for her duck for another 20 minutes. The chicken was undercooked and the vegetables next to it had alread gone cold when they arrived.

Overall we spent a good 2 hours mostly starving and waiting, all the while not being able to have a proper conversation. When it came to pay the bill, the waiter obviously thought that it was more important to clear up the 2 tables that had just left before bringing us our bill.

Don't go to this restaurant unless one or more of these apply: 1) You have the patience of Solomon. 2) You are at least partially deaf. 3) You hate the person who is your guest and want to make them suffer.

Seriously, there are much nicer places in Soho to part with your hard-earned cash and they do involve service with a smile.
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- View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

My wife and I have been going there for 10 years and it is one of our favorite restraurants for lunch. We would not fail to recommend it. People just walk straight in because it is full of regulars. Nothing fancy just good food, wine and excellent service.
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Margaret & Ian Bristow
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, January 29, 2011

I dined with a very good friend of mine last night the 5th October, having been before a long time ago I was looking forward to the company and the food.

we booked on line for a reservation at 18.30pm, on arrival, the place was empty and the waitress/ maitre d said we could either sit at the table right next to the door or a table at the back of the restaurant. I know restaurants have table plans and they maximize on covers but at 18.30pm you would expect to have a little more choice.

we opted for the rear of the restaurant. this table was actually placed in the waiters station and next to the stairs for the kitchen and the toilets.

if you go and get offered this table avoid it like the plague, as the restaurant got busier so did the stairs , staff and customers bang into you, customers drape their coats over your head as they go to hang them up, the table should be removed.

we ordered our food and waited quite a long time, my friend asked what had happened to our food, the guy we asked just said the duck takes longer to cook, if we had known this we would have ordered something else.

Once the food arrived I have to say it was delicious and very well presented, this was the only saving grace of the evening.
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foodie - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Went to Pierre Victoire 28th July with my husband had a lovely time everything was perfect service food and ambience thank you Dave and the staff for looking

after us wil be back soon great place to eat.
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DEBBIE
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, July 29, 2010

I ate here last night and am going back tonight. 10/10! My new favourite place for a cheap eat.
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Victoria
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 27, 2010