Galvin Bistrot and Bar

The more informal counterpart to Galvin La Chapelle just next door, Galvin Bistrot & Bar pays homage to the bistros of Paris or Lyon. From the terrace outside amber light streams through half-height mesh curtains onto bentwood chairs and red leather banquettes. Chalkboards and mirrors adorn the walls and candle-lit tables flicker, draped in red-white chequered napery. It's casual and predictable, but it works.

On weekdays the bistrot is filled with City types, venturing from their glass buildings for business lunches or a quick bite after work into a busy world of French charm. Many come for the unpasteurised Czech pilsner, but it’s what comes out the kitchen, not the shining copper tanks above the bar, that captures our attention.

True to the Galvin brothers' style, menus are concise, offering a seasonal selection of skilful but straightforward gallic dishes. We opt for escargot de Bourgogne. Bathed in butter, they are rich, earthy and reason enough to indulge in a glass of gently bubbling Champagne. The burrata exceeds all expectations, its creaminess balanced by crisp toasted almonds, plump black figs, and a salty kick from a herbaceous salsa verde.

Mains are firmly settled in comfort food territory. Dry-aged bavette is streaked with rendered fat, masterfully seared and served with a beefy peppercorn sauce which we happily drown our chips in. Delicate flaky fillets of red mullet arrive lounging on a generous serving of intense, almost smokey, piperade, its skin puckered by the fierce heat of the pan. No visit to Galvin Bistrot & Bar is complete without a tarte tatin finale, which sees layers of apple nestled in flaky pastry so deeply caramelised the crisp buttery edge is more like a ridge of toffee.

Galvin Bistrot & Bar is romantic, reliable and blessed with confident affable service; it stands as an uncomplicated respite from the frenetic pace of London life. It’s not revolutionary, nor should it be, but a testament to the Galvin brand: respect for time-honoured dishes and confident flavours with just a touch of British sensibility.

Galvin Bistrot and Bar is a pub de luxe in Spitalfields, serving classic French bistro food alongside comforting gastropub fare, draught beers and a proudly French wine list. This site started life as Galvin HOP, but the new moniker ties Bistrot and Bar in with the Galvin brothers’ much-missed Marylebone restaurant, Galvin Bistrot De Luxe, which held a Michelin star for many years and was beloved as one of the best French restaurants in the capital.

The interior is a homage to that previous restaurant and French bistro culture in general, with its bentwood chairs, leather banquettes, blackboards, mirrors and wine posters. Tables are typically dressed with red chequered and white paper tablecloths, and there’s plenty of space to sit at the bar for a drink, or among the many tables throughout the restaurant.

Above the bar you’ll see large copper tanks which serve unpasteurised, fresh Pilsner Urquell for those who want to catch up with friends over a pint or three. Wine is also a prominent feature here - many of the bottles are sourced from small independent French producers, but Galvin Bistrot and Bar also has the same extensive wine list as you’ll find at Galvin La Chapelle, complete with a fascinating selection of rarities and great vintages.

The menu is packed full of classic bistro cooking, including charcuterie, olives, padron peppers and boquerones, as well as seared foie gras with scallops, grilled octopus with romesco and Bayonne ham with black fig and almonds.

If you’ve come here for some classic Galvin cooking, you’ll feel right at home with a great rib eye steak frites, Cornish plaice Grenobloise, or a famous Galvin tarte tatin with creme fraiche.