Gauthier Soho

French, Vegan, Vegetarian·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Gauthier Soho

Silver Award

Taking up three floors of a Regency townhouse, Gauthier Soho is a restaurant that thrives on surprising people. Step through the unassuming, glossy black door and you will actually discover a high-end French restaurant in what looks and feels like a moneyed Soho resident’s front room – albeit one with lots of tables.

The second major surprise comes in the form of the menu. Despite seeming like a classic old-school fine dining establishment, Gauthier actually has one major difference – the food here is mostly vegetarian and vegan. The kitchen’s output is masterminded by French chef Alexis Gauthier, an Alain Ducasse protégé with a penchant for cooking vegetarian and vegan cuisine alongside more conventional offerings.

The seasonal à la carte might include pancetta tortellini in a deeply aromatic chicken jus, pink-roasted loin and rack of Welsh lamb with spiced butternut squash, dates, pistachio and braised spelt or sparkling-fresh wild halibut with salsify and girolles, each labelled with a calorie count – a detail that typifies Gauthier’s nutrition-conscious ethos.

If you are avoiding meat and the like though, there are plenty of options to keep you satisfied, or as one reader puts it, Gauthier is “fabulous for vegetarians, with real choice.” Perhaps golden glazed swede with a miso-infused dressing will take your fancy, or maybe Rainbow Swiss chard parcels with a roasted chestnut velouté will be the one for you.

More indulgent diners shouldn’t miss the “heavenly” Louis XV chocolate praline, but there are some vegan desserts too – think cherry opaline with dill mousse and vegan yoghurt sorbet. If you prefer liquid desserts, oenophiles will have plenty of fun with a hefty list that favours the Old World. We are also big fans of extra touches including the “amazing” breads and “fabulous array” of French cheeses. Super polite service, hushed voices and loud prices confirm Gauthier Soho as an old-style, special-occasion dining venue, but one that caters for contemporary tastes.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
French, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ambience
Fine dining, Quiet conversation, Traditional
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Special Features
Gluten-free options, Vegan options, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Romantic, Special occasions
Food Hygiene Rating

FAQs

Are there vegan options on the menu at Gauthier Soho?

Yes there are vegan options on the menu at Gauthier Soho.

Helpful? 0

Are there gluten-free options on the menu at Gauthier Soho?

Yes there are gluten-free options on the menu at Gauthier Soho.

Helpful? 0

Gauthier Soho is featured in

Location

21 Romilly Street, Soho, London, W1D 5AF

020 7494 3111 020 7494 3111

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue 12:00-14:30
Wed 12:00-14:30
Thu 12:00-14:30
Fri 12:00-15:00
Sat 12:00-15:00
Sun Closed
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 18:30-22:30
Wed 18:30-22:30
Thu 18:30-22:30
Fri 18:30-22:30
Sat 18:30-22:30
Sun Closed

Reviews

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43 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

14 April 2024  
Food & Drink 1
Service 1
Atmosphere 1
Value 1
Disappointed and dissatisfied follow up refund offered and still waiting two months on

Bland bland bland Extremely disapointed by this menu where taste and savoir were not at the rendez vous. Really first and last time, this restaurant dors not merit its status of fine dining. UPDATE. Mr Gauthier contacted me after this review and offered to reimburse the price of our meals. We agreed. He then after another mail asked for our bank details of which we supplied and since then, almost two months and many mails he still has not kept to his promise. In his last mail he said he would chase up the payment with his financial team and since then nothing despite several mails. We did not ask for a refund, he offered one!. We are more disappointed than we were before. The restaurant has our financial details and we have just the memory of a fade meal and and a feeling being let down.

Anon

23 March 2024  
Food & Drink 1
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5
Complete waste of much money for a tasteless badly served meal

Read all the bad reviews before you book- I wish I had done so. Staggered there are so many good reviews and wonder about their veracity.

We are vegan for health and climate change, and in London, as we often are to visit our son there. We were then off to the theatre. Booked the meal for the 2 of us, as our son was busy at the time I booked the restaurant. Unable to nook for our preferred time, as they were supposedly unable to give a 17.30 reservation- but they only had 3 covers when we were eating. So, we had to eat at 17.00. We arrived a little early and unable to get in, until exactly 17.00hrs. At that time, our son said his friend was too ill for his evening out, so he would like to join us at the table just for a chat- he is not vegan, so not to eat. He was due to finish work at 17.00hrs and would then walk to the restaurant- about 30 minutes from work so he could see us, as we see each other infrequently as live so far away. We were let in at 17.00 and I asked the rather offensive woman who let us in and showed us to table, if our son could arrive and sit at the table. I said he only needed a drink or if one course was available that would be great. She said she had to check with the manager and deal with the one other customer who had also arrived at 17:00 hours.

Our son left work and started to walk towards the restaurant. I had no answer from the woman and our canapes arrived.  I went to wash my hands, as only finger food, as did my husband. As retired doctors, we are careful about hygiene and never touch door handles once our hands are washed but this is practically impossible in this place, as very unhygienic double pull door handle to escape loos.

Returned to the table and 2 canapes. I asked again about our son, and woman said she hadn’t asked manager yet. Unhelpful woman eventually asked at 17.15, when our son and walked halfway and said no, we had booked for 2, so they would only accept 2 people at our table! I was confused, as many tables were empty, so they weren’t short of space or chairs- I wondered if we hadn’t been allowed to book at our preferred time of 17.30 as a big group due. This might explain why they refused our son, who we then couldn’t see, and he had wasted much time walking to this place. BUT no one else arrived and the place stayed empty until we left at 7pm in disgust.

We ate the canapes, and they were tasteless. I hadn’t finished my pea velouté and they tried to clear it away- unheard of in a good restaurant.

We also had to pay a lot for water- we normally have tap water.

The next part of the tasting menu came and again it was tasteless. I cook vegan food at home, and it is much tastier. I was also starting to worry about the amount of protein in the food. The food served to us was high in fat, as the “croissant” was very greasy, and no values for the food are given – probably as so high in fat and salt and low in protein.

Very tasteless risotto followed- a bit of protein as peas and broad beans but tasteless. We were asked completely biased questions as to how good the meal was, and so I answered honestly that it was not very good at all. They hadn’t expected that. As doctors, we are taught to ask questions that are not leading- i.e. not “is the meal great?”  or” is it all good?” which is how we had been asked about our experience twice by this stage. So, I answered honestly that meal tasteless.That was not liked, and service then was even worse- they never re-filled our water for example- also a sign of a good restaurant if it is done. I had also mentioned that the “music” was appalling, and I would prefer it to be turned off, as continuous banging and not melodic at all. We had a very rude reply, telling us we should know it was “blah blah blah very well-known and important music”! Well – we are knowledgeable as have been involved with music a great deal and it was NOT melodic or well known at all- just dire.

Service continued to be very poor. We had 2 parts of the whole meal that tasted good. One of the 2 petit fours and cremini mushrooms and sauce that went with it from Japan. However, the utensil given to us to eat that part of meal was totally inadequate to get the sauce up- it was a knife and fork. So, I had to ask for a teaspoon.

Near the end of the meal, we ran out of water in bottle, and they never asked us if we wanted more.

Last pudding had happy birthday on plate scrawled on with chocolate, but they gave me that plate. When I booked, I explained it was for a special occasion, my husband’s birthday and so they did recall a birthday, but they got the wrong person! I signed email with an obvious female name too.

Dreadful meal, place and non-existent service. Had to pay for service as added to bill at 15%. Compete waste of money for it all and ruined our day and special occasion.

JASON H

28 July 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Paul B

12 February 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5

Fabulous food, high-end vegan dining. Service and atmosphere were excellent. A very enjoyable evening.

Paul B

12 February 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5

Fabulous food, high-end vegan dining. Service and atmosphere were excellent. A very enjoyable evening.

Anon

25 November 2022  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5

We so wanted to love the vegan menu here as we had been big fans of this place before it went plant based. Sadly, dishes were overcomplicated and extremely disappointing - the best part of the meal was the bread, and some courses were actually inedible. Service was uninterested, with the waiter not even asking what the issue was when taking back virtually untouched plates of food. Expensive and pretentious. Not recommended.

Anil V

06 August 2019  
Best vegan tasting in the city.

Christina P

06 August 2019  
Lovely ambience in beautiful rooms split over the house. Food is delicious especially the mushroom risotto. The lunch time menu is such a good deal, so I am a regular visitor.

Anne H

26 July 2019  
Amazing value for money for top end produce. Fabulous for vegetarians with very real choice.

John C

08 July 2019  
Wonderful food and service. Not cheap but reasonable value. Ideal place for an intimate dinner.
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