What: The latest addition to London’s casual French restaurant renaissance, Café François occupies a site at the front of the Borough Yards development, little more than a snail’s throw from Borough Market. While rooted in the spirit of the classic French canteen, the restaurant has a cool, modern vibe, drawing influences not just from the cafés of Paris, but also the delis of California and bistros of Montreal.
Who: As the name suggest, Café François is the sibling Maison François, the St James's restaurant that opened back in 2020. Both restaurants are led by business partners François O’Neill and Ed Wyand, with the former lending his name to both restaurants. The former previously ran Brompton Bar & Grill in Knightsbridge, formerly Brasserie St Quentin, which his father owned before him. As with Maison François, the kitchen at Café François is being led by Matthew Ryle, former head chef at Isabel in Mayfair and a finalist in the 2018 series of MasterChef: The Professionals.
The food: Ryle’s menu stays true to the Francophile heritage of Maison François, while also embracing the global influences that have shaped French cookery outside France. And like its sibling, dishes are printed in French. Dedicated breakfast and brunch menus are both available (breakfast is served weekdays between 7am and 11:30am, and brunch between 9am and 4:30pm over the weekend) and includes oeuf piperade with baguette (£16); a selection of freshly made pastries (starting at £4); and a breakfast burrito with merguez, egg, piperade, cheese, avocado and chilli (£14). The all-day menu includes a wide selection of both small and large plates to share as well as individual mains. Some signature dishes from Maison François are included, such as the moules marinière flatbread (£10); the Comté gougères (£7); and the pâté en croute, here served as part of a larger plate with charcuterie and salade verte (£15). New dishes include crispy frog’s legs with sauce ravigote (£15); grilled cheese sandwich with French onion dip (£14); and a generous sharing plate of prime rib with bone marrow, escargots, frites, and béarnaise sauce (£65).
To drink: The wine list, overseen by Daniel Illsley, is short but extensive, and has the international spirit of the Café with bins from England, Italy, New Zealand and Hungary, as well as France, of course. As with the food, the prices are democratic, with the cheapest glass of red wine starting at £5. A cocktail list also features.
The vibe: Café François certainly has less formality than its older sibling. It’s a more casual, stylish affair that mirrors the thriving energy of the nearby Borough Market, with a deli counter and rotisserie by the entrance serving sandwiches and snacks to go, a huge open kitchen downstairs, as well as a bar and patisserie counter. Split across two levels, separated by a steel circular staircase, it’s a huge space with room for well over 100 covers. It’s also home to an impressive private dining room that boasts striking views of Borough Market.
And another thing: As well as a patisserie counter featuring the restaurant’s full range of desserts, Café François also includes a dedicated merchandise counter with Picon Biere t-shirts and Café François-branded caps. “We’re obsessed by merch,” says O’Neill. “It’s a part of the business that we really want to grow, but it’s challenging. If you get it right it’s a great revenue stream.”
14-16 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD
