Le Caprice

Le Caprice restaurant in St James's, Piccadilly, London, offers a lunch and dinner menu of modern British dishes, as well as live jazz evenings and weekend brunch.

Le Caprice | Modern British Restaurant, Piccadilly, London

The classic St James’s restaurant, Le Caprice is close to the Royal Academy, Burlington Arcade and Bond Street and moments from Piccadilly, Mayfair and the West End.

A full à la carte menu is served from midday throughout the afternoon, featuring classic British, European and American favourites, prepared with carefully sourced seasonal game, meat and fish, and boasting a renowned list of desserts.

Le Caprice’s timeless black and white interior is complemented by a collection of iconic photographs by David Bailey and features a long dining bar where the full menu is available.

Like its close neighbour the Ritz Hotel, Le Caprice is a true London landmark.

https://www.le-caprice.co.uk

Le Caprice - London Restaurant Reviews | Hardens

Le Caprice, London SW1, restaurant review - Telegraph

It was such an obvious homage to an American diner that I was expecting something luscious and spangly and exciting but, despite the chilli kick of its mayo, the burger itself was so boring I lost interest in the middle of masticating, like a cow distracted by a fly.

C had prosecco jelly with raspberry-ripple ice cream (£8.50), wherein the jelly looked totally gorgeous – the colour of late-afternoon Mediterranean sunshine, with blackberries nestling in it.

I wonder whether the solid traditionalism of the atmosphere and the crowd is averting questions that a restaurant like this would otherwise be asking itself all the time – is this tasty enough?

The dining-room, featuring an ornate mosaic mural, serves such specialities as baingan achari, a spicy aubergine dish with tomato and chilli (£7.95) Like the beautiful landscaped gardens that surround it, the restaurant of this hotel is growing old gracefully.

Now in its 32nd year, it offers a classic menu featuring roast partridge with pearl-barley risotto and sloe-gin jelly (£65 for three courses) For 34 years and counting, this seaside hotel has been a hotly tipped spot for seafood.

Caprice restaurant review 2012 June London | British Cuisine | food ...

The gazpacho itself was very good, nicely seasoned, with good olive oil and quite intense tomato flavour; I am not sure that the crab was really necessary, and its subtle flavour was rather overwhelmed by the gazpacho.

The beans were tender though the spicing was over-subtle for me, but the pork had plenty of flavour and the chorizo was good too; this can easily be greasy or chewy, but here was good quality (14/20).

Overall it was a pleasant experience, with a menu of dishes that one might actually want to eat, capable cooking and good service.

There is nothing ground-breaking here, but that is the point: plenty of diners do not want to have their culinary perceptions and limits challenged, but merely wish to eat good food in a nice atmosphere, and Le Caprice knows just how to do that.

However with two modest bottles of wine between three and no coffee the bill was still £80 a head, which seemed to me rather high for the level of the cooking.

Le Caprice - London Restaurant Reviews | Hardens

Le Caprice | Mayfair, Belgravia | Restaurant Reviews | Hot Dinners

Famous London restaurants: Le Caprice | London Evening Standard

They had big celebrations when they were 30, and the place took a bit of a savage beating in some columns and while it’s probably much the same now as it was then – it’s not a place for radical change – there have undoubtedly been a series of subtle changes to bring it back up to par.

The place has attuned itself to its market, and the tables are crammed with plenty who look like regulars: one, armed with red wine, pulls Jesus Adorno and, later, another manager into the rattan bistro chairs for a chat.

The room, even if it is a little man-heavy, rattles agreeably with its customers whose age, by the way, has been vastly exaggerated by those who fancy giving this place a kicking: in truth there's a mix, most people somewhere from mid-thirties to mid-sixties.

Consequently, the place is liable to irritate those who are stretching their budgets to be here: better food can be had for the money, the menus are flimsy card, the loos aren't much, there's no pomp-and-circumstance.

Though the menu rambles on a bit – sixteen starters seems a tad unnecessary – and the fare is comfort food, not-in-your-face challenging stuff, Le Caprice does its thing admirably.

Le Caprice, London SW1, restaurant review - Telegraph

It was such an obvious homage to an American diner that I was expecting something luscious and spangly and exciting but, despite the chilli kick of its mayo, the burger itself was so boring I lost interest in the middle of masticating, like a cow distracted by a fly.

C had prosecco jelly with raspberry-ripple ice cream (£8.50), wherein the jelly looked totally gorgeous – the colour of late-afternoon Mediterranean sunshine, with blackberries nestling in it.

I wonder whether the solid traditionalism of the atmosphere and the crowd is averting questions that a restaurant like this would otherwise be asking itself all the time – is this tasty enough?

The dining-room, featuring an ornate mosaic mural, serves such specialities as baingan achari, a spicy aubergine dish with tomato and chilli (£7.95) Like the beautiful landscaped gardens that surround it, the restaurant of this hotel is growing old gracefully.

Now in its 32nd year, it offers a classic menu featuring roast partridge with pearl-barley risotto and sloe-gin jelly (£65 for three courses) For 34 years and counting, this seaside hotel has been a hotly tipped spot for seafood.

Le Caprice | Restaurants in St James', London

Staff at Le Caprice make a great fuss of their regulars, remembering foibles and preferences, but even if you’re not a known face (or a celebrity), you’ll still be cosseted.

The classic brasserie-style menus emphasise the reliably enjoyable rather than culinary adventures, but a restaurant like this doesn’t stay popular without the kitchen being on the ball.

Salmon fish cake with sorrel sauce and buttered spinach is a menu stalwart, but specials (such as sautéed Isle of Man queenie scallops with wild garlic and chilli) add variety as well as seasonality.

Prices are predictably on the lofty side, though good-value pre- and post-theatre menus offer a way of sampling the experience for a lower outlay.

Parent group Caprice Holdings’s stable of upmarket restaurants also includes J Sheekey, Scott’s and the Ivy.