The story
Pied à Terre, at 34 Charlotte Street in London's Fitzrovia, cooks modern French and modern British food and holds 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence (2026). The restaurant has been on Charlotte Street since 1991, and its kitchen still follows classic French technique.
Head chef Aggelos Kassais trained in classical French cuisine and draws on his Mediterranean background. He prefers minimal intervention with meat and fish, so the ingredients do most of the work. Before returning as head chef, he was senior sous chef here, and earlier he spent 18 months as sous chef to Claude Bosi at Bibendum.
The private dining menus list hamachi with nashi pear and sesame, and Welsh lamb saddle with pomme Anna. The plant-based route offers watermelon crudo, salt-baked Roscoff onion and grilled maitake with aubergine caviar. The Good Food Guide rated the restaurant Very Good in 2026 and singled out the sauces, which arrive with a spoon so none goes to waste.
The dining room is a bijou, skylit space that feels sleek and relaxed. Three private rooms, the Print Room (up to 16 guests), the Kitchen Table (up to 8) and the Front Room (up to 10), come with butler-style service. Guests can also bring their own wine, with a corkage fee.
The wine list runs to more than 800 bottles and is presented on an iPad, with a sommelier on hand for guidance. Dessert might be white chocolate crémeux with yuzu, lemongrass and basil.
Recognition
Details
History
*Chef Alberto Cavaliere has left to pursue a new project. He has been replaced by former senior sous-chef Aggelos Kassais, who has returned to head up the kitchen.* It may have opened in 1991 but Pied à Terre barely shows its age. On our most recent visit, the bijou skylit dining room looked sleek, glossy and plush ( although it comes with a relaxed vibe and surprisingly straightforward service) – and it was good to see that the place c ontinues to be a crowd-puller. Indeed, owner David Moore’s reputation for launching the careers of some of the UK’s leading chefs looks set to continue, thanks to the culinary magic of Alberto Cavaliere, who arrived at the beginning of 2025. Cavaliere has simplified the menus, offering a set three-course lunch, à la carte, and lunch/dinner tasters. Beyond these anchor points, he reveals a true understanding of flavours and textures, partly because of his ability to combine indulgence and lightness – no doubt reflecting his time spent at Marcus at the Berkeley, Robuchon and Sabor. He packs a lot of flavour into an intense hit of ‘tuna’ crudo (aka compressed watermelon) with cucumber ponzu, ditto slivers of Japanese sea bream in 'leche de tigre' with daikon and toasted rice. Sauces are a real strength, playing off against ingredients of outstanding quality, whether a sweet scallop complemented by a dice of rich, softly yielding pork jowl with a light, delicate burnt crème fraîche and Minus 8 verjus sauce adding gentle acidity, or a nugget of cod topped with caviar, smoked eel and Champagne sauce – all reflected in the provision of a spoon with each course to ensure that every drop of sauce can be savoured. Like everything else on offer here, desserts are clever and innovative – standouts at our visit being thinly shaved petals of Tête de Moine (cheese) with a pineapple and apple chutney (so simple yet so satisfying), as well as a joyous assembly of white chocolate crémeux, yuzu, lemongrass and basil. A list of truly wonderful wines is presented on an iPad. Should that prove too confusing, a sommelier is on hand to proffer exemplary advice.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
Facebook
Instagram