Whether you want to take your mum for lunch or your lover for dinner, Clos Maggiore has that special “touch of magic” with an added soupçon of Gallic ooh-la-la. Love is always in the air at this “gloriously romantic” restaurant – especially if you’re lucky enough to get a table amid the twinkling fairy lights, blossoms and foliage in the glass-roofed conservatory (open to the stars on balmy evenings). Bookings aren’t guaranteed in this inviting space, but you can always settle for one of the less enticing dining areas: either way, expect finely tuned French-accented cooking with some noticeable Mediterranean nuances. “Simply delicious” starters such as hand-picked Dorset crab with anchovy mayonnaise and char-grilled cauliflower or pan-roasted Les Landes duck liver with roasted fig and smoked duck ham open proceedings, ahead of a thumping dish of herb-smoked rack of lamb with goats’ curd and gratinated smoked aubergine for two to share. Vegetarians also fare well, while tricksy desserts feature the signature ‘caramelised chocolate sensation’ with burnt honey ice cream and Armagnac jelly. Clos Maggiore’s huge (but accessible) wine list also warrants serious exploration.
We booked a table for 2 at 1pm. We were ushered upstairs to a pleasant but small room and to a table where my seat was too close to the kitchen door, so plates of food were passing very close to my head as meals were served to other diners. The waitress was quite frosty, from the beginning we had the feeling that she couldn't wait to finish her shift. Rather than let us choose the bread we would like she tossed 3 types of bread on each of our side plates. We didn't want bread as it happens. First course of Dorset crab with anchovy mayonnaise and chargrilled cauliflower, simply delicious as was my guests Sicilian aubergine with sweet peppers. I chose Mas de Daumas Gassac white wine which would cost £60 -£70 in most restaurants but strangely it was only £29 which is excellent value. Main courses of pan roasted halibut and Goosnargh duck were tasty but not spectacular. As we were finishing our main courses the other 5 tables had completed their meals and left the restaurant. It was only 2.30pm and the waitress was buzzing about at 100mph laying the tables for dinner. There was this feeling that we were getting in her way so we wolfed down a house chocolate Sensation and a Lemon sorbet and headed for the Savoy Hotel for coffee and brandy. The meal was good value for money but I like to relax in a restaurant and that didn't happen unfortunately.
It is a bold claim for any restaurant to make suggesting that it provides an ‘unforgettable dining experience’, and all the more so if you have also been voted London’s ‘most romantic’ restaurant. Such is the standard that Clos Maggiore is forced to live up to. My comrade and I certainly thoroughly enjoyed a recent Saturday night here, but perhaps not as much as our initial visit around five years ago. In some ways, Clos Maggiore has become a victim of its own success; customers go here expecting to be both wowed and wooed. It is a place for special dinners and also for tourists, much more so than it can be considered an integral part of the high-end London dining scene. The main dining room definitely impresses: a beautiful conservatory adorned with apple blossom, fairy lights and a log fire, comprising just seven tables. We were lucky enough to benefit from one of these, although diners going here with high expectations may find them dashed should they be seated in the somewhat less glamorous ante room. We also could not help noticing, however, that even the atmosphere of the more intimate conservatory was slightly marred by the constant clicking of cameras and requests for couples to pose for obligatory photos taken by servers. Furthermore, table-turning is very much an active strategy here – particularly given the location of the restaurant proximate to theatre land - and so we also felt the ambience also diminished by the constant entry and exit of new couples, awaiting their experience. Nonetheless, before readers get the impression that this is a negative review, the above observations do constitute quibbles from a seasoned and sceptical London diner. On the positive side, the food and wine merit high praise and pricing is very competitive relative to other comparable locations. The approach at Clos Maggiore is billed as one of contemporary French cuisine, although the name of the restaurant also hints at a strong Italian influence too. Being a celebratory event, we enjoyed a glass of crisp and refreshing house champagne before moving onto the tasting menus, omnivorous for me, vegetarian for my comrade. We noted their relative originality (no scallop or steak on my menu, rather crab and duck as the highlights) and also a focus on simplicity rather than each dish comprising a list of obscure ingredients, coupled with jus and/or foam. Even something as relatively basic as my comrade’s papardella with wild mushrooms and grated fresh truffle was prepared superbly with the flavours speaking for themselves. The paired wines also scored well, both for quality and originality. The sommelier had sourced good and inventive matches from Austria, Italy and Chile (among others) with relatively little reliance on France. For all this, at £55/head (or £90 with wines included), it is hard to complain. A little more charisma from some of the servers would have improved things further. In conclusion, Clos was pretty good, but it will probably be at least five years until we return again, given how many other options there are across London, whether for romantics or for fine diners.
A quality experience from start to finish. Service unhurried but attentive. 5 course tasting menu delicately balanced and flavoured. Well informed and helpful sommelier.
Just have to keep coming back!
Strategy a wonderful fresh and clean combination on the palet. Main excellent and the duck succulent. Sweet, had to have it Black Icecream there's nothing like it; not too sweet and lovely to finish off.
Clos Maggiore has been around for many years, tucked fairly inconspicuously in King Street behind the Royal Opera House. Despite its well-appointed interior and charming door staff, you might just have a lingering initial suspicion that it's yet another over-priced, over-styled Covent Garden restaurant. You'd be wrong. This is the real deal: superb French food - with exotic Caribbean influences - and a magnificent wide-ranging wine list, all avaiable in a delightful, cosy, elegant setting at prices which are on the high side but not outrageous for what's on offer. In fact the food is nowadays so excellent that it seems inconceivable that a Michelin star has not wafted their way, but my advice is - get in there now before the award is made (as it surely must be!) and prices rise. Even the £29.95 set menu (available at lunchtime and for pre- and post-theatre dining) offers a tempting choice of six starters, six mains and six puddings, and for a further £10 includes a half bottle of wine - their choice, not yours. It's hard to choose what to eat, as everything on the menu sounds so attractive - but which then turns out to exceed expectations! After a half-dozen visits over the years, Clos Maggiore has now gone right to the upper end of my London dining lists, and maybe - at this price-level and in this area - right to the top. The only downside is the occasionally slightly grim-faced table service, but don't let that put you off. All in all the place is a treat. Go try.
We had an excellent meal for our anniversary yesterday. The restaurant is quite small and we had to wait a few minutes for our table. The service was excellent and the food we had was memorable; scallops on pigs trotters followed by loin of pork with delicious sauce.
After a train down from the Midlands, a walk in the drizzle around the Tower of London to see the stupendous poppy installation, then to the National Gallery for the wonderful exhibition of Rembrandt's later works it occurred to me that a meal at 5 o'clock prior to our journey home might struggle to match the earlier part of the day. I needn't have worried as Clos Maggiore remains one of my favourite restaurants. A warm welcome then a chilled glass of champagne before our table was ready got my wife and I off to a good start. We were able to choose from the pre-theatre menu which is excellent value. I enjoyed my foie gras starter and my wife loved her herring and prawn dish. Mains were the chicken leg for me and smoked cod for madam. I loved mine, and the cod too was enjoyed, though possibly ever so slightly too salty. My whisky rice pudding was delightful and also my wife's chocolate dessert, most of which also came my way. The house white was perfectly acceptable, though I really enjoyed reading the wine list, which hopefully we can choose from at our next, more leisurely visit. Service really is very good and if you have never been then you certainly should go.
Perfect for romantic dinners. But not just romantic dinners!
I last visited Clos Maggiore about 10 years ago for dinner with friends and it was so good I hadn't been back. Sounds weird but I had it in my head that I should return for a really special romantic dinner and of course the 100% perfect excuse never quite arose. So I was delighted when a friend gave me another reason to visit when he booked the private dining room for a leaving-for-far-flung-shores lunch one weekend. It was the perfect spot for the occasion. There was just enough time and space for a pre-lunch mingle, lubricated by bubbles served by our discreet waiters. The room is quite tight, taken up mostly by a large dining table, but that keeps it intimate and antiqued mirror walls stop you feeling too boxed in. The table accommodated eighteen of us quite comfortably and it is sociably square shaped so you can still hold a conversation with everyone else around it. I don't normally like to be told there's a set menu with no choice but when it's Clos and it starts with a chicken liver and foie gras parfait it's a different matter. Every course was beautiful: think juicy show-stopper scallops and honey roast duck with tart roasted red plums. The only bum note was a pineapple parfait that had a strange half ice-cream/half sorbet texture. Top marks for fuss free amendments for those with dietary requirements (no seafood! no gluten! no taste!). The matched wines complemented the food well but the highlight for me was an intense, sticky port which accompanied the cheeses. Service throughout was great: professional and well paced, leaving us to enjoy the food and wine without pressure. The bill (5 courses, wines, coffee) came to £110 a head which I thought was reasonable but does put the restaurant in the "special occasion" category. I will have to find another such occasion before I another 10 years pass.
I saw a review of this restaurant in magazine and as it was dubbed ‘most romantic’ restaurant in London so my husband and I decided to book. We booked at the end of February for a date in May and when we arrived we were not seated in the main restaurant. Instead we were seated near the bar in what looks like an add on for people who just happen to pop in on the off chance. The website and pictures are very deceiving. I asked if we could move tables to be in the main part and was told that they only have 5 tables for 2 and the people seated at them booked before us in January. My main message to anyone thinking of going is that when you book you must make sure that you ask to sit in the main garden part otherwise you could just as well be in any other restaurant in any other part of London. Most disappointed and feel very cheated by Clos Maggiore.
Over the years the romantic atmosphere has not diminished and the cosy, faux foliage and conservatory with it's fire and mirrors still deliver a special romanticism. The fixed price evening menu for either 2 or 3 courses with a choice of 3 dishes per course is excellent value and unusually for a “prix fixe” the dish sizes are the same as from the a la carte menu. Wines offered stretch over the price and global range. The only negative is the service can be rushed as they openly try to turn the tables rather quickly, although they can be slowed down if you ask!