(AD: Today’s review is kindly sponsored by OpenTable but all opinions are my own)
Lavish Art Deco Brasserie Zedel located in the heart of Central London, Soho, just within less than a minute from Theatreland occupies the spacious basement under Piccadilly Circus. You enter through the small ground-level boulevard style café just a minute away from of Piccadilly Circus and almost directly opposite of the Piccadilly Theatre. Once you follow the carpeted steps downstairs with walls on both sides full of nostalgic 1920s pictures, to the right you will see the entrance to the live music venue Crazy Coqs with evening jazz and cabaret performances, the American Bar operating on walk-in basis which serves classic cocktails and the Brasserie Zedel. You will be stunned how beautifully spectacular this place is.
The whole experience at Brasserie Zedel reminded me of the 1920s and 1930s coffee houses of Vienna and old-fashioned brasseries of Paris serving hearty French classic dishes. Needless to say, those old pictures of Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth sipping coffee at the 1920s Café Central in Vienna and of Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce at La Coupole in Paris came to my mind. Entering Brasserie Zedel does feel like stepping back in time.
The basement space occupied by Brasserie Zedel is enormous, with high ceilings, marble pillars, pink tablecloths and with many shades of golden and warm brown elements. Decor is dreamy and enchanting! The atmosphere feels as if you just stepped into the world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. The shame on my part is that I did not book my table for the evening when live music is being played by the jazz band, just adding to the beautiful atmosphere.
The affordability is another reason to visit Brasserie Zedel. For Central London, the dishes are priced reasonably – I am not sure what is more mind blowing – the beauty of the surroundings, wonderful homely dishes with wide menu to suit a variety of tastes, lovely and attentive staff, or the affordability of this experience.
To top it up, the service was extremely friendly, polite, just impeccable, attentive, and worked so well as a team.
All the dishes served were so tasty, well-balanced, hearty, plentiful and prepared with care, love, and finesse.
I started with Warm Puy Lentil Salad which was delicious. As a veggie – obsessed eater I will attempt to replicate this dish at home. It was so simple but multilayered with different spices coming through. I think that thanks to this dish I finally understood the meaning of a well-balanced dish. This Warm Puy Lentil Salad was perfect and I believe that many would be happy with this dish served as a main course.
This followed by Ragout of Artichoke Hearts, Herbed Couscous and a side dish of Cumin Roasted Carrots. It was unbelievably filling and just yummy! Ragout was seasoned so well and lemony taste was something I particularly enjoyed. It felt very hearty and homely. Veggie eaters out there will be very happy with this dish.
I never eat desserts but in this case there was Apple Tart Tatin on the menu so I had to try it. It was a huge highlight for me. I have never eaten Apple Tart like this one. It was very rich, decadent and brought the old 1920s vibe on the plate.
I enjoyed the whole experience thoroughly. I must say that the entire menu at Brasserie Zedel has many tasty choices for meat and fish eaters. There are understandably less veggie choices but still as a veggie eater I felt that I was well catered for. There are also many veggie side dishes you can order to accompany your starter or main course. Dessert list is extensive as well as wine list is. Everyone should be able to find something delicious to cater to their tastes.
This is an ideal place for pre-theatre dinner, any important family or work-related celebrations.
Even if you are not a foodie person, I would highly recommend you a visit to Brasserie Zedel just to see how spectacular this place looks like and what a wonderfully buzzing atmosphere there is or so you can feel a bit like Thomas Mann or Stefan Zweig in the 1920s Vienna coffee house.
Please make sure you book your table at Brasserie Zedel prior to your visit as it gets extremely busy especially in the evenings. If you can, try to book for the later hours when there is a live music band.
To book a table, please simply visit the OpenTable website and create an account. OpenTable offers a rewards programme that gives members points for every meal that’s booked through their website. It’s free to sign up and the points can be redeemed at a variety of restaurants in their network.
As for London, there is a majority of restaurants that can be found on OpenTable and you can click here to find the list of bookable restaurants in Soho.
I want to thank to OpenTable for sponsoring this post! It was a lovely experience and I am glad that I found Brasserie Zedel – an Art Deco inspired restaurant which is only one of a few places in London which can resemble the affordable old-fashioned European coffee houses or brasseries.
