Jody Williams' New York brasserie Buvette has opened in Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, bringing French-inspired dining to a neighbourhood dominated by yoga studios and health shops.
The restaurant serves a 25-dish menu priced under £18 per item. Offerings include a croque monsieur with roast mushrooms and gruyere, salmon rillettes, salade niçoise with haricots verts and a soft egg, warm scones with jam, and almond croissants. The drinks list features Macvin champagne and muscadet spritz, and pastis on the rocks.
Grace Dent, reviewing for The Guardian, describes Buvette as bringing "a touch of Gallic glam" to the area. She notes the restaurant targets a younger demographic with its distinctly French menu and aesthetic. However, Dent suggests the concept is not particularly original, comparing it to Café Rouge, a long-established French chain. She characterises Buvette's approach as "recognisably French" in a safe, accessible way rather than as authentic haute cuisine.
The London location represents an expansion of Williams' West Village gastrothèque in New York, which has developed a cult following. The Neal's Yard site places Buvette among established wellness-focused neighbours including Neal's Yard Remedies, 26 Grains cafe, and various holistic therapy rooms.
Dent concludes that while Buvette "isn't reinventing the wheel", the restaurant delivers on its premise competently and offers good value at its price point.