London’s oldest French restaurant, L’Escargot, has reopened its doors after a temporary closure that had some people worried it may never reopen. The restaurant,
known for its famous snail dish, closed at the start of the year with a legal notice outside the Greek Street venue warning of lease forfeiture. However, the restaurant has just reopened bookings for late May and fans can once again feast on the legendary snails.
L’Escargot has a rich history, having been around in some form or another since 1898 when restauranteur Georges Gaudin opened Le Bienvenue on Greek Street. In 1927, the restaurant moved to 48 Greek Street and changed its name to L’Escargot Bienvenue in tribute to its famous dish. The restaurant holds a special place in history as the first restaurant in the UK to serve snails.
The restaurant’s infamous plaster bust above the entrance features Gaudin riding a snail like a horse, and the basement was once home to a snail farm, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability.
L’Escargot has long been a haunt for the rich and famous, with the likes of Mick Jagger, Princess Diana, and Elton John frequenting the establishment in the 1980s. The restaurant was once managed by the great Elena Salvoni, who featured in the 1985 documentary Just Another Day about Soho’s life. In the 1990s, L’Escargot was run by Marco Pierre White, cementing its status as a fancy establishment. Photo by Oderik, Wikimedia commons.