The story
Bouchon Racine brings the spirit of a traditional French bouchon to a historic London pub at 66 Cowcross Street in Clerkenwell. The name itself signals the intention: a place where the cooking is honest, generous, and rooted in the classics of French cuisine.
The restaurant operates within the Three Compasses pub, a setting that blends the warmth of a neighbourhood bar with the focused hospitality of a bistro. The space is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, with the pub itself serving a broader schedule.
The menu changes with the seasons, but the philosophy remains constant. This is French cooking that prioritises flavour over fuss—rich terrines, slow-cooked meats, buttery sauces, and the kind of dishes that demand good bread and a glass of wine. The kitchen draws on the traditions of Lyon and the French countryside, where a bouchon is a place for regulars, not for show.
Bouchon Racine has earned a Michelin recommendation, a recognition that speaks to the consistency and skill behind the stove. It is not a restaurant that shouts about its achievements; the cooking does the talking. The atmosphere is convivial, the service professional but unhurried, and the dining room feels like a proper local—albeit one with serious culinary ambition.
For those seeking an authentic taste of France in London, without the formality of a fine-dining room, Bouchon Racine delivers. It is a place to linger over a long lunch, to share a bottle of wine with friends, and to eat the kind of food that feels both familiar and exceptional.
Recognition
Details
History
Are high-profile restaurants above pubs becoming a thing in London? On the first floor of the Three Compasses pub in Farringdon, this reworking of Henry Harris’s famed (and much missed) Racine in Knightsbridge revives the chef’s avowed mission to provide resolutely French food and drink after a gap of seven years. Reached via steep stairs, it’s a pleasant, light-filled room, where a lot of effort has gone into creating a mood that is warm and unpretentious. Come here if you want straight-talking Gallic brasserie classics, dishes straight out of Larousse Gastronomique . Escargots à la bourguignonne, perhaps, or Bayonne ham with celeriac rémoulade, then rabbit with mustard sauce or côte de boeuf with sauce béarnaise. All dishes are chosen from a large, densely written blackboard menu, hoisted from table to table – a convincing slice of France if it weren’t for the mainly English accents of the on-the-ball waiting staff. Our meal opened with a gutsy, rich scallop dish (one of the evening specials), served with its coral atop a purée of fennel, lemon and olive oil, ahead of a Racine classic – tête de veau with a punchy sauce ravigote (one of the best-selling items on the menu). To conclude, we enjoyed a hard-to-fault pot de crème aux griottines. The mainly French wine list is a good one, with about 14 by the glass (from £7.50), and bottles from £29.95.
Inspired by the bouchons of Lyon and the bistros of Paris, Bouchon Racine marks the return proper for Henry Harris and his much-loved Racine restaurant that disappeared from Knightsbridge almost a decade ago. In the intervening years Harris went on to do numerous projects, including at a number of pubs, but this time round his focus is firmly on what he does best - gutsy Gallic food that has you coming back for more. Menus at Bouchon Racine are chalked up every day, but stalwarts such as the steak tartare; escargots; and creme caramel with armagnac prune are seldom unavailable. As is true of many a French-leaning establishment, vegetarians are not particularly well catered for, but meat eaters will have a different struggle on their hands, namely whether to choose the grilled veal chop with roquefort butter; the rabbit with mustard sauce; or the confit de canard - a problem that can only be solved by visiting the restaurant en masse. What is most charming about Bouchon Racine is the manner in which it has come about. Harris and business partner Dave Strauss opened the restaurant on a shoestring, without the employment of a PR machine to launch it and with much of the refurb done themselves. The downstairs pub Three Compasses remains just that, a boozer for the after-work crowd, while the upstairs restaurant feels like a secret dining room (albeit a terribly kept secret) that whisks you away from London to the back streets of France. You might never want to leave.
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