Avi Bistrot at The Lowndes Hotel: Caviar, Lobster Rolls and a Terrace
The newest dining room on the Knightsbridge side of Belgravia has a simple pitch: Parisian bistro in the front, American comfort food on the plate, and caviar on almost everything. Avi Bistrot Américain opened on 30 April inside The Lowndes Hotel on Lowndes Street, and nearly a month on it is serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. For a stretch of SW1X better known for boutiques than bistros, that all-day schedule is the most useful thing about it.
Who is behind it
Avi comes from the team behind The Prince Arthur in Belgravia and Arthur's Market in Chelsea, a group that has made house caviar something of a signature. As Hot Dinners reported ahead of the opening, the room is designed in classic French bistro style, seats around 45 and has a corner bar. There is also a heated, covered terrace, which makes it useful whatever the weather does in a London June.
What to order
The menu marries French technique with American classics, and Avi's own in-house Oscietra caviar turns up as a finishing touch on many dishes. Among the dishes trailed before opening:
- New York fried chicken with caviar, the dish that best sums up the concept.
- Caviar fish and chips, for a playful take on a British staple.
- LA brioche noire lobster roll, a natural lunch order.
- Entrecôte baguette and fries, plus a truffled burger that the team regards as its signature.
- Red claw lobster linguine, Mozambique squid with peri-peri and sea bass tom yum for something lighter.
At the bar, The Tsar is the drink to try: Belvedere vodka topped with Oscietra caviar, pickled onions and an olive, a salty, savoury relative of the martini. There is also an extensive wine list, and the bar makes a good perch for a solo supper or an early evening drink before the theatre in Sloane Square.
Breakfast is the local secret
Unusually for a hotel restaurant, breakfast is open to non-residents, and it is worth knowing about. It runs from 7am to 11am daily, with a continental buffet and an à la carte menu that includes a full English, freshly baked muffins and crab toast. Dishes trailed before opening included brioche French toast and a potato rösti with smoked chutoro. For anyone working around Sloane Street or Lowndes Square, it is a polished alternative to the usual café meeting.
Hours and booking
Lunch is served from 12pm to 4pm, with a set lunch menu alongside the à la carte, and dinner from 5.30pm to 10pm. Avi is at 21 Lowndes Street, SW1X 9ES, about five minutes on foot from Knightsbridge station. Book through the restaurant's website, by email at reservations@avilondon.co.uk or by phone on 020 4615 4777, and ask for the terrace on a warm evening, as it is the room's best seat. For more new openings nearby, see our restaurant guide.
