About Bob Bob Ricard
Bob Bob Ricard opened on Upper James Street in Soho in 2008 and has maintained one of the most distinctive dining rooms in London ever since: pink-and-blue colour blocking, gold accents, booth seating throughout, and a 'Press for Champagne' button at every table that summons a bottle of house Champagne directly without requiring a server flag-down. Founder Leonid Shutov built the concept around the booth-only service model and the gimmick button, and it has since become a defining Soho birthday-dinner restaurant.
The menu runs Anglo-Russian with a strong Russian-heritage section (beef stroganoff, chicken Kiev, a serious caviar programme) alongside British classics and a dozen European comfort dishes. The kitchen is more serious than the theatrics suggest — the Cornish crab claws, the lobster macaroni, and the signature truffled chicken pie are all above the gimmick.
The Champagne list is the real programme — more than 150 bottles, with pricing that is aggressive for Soho but compensated by the fact that no other London restaurant will serve you a glass from a button-push. A second restaurant, Bob Bob Cité, operates inside the Leadenhall Building in the City with a similar concept.
Best Occasion Fit
Bob Bob Ricard is a birthday-dinner choice when the restaurant needs to carry some of the occasion's weight. The booth seating creates privacy, the Press for Champagne button gives the evening its defining moment, and the room is distinctive enough that the reservation itself reads as an effort.
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