Chez Antoinette relaunches in Covent Garden

On 10 November, the French eatery Chez Antoinette, operated by husband-and-wife duo Aurélia and Jean-Baptiste Noël-Delclos, relaunched in Covent Garden. “Soho is suffering”, they tell db, citing changing consumer habits, tough competition and less demand. “2025 might not be the best year, maybe 2026 will be hard, but hopefully the next two years will be much better years. We’re working on the long-term picture.”

When Aurélia launched Chez Antoinette in 2014, she wanted to recreate the experience of sitting down for supper in her grandma’s kitchen in the southern French countryside. The restaurant shut its doors in August to undergo makeover, reopening earlier this week.

While there’s a new open kitchen and pâtisserie counter, the restaurant stays true to its roots, with soft fabrics, brass accents and antique mirrors designed to create an “authentic” and “rustic” vibe, Aurélia tells the drinks business.

Chez Antoinette has also launched a new bistro-style evening menu featuring French classics such as boeuf bourguignon, onion soup, escargots, foie gras and terrine, all inspired by Aurélia’s grandmother Antoinette’s home-style recipes.

“Our target is to develop evening trade,” Jean-Baptiste tells db. With business quiet on the weekdays, Soho “is suffering”, with restaurants forced to throw music and entertainment events to entice customers. “It’s not the easiest year but we’ll get there,” he adds.

Tough year

Since Covid, it’s no secret that consumer habits have undergone a massive shift. In Soho, London’s central entertainment district, post-theatre dining has more or less “died,” according to Jean-Baptiste. Overall, “the London scene is finishing earlier than it used to.”

Added to that, there’s been an uptick in eateries implementing terraces since Covid, which Jean-Baptiste predicts has increased seating by around 50%. There’s “less demand” and “a lot more offers”, resulting in a competitive trading circuit.

If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em: With terrace tables overlooking the Market Piazza and a newly expanded dining room, Chez Antoinette has broadened its covers from 30 to 90.

But it’s not as simple as just adding extra seats. Staffing, food, supply and electricity costs have soared, meaning British consumers are just going out to eat less than they used to: “This year is so hard because we are trying to keep the prices down.”

Staying humble

The husband-and-wife duo are no stranger to operating hospitality venues in London. There’s also the pâtisserie and deli, Maison Gigi, named after Aurélia’s grandmother Gilberte, located in the heart of Victoria.

And all his experience has made Jean-Baptiste a realist about things: “Our success of yesterday was yesterday. If we reopen in a bigger scene and then we struggle to increase the pace, it will be difficult. It’s important for us to be humble and to always try to improve where we fail.”

And he says Chez Antoinette is bolstered by a flow of regulars – tourists who jet to the UK every few years from places like Argentina and Thailand – and make sure the French eatery is on their itinerary when in town.

Cyclic patterns

“The beauty of that is the restaurant has got busier and busier and busier because of so much repeat business,” adds Jean-Baptiste.

While the restaurant celebrated a “very good Christmas” last year, Jean-Baptiste admits that trade has been down throughout 2025, and he worries that the first quarter of next year will follow a similar trajectory.

It could be the case, he adds, of things getting worse before they get better: “2025 might not be the best year, maybe 2026 will be hard, but hopefully the next two years will be much better years. We’re working on the long-term picture.”