L'Opaline Bistrot

I took my wife to this incredible restaurant last weekend. Our new favourite French bistro in the UK! From the moment we sat down, it was clear L’Opaline Bistrot takes classic French cooking seriously, without making a fuss about it. The place felt immediately relaxed and confident, and one look at the menu reassures you this place knows real French cooking. As someone whose parents met in France and went on to be French school teachers, I’ve grown up around authentic French cooking — the real, everyday kind. Not the three-star Michelin, nouvelle cuisine version, but proper bistro food rooted in tradition. This restaurant, run by the truly talented Eddie Scott absolutely understands how to create an authentic French food experience. Starters set the tone. The rillettes de porc maison were rich and well seasoned, coarse (in that uniquely rillettes way) in texture as they should be, and perfect with good bread and cornichons. The Alsatian onion tart was excellent — savoury and well balanced, without any unnecessary stodge. The Alsatian Baeckeoffe of beef, lamb and pork was the highlight of the meal: slow-cooked, deeply flavoured and unmistakably traditional. Comforting, robust, it was clearly made with skill and patience. Desserts were textbook classics. A silky crème caramel (I can’t find places around us that know how to make this!!!), perfectly set, followed by a crème brûlée with a proper crack and clean vanilla flavour. A thoughtful menu, assured cooking and no redundant garnishes. Serious about French food, relaxed about everything else — exactly how a bistro should be. This morning we bumped into Eddie outside his restaurant and might have been a little overly effusive with our praise, so if you’re reading this, sorry about that! We will be calmer a next time we dine with you and there WILL be a next time. 5 stars all the way.

What a fantastic restaurant! From the friendly welcome, lovely atmosphere and ambience, fabulous service and outstanding food! We celebrated my husbands Big Birthday with a wonderful family meal here last night and it was so very special....we are looking forward to coming back again soon! Thank You to Eddie, Helen and Co....superb!

We've been eager to dine here since it opened however have not had the chance until now. The food and service completely surpassed expectations. The menu options were very difficult to choose from as they all sounded delicious! The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. The service was friendly, knowledgeable and not rushed. Basically the quintessential French bistro experience. Definitely a 5 star experience. We will definitely be back!

Incredible evening from start to finish! We were visiting Beverley for the Folk Festival so had booked a table well in advance. Both the food and the service were fantastic, as a table of 4 we all had something different for our main course and each one was delicious. The plating was beautiful and the restaurant manager was friendly and knowledgeable about everything on the menu. Decor is also lovely and wine list is extensive. Go with an empty stomach, thoroughly recommend!

We visited after watching Eddie on MasterChef and we had such a wonderful experience. I'm gluten free and there was so much choice for me. The food was out of this world. So full of flavour and I'm really excited to visit again ! It was also lovely that Eddie brings the food out to you. I was impressed with the prices, too !