If you were to take the tube to St John’s Wood station, head down Wellington Road towards Regent’s Park, then turn left onto Prince Albert Road, eventually you’d come across Oslo Court.
It’s a rather unremarkable block of flats, designed by architect Robert Atkinson in the 1930s, which contains 125 one bedroom apartments.
There is one particularly interesting feature inside though – a restaurant on the ground floor that visitors claim feels frozen in time, or ‘stuck in a time warp’.
Oslo Court Restaurant was launched by Tony and Jose Sanchez in 1982 and remains a family restaurant, serving classic dishes from another era, including melba toast, lobster bisque, melon and Parma ham, lamb cutlets, halibut, veal schnitzel, pavlova, and crêpes suzette.
Tony, who was born in Galicia, Northern Spain, trained as a chef in Geneva before moving to the UK in 1968, he spent years working in high-end restaurants and exclusive locations in London throughout the 70s, before deciding to go into business with his brother.
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The French restaurant seems to have remained largely unchanged over the last 43 years, still sporting pale pink linen tablecloths, matching pink napkins, and plates with delicate pink roses on them. This is all paired with blue velvet bucket chairs and a deep blue fitted carpet.
Waiters wearing black ties charm you throughout your meal, and one member of staff, Neil Heshmat has been working there since its opening, doing such a slap-up job that he was named Britain’s most-loved waiter in 2021. They do things in the most traditional way, jotting down orders with a pen and notepad, and bringing around a dessert trolley at the end of the meal.
As we’ve already ascertained, the menu is similarly old-school, serving up classics from the 80s for lunch and dinner. Customers can choose from a set menu for their food and this includes several courses and plenty of side dishes for £48 per person for lunch, and £57 per person for dinner.
There are a few extra charges, including a £3.50 cover charge and 10% service charge that will be added to the bill at the end, and it’s also worth noting that a few of the main meal options have ‘supplement’ prices. For instance, the Surrey Farm rib-eye steak has a £15 supplement charge.
And when it comes to drinks, there’s a wine list but no cocktail menu – but the bartender is reportedly be able to whip you up a drink of your choosing. Many guests like to go for a classic martini, served with two olives on a cocktail stick, which really adds to that retro feel.
While you might not expect much from looking at Oslo Court Restaurant, reviews online suggest it’s a really brilliant place to eat at, albeit a little quirky.
Food writer and podcaster, Henry Southan (@iamhenrysouthan) recently visited and captured the experience in an Instagram reel which has gone viral on social media garnering almost 40,000 likes in a single day. The foodie branded the restaurant ‘absolutely bonkers’, after witnessing a bar mitzvah and several birthdays taking place during the meal.
He praised the ‘delicious’ lobster bisque and veal chop, revealed that Neil is still very much there and still very much the ‘star of the show’, and claimed that in a world of sleek, minimalist restaurants, Oslo Court is a ‘welcome throwback to simpler times’.
‘We were feeling a bit delirious by the end, but I can’t get this place out of my head,’ Henry proclaims as he leaves the restaurant.
Posts on Tripadvisor share similar sentiments. Brian M described it as a ‘glimpse of years gone by’, saying it was a ‘gloriously decadent restaurant’ that offers ‘fair value’, while Kirsty M highlighted that ‘kindness exudes from this place as soon as you arrive’.
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She continued: ‘Beautifully presented, a snapshot from a wonderful time in food and dining (you had to be there). The service is beyond exemplary and the food utterly divine.
‘I’ve lived in London for 36 years and this place shot straight on to my favourites list, and that is a competitive list. Truly a very special place.’
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A user known only as Myrtle confidently claimed it was ‘better than the Ritz’, while BarryAScot thought it was ‘one-of-a-kind’ and ‘stuck in a fascinating time warp’.
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