La Cage Imaginaire

Amazing service and the food was just fabulous!! Cosy place

I had two friends (excellent cooks) visiting from Devon and was looking forward to introducing them to La Cage Imaginaire. The evening started well, good ambiance, nice menu and excellent wine list. The starters were nice but the mains disappointed- a bone dry breast of duck (we had specifically said we expected pink) and average chicken. The tarte tatin looked like a piece of yorkshire pudding with a couple of pieces of fruit in it. What also was off putting that the waiting staff who , while pleasant and helpful, looked as if they had just arrived from the gym and seemed untrained. We weren’t dressed up but had taken the trouble to look nice as many do for an evening out but to be greeted by two people in casual sweats…… Our next night’s meal was in Cote Bistro. Much better overall experience. Pull your socks up Cage Imaginaire. I want to support independents. .

We all enjoyed our lunch very much.No noisy background music either which meant we could talk rather than shout or strain to hear each other

Beautiful location, window seat, great service, lovely staff, food and menu was amazing. Visiting again soon!

This was a little disappointing compared to previous visits. I had booked early and requested the table in the window, but we did not get it. The food overall was good, but the red mullet was overcooked and a very small portion. Unfortunately, in the pasta, there was a small piece of metal ( a staple?) which caused discomfort to the eater on her tooth. We received a feeble apology. This rather spoilt the whole occasion.

A lovely restaurant, great staff and the food was divine. Such a character restaurant

We spent a delightful evening with friends in this charming intimate restaurant. It is a long time since we last visited and I am pleased to say that the experience was just as enjoyable. The staff were really friendly and the food was excellent. The fish was fresh and beautifully cooked. It`s rare these days to go to a restaurant and sit down to freshly pressed white tablecloths which added to the sense of occasion. Ignore any of the negative reviews you might see on this site. I don`t believe them ! https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d732909-r953601348-La_Cage_Imaginaire-London_England.html#

This place is so amazing! the staff are very attentive, polite and very knowledgable on the cuisine and wines they serve. The food was on a different level. Authentic and niche. It really felt and tasted like we were dining in a fine dining restaurant in France.

We won’t return - to serve stale bread - cold food etc

The food was amazing and ambience very French Will be going back for sure

Lovely dining room. Very atmospheric. Quality food. Staff friendly and attentive. Hope to return.

Formidable and with a lovely surprise in fellow country woman

We had a very nice dinner. Friendly staff. Cozy venue. And reasonably priced.

Excellent restaurant in the centre of Hampstead Village. Food and service both terrific.

Good food and great service. Lamb quality should have been better but I frequent this restaurant at least monthly if not more

Terrific meal at a local favourite on Sunday. Thank you for making the imaginary so real and delicious!

We were the only diners. The waitress explained that she was very tired as they had been so busy. The starters were excellent as was the wine. We each ordered duck breast for a main course - one rare, one medium rare and one medium. The all arrived looking identical and appeared to have been boiled rather than pan fried or roasted - all grey and soggy. The chef appeared eventually and told us that she would send the duck back to the supplier the following day but no acknowledgement that they had been poorly cooked. A really disappointing experience!

Came for a late lunch ver early dinner and food was fabulous as it always is.. service extremely friendly. a real French gem in Hampstead.

Such a lovely intimate atmosphere and the menu is small but very authentic, appropriate to the restaurant

The food is very average and even though the prices are not so high compared to London prices, it is still expensive for the quality of the food you get. The restaurant has not been updated in a long time and whilst it could provided a certain charm, it is just dated and old.

The restaurant was light and bright with well spaced tables and quiet. The waitress was very pleasant did not hurry us so it made for a relaxed meal The lunch menu was excellent value and the food attractively presented and well cooked.

We revisited 14 years after we had our wedding reception here and its charm has not gone. We loved seeing the owner again and they made us feel very welcome. The food was fresh, delicious, and homemade. It's a really intimate space that is perfect if you want to catch up with someone or just have somewhere to eat away from the hustle and bustle. The priced were really reasonable, even surprising for the area. Highly recommend

It is really friendly and unpretentious experience which I would recommend to anyone - justly a Hampstead institution.

Great food and service really enjoyed it. One criticism would be that on adjoining table when the plates were collected one plate was scraped onto another.school dinners style. Not really appropriate in this restaurant. Will definitely dine again.

Was somewhat cold on the coldest night of the year so far! Also a barking dog but that is not the fault of the restaurant - it yapped for 2 hours! However, good value for money, nice service and interesting menu.

Absolutely amazing food and great atmosphere. We will be going back.

Nice classic French menu, but the execution was poor and dated. The seared foie gras was still fridge-cold in the middle, so wasn't seared or rested long enough. My partner liked the dates with goat's cheese, but both starters were covered in balsamic glaze drizzle, which is a very dated and lazy way to try and lift a dish. It also spoiled the taste of the foie gras. My beef fillet came served in two pieces and had a lot of chewy pieces, which is very odd for a fillet. Finally the chocolate mousse came completely covered in random fruit pieces of fruit - not what you expect (or want) if you've ordered chocolate mousse! The chef needs to up his game and get some new presentation ideas.

Always been a favourite restaurant to visit. Service very good and food excellent my only disappointment was vegetables on plate of four French beans ? Think this needs attention. Also room normally cosy with dimmed lights and candles was much too bright. However would still recommend as a special restaurant to visit.

Unfriendly and food absolutely tasteless. Wasn’t asked why we left 99% of the main course It was cold had no resemblance to what was described on the menu. Small Pat of butter for two people and bread tasted stale.. The wine was good.

We has a lovely meal here the other night. We had the fillet steak for mains, my wife had the fig and goats cheese for her starter, I had french onion soup. My only critique is of the soup. I think I may have been spoiled in the past, as I has a soup in Paris once that was amazing, so whenever I see one on a menu I choose it but I have never found one as good as that Paris one. But don't let that put anyone off. My soup was tasty. My wife's fig and goats cheese was the best she'd ever had. The fillet steak was the best we both have ever had. The service was amazing and the seating ( we sat outside) was great. We would go again and I will choose fig and cheese next time

It was a beautiful experience finally visiting Le Cage, with attentive customer service. I’m afraid the food was average; the onion soup consisted of dehydrated onions and minimal cheese, bread - and flavour which meant it was not passable as even close to an authentic French dish. The main courses chosen were 1) the rump of lamb which was slightly over fatty and 2) the grilled chicken breast which was a little on the small side but still tasty. Delicious mash and vegetable sides and drinks were lovely. The soup really let down the experience unfortunately.

We celebrated our daughter’s 20th birthday with a group of 12. We had a beautiful long table. Staff were extremely friendly and accommodating and the food was delicious and freshly cooked. Good house wine. Food and wine very reasonably priced. They allowed us to bring our own birthday cake with candles which the staff cut for us and nicely decorated with their own strawberries at no extra cost. My daughter said she had the best birthday dinner! I can highly recommend this restaurant in the centre of Hampstead in a quiet side street off the high street.