La Cage Imaginaire

Very nice friendly staff and nice food. Very nice bright restaurant

The food quality is really poor. It does not deserve to be called French, as it’s not French cuisine.

We really enjoyed our lunchtime visit, and the food was good for the most part, although the soup wasn't interesting. We both had the tagliatelle for the main course, and it was lukewarm instead of hot, which was disappointing.

My dining experience tonight was adequate. From the outside this restaurant looks quaint and cozy. On the inside it feels like my grandmother’s basement. The sparkly red wallpaper on one wall and sparkly pink wallpaper on the opposite wall is “interesting”. The clearly inexperienced server was fine, but not a good sign. When our party of 4 arrived at 6:30 on a Monday, we were the only people in the restaurant. There was no music and it felt like we were waiting for them to actually open. We ordered Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon, standard French faire. Both dishes were not bad, but both the beef and chicken were clearly coated in the same brown sauce. We had a decent bottle of French red wine, which made the meal at least somewhat authentic. However for £160 this was very underwhelming.

The food when it arrived was excellent - but we waited a very long time. Staff could dress better - not a smart place to go.

Now under new ownership, and lovely new people...it is just is not the little bijou treasure it once was so the visit was disappointing, sadly. Food ok rather than spectacular. Parking is absolutely a nightmare. Impossible.

AMAZING. WILL BE GOING BACK WITH FRIENDS. BRILLIANT. I COULD GO ON AND ON.

Lovely sweet restaurant featured in the Bridget Jones movie About a Boy. Well cooked food, polite attentive staff in a great Hampstead location.

It was an all-round delicious experience! Very reasonably priced and a lovely fresh menu. Thank you!

Not anything like its former self, Meat overcooked, tastes mundane, textures okay-ish. This is really nothing special and it used to be so good. What a pity.

Excellent customer services and very friendly Always recommend this pace

Lovely location and restaurant but disappointing food sadly, as we were really looking forward to going

A superb meal full of flavour cooked with expertis and love. The service was super and we had a great night. A hidden gem xx

This have a wonderful experience La Cage Imaginaire. This is my second visit. We truly enjoy the food, atomsphere & service.

generous portions had a great beef bourguignon and pleasant unobtrusive service

We visited around 30’ years ago and it was as beautiful and amazing as ever. Food is lovely, staff helpful and efficient. My favourite. Restaurant xx thank you

it was very cold inside and 1 of us didnt like his onion soup- but rest was fine -good food and good value

Disappointed, lacking in ambience, lights too bright , food not very French, tasted as if had been cooked much earlier then just reheated, no nice crisp French bread , just a soft English baguette, potato dauphinois bore no resemblance to the real thing, duck over cooked and tough , with a spoonful of cranberry sauce on the plate . All edible but not a special dining experience.

Good price, great food, great setting, lovely servers. Will be going again!

Great food and good value for money. Typical traditional French food

We enjoyed our visit very much. My friends had not been for a long time.We all three would be happy to come again.

We loved the ambiance and the food! The music could have been a bit quieter.

Good food in a quiet restaurant in the center of Hampstead Heath. Service was really attentive and proffesional. Food was good

Excellent in every respect. Thank you. All dishes cooked to perfection.

A really nice family run restaurant. The staff were very friendly and the food was excellent.

Very nice and very tasty food! Coq a vin is absolutely fabulous!

An absolute gem in a wonderful location. Everything felt very special.

Great food and service, we enjoyed it so much, thanks!

perfect place for celebrating our wedding anniversary. lovely breeze through the window as the sun shone. food was excellent - a coq au vin with a super sauce. friendly and caring service.

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.