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.

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!

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!

Wow! Simply amazing… The new Bistrot by MasterChef winner Eddie Scott is a triumph! The food is a taste sensation- I highly recommend the Pate to start, followed by the complex and stunning Lamb Biryani and completed by the Crème Brûlée… it’s a fusion of Indian / Punjabi and French Cuisine which compliment each other fabulously. The service is wonderful , warm, friendly and attentive. The icing on the cake of the experience was having Eddie come out to the table to bring the main course, and at the end to discuss our experience! Book now!

We ate here last evening as a table of eight, the food was superb and very reasonably priced for the quality. The set menu offered good variety and it’s nice sometimes to not be provided too much choice. We would certainly return, particularly as the menu changes frequently, and heartily recommend l’Opaline. An excellent addition to Beverley serving unfussy and delicious French cuisine.