I Regret Almost Everything

By: Keith McNally

Narrated by: Richard E. Grant

New York Times Bestseller

The entertaining, irreverent, and surprisingly moving memoir by the visionary restaurateur behind such iconic New York institutions as Balthazar and Pastis.

A memoir by the legendary proprietor of Balthazar, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and Morandi, taking us from his gritty London childhood in the fifties to his serendipitous arrival in New York, where he founded the era-defining establishments the Odeon, Cafe Luxembourg, and Nell’s. Eloquent and opinionated, Keith McNally writes about the angst of being a child actor, his lack of insights from traveling overland to Kathmandu at nineteen, the instability of his two marriages and family relationships, his devastating stroke, and his Instagram notoriety.

Critic reviews

"Richard E. Grant showcases the compelling life of legendary restaurateur Keith McNally, who does not shy away from the complicated stories that make up his life and choices. Having started out in the film industry, McNally discovered true theater in building successful restaurants, including New York's Balthazar, where the right environment and staff made the perfect dining experience. Then, a debilitating stroke made speaking almost impossible. Happily, Grant brings a commanding narration to the proceedings. His timing, along with his eloquently dry delivery, is masterful. Grant's narrative skill is on full display as McNally shares his professional failures and personal struggles, including a suicide attempt and fractured relationships with his family. Throughout, Grant's performance is spellbinding"

Very compelling read

I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. I found myself immersed in Mr Mcnally’s world…He’s such a talented writer, so interesting, so honest, This book is skillfully crafted…I’m going to read it again I liked it that much.

Rarely frank, wise and interesting memoir

Keith McNally, a working class guy from London, made a life long (superbly successful) detour into restaurant business from the (unsuccessful) film-making aspirations. At the very top of his career he had a stroke, followed by a divorce with a suicide attempt in between. Everything is in this story - successes and failures - written without any self-pity or any self-justification. The successful life is presented as is, with all its warts. Many, many warts. It makes it very lively reading. The best part of the book is the author's humling experience after his stroke (he did not recover to his former self) - this part alone makes it well-worth to pick up the book: how do you proceed with life and career after such a major change?
One more thing: McNally is an intellectually curious person, so mini-essays on various topics are scattered all over memoirs, which makes it even more interesting reading.
Richard Grant gave McNally's writing just the right voice. The reading is not overly dramatic, but the actor used the accents and intonations where approproate.

Wonderful…

very well written and Richard Grant does a marvelous job!!! I didn’t want it to end.

All heart, poignant, modest, all too human

Best book of my year. I listened to it as I swam and lost count of the laps

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/4

I liked the book so much it compelled me to write about my own life. Keith made me seriously contemplate myself without meaning to. The candor with which he told his story was the gift I didn’t know I needed.