Restaurants

Double Club

closed

Islington: 7 Torrens Street, EC1V 1NQ

Ottolenghi

Towering stacks of snowy meringues, reckless plates of crisp chocolate tarts and lavish deep-dish cheesecakes all practically scream ‘eat me’ at passers-by. But...

Islington: 287 Upper Street, N1 2TZ

The Giaconda Dining Room

Amibitious cooking in humble surroundings

Soho: 9 Denmark St, WC2H 8LS

The Providores & Tapa Room

If the test of a good restaurant is a negative answer to ‘could I cook this at home?’ then the Pacific Rim fusion at Providores passes with rocketing colours....

Marylebone: 109 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RX

Dock Kitchen

Pop-up restaurant in Ladbroke Grove

Ladbroke Grove: Portobello Docks, 342-344 Ladbroke Grove (entrance on Kensal Rd), W10 5AH

Sketch: The Gallery

The Sketch tag-line ‘eat music drink art’ seems to be arranged in reverse order of importance. It’s the art you encounter first – with the theatrically black...

Mayfair: 9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG

St James

Fine dining in the suburbs

Crouch End: 4 Topsfield Parade, Middle Lane, N8 8PR

Sushinho

Bar with East-West fusion food

Chelsea: 312-314 King's Road, SW3 5UH

The Modern Pantry

Anna Hansen's new Clerkenwell project

Clerkenwell: 47-48 St John's Square, EC1V 4JJ

Zeytoon

Irano-Afghan cuisine

Cricklewood: 94-96 Cricklewood Broadway, NW2 3EL

Abingdon

Adventurous eclecticism meets classical proficiency in this bar and dining room just off Ken High Street. The decor is in keeping with gastropub norms, and the red...

Kensington: 54 Abingdon Road, W8 6AP

Asia de Cuba

Hidden behind the anonymous, office-like façade of St Martin’s Lane Hotel is the chi chi Asia de Cuba, where beatific staff ply you with Hollywood smiles against a...

Leicester Square: 45 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4HX

Cantaloupe

The granddaddy of London’s cool, New York-style bars (bare brick, battered sofas… it all started here), Cantaloupe is as popular as ever. Therein lies the problem....

Shoreditch: 35-42 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PD

Fish in a Tie

This friendly spot is a veritable oasis from the noise of buses chugging up Falcon Road. Inside, paper tablecloths and wax-encrusted liqueur bottles cover some rickety...

Battersea: 105 Falcon Road, SW11 2PF

Hive

A bar-cum-diner on the edge of Brixton Market that straddles these two functions and as a result defies easy categorisation. It serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and...

Brixton: 11-13 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PA

Home Cooking

Large portions and comforting fare are the hallmarks of a home-cooked meal and, happily, the menu at Home Cooking does not disappoint in either respect. Several of...

Acton: 17 High Street, W3 6NG

Hudson's

With its ceiling fans and green wooden furniture, Hudson's smacks of continental cool. The menu lists international cuisine, leading to some difficult decisions: do...

Putney: 113 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EX

Laughing Gravy

Jokey monikers on restaurants can be off-putting – this one comes from the name of Laurel and Hardy’s dog, star of a movie of the same title – but maybe you have...

Waterloo: 154 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8EN

Le Deuxième

Theatregoers find much to applaud at this understated little restaurant, where, as they often desire, service is pacy enough to have you wined, dined and out of the...

Covent Garden: 65A Long Acre, WC2E 9JD

Little Star

Twinkle it does, by the glow of candles and fairy lights, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere that’s at once romantic (good for a tête-a-tête) and welcoming (good...

Willesden: 26 Station Parade, NW2 4NH

Ottolenghi

Kensington: 1 Holland Street, W8 4NA

Ottolenghi

Notting Hill: 63 Ledbury Road, W11 2AD

Ottolenghi

Belgravia: 13 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8LB

Refuel

Residing on the ground floor of the chic Soho Hotel, which is itself tidily tucked into a mews between two of Soho’s sooty and sweaty main drags, Refuel boasts one...

Soho: The Soho Hotel, 4 Richmond Mews, W1D 3DH

Square Pie

Martin Dewey’s small chain has expanded from its origins in a van at Spitalfields Market to Canary Wharf and Selfridges: the sort of locale where traditional pie and...

City: Spitalfields Market, 105c Commercial St, E1 6BG

Square Pie

Docklands: 1 Canada Square, Jubilee Line Mall, E14 5AX

Square Pie

Marylebone: Selfridges Food Hall, 400 Oxford Street, W1U 1AT

The Atrium

Politicos are prominent among the Atrium’s suited lunchtime clientele, as attested by the magazine rack headed ‘Political Intelligence Served Here’. As...

Westminster: 4 Millbank, SW1P 3JA

Vincent Rooms

You can’t very well complain about the Vincent Rooms – the food’s too good and the prices too low. It’s where students (waiters and chefs) get to practise...

Westminster: Victoria Centre, Vincent Square, SW1P 2PD