The best restaurants in London you have to try
Feast your eyes on the best restaurants in London, from seasoned stalwarts never falling out of fashion to tasty newcomers doing bold new things in the kitchen
AUGUST 2020: Haven’t you heard? Restaurants are back! They’ll be different for a while – embracing social-distancing measures or, in some cases, sprawling outside on to pavements – but you can now book a table at any of the restaurants listed below in our ultimate guide to dining out in London. And even better in the month of August, you can get half-price grub from Monday to Wednesday at restaurants participating in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Catch a list of our top picks here and then peruse below for other top tables to enjoy for the month ahead.
Welcome to the Time Out EAT List. The best restaurants in London, handpicked by our local food editor. Places that, yes, have great food, but more importantly will also guarantee you a good time. They might have a killer soundtrack, a cool room, or just really kick-ass service. Or dishes that go beyond excellent but make you smile, too. And all at the right price. Which doesn’t necessarily mean cheap (if you’re on a tight budget, check out our dedicated cheap eats list), but definitely means value for money. In short, the best restaurants, at every price point, across London.
From the special occasion destination restaurants to the cult shipping container spots, if it’s on the list, we think it’s awesome. And we reckon you will too.
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Looking for more recent openings? Check out our pick of London's best new restaurants.
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100 best restaurants in London
Kiln
Kiln is now open for bookings and walk-ins
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When your funds are running low but you still want to eat exciting food – go with a group to taste as much as possible.
What to have: The superbly tender, Burmese-spiced short-rib curry is a true crowd-pleaser; or snap up any of the nightly specials.
If you like Kiln, you may like…
Smoking Goat, KaoSarn, The Begging Bowl
Self-taught chef Ben Chapman played a whopper of a hand with his first solo gaffe, Smoking Goat; this second venture is a continuation of the Thai barbecue theme. Kiln is a little less dive-y than its sibling. Instead, its simple, stripped-back looks work perfectly with the Soho setting and the style of cooking. Quality, Brit-sourced meat and fish are chargrilled over embers, Thai-style, and served with the fiery, flavour-packed sauces typical of rural Thailand – sit up at the counter to watch the chefs and furnaces in action.
Hoppers
Hoppers King’s Cross, Hoppers Marylebone and Hoppers Soho are now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you want to say to your mouth, ‘you SHALL go to the ball!’
What to have: The bone marrow varuval (a sort of dry, bone marrow curry for spreading over a buttery roti), plain hoppers and any of the curries (tip: order an extra curry instead of several chutneys).
If you like Hoppers, you may like…
Bao, Gunpowder
There’s nothing like Hoppers in London. Sure, there’s good Sri Lankan food in certain pockets of the capital. But very few restaurants are exclusively Sri Lankan (most are South Indian and certainly don’t do hoppers, the egg-topped pancakes after which this Soho restaurant is named); the few exceptions are okay, rather than amazing. So the fact that Hoppers is outrageously good is even more impressive. The small room, a sexy Soho take on all things Sri Lankan, is always full and always buzzing (and yes, you’ll almost certainly have to queue), but it’s more than worth the wait. If small plates, full flavours and unapologetic spicing are your bag, Hoppers will get your pulse – and your tastebuds – racing.
Bright
Bright is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: when you’re bored of all other food.
What to have: the menu changes daily, but plates which embrace carbs are especially strong: look out for the likes of home-made goujeres, herby pizzette or plates of pasta. Not forgetting that white bread sarnie, with katsu chicken inside.
If you like Bright, you may like…
Leroy, Scully, Hicce
Eating at Bright is a little like eating in a high-ceilinged, metal-framed glass box, but that’s a good thing: there’s less to distract you from the food. Which is a brilliant bizarre mix of eclectic, modernist small plates. The compact menu changes daily, but is generally an eclectic mix of modernish small plates: look out for the signature chicken katsu sarnie (a crusts-cut-off white bread number, in dainty quarters), slices of artisanal charcuterie, dinky plates of off-the-clock pasta, plus inventive plates of fish, meat or veg (grilled radicchio with preserved cherries, say; or mussels with curry leaves in a smoked mackerel broth). Best of all: you can book.
Padella
Padella Borough and Padella Shoreditch are now open. Book via WalkUp app.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’ve had a morning workout and you can totally justify two or three plates of pasta to yourself.
What to have: Pasta, pasta and more pasta. Big shapes, little shapes, fat and thin. Don’t bother with starters or puds (nice, but not why you’re here) and definitely don’t miss the pappardelle with eight-hour beef shin ragu.
If you like Padella, you may like…
Artusi, Trullo
Pasta is a funny old thing. On the face of it, so simple. Boring, even. But this chic little Borough Market pasta bar – from the people behind Islington’s trendy Trullo – will change the way you feel about it forever. There’s a daily-changing menu of plates, small enough to allow you to try a few (around two each, if you pass on starters and puds), but large enough to leave you feeling genuinely satisfied. It’s all made and cooked to order right in front of you – everyone gets to perch up at the L-shaped counter, for maximum viewing pleasure – while the setting, all glass, marble and steel, is effortlessly chic.
Social Eating House
Social Eating House is now open for bookings.
Price: Blowout
When to go: When you want slick service and a big-ticket menu without the formality.
What to have: Shareable jars and killer cocktails kick things off in style.
If you like Social Eating House, you may like…
Trinity
Ramsay protégé and unstoppable wunderkind Jason Atherton seems hell-bent on building an international restaurant empire every bit as revered as that of his mentor. This was one of three London openings he oversaw in 2013 and his first Soho venture – but he’s barely stopped to draw breath since then. Social Eating House’s dark, low-slung dining room, with its mirrored ceiling and modern artworks, feels cool and informal, while chef Paul Hood’s menu delivers dishes that are at once highly sophisticated, accessible and above all delicious – often throwing in a welcome touch of theatricality when you least expect it. Efficient, attentive staff keep this star-studded show on the road.
Tandoor Chop House
Tandoor Chop House is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you fancy Indian food without Indian-restaurant clichés – any here come courtesy of nostalgia for the British chop house.
What to have: The malted kulfi dessert – intensely flavoured malted ice cream topped with caramelised banana and salted peanuts. Pass the smelling salts…
If you like Tandoor Chop House, you may like…
Gunpowder, Kricket
This cleverly manufactured concept borrows heavily from Dishoom: think small plates of sexed-up Indian dishes eaten in a buzzing, friendly, café-style setting (but, for now at least, minus the mile-long queues). We hoovered up almost everything we tried here, and so will you – from the herb-strewn seekh kebab and fantastic beef dripping keema naan, to the finger-licking, blistered, spiced lamb chops, it’s all excellent. Staff couldn’t be nicer, too, tending to their customers like family members.
The Counter at Sabor
Sabor Al Fresco is open outside Sabor. The Counter at Sabor will reopen later this summer.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re in need of some tapas fun.
What to have: Everything wows, but the just-runny salt-cod tortilla is sheer eggy bliss.
If you like Sabor, you may like…
Barrafina, Boqueria, Donostia
After years as executive chef at Barrafina, Spanish queen bee Nieves Barragán Mohacho has opened her first solo gaff – a highly distinctive set-up spread over two floors (this small-plate tapas counter downstairs, bookable tables for communal wood-fired feasting upstairs). Some of Barrafina’s favourite ingredients are still here, but the style is more rustic, from an incredible salad of black tomato, chorizo and confit artichoke to a two- part dish involving stuffed chipirón (baby squid) in a puddle of black ink alongside a piece of breaded hake with aïoli. Also pray that they’re serving their drool-inducing tartaleta filled with fragrant poached rhubarb and booze-laced mascarpone. The food’s all-round flawless and eating here is such fun.
Smoking Goat Shoreditch
Smoking Goat is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you need some proper ‘drinking food’ with a proper kick.
What to have: Red-hot smokin’ Thai barbecue, a bowl of lardo fried rice and as much booze as you can manage.
If you like Smoking Goat, you may like...
Kiln, Som Saa, Begging Bowl
Having moved from its original Soho dive to new premises in Shoreditch, this rockin’ Thai barbecue joint now looks and feel like a real restaurant – albeit one with loads of smoke, noise and music. It’s all about ‘drinking food’ here, chilli-spiked in-your-face flavours that simply cry out for a few beers: we suggest the signature fish-sauce chicken wings, the crunchy deep-fried shell-on prawns (eat ‘em whole) and anything involving unctuous bulked-out noodles. You know your friend who doesn’t really like spice? Yeah, don’t bring them.
Bao
Bao Borough and Bao Soho are now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’re in the mood for fiery food you can eat with your fingers – and have time to queue.
What to have: The fried chicken or confit pork bao, though the small plates (pigs’ blood cake, trotter nuggets) are brilliant too.
If you like Bao, you may like...
Flesh & Buns, Smoking Goat
Forget Narnia. This is a wardrobe you really want to enter, but then stay in. Okay, Bao isn’t actually a wardrobe, but the interior of the dinky Soho eatery feels so much like being inside a giant wood-veneered Ikea creation, you can almost hear the couples debating whether they really need 350 tea lights. But looks aside, Bao is a truly exceptional place. It serves award-winning Taiwanese street food with plenty of kick (it started life as a tiny Netil Market stall). It’s the kind of stuff that’s great if you’re a little bit drunk. Just not paralytic – it’s too good to be wasted on the wasted.
Barrafina
Barrafina Adelaide Street, Barrafina Coal Drops Yard and Barrafina Dean Street are now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: As early as poss if you don’t want to stand in line for hours – although it’s totally worth the wait (itself made more bearable if you order in-queue drinks and snacks).
What to have: How to choose... It’s all so good. Mix classics such as the impeccably runny-centred tortilla with more adventurous regional dishes and going-going-gone specials such as carabineros (flippin’ gigantic, bright red prawns).
If you like Barrafina, you may like…
Donostia, José, Copita
The first Barrafina, on Frith Street (RIP), was the original small-plates-and-no-reservations counter bar pioneer, a template that has since gone viral. This bustling, Barcelona-style tapas joint now has branches across town, but Adelaide Street is the slightly glitzier, slightly larger venue that pays homage to the original without being a straight copycat. So there’s the same striped marble bar overlooking the kitchen, but its curved design cleverly allows for a couple more grateful bums on those burgundy leather stools. There’s a menu that includes the tapas holy trinity of tortilla, croquetas and jamón, plus Barrafina’s signature market-fresh seafood, but which also runs to Josper-grilled meats, offal delicacies such as deep-fried lamb’s brain, and Mallorcan specialities. In short, it rocks.
Scully
Scully is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you want to rekindle your love affair with fusion food.
What to have: Everything – from the heirloom tomato salad to the goat’s cream cheesecake with strawberries.
If you like Scully, you may like…
The Providores, Modern Pantry
Born in Malaysia and raised in Sydney, with Chinese/Indian blood on his mum’s side and Irish/Balinese on his dad’s: no wonder this debut from eponymous chef Ramael Scully delivers an eclectic hotchpotch of flavours. How about a rebooted heirloom tomato salad involving green strawberries, grated coconut and a poured-at-the-table ‘shrub’ (cider vinegar, soy and sweet tommie juices), or a downright velvety dish of marinated goat – slow-poached sous-vide for a whopping 36 hours, then presented atop a splodge of green-chilli-flecked yoghurt, slivers of pickled red onion and urd lentils. This is sharply focused, bold and surprising stuff served in a dining room with personality.
Temper
Temper City, Temper Covent Garden and Temper Soho are now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you think you’ve tried and tasted every dining concept that London has to offer. Been there, barbecued that? Think again.
What to have: As much as your body can handle – it’s all sooo good. But don’t miss the tacos with soy-cured beef, if those smoky, sweet and fiery gems are on the menu.
If you like Temper, you may like…
Smokestak
Scottish chef and barbecue fan Neil Rankin (ex-Smokehouse, ex-Bad Egg) has created something mega-thrilling at this huge fusion smokehouse in a Soho basement. Imagine deliciously charred meat carved from whole prime carcasses, served over home-made rotis or tacos, plus plenty of your favourite Asian or Latin spices. All set to backdrop of party tunes (MJ, Beyoncé etc.), with seats in diner-style booths or up at the counter, where you can watch the action. You don’t have to imagine it: it’s real.
Lahpet
Lahpet is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you and some mates fancy taking the road to Mandalay without leaving the East End.
What to have: The coconut noodles with chicken and the fragrant fish cake salad (with caramelised onion, crisp cabbage and crunchy split peas).
If you like Lahpet, you may like…
Shan State, Som Saa
Originally holed up in a pokey space on Maltby Street Market, Lahpet has relocated to an airy site on Shoreditch’s eastern fringes and has turned itself into an achingly stylish Burmese star – all handsome wood, muted grey paintwork and chic patterned upholstery. Burmese cuisine is a cross-breed of Thai and Indian, but the flavours are still very much their own – if you don’t believe us, try one of their zingy signature salads or the chunky, succulent hake fillet on a moreish rösti with a fiery masala sauce. The vibe is buzzy, service is clued-up, portions are enormous and it’s terrific value – so grab five friends, request one of the booths, and order as much as you possibly can.
Hawksmoor Seven Dials
Hawksmoor Air Street, Hawksmoor Borough, Hawksmoor Seven Dials and Hawksmoor Spitalfields are now open for bookings. Hawksmoor Knightsbridge reopens on July 31; and Guildhall on September 1.
Price: Expensive
When to go: When your carnal urges will only be satisfied by something big and bloody.
What to have: A small steak – because the large ones would feed a family of cheetahs, and you need to save room for sensational sides and old-school desserts.
If you like Hawksmoor Seven Dials, you may like…
Foxlow, Goodman Mayfair
The original Hawksmoor in Spitalfields is a great bar and grill – but this newer branch is a truly sensational one. The entrance is a bit hidden, despite the Covent Garden location, but once you’re inside you see it’s a real beauty of a basement bar and dining room, which looks as if it’s been there for at least a century – in fact, it only opened as a restaurant at the end of 2010. The meat is of better quality, and better cooked, than at many more expensive Mayfair steak restaurants. That’s not to say that Hawksmoor is cheap, of course, but dining here is an experience that every omnivore should have at least once.
Ducksoup
Ducksoup is now open for bookings.
What to have: Whatever your waiter suggests. The menu changes constantly, but there are often ‘versions of favourites’ on it, and the staff here know what’s what. Just let them order for you – or just stab blindly at your menu. You won’t find a dud dish.
If you like Ducksoup, you may like…
10 Greek Street, Popolo, Two Lights
One of the original wave of Soho small-and-sharing plates spots, Ducksoup makes up for its size (or lack of) with clued-up staff, bags of atmosphere and, oh yes, terrific food. Ingredients are exciting and eclectic, but pulled together in a broadly modern European way that makes them feel accessible. From cold plates of fennel salami, courgette achar or jersey rock oysters, to warm plates: roast sand carrots with coco beans, chervil and goat’s curd, say, or mussels with mogrhabieh, coriander and chilli, it’s anything but boring, especially when teamed with a glass or three from the daily-changing natural wine list. One other thing: most of Ducksoup’s street level seats are up at the counter: be prepared to get cosy.
Kudu
Kudu is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you want something smart and off-piste in Peckham.
What to have: Anything that’s been cooked in a pot or licked by the flames – try the lamb braai: it’s seriously lekker.
If you like Kudu, you may like…
Ikoyi
A good-looking restaurant specialising in South African-inspired small plates, Kudu may be named after a species of antelope, but don’t come here expecting exotic decor: the dining room has the vibe of a sleek, vintage lounge bar (all marble tables and crushed velvet banquettes), while the kitchen shows its ‘rainbow nation’ allegiances with several dishes arriving in traditional cast-iron skillets (as in the old country). Our picks? A pot of warmly spiced mussels with seaweed-flecked gnocchi; a flawless tart of caramelised onions and goat’s curd, and Kudu’s take on mosbolletjies (a soft, sweet Afrikaans loaf that’s dunked into melted shrimp butter). With enthusiastic switched-on staff doing the rounds, this is a real feather in SE15’s cap.
Jugemu
Jugemu is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re craving some fabulously fresh Japanese finger food.
What to have: No contest. It has to be the temaki rolls, fresh from the chef’s fair hand with the nori wrapping still crisp.
If you like Jugemu, you may like…
Dinings, Sushi Atelier, Yashin
As Japanese restaurants go, Jugemu is rather humble and relaxed – the kind of place where you have to pencil in your order on a basic paper menu. No matter, the food here is a class apart, from the sushi and sashimi to warm street-food snacks and cold plates such as bonito-flecked tomatoes in a soupy wasabi/soy dressing. Ultimately, however, we would sell our souls for just one of their incomparable temaki hand rolls – even though these are only available at the counter.
Nest
Nest is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: You need to commit and plan ahead, but the rewards are immense.
What to have: Seven plates. No choice. Always interesting. Perhaps venison Wellington with a pear concealed inside it – or fermented cabbage and mint (from the separate veggie menu).
If you like Nest, you may like…
Clove Club, Lyle's, Pidgin
Three pals. One teeny Hackney restaurant. A seven-course no-choice menu (eight if you count bread, which you should, because it’s delicious), all created from a single meat. Result? Something special. Nest’s focus is on using on one animal at a time (the meat changes every six weeks or so). There’s less waste. It’s more sustainable. Oh, and did we mention the cooking is terrific, too? They get plus points for the atmospheric Paris bistro via Hackney vibe and the enthusiasm of the small team. Nest is simply charming.
Venue says Join us for Sunday Roasts - built around our In House Meat at the time - currently Yorkshire Beef before we move on to Hogget in February
Westerns Laundry
Westerns Laundry is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range.
When to go: When you want the sophistication and smoothness of a central London restaurant, but with the friendliness and heart of a true local.
What to have: This is a fish-forward restaurant, but the juicy, crisp-skinned guinea fowl with its daintily prepared, heartily flavoured Caesar-style salad is not to be missed.
If you like Westerns Laundry, you may like…
10 Greek Street, Primeur, Soif
This former prison launderette (and sibling to the much-loved Primeur) has been repurposed as a cool neighbourhood destination, serving the day’s best produce in a constantly changing line-up of modern European dishes (all delicious). The restaurant is decidedly of its time. Open kitchen? Check. Communal tables? Of course. Almost illegible blackboard menu? Sure thing. Natural wines? Oh yes. But instead of feeling like a cynical restaurant by numbers, the concept fits this place as snugly as a just-washed pair of jeans.
Chicama
Chicama is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re looking your best: everyone eating here has the glossily groomed aura of a true Chelsea-ite.
What to have: The snacky starters are one of the highlights here – don’t miss the savoury tapioca ‘marshmallow’. Desserts, conversely, aren’t worth much attention.
If you like Chicama, you may like…
Chotto Matte
London gasped a collective ‘WTF?’ when Peruvian food was tipped as an imminent mega-trend all those years ago, but look at us now – we can’t get enough of the pisco sours and purple potatoes, the ceviches and seamlessly integrated superfoods. Marylebone’s party-party Pachamama is a bigwig on the Peruvian scene; this is its ever-so-slightly toned down sibling, which sits pretty in deepest Chelsea. The open kitchen’s modish plates are as small as a size zero dress but pack some impressive flavours – scoff them with abandon and then forgo the more lacklustre desserts.
Dinings SW3
Dinings SW3 is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive.
When to go: When you don’t mind spending top-whack for tiny portions of food, so long as they’re sensational (they are).
What to have: The double-crab roll with yuzu: the combination of Cornish spider crab and soft shell crab makes this dish leg-tastic.
If you like Dinings SW3, you may like…
Roka, Sushisamba
This long-awaited follow-up to the Marylebone original is Dinings 2.0. The setting is fancier, for a start, and more spacious, with high ceilings, arched windows and a marble counter for watching the chefs while you eat. The menu, too, pushes the envelope, with shiny new dishes that are ‘ta-dah!’ stylish without teetering into show-off territory. Portions are predictably tiny despite their high prices, but at least that gives you an excuse to sample as much as your wallet will allow. You only live once, peeps.
Leroy
Leroy is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: A dandy mash-up when food and wine are both on your mind.
What to have: There’s hardly a dud, but our fave is a dish simply described as ‘mussels and tomatoes on toast’ – trust us, it’s magnificent!
If you like Leroy, you may like…
10 Greek Street, Counter Culture
Ellory is dead, long live Leroy. It’s the same team, and (almost) the same name as before, but this EC2 reboot of the short-lived Hackney star is miles better than the original – mainly because the whole package is much more relaxed. The new site was originally a wine bar and the ethos of pairing Euro-accented small plates with lovely glasses of vino lives on: how about confit duck with plum and cobnuts complemented by a Grenache 2016 Le Grappin Côtes du Rhône? Ingredients are unfussy and the flavours shine – from nuggets of tender, piquant quail on a skewer to locally cured trout with a kaleidoscope of condiments, including a tiny Jenga stack of sweet pickled cucumber. Hugely welcoming staff know their food – and their wine too.
Kitty Fisher’s
Kitty Fisher’s is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive
When to go: Whenever you can get a table (book ahead or go off-peak if it’s a special occasion, otherwise just try walking in for counter seats).
What to have: All the small plates: from burrata, to asparagus, to chicken liver parfait and candied pecan. Of the larger dishes try the lamb, with its deliciously pink middle, and serving of wild garlic and onions.
If you like Kitty Fisher’s, you may like...
J Sheekey Atlantic Bar, Social Eating House
As with the eighteenth-century courtesan it’s named after, you pay Kitty Fisher’s a visit if you want to leave with a smile but don’t mind paying for the pleasure. Prices are high (this is Mayfair, after all), but really luscious smaller dishes like smoked eel and parsely risotto make things easier on the wallet. The basement dining room is intimate and atmospheric; the street-level wine bar best on a sunny day (as are the two alfresco tables overlooking so-picturesque-it-should-be-in-a-Richard-Curtis-movie Shepherd Market). Putting your meal together from small plates is the best way to leave without having spent a fortune.
Frenchie
Frenchie is reopening on September 4.
Price: Expensive
When to go: When you have sartorially savvy peeps in tow, this is a super-chic place to take them.
What to have: Skip snacks and mains – they’re perfectly lovely, but it’s the small-plates-slash-starters and deconstructed puds that truly dazzle.
If you like Frenchie, you may like…
Portland
Frenchie is a very special sort of restaurant; a central London dining room (right in the heart of Theatreland), elegant enough to take a top client, yet relaxed enough to never make you feel uncomfortable or intimidated. Part of the reason this balance has been so effortlessly achieved is thanks to the ‘Frenchie’ himself, Gregory Marchand (the nickname was given to him by Jamie Oliver, many years ago), who combines his classical, technical training with a playful, creative approach to cooking. It’s why the original Frenchie, in Paris, has a six-month waiting list. As for the setting – if it’s light and airy you’re after, sit upstairs, at street level; for more buzz (or on a gloomy day), go for the basement, where you can watch the chefs glide around the gleaming open kitchen.
Lyle’s
Lyle’s is reopening on August 12
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you want to be surprised and delighted by a zeitgeist chef in a zeitgeist restaurant.
What to have: Whatever you’re given (if you’re there at night) – there’s no choosing.
If you like Lyle's, you may like…
Clove Club
If you’re a picky customer, then visit this excellent Shoreditch eatery at lunch: you’ll be able to choose what you like, and in what order. Come in the evening, however, and you’ll get a no-choice four-course set menu of acutely seasonal dishes that might include asparagus with cured pork fat and walnuts in spring, or monkfish liver with peach and potato in summer, followed by blackcurrant leaf meringue. The name of chef James Lowe’s starkly minimal, achingly trendy Shoreditch restaurant references his mother’s maiden name; he is definitely a young chef to watch.
Som Saa
Som Saa is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you have three friends free on the same night as you – you’ll not only be able to book, but also request one of the lovely cabina-style booths.
What to have: The whole deep-fried sea bass, a sensational combo of delicate flesh, crunchy roasted rice-battered skin and fragrant north-eastern Thai herbs. The palm sugar ice cream with unripe banana (really) is insanely good, too.
If you like Som Saa, you may like…
Begging Bowl, Smoking Goat
Having raised funds to turn its residency in an east London coffee roastery into a permanent restaurant (it took just three days to raise £700,000, having only asked for £550,000), Som Saa finally opened its doors in April 2016. At last, everyone who’d ever wanted to sample the fiery Thai street food menu could do so in a stylish and exotic former garment factory walking distance from Liverpool Street (or Aldgate) tube. And sample it you should. Despite the cooking being from two non-Thais (ex-‘MasterChef’ winner Andy Oliver is a Brit, Mark Dobbie is an Aussie), the authenticity of spicing of some dishes is as straight-from-the-hills-of-northern-Thailand as they come. If your palate is naturally timid, go anyway, just ask the friendly staff to guide you.
Hide Above
Hide Above is now open for bookings.
When to go: During the day, when you can eat Ollie Dabbous’s Michelin-starred food for less. The daylight also lets you appreciate the view of Green Park’s leafy treetops.
What to have: You can either plump for the set menu or the à la carte options. Either way, it'll be amazing.
If you like Hide Above, you may like…
Core by Clare Smyth, Da Terra, Roganic
There are two restaurants at Hide (plus a basement bar, if you’re counting), And while the a-la-carte-serving Hide Ground has equally fabulous food – and staff – if it’s a special occasion you’re after, you have to climb the stairs. Smaller, lighter and more elegant, Hide Above is the yin to the street-level yang (plus, there are views across Piccadilly to Green Park’s leafy treetops). Up here, there’s a tasting menu (plus, more recently, a few à la carte options) and, while it’s brutally expensive – go for lunch and lay off the booze if budget is an issue – it’s the kind of technically flawless, playful stuff that Dabbous made his name with, and that you'll be talking about for years to come.
Ikoyi
Ikoyi is now open for bookings.
Price: Blowout
When to go: When your palate needs a shake-up – one fuelled by the face-sweating heat of full-throttle chilli peppers and fusion flavours from across West Africa.
What to have: Go back to basics with the jollof rice (topped with a wibbly-wobbly scoop of smoked bone marrow), adding other modern takes on traditional West African dishes at will. Even the okra is good.
If you like Ikoyi, you may like...
Scully
Sometimes, a restaurant shakes you out of your small-plates stupor and makes you realise how samey your dining experiences have become. Aside from Morocco and its neighbours, African food is woefully underrepresented in the capital; Ikoyi addresses this gap in the market, but without getting all kitsch on our asses. Prepare for slices of buttermilk-fried plantain that are sweet, smoky and swelteringly hot all at once, pink-hued mutton chops with tamarind-spiced relish, and unbelievably tender chicken in satay-style sesame-seed sauce. Ikoyi? A thrilling one-off (for now…).
Venue says Support Ikoyi through temporary closure and purchase an exclusive gift voucher from their online store. Visit https://ikoyilondon.com/
Parsons
Parsons is reopening on September 1
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re after classic seafood in a cute Covent Garden setting.
What to have: the fabulously fresh daily specials.
If you like Parsons, you may like...
Sea Garden, J Sheekey Atlantic Bar
You know the people behind 10 Cases? That cute Covent Garden wine bar? This is from them. Great wine (obvs) but cracking seafood too. It’s a dinky space, like a cross between a fishmonger and a wine bar (white tiles, finned things on ice, central service bar, a mix of tables high and low). Go for fresh-off-the-day boat grills or a mix of small plates and snacks, like kick-ass cod roe and the fantastic sea trout tartare.
Roka
All Roka locations are now open for bookings.
Price: Blowout
When to go: It’s a popular spot for media schmoozing, but also suited to a special occasion when you don’t mind parting with a fair few pennies.
What to have: The robata-grilled scallops with wasabi cream made it into our 100 Best Dishes in London.
If you like Roka, you may like…
Chotto Matte, Zuma
Zuma’s little sister has no trouble standing up for itself. The glass-fronted façade gives passersby a peek of the chefs at work preparing robata-grilled goodies. Their lamb cutlets with Korean spices rank among the best grilled dishes in London. As well as all things charcoal-cooked, their raw dishes are also worth exploring, like ruby-red tuna sashimi. If you’re in need of a stiff drink, head down to the Shochu Lounge in the basement.
Smokestak
Smokestak is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you and your mates have something to celebrate – even if that something is just a shared love of barbecued meat.
What to have: Haven’t yet tried Smokestak’s signature beef brisket? Prepare yourself for moist, smoky meat heaped into a bun and topped with barbecue sauce, bone-marrow butter and pickled chillies.
If you like Smokestak, you may like…
Temper
Like an A-lister heading towards a public meltdown, this former star of the street food scene loves to smoke and doesn’t give a damn about calorie-counting. That is a very good thing for us food lovers: expect some big, big flavours on your plate, from garlicky mushrooms cooked in bone marrow and served on beef dripping toast, through house-smoked pastrami with pickled cabbage, to sticky toffee pudding with smoke-tinged ice cream. Go hungry – and we mean, ‘haven’t-eaten-for-a-week’ hungry (channel those A-listers…).
Uchi
Uchi is now open for bookings
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you want your dinner to have style as well as substance – this place is someone’s Pinterest board in restaurant form.
What to have: Stand-out veggie dishes include melt-in-the-mouth sweet-miso aubergine, and crunchy broccoli tempura wrapped in black rice and nori.
If you like Uchi, you may like…
Nagoya, Koya Bar
The Japanese are masters of minimalism, and this gorgeous restaurant does the aesthetic of its homeland justice with its serene décor, while squeezing in a few design tropes pinched from the internet (see the homespun specials ‘board’ for more details). The menu, too, is minimalist, with just four cold and three hot main dishes, plus a couple of starters and desserts. Thankfully, the lack of choice is a case of quality over quantity: each mouthful, from thickly sliced, melt-in-the-mouth tuna sashimi to piping-hot, chilli-licked karaage, and succulent charred pork skewers, is deliciously satisfying – and pretty presentation feeds the eyes as well as the stomach.
Santo Remedio
Santo Remedio is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’ve out in a group and you want a step up from tapas.
What to have: Small plates, snacks and sides. But save space for the lamb cutlets, too.
If you like Santo Remedio, you may like…
Breddo’s Tacos, El Asador at Sabor, El Pastor
Forget everything we ever said about the first Santo Remedio. The born-again-version of the Mexican restaurant, now moved from Shoreditch to south of the river (opposite the Unicorn Theatre on Borough’s Tooley St), is an absolute slam-dunk. A homely, gorgeous-to-look-at space, with wonderful staff and terrific cooking, it’s arguably the best Mexican in London. Do not miss the quesadilla or the guacamole. Grasshoppers optional!
Venue says A vibrant Mexican restaurant with an upstairs tequila and mezcal bar, serving authentic regional Mexican cuisine and cocktails.
Core by Clare Smyth
Core by Clare Smyth is now open for bookings.
When to go: When you want a special occasion restaurant in west London that’s not the Ledbury.
What to have: The potato and roe (Smyth is from Northern Ireland: this is her homage). It’s literally a large-ish waxy potato in a puddle of velvety beurre blanc, with lip-smackingly briny trout roe and handmade, fermented-then-fried crisps.
If you like Core by Clare Smyth, you may like…
Da Terra, Hide Above, The Ledbury, Roganic
We love Clare Smyth. Not only was she the first female British chef to hold three Michelin stars (at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where she used to run the show), but she has a sense of humour. Expect potatoes and (posh, handmade, artisanal) crisps on her menus, as a playful nod to her northern Irish roots. But also go in anticipation of stunning, super-technical plates of food – smoke from under dishes, at-the-table-spritzing – from a kitchen with not one but two well-deserved Michelin stars. The room is swish and stylish rather than formal. Staff are polished but genial. One for the super-foodie in your life.
The Wolseley
The Wolseley is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: Breakfast at The Wolseley is arguably the best meal of the day.
What to have: Owner Chris Corbin always orders the pancakes. If they’re good enough for him…
If you like The Wolseley, you may like…
Bellanger
This glamorous European grand café is a London institution that caters to everyone without snobbery. Perhaps this is why not everyone can get a booking, because of the sheer demand. So a date in the lofty, clattering dining room – with its black marble pillars, geometric tiled floor and imposing chandeliers – is a treat indeed. The eclectic all-day menu takes luxury as its unifying theme: breakfasts of pastries, French toast and eggs benedict segue into fruits de mer, caviar-laced omelettes and cream teas later on in the day – all brought to the table by an army of expertly trained staff.
Murano
Murano is now open for bookings.
When to go: When you want to pretend that you’re a grown-up, but still be made to feel welcome.
What to have: Less of the ‘small courses’ than you’d imagine. Two is sufficient for lunch, but three is fine for dinner, especially if you’re on a budget Don’t forget: you’ll get freebies like amuses bouche, bread and petits fours, too.
If you like Murano, you may like…
Locanda Locatelli, Luca, The River Café
For those of you who only know Angela Hartnett off the telly and can’t perhaps fathom how the warm, Essex-accented chef came to own and run an Italian restaurant, you should know that she was taught to cook by her Upminster-based Italian nonna. The food at Murano, which was originally launched by her mentor Gordon Ramsay, but which she bought outright after winning it a Michelin star, is a reflection of her heritage. It carries all the technical skill of her time in some of the capital’s best fine dining spots, but is still, ultimately, food made with love, that you could imagine coming out of a (very fancy) Italian home. The vibe is similar: sure, it’s tasteful and plush (no open kitchen, no loud music, lots of carpet), but it’s not stuffy either. This is partly the food, and partly the staff, who are a lovely, welcoming bunch. This is a place to be spoil or be spoiled. Hats off to Ms Hartnett.
Clipstone
Clipstone is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When your boss is treating your team to a slap-up office lunch, or you’re entertaining your favourite clients.
What to have: Anything offally, from the ox-heart tartare, given zing with cornichons, anchovies and mustard, to the silky, umami-rich calves’ brain meunière. Go on…
If you like Clipstone, you may like…
10 Greek Street, Portland
Restaurateurs Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau have cornered the market for chic, contemporary small-plates outfits in Fitzrovia via Clipstone and its sibling Portland. There’s a lot to like here: the understated, simple dining room lets the food shine, and laid-back service fits with the neighbourhood vibe that prevails despite the central London setting. Snackettes such as steeply priced pork, rabbit and foie gras rillettes are ruinously moreish; each of the main courses will contain at least one ingredient you’ll have to ask about; but you’ll leave feeling you got your money’s worth.
Scott’s
Scott’s is now open for bookings.
Price: Blowout
When to go: When you’ve had the foresight to book weeks ahead for a fabulously fancy fish supper.
What to have: The filleted fish dishes from the main menu are a particular delight.
If you like Scott’s, you may like…
Cornerstone, J Sheekey Atlantic Bar
Some of its younger A-list clients may have migrated to Chiltern Firehouse, and it’s hard not to think about that Charles and Nigella incident, but one thing’s for sure about Scott’s: it’s still one of the finest fish restaurants in this fair town. The setting oozes glamour, from the grand oyster bar (a great place to perch and survey the room), to the impeccably groomed clientele and suave staff. Caviar, lobster and Dover sole may be pitched at the money-to-burn crowd, but there are also humble sardines and deep-fried haddock (complete with mushy peas), plus pretty much every variety of seafood in between.
Rochelle Canteen
Rochelle Canteen is now open for outdoor bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: For a leisurely lunch – bring your own bottle if you want to make it a boozy affair.
What to have: The menu changes daily, but don’t miss out on the brilliant desserts, from sticky date pudding to elderflower jelly.
If you like Rochelle Canteen, you may like…
St John Bread & Wine
Fondly remember sneaking a fag round the back of the school bike sheds? Salubrious Rochelle Canteen has given the old bike sheds of the neighbouring former Victorian school a new raison d’être. The blonde wood tables of the airy dining room are populated by designer, media and arty types all tucking heartily into the seasonal, ingredients-led menu – on hot, sunny days, it’s a first-come, first-served dash to the courtyard garden’s alfresco tables. Whatever the weather, expect simple, characterful dishes – from rabbit terrine or St John-style anchovy toast, to roast quail with aioli, fennel and lentils, and blood-orange mess. Never mind the cigarettes – time to break out the after-dinner cigars. Elsewhere, obvs.
Gunpowder
Gunpowder Tower Bridge and Gunpowder Spitalfields are now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-Range
When to go: When you’re in the mood for spice with a side order of adventure – and not the stomach-churning sort of adventure associated with the curry houses of Brick Lane...
What to have: The vegetarian dishes are show-stealers (who gave broccoli a licence to taste so good?) Also: do not leave without ordering the molten spice chocolate cake with masala chai custard.
If you like Gunpowder, you may like…
Kricket, Hoppers, Tandoor Chop House
Ex-Tamarind chef Nirmal Save has pulled off a real humdinger of a restaurant here: a hip, no reservations, East End Indian that puts the identikit curry canteens of nearby Brick Lane to complete shame by focusing on styled-up home cooking from all over the subcontinent. Cliché-busting pan-Indian dishes all come with a story: the supremely tender, cardamom-scented wild rabbit pulao is filched from an aunt; delicious Kashmiri lamp chops are based on a recipe by Save’s mother-in-law; while the dreamy spiced chocolate fondant with masala chai custard is based on the chocolate chai sold on the streets of Mumbai. Gunpowder: you’ll have a blast.
Sushi Atelier
Sushi Atelier is now open for bookings.
When to go: when it’s just you and a pal – or a date – and you’re after fish, fusion, fashion and fun.
What to have: anything that’s getting the blow-torch treatment. With a side plate of a half-and-half plate of shitake and kinpara gobo (that’s sweet mushroom and spicy burdock root to you, friends).
If you like Sushi Atelier, you may like…
Dinings SW3, Jugemu, Roka
So you want to have a good time? You’re in the right place. Because this sushi joint, from the same crew as top-notch Mayfair spot Chisou, may be bijou (it’s mostly at the counter, plus a sprinkling of tables to the side and a few more downstairs), but it’s also fun. The music is upbeat, the chefs are not just filleting fish, but actually enjoying themselves (and will chat to you as they hand over the dishes). The food has fusion-y, fashion-y touches, but it works. Oh, and there are a lot of blowtorches. Need we say more?
Dean Street Townhouse
Dean Street Townhouse is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you don’t want the food to distract you from the gossip.
What to have: The smoked haddock soufflé is good enough to eat twice.
If you like Dean Street Townhouse, you may like…
Hix
A permanently buzzing hidey-hole for London’s social animals, this grand dame of the Soho scene puts its serious face on during the day. That’s when media types hold meetings and those old enough to know better soothe their hangovers with brunch. And then it plays hard with the best of the rest come clocking-off time. The long bar and polished loucheness of the Georgian-era dining room are great for cocktails and people-watching, while the menu of comfort food – think rib-eye with chips and béarnaise, or Dover sole – is familiar and failsafe. The main draw, however, is being in the thick of it all.
J Sheekey Atlantic Bar
J Sheekey is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive
When to go: To bolster your culture-vulture credentials with a sophisticated pre- or post-theatre supper.
What to have: The signature fish pie or a plateau de fruits de mer – but new additions such as the lobster and shrimp burger are classics in the making.
If you like J Sheekey Atlantic Bar, you may like…
Le Pont de la Tour, Scott's
Despite its recent name change, the Sheekey brand is so well established, and so well known among tourists, that you’d be forgiven for assuming it couldn’t possibly still be maintaining its original high standards. Wrong. At J Sheekey and its neighbouring oyster bar, the kitchen buys the cream of the marine crop and serves it in (mostly) simple styles that do justice to this top-flight produce. The menu in this lovely, capacious bar differs relatively little from that of the main restaurant; both offer convenience (this is the heart of Theatreland, after all) and comfort. You can eat quickly to make your curtain, or dawdle if you wish. A classic.
Hutong
Hutong is now open for bookings.
Price: Blowout
When to go: When you’re planning to splash the cash on a love interest – these heights are romantic.
What to have: The deboned and deep-fried lamb ribs are tender and packed with flavour.
If you like Hutong, you may like…
Hunan
Halfway up The Shard, this glitzy Hong Kong import offers high-end Chinese food with some of the best views of London. The smoulderingly stylish interior, with plenty of dark wood and red lanterns, makes Hutong a sophisticated dining spot for anyone aiming to impress their guests. Dishes are no less showy with the likes of deep-fried soft-shell crabs arriving in a huge bowl of fiery red chillies – the latter purely for decoration. Southwestern and Northern Chinese dishes less commonly seen on London menus are the main attraction, but there are also more familiar dishes such as crispy duck, plus steamed dumplings to choose from on the lunchtime dim sum list.
Venue says £10 off food extended throughout September. Enjoy £10 off food per guest when dining in Aqua Shard, Monday – Wednesday. T&C Apply
Casse-Croûte
Casse-Croûte is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you fancy a French experience of ‘Amélie’-esque proportions.
What to have: A golden oldie such as chicken chasseur.
If you like Casse-Croûte, you may like…
Blanchette, Provender
Ask anyone to list 20 things they’d expect to see in a classic French bistro and chances are you’ll find at least 15 of them at this dinky Gallic charmer, including lettered mirrors, tobacco-coloured walls and a tubby Michelin figurine behind the bar. The restaurant has been full from day one because of its sensible prices, artful grub, elbow-to-elbow bonhomie and peerlessly efficient staff. The chalkboard menu majors in boldly flavoured French hits such as fish soup, steak tartare and boeuf bourguignon, plus plenty of wines by the carafe.
Burger & Lobster Soho
Burger & Lobster Bond Street, Leicester Square, West India Quay, Soho, Mayfair and Knightsbridge are now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you have menu fatigue or need an in-and-out treat.
What to have: The burger is undeniably tasty, but the lobster wins in the value stakes.
If you like Burger & Lobster, you may like…
Patty & Bun
Burger & Lobster wins fans for its simple, high quality and great value offerings of prime burgers, lobsters or lobster rolls, with salad and chips. The bijou Mayfair original was promptly packed out, and its resolutely first come, first served policy saw huge queues forming. So this Soho behemoth was swiftly opened to soak up the lobster-loving overflow. It boasts a huge, lively dining room and lightning-quick service, meaning it easily accommodates bookings and walk-ins alike. Still, queues at peak times are inevitable for spontaneous types. The latest one is in West India Quay.
El Pastor
El Pastor is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: Early: at peak times your wait for a table can top two hours (although two hours spent in a bar with your mates is never time wasted…).
What to have: The quesadilla: less dude food, more el dude food, it’s an open-faced slice of tortilla topped with a mess of meat, melted cheese, coriander and salsa.
If you like El Pastor, you may like…
Breddos Tacos, La Bodega Negra Café & Taquería, Temper
Just when we thought the Hart brothers (the charmers behind Barrafina and Quo Vadis) couldn’t put a foot wrong… Gotcha! Of course their boho taco joint in Borough Market has been a Beatles-level hit. Sam Hart and a music mogul friend/co-owner once ran a club in Mexico City, so the vibe here is party party party, and the menu matches that Latin spirit: the signature taco comes topped with 24-hour marinated pork and cubes of pineapple, the salsas are slap-yourself fresh and there’s a serious mezcal menu to complement the frozen margaritas.
Sea Garden & Grill
Sea Garden & Grill is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re in the mood for seafood in a quirky setting.
What to have: Dinky battered fish and triple cooked chips. But also the veg, particularly anything beginning with ‘Textures of…’. And any kind of panna cotta. Trust us.
If you like Sea Garden & Grill, you may like…
Plot, Parson’s, Wright Brothers Borough Market
Broadway Market just gets better and better. Not only does it have the brilliant Plot, but now there’s this seafood specialist on the same corridor, in the corner spot. As for the food – the seafood small plates are excellent, but there’s more to it than that, including beautiful veg dishes, the odd meat option (also good) and killer puds. Fun fact: that nice man looking after you is probably co-owner Jimmy Luttman, a one-time fireplace fitter who started up Sea Garden with his chef buddy Stacey Clifton. They’ve been pals since nursery. Aww.
Honey & Co
Honey & Co is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When your lunchtime destination needs to feel like a home away from home.
What to have: Plenty of small plates to pick at, plus something sweet – their cakes are too good to pass up.
If you like Honey & Co, you may like…
Palomar, Rovi
If you’re in Fitzrovia, for any reason at all, make a beeline for this little Israeli-run café. The menu is full of homely Middle Eastern dishes alive with colour and texture – think peach and goats’ cheese salad with roasted almonds and orange-blossom dressing, or spiced lamb siniya baked in tahini, wrapped in a pitta and topped with yoghurt and salad. The husband-and-wife team who run the place have impressive credentials as the ex-head-chef at Ottolenghi and executive chef at Nopi. Their idea here is to create dishes inspired by the food they grew up with, everything from what their mums made to the street food of Jerusalem. It’s all made fresh on the premises, and the window is filled with breads, pastries and exotic jams.
Pidgin
Pidgin is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you want inventive cooking with no affectations.
What to have: The menu changes weekly, and you don’t get a choice, but it’s always interesting – from sea trout with delicate elderflower-infused beurre blanc, tart gooseberries, yellow beetroot and chickweed, to desserts based on a Thai-style Pimm’s.
If you like Pidgin, you may like...
Lyle’s, Snaps & Rye
Love supper clubs but can’t be bothered with the restrictive dates and dodgy venues? Then you’ll like Pidgin, one of a growing breed of polished eateries with supper-club souls. The debut restaurant from James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy, one-time hosts of acclaimed supper club The Secret Larder, it’s a super-cute, wonderfully convivial neighbourhood spot with copper-trimmed tables, twigs they’ve gathered from the New Forest on the walls and a seascape-papered loo complete with the sound of crashing thunder overhead. The food, which costs £40 for four courses (and includes bread with ‘burnt’ butter, gooey chocolate truffles and a shot of ‘Pidgincello’ at the end), is terrific.
Kricket
Kricket Brixton and Kricket White City are now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: For a casual first date (or a double date if you want to book). Start things off right with exotic cocktails in the stylish drinking den.
What to have: Where to start? Everything is yummy, but unmissable dishes are the pomegranate-studded kid goat raan and the butter crab, packed with garlic and chilli.
If you like Kricket, you may like…
Hoppers, Talli Joe
This Indian small-plates star has knocked Soho for six since it made the move from Brixton shipping container to bricks and mortar. (There’s now a permanent spot back in Brixton, too). The industrialised decor is familiar: metal ducts and cage lighting dominate the dining room and open kitchen, although softer touches include blush-pink upholstered stools at the shiny L-shaped counter. The concise menu, however, is no such thing: it offers the likes of bone-marrow kulcha flatbreads, samphire pakoras, and tandoori monkfish with coconut chutney, all delivered in sizes perfect for sharing. Over-order at will, with no regrets.
The Shed
The Shed is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you want to show a sceptic how far casual British dining has come.
What to have: The kitchen’s homage to the Viennetta combines dark chocolate, salted caramel and own-made ice cream.
If you like The Shed, you may like…
Rabbit, Social Eating House
The three brothers behind this jolly venue have filled their rustic dining room with tongue-in-cheek farm references such as reclaimed tractor parts, bright portraits of cows and oil drums for tables. However, their intentions are sincere: many ingredients, plus wines, are sourced from the family’s West Sussex farm and vineyard. Start with inventive ‘mouthfuls’ such as hake rillettes, then choose from ‘fast cooking’ or ‘slow cooking’ selections, including the terrific pastry-wrapped beef ‘cigars’, served with the house-made mustard. Each plate has a spring in its step, and smiley staff encourage sharing – you’ll wish it was your local.
Venue says Join The Shed every Tuesday and Wednesday evening and enjoy our Eat Out to Help Out Initiative. 50% off food up to £10 per person.
Chick ’n’ Sours
Chick ’n’ Sours Haggerston is now open for outdoor bookings. Chick ’n’ Sours Seven Dials and Spitalfields reopening TBC.
Price: Affordable
When to go: If your idea of a good meal out involves chair dancing in a disco-leaning dining room while getting messy with peerless fried chicken.
What to have: The Korean-style fried chicken in a bun, topped with crunchy slaw, gochujang mayo and chilli vinegar – paired with a house sour, obviously.
If you like Chick N Sours, you may like…
Meatliquor
Badass chef Carl Clarke has followed up his string of celebrated pop-ups with this good-times diner dedicated to gourmet fried chicken, straight-shooting cocktails and fun. The buzzy dining room, with its dimmed lights, tightly crammed tables and thudding music, is a no-brainer for kicking off a night out in east London – as long as you don’t mind getting your hands dirty. The chicken is marinated in buttermilk before being fried in rapeseed oil; it’s then paired with wonderful, unexpected, Far East flavours or potent dips – bone-marrow barbecue sauce, for instance, or oh-no-they-didn’t blue-cheese and buttermilk dip. You’ll struggle not to dance on the tables. But don’t.
The Begging Bowl
The Begging Bowl is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’re after a street food fix in a contemporary restaurant setting.
What to have: Swerve familiar options such as Thai fishcakes in favour of inventive curries and salads.
If you like The Begging Bowl, you may like…
Som Saa, Smoking Goat
Back in 2012 when The Begging Bowl opened, the phrase ‘street food’ didn’t carry the same cachet. The restaurant was brave and bold not only in experimenting with Thai flavours and styles more often found on the streets, but also in setting up shop in Peckham before the likes of Artusi and Pedler had helped make this part of town the dining destination it is now. But it’s no surprise it’s so ahead of the imitators with chef Jane Alty, who trained under Thai expert David Thompson, at the helm. In Begging Bowl’s bright and beautiful setting, Alty is continually reinventing her repertoire – packing in plenty of research trips to Thailand. So get Thai-ed up with seriously sticky pork belly, lemongrass-heavy charcoal-grilled bream, cutting-edge red curries and nahm prik to blow your head off.
Berber & Q
Berber & Q is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’re with your very best mates and you want to eat, drink and get the party started.
What to have: The cauliflower shawarma (order an extra plate – do it!) and the hummus. For something more meaty, it has to be the smoked pork belly lavished with pomegranate molasses babrecue sauce.
If you like Berber & Q, you may like...
Coal Office
First things first: Berber & Q is not the place if you want a quiet chitchat, or if you’re one of those chronic hand-washers who can’t touch anything sticky. This stripped-back, under-the-arches Haggerston spot (near neighbour to Tonkotsu East) is loud and dark; food comes heaped on sharing trays, and eating with fingers is encouraged. Flavours are Middle Eastern and smoky, but unlike most grill joints, it’s the vegetarian dishes that really shine. The deliciously charred cauliflower shawarma, with its balance of sweetness and smoke, softness and crunch, is mind-blowingly good, but don’t overlook the tahini-slathered, pine nut-strewn hummus either. Team it with a cocktail – we love the Haggerstoned, a citrusy muddle of tequila, green Chartreuse, pistachio syrup and orange bitters. Their Shawarma Bar, on Exmouth Market, is a fittingly epic kebab shop for London’s most gastronomic street.
Oklava
Oklava is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range
When to go: When you’re in the mood for Turkish with a side order of chic.
What to have: The lahmacun – a kind of Turkish flatbread pizza topped with minced lamb, which comes with fresh salad (greens and pickled things) that you put in the middle and roll up, to make the best wrap you’ll have this year.
If you like Oklava, you may like…
The Providores and Tapa Room, The Modern Pantry
Selin Kiazim is what you’d call a slow burner. She spent years at Providores, and later, Kopapa, learning everything there was to know about smart fusion cooking. No-one had heard of her. Then, at last, she quit, embarking on her dream: to open a restaurant of her own before the age of 30. The first thing she did was host a clutch of acclaimed residencies, testing out her Turkish-with-a-twist cooking and building up a cult following along the way: smart cookie. In November 2015, she finally launched Oklava – a tasteful restaurant on the City fringes (more savvy suits than scruffy Shoreditch) where she could finally showcase the likes of monkfish with spiced runner beans or her trademark chilli garlic chicken with a za’atar crumb (aka Turkish fried chicken). Bravo, Ms Kiazim – keep up the good work.
Perilla
Perilla is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive
When to go: When you want food that’s prepared with cutting-edge direction but served in a welcoming and unpretentious setting.
What to have: The astonishing-value set menu – five courses, including the signature cuttlefish bolognese, for a bargainous £38.
If you like Perilla, you may like…
10 Greek Street, Medlar
Stoke Newington has always been strong on locals’ locals, but who knew it could produce something like this destination diner? Perilla’s gently Scandi interiors generate plenty of atmosphere, which is only added to by the friendly, informed service from its down-to-earth team. Add to the mix inventive Modern European dishes – from seaweed bread brushed with lamb fat and topped with kale and avocado, to spanking fresh fish soup zhushed up with blood orange – and you’ve got a neighbourhood restaurant worth travelling to.
Llewelyn's
Llewelyn’s is now open for bookings.
Price: Mid-range.
When to go: When you want all the perks of dining in central London, but without having to actually travel there.
What to have: We loved everything, so you can’t go far wrong. But if the rabbit niçoise salad is on the menu, order it.
If you like Llewelyn’s, you may like…
Portland, Rochelle Canteen
Anyone living within walking distance of this all-day neighbourhood restaurant in Herne Hill is one lucky duck – prepare to smugly namedrop this place into all future restaurant-based conversations. It’s perfect: the interiors are stylish yet unshowy; the drinks list includes extremely well curated wines; and the service is impeccable. Best of all is the hearty European food: from meltingly tender Hereford beef-shin ragu atop creamy polenta to a sexed-up niçoise salad filled with confit rabbit meat, and don’t-stop-me-now desserts.
Trullo
Trullo is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: At lunchtime for the peace and quiet (and a lower spend); at dinner for the buzz, the great wine list, and the cheering flavour of charcoal.
What to have: The pappardelle with beef shin ragù is so famous it had its own Twitter account – and so popular it made the leap onto the menu at sister restaurant Padella.
If you like Trullo, you may like…
Padella, Artusi
This two-floor contemporary Italian is still as frenetically popular with Highbury gourmets as it was when it first opened in 2010 – pity anyone who attempts to get a table here for dinner on spec (they’d have more luck at lunchtime). Trullo is all about simple pleasures – its stripped-back interiors are stylishly unfussy, while the kitchen team takes a back-to-basics approach to the menu. Fresh homemade pasta, rolled just before service, is a must-order – it’s too good to drown in gloopy sauce; instead, its quality is allowed to shine through simple seasonal adornments such as marjoram, golden garlic and parmesan. Elsewhere on the short menu, top-quality cuts of meat and ozone-fresh fish are cooked simply over charcoal and served with rustic sides. Desserts, too, are taken seriously – and are seriously delicious, with tarts a speciality. The wine list boasts an excellent selection of Italian regional wines, including natural and biodynamic options.
Luca
Luca is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive
When to go: When you want upscale Italian comfort food with the cool factor that those Knightsbridge and Mayfair old-timers lack.
What to have: Start with a round of gossamer-light, superbly crisp parmesan fries for the table (and one of Campari sodas).
If you like Luca, you may like…
Bocca di Lupo, Café Murano
For their follow-up to the highly acclaimed Clove Club, Isaac McHale and co have, happily, not succumbed to Difficult Second Album Syndrome. Luca is a looker – all understated glamour with the whisper of money swaying its beautiful drapes – and its concept of ‘British ingredients through an Italian lens’ is a clever continuation of the cooking that made its sibling such a success, without the set menu format. This is fancy but approachable food: bruschetta eschews tomatoes for cream-baked spider crab; pasta is paired with pistachio pesto; and the tiramisu is a game-changing trifle.
Goodman Mayfair
Goodman Mayfair is now open for bookings.
When to go: When only steak will do.
What to have: Steak (obvs), but the burger is absolutely brilliant, too.
If you like Goodman Mayfair, you may like…
Gaucho Picadilly, Mac & Wild, Hawksmoor Seven Dials
Ask any chest-beating alpha male where to get a decent steak and they’ll point you in the direction of a Goodman. This is not just thanks to the fact that its three sites were each cunningly positioned in the three areas of the capital with the best-paid office workers – Mayfair, the City and Canary Wharf – but the sheer fact that the steak here, which is imported from the US but then dry-aged on site, is bona-fide brilliant. But the appeal of this branch goes well beyond food: unlike many restaurants in the area, this dining room is a handsome, atmospheric, unpretentious spot that will make you want to forget about going back to your desk.
Yashin
Yashin is now open for bookings
Price: Blowout
When to go: When you want the real deal without flying to Tokyo.
What to have: This is the place to truly experience omakase – that is, to leave everything in the chef’s (very capable) hands.
If you like Yashin Sushi, you may like…
Sushi Atelier
London may not be lacking high-end sushi restaurants, but Yashin in particular bridges the gap between quality and creativity. As at some sushi bars in Japan, soy sauce and wasabi are not offered for diners to use as they please. Instead, the sushi chef crafts and seasons each piece differently, to bring out certain qualities of every piece of fish or shellfish. A fatty piece of salmon nigiri may be lightly blow-torched to enhance its flavoursome oils, for example, then balanced by cubes of tangy, citrus ponzu jelly.
Sparrow
Sparrow is now open for bookings.
Price: Expensive.
When to go: Unless you live in Lewisham, you’re going to have to organise a pilgrimage here – but it will be well worth your time on the Tube and train.
What to have: You’re spoilt for choice, with not a dud on this varied and inventive menu. Try the malt duck with its papery, fatty skin, and the rustic yet sophisticated green risotto.
If you like Sparrow, you may like…
Levan
Like a mirage shimmering at the side of the A20, Sparrow looks too good to be true. But the restaurant is real, in all its white-walled, aquamarine-tiled, pared-back glory. Step inside and into another world, one in which the kitchen melds expertise honed in big-hitting restaurants, such as Pollen Street Social, with a casual, makeshift vibe. Dishes are as diverse as three styles of duck (malted breast, confit leg and crisp skin) and satay rabbit, but all are thrilling – especially when discovered in SE13.
Copita
Copita is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’re in Soho, feeling spontaneous and with flush friends.
What to have: The house ajo blanco is a creamy, luxurious taste bomb.
If you like Copita, you may like…
Morito
This warm and inviting nook in the heart of Soho manages to be both authentically Spanish and admirably cliché-free (apart from the giant hams dangling from the ceiling). High communal tables, a clattering ambience and rapid-fire service make it a perfect post-work pit-stop – as does the exquisitely considered wine list, which offers nearly everything by the glass and carafe. The menu, inspired by the day’s market, mixes top-notch charcuterie with well-balanced dishes such as cauliflower gratin with manchego and miga, or pork jowl with butterbeans and raisin dressing, all at restrained prices – although, as with most tapas joints, the bill swiftly gathers momentum.
Primeur
Primeur is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: Best when you’re already in the area, but any time if you need a taste of the true south (of Europe).
What to have: The specials of the day. Clams with garlic and parsley, perhaps, lamb leg with flat beans and olives, or turbot with borlotti and bacon.
If you like Primeur, you may like…
40 Maltby Street
A former car garage in a residential part of Highbury, this lovely restaurant is a slick operation hiding behind a practised nonchalant exterior. The menu – scribbled on a piece of A4, hot off the kitchen press – combines the rustic savoir-faire of France and the gastronomic gusto of Italy with the best of British seasonal produce: daily-changing Med-accented dishes range from salt veal with borlotti beans and vibrant green sauce, to spider-crab soup with punchy aioli. The wine list is as much of a draw as the food: from the hundred-bin cellar, staff pick a dozen or so wines for the day’s list, mostly low-intervention, many by the glass.
Gymkhana
Gymkhana is now open for bookings
Price: Expensive
When to go: When you want a kick-ass modern Indian meal in retro Raj-era surrounds.
What to have: Kick off with one of the selection of posh tikkas – the tandoori broccoli, perhaps, or the pricey but delicious stone bass tikka.
If you like Gymkhana, you may like…
Brigadiers, Kutir
Gymkhana models its look on Indian colonial clubs in the days of the Raj. But if the look and feel are retro, co-founder Karam Sethi’s cooking is anything but. Based on regional cuisines from across the subcontinent, the cooking is modern in approach, and the spice can be serious without overwhelming the layers of big and subtle flavours that bring this menu to life. There is even a nice touch of theatricality: Indian punches come in sealed medicine bottles, with an ice-filled silvery goblet on the side.
Ceviche Soho
Ceviche Soho is now open for bookings.
Price: Affordable
When to go: When you’re after a Latin dance party on your palate.
What to have: The Don Ceviche (sea bass chunks in citrus with a scattering of red chilli and soft, diced sweet potato) is the winner in the world of raw fish.
If you like Ceviche, you may like…
Senor Ceviche
There was a flurry of Peruvian openings in London in 2012, but Ceviche – which has since spawned an Old Street offshoot – was the Machu Picchu, towering over several peaks. Showcasing the eponymous dish of citrus-cured fish spiked with chilli, the place serves half a dozen versions of ceviche. But the kitchen knows a lot more than just how to skin and slice a fish – there are also excellent chargrilled meat and fish skewers (anticuchos), crumbly corn cakes and other nibbles on offer. Be sure to sample a pisco sour or two at the bar while you’re there.
Hakkasan
Hakkasan is now open for bookings
Price: Blowout
When to go: With its high price tag, enduringly cool atmosphere and exquisite food, Hakkasan is strictly for the hottest of dates and the most special of occasions (unless you’re the lucky owner of an expense account…)
What to have: Long-standing, budget-blowing signatures are up front and centre on the à la carte and include a delectable version of Peking duck with caviar.
If you like Hakkasan Hanway Place, you may like…
Hutong, Yauatcha
The original and best branch of this high-end Chinese restaurant spawned a global empire – even almost 20 years on it’s easy to see why trendsters from Miami to Mumbai crave a taste of it. Hakkasan’s magic lies in its heady combination of high-octane atmosphere (is that a triple A-lister you spy through the gloom, or an anonymous local hottie?) and wonderfully executed, luxury-laden dishes. If you can afford to go all out, do so. If not, what the hell are you doing here?
St John
St John is now open for bookings
Price: Expensive
When to go: When entertaining serious food lovers.
What to have: Something you’ve never heard of or wouldn’t normally try. It will be great.
If you like St John, you may like…
Pollen Street Social
As ‘British cuisine’ continues to establish its own identity, it becomes clearer how groundbreaking Fergus Henderson’s Smithfield restaurant really was. It’s far from faddy, and St John’s continued commitment to well-sourced, simply cooked traditional food has stood the test of time: it’s still one of the most reliably exciting places to eat in London, 21 years after opening its doors. Forgotten cuts and obscure ingredients grace the twice-daily-changing menu, and despite the reputation for concentrating on meaty things, fish cookery is expert and very serious. While this stripped-down luxe doesn’t come cheap, neither is it as expensive as roughly comparable places. St John remains a model other restaurants aspire to.