London restaurant reviews

Freak Scene Sushi & Robabta is the second branch of the pan-Asian fusion restaurant headed up by ex-Nobu chef Scott Hallsworth (the other is in Parsons Green) and kind of a strange place. But on my visit it was completely packed out – I couldn’t get a reservation for two weeks – so I had an inkling they were doing something right here in Balham. There’s two floors, but they’re very different; upstairs is full of (very) tightly-packed tables, an open kitchen and alarmingly loud rock music, which later on shifted to ’90s RnB. The basement is quieter, more sultry, with thick curtains and just a few tables. Downstairs is much more like an actual omakase restaurant, and would be better for a date. There’s graffiti in the toilet, which feels as though it’s been written on for effect; there’s no way that much could have accumulated in the month or so since opening.   Some things sound gimmicky yet end up delicious, like sushi tacos with truffle ponzu and shallot salsa Staff are great and not over-the-top polite. Normal, chill types who talk to you like human beings. It’s nice. And make sure you go with their recommendations – some things on the menu sound gimmicky yet end up delicious, like sushi tacos with truffle ponzu and shallot salsa, salty, citrusy and full of flavour, served on what is basically an XL pop chip. It works! To start, we washed down edamame (charred and deeply smoky, tossed through butter and sake) with cucumber margaritas. We followed with crab sushi, made with

Despite only opening at the end of last year, The Dover already seems comfortably steeped in its own mythology. Usually it takes a place decades to gain such an alluring cache, but here’s The Dover at 6pm on a Thursday, heaving with heritage rock’n’roll blondes discussing trips to Marrakech and the air that Bianca Jagger might slink in at any moment on the back of a white pony. They even have their own slogan; ‘The Dover, a good place to be since 2023’, which is embossed on their chicer than chic martini mats (to call them beer mats would be deeply inappropriate).  Usually the person behind the opening of a restaurant is less important than who happens to be doing all the hard work in the kitchen, but the fact that The Dover comes from the mind of Martin Kuczmarski – former Chief Operating Office of the Soho House group – actually means a great deal. Here is a man who knows how to craft accessible exclusivity and make everyone who’s outside gagging to be inside.  This is not your average nonna’s kitchen but rather a shimmering space to see and be seen Rather than an Italian Italian, The Dover is a self-styled ‘New York Italian’ that’s more Nolita than Naples. This is not your average nonna’s kitchen but rather a shimmering space to see and be seen, with gorgeous walnut wood walls that seem lifted directly from a 1930s cruise liner and a row of discreet corner booths that line the way from the bar to the raised dining room at the back of the restaurant. The little touches are

Despite being situated right across from the Piazza, Notto Covent Garden is bright, airy and calm. You enter through the bar, where staff wait to welcome you into the solace of the dining area. The menu is refreshingly simple but satisfying, as is the wine list. To start we tucked into a silky burrata seasoned with blood oranges and chilli, our server recommended mopping it up with a wedge of salty and warm rosemary and tomato focaccia so we did just that. The salad of baby violet artichokes and rocket leaves with parmesan and lemon dressing was tender and refreshing. Helpings were generous, especially the focaccia which made mopping up all those glorious oils and dressings nice and easy. A chilled glass of Prosecco Spumante was a delicious light accompaniment. Ravioli of osso bucco with saffron butter, chive oil and parmesan was the jewel in the crown The restaurant recommends sharing three pasta dishes between two people. We chose ravioli of ricotta and pecorino with morels and thyme, which sounded like delicate flavours yet was anything but, with a definite mushroom punch. Spaghettini with langoustine bisque, white Dorset crab, lemon zest and basil was pleasant, although the bisque lacked in flavour and the crab meat was sparse. Last but definitely not least, ravioli of osso bucco with saffron butter, chive oil and parmesan – the jewel in the crown. The butter was rich but moreish and would rival offerings from the likes of Bancone and Padella. Overall, Notto is a welcome

Good Mexican food in London is famously hard to come by. Mainly because Mexico is actually quite far from the Big Smoke, and compared to the likes of New York and LA we don’t have a huge Latinx population here. And yet, people (particularly Americans) still love to complain about it. So, moaners, we’re pleased to say that things could be changing. Mexican cuisine in the city is on the up, and joints like Taquiza are helping it on its way.  Taquiza has a bit of a ramshackle feel to it. There are exposed MDF boards, and the ceiling has a visible black curtain stapled across it, a bit like being backstage at a jaunty community theatre. This is down to the fact that the space doubles up as The Carpet Shop, one of London’s best new(ish) clubs, opened by the people behind the always-excellent Corsica Studios. It’s a fun concept! On a Friday night Taquiza was lively, but managed to remain cosy. Pisco sours and spicy margs were flowing and drinking them was a young and suitably fashionable, but not pretentious, crowd.  Our faces and hands were covered with various sauces and mayos – the messy sign of a meal truly enjoyed As for the food, they aren’t shy when it comes to portion sizes. We kicked things off with a trio of starters para compartir. Smoky refried black beans with the gooeyest island of queso fundido – hello cheese pull – and grilled elote (corn on the cob) with a cool burnt onion sour cream were firm favourites. A wonderful tuna tostada came piled high with crisp avocado

The concept of a ‘wood-fired’ London restaurant might not elicit the same reverential ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ as it did a decade ago; such an elemental technique is now commonplace, with the ash-licked likes of Lagom, Acme Fire Club and Eksted at the Yard all dishing up scran straight from the coals. Not to mention Dalston and Green Lanes’ many Turkish mangals, where flames and meat have long lived in scorchingly close quarters.  We can’t help but think it’s for the best. Humping a massive hunk of wood into the kitchen no longer means a restaurant is instantly seen as host to a sort of edible Tough Mudder, where the bigger the fire – and the spicier and meatier the menu – the more boorishly blokey the clientele. Wood-firing the Mayfair way is methodical and calculated, with just a dash of dark ages energy Humo (‘smoke’ in Spanish) received its first Michelin star at the start of 2024, a little over a year since Colombian-born chef Miller Prada – who was sous chef at Endo at the Rotunda – opened the restaurant down a Mayfair backstreet. Of course, Mayfair backstreets are no less grand than Mayfair mainstreets, but any protege of sushi god Endo Kazutoshi is unlikely to set up shop in the far-flung likes of Tooting or Tottenham just yet.  Wood-firing the Mayfair way is methodical and calculated, with just a dash of dark ages energy; if you’re sitting at the counter seats you’ll be confronted head on with fish smoking over the four-metre-long grill, bringing back vivid memories of sch

This energetically gaudy and unapologetically OTT pasta place within Soho’s Ilona Rose House development could be seen as the antidote to our city’s dispiriting predilection for anaemic, self-consciously cool small plate restaurants. Daroco is a big fun room full of mirrors, weird lights and massive plates of Italian food. And you know what? It works.  Channelling the vibe exuded by lots of c.2003 Manhattan restaurants visited by Carrie Bradshaw and her mates in ‘Sex in the City’, Daroco is an outrageous spot, perfect for anyone who wants a big, dumb fun night out or messy lunch. When we visited the best bites were actually found in the antipasti and aperitivo section of the splashy menu. The montanarine fritti were sort of Pizza Express dough balls, dressed to the nines in steamed porchetta and stuffed with gorgonzola. Likewise the trio of arancini, filled with leek and sausage, topped with pecorino, deserved to be considered strong title contenders in the London Arancini Ball Premier League.  Was the pasta exceptional pasta? Not really, but the restaurant’s pizza oven is embossed with hundreds of shining blue butterflies! So, swings and roundabouts. Daroco sets itself out to be a good time, a multicoloured, velour-textured limoncello kiki right in the middle of tourist town. With sourdough pizzas that could easily go toe-to-doughy toe with most of London’s most-hyped pies, Daroco just might be the perfect birthday party location for the overgrown child in your life. The vib

Claiming to be the 'the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant', Chuku's first bricks and mortar site in Tottenham follows successful pop-ups in the capital and a crowdfunder campaign which bagged more than £30,000 in 30 days. Run by brother-and-sister duo Emeka and Ifeyinwa, expect London-inspired twists on classic Nigerian dishes, from jollof quinoa to plantain waffles. Weekend brunch is a serious vibe, and Beyonce is also a fan, giving them a slice of her BeyGood Foundation grant, which pledged $1m to businesses close to the venues she played on her 2023 world tour. 

Sometimes, almost everything about a restaurant works. Josephine is that restaurant – so pitch perfect and so on brand that it could be a movie set – preferably one with Catherine Deneuve flitting about while sweetly sloshing vino. Josephine is pretty and cute, but maintains an edge of robust Gallic urgency; all is in its right place, from the starched white tablecloths to the burgundy leather banquettes, elegant taper candles and walls plastered with far too many Toulouse Lautrec-esque prints. If Disneyland were to craft a ‘wine-sodden French bistro’ this would be the blueprint. If we could change anything? We’d simply get it the hell out of Fulham. We’re only a few months into 2024, but Josephine’s owner and founder Claude Bosi is already having quite the year. Brooklands, the storied chef’s very pricey and peculiarly Concorde-themed restaurant at the equally pricey Peninsula hotel – was just awarded two Michelin stars, despite only opening at the end of 2023. Josephine then, is his second new restaurant in six months, and you’ll find it 15-minutes walk away from Bibendum, his other two-star Michelin restaurant. There’s also the lavish Socca which he opened a year ago in Mayfair. When, we ask, does the man sit down? Flavours are as full-bodied as a ruddy-faced Serge Gainsbourg after a Syrah binge In comparison to the others, Bossi’s latest opening is low key. It’s a small – perhaps too small, going by the way I have to shift our tightly packed two-top table and almost wipe

From the same minds who brought you Ducksoup in Soho and Little Duck The Picklery in Dalston comes a new venture with its sights set on France. Camille is unassuming at first, with classic French dishes using local British produce (you’re in Borough Market, after all), lots of wine and a packed chalkboard of daily specials. But once you’re a course or two in, windows steamy with condensation and a few glasses deep – perhaps fighting the temptation to run your finger over those last drops of sauce – you might as well be on a backstreet of Montmartre as opposed to Southwark. The interiors are rustic, but not gaudy; bottles are displayed on the walls, candles dot the tables and the whole place hums with a just-loud-enough bustle. And the food? It delivers. We started with oysters and rhubarb (very fresh), before the smaller starter plates arrived: zesty shredded crab toast with garlic and bisque and gorgeously tender pig’s head schnitzel with a crunchy, bitter puntarelle salad. You might as well be on a backstreet of Montmartre as opposed to Southwark A highlight was the Jerusalem artichoke with serious bite, all disguised in a joyous, fluffy cloud of Lincolnshire poacher cheese. When it comes to mains, prepare yourself for some serious meat damage. The langoustine cassoulet – a stew of flesh in a deep, rich trad sauce – was topped with two delicate but disappointingly slim pink morsels. The pork special was on the dryer side, but saved by a swimming pool of velvety shallot a

Good restaurants are easy to describe. The food is served at the right temperature. Staff don’t roll their eyes when you ask what a ‘boquerone’ is. Ordering wine by the bottle doesn’t necessitate a remortgage. All of these things suggest a place is decent, and can be articulated plainly with words and pictures. Great restaurants, however, are harder to describe. With greatness ‘quality’ is a given. There has to be some other ineffable presence that remains constant day in, day out. We love great restaurants for reasons that are illogical, personal and elusive. Trullo is a great restaurant. There are days when I think it might be the greatest. Trullo’s reputation is built on consistently excellent food and its expertly calibrated atmosphere The Highbury trattoria hasn’t got any flashy gimmicks or TikTok-friendly marketing ploys. Its upstairs and downstairs dining rooms have no obvious ‘features’ (although by this point its net half-curtains are at risk of becoming iconic), and the well-trained staff aren’t heavy-handed or dressed in corduroy workwear. Instead, Trullo’s reputation is built on consistently excellent food and its expertly calibrated atmosphere, neither of which have slipped an iota in the restaurant’s 13 year history. Bravissimo, lads.  Trullo isn’t all about the pasta, but at the same time it is all about the pasta. The primi section of the menu is a stockpile of reasonably priced, culinary WMDs. On our most recent visit we forewent their legendary beef shin ra