Once a hub for raving, rocking and generally letting loose, King’s Cross has undergone something of a makeover in recent years. Like the clubbers that once snuck into its warehouses, it’s grown up a bit, and found a new penchant for house plants.
Among the boutiques, yoga studios and tech hubs are some great places to eat, and plenty of them. From Spanish tapas and bao buns to speed-omakase and luxurious fine-dining, here’s our pick of the best King’s Cross restaurants.
Michael Sinclair
This restaurant within St Pancras Renaissance Hotel has a frankly awe-inspiring interior, with marble columns, custom chandeliers and luxurious leather banquets filling a vast, decadent and high-ceiling space. Let’s just say it lives up to the name. The Midland Grand’s menu is inspired by the room’s origins when it opened as a French restaurant in 1873, and includes a twice-baked goat cheese soufflé and a chicken liver parfait with truffle & madeira jelly. And for fine dining, it’s on the surprisingly more reasonable side, especially if you come for lunch. Either way, make sure you enjoy an apéritif – or a nightcap – at the equally stunning Gothic Bar next door.
Details: St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, London NW1 2AR | Book a table at Midland Grand
Barrafina’s growing empire might seem in danger of becoming a chain, but its eternally high quality will always prevent that. The group’s King’s Cross restaurant takes prime position on the upper level of Coal Drops Yard, the swish development to the left of Granary Square. Bag yourself a seat at the marble-topped bar, order a glass of Cava to whet your appetite, and dive right into the all-Catalonian tapas menu, prepared before your eyes.
Details: Unit 22-24, Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard, London, N1C 4AB | Book a table at Barrafina
Set in a repurposed Victorian building with a roof terrace overlooking the canal, Coal Office is a shrine to design. Specifically Tom Dixon’s extravagant contemporary creations, which are displayed in all their gorgeous weirdness throughout the space. Above the design HQ on the lower floor is where you’ll find the restaurant, where chef Assaf Granit is at the helm serving Middle Eastern flavours in unconventional combinations. Start with a Babylonia Paloma cocktail, order some small plates – the Ashkenazim Done It Better (involving hot smoked trout with beetroot), and the larger Shishlik Tamnon octopus will do you nicely. Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the bread, ideal for gliding through saucy remains.
Details: 2 Bagley Walk, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4PQ |Book a table at Coal Office
Going out to cook your own dinner might not sound like an ideal night out, but Parrillan in Coal Drops Yard is a glorious exception to the rule. From the folk at Barrafina – conveniently located next door – Parrillan is a grill-it-yourself restaurant with a menu of meticulously prepared cuts of meat, fish and veg ready to cook on your own mini grill (parrilla). If that hasn’t fired you up, there are also Spanish nibbles aka para picar and very good rice dishes, which require no grilling. But where’s the fun in that?
Details: Coal Drops Yard, Bagley Walk, N1C 4AB | Book a table at Parrillan
A traditional Taiwanese tea shop hidden among the restaurants of King’s Cross. This midcentury ode to Taiwanese café culture is part of the Bao family, but there’s a strong focus on baked goods (which you can also take away). There are squishable peach-shaped bao stuffed with red bean and white chocolate, and the now iconic Sad Face salted egg-custard buns, which are almost impossible to walk away from. On the savoury side, there’s 40 day-aged beef rice; Taiwanese fried chicken and the classic signature bao stuffed with the likes of braised pork or crumbed daikon.
Details: Unit 2, 4 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG | Book a table at Bao
Supawan is so much more than a purveyor of properly good Pad Thai. Understated though it may appear from the outside, don’t be fooled by its nondescript frontage, because the menu at this frontrunner among London’s Thai restaurants is anything but subtle. All the dishes – from the fully-loaded yum khao tod rice salad to the tongue-tickling chilli-spiced chicken red curry – are rooted in authentic recipes, fine tuned by exec chef Wichet Khongphoon and his all-Thai team.
Details: 38 Caledonian Road, King Cross, N1 9DT | Book a table at Supawan
The late Bill Granger made his name with eggs. The kind of velvety, futon-like folded eggs that will stay with you for a long time. And it’s worth making the pilgrimage to one of his five London restaurants for those alone: but while you’re here, it would be worth checking out the ricotta hotcakes, the sweetcorn fritters, or even – gasp – the lunch and dinner menus, too. His King’s Cross restaurant sits just behind the station, and the smattering of tables outside are a real coup if you can get them.
Details: Stanley Building, 7 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG | Book a table at Granger & Co (brunch & lunch walk-in only)
While perusing a menu can be fun, sometimes you want to dine out without deliberating over your order. Cue Sushi on Jones, an export from New York that’s all about lo-fi, high energy omakase; a Japanese dining experience where the chef chooses your dishes. Unlike traditional omakase, Sushi on Jones operates at double the pace. Guided by head chef Mattia Aranini, buckle up and embark on a 12-piece tasting menu, served in express 45-minute slots. Expect exotic scoops of uni (sea urchin), melt-in-the-mouth wagyu and fresh cuts of fish – all hand-selected on the day.
Details: 11 Goods Way, N1C 4DP |Book a seat at Sushi on Jones
Caravan’s restaurant in King’s Cross doubles as the coffee mogul’s roastery, so a cup of Joe doesn’t get fresher than the one you’ll order here. It’s an all day affair, but brunch is the headline act –choose, if you can, between vanilla pancakes, toast with sunshine-yolked Cacklebean eggs, and chorizo and potato hash, with the option to spill out onto the sun-drenched terrace overlooking the fountains of Granary Square.
Details: 1 Granary Square, N1C 4AA | Book Caravan King’s Cross
A traditional Irani-styled eatery set in a vast Bombay godown warehouse… in King’s Cross. There’s a literal shed-load of antique Indian furniture, a gigantic clock, swathes of geometric tiles and heaps of outdoor dining space. To eat, the menu features all of Dishoom’s greatest hits; deeply-flavoured house black dahl, fragrant chicken ruby curry and of course, breakfast naan rolls loaded with crispy-edged bacon.
Details: 5 Stable Street, N1C 4AB | Book a table at Dishoom
Now that you’ve chosen where to eat… you might like to peruse this guide to the best bars in King’s Cross