Like a faithful sheepdog with a strangely specific nose for good cooking, interiors and atmosphere, we’ve dutifully rounded up the best restaurants in every neighbourhood in London.
For there are many great places to eat in this city, but sometimes what you need is that go-to restaurant so that you know where to head irrespective of where you find yourself in London.
Naturally, listing just one restaurant per neighbourhood means that we’ve had to leave out large numbers of amazing London restaurants… and that hurts. So in some instances – mainly just to soften the blow in the event of our #1 choice being full – we’ve listed one or two alternative options for you to consider.
We’ve also dropped in the odd suggestion for amazing cocktail bars near our chosen restaurants, to help you choose a location for pre- and / or post-dinner drinks.
Enjoy.
JUMP TO: EAST | SOUTH | WEST | NORTH
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN CENTRAL LONDON
Soho | The Palomar
Just as we were starting to feel that The Palomar’s unstinting reign at the top of this list should perhaps be brought to a close to give Soho’s other restaurants a look in, the team (Zoë and Layo Paskin) go and decide to give the place a top-to-bottom refurb. Meaning that there’s now an even longer dining counter where you can overlook the chefs assiduously preparing Jewish-Spanish-North-African dishes like wild seabass tartare and silky hummus; and even bigger tables at the back where you can now book for up to 10.
Details: 34 Rupert Street, W1D 6DN | Book The Palomar
Our favourite bar nearby: Soma, a sleek speakeasy serving cocktails with a hit of Indian flavour.
OTHER AMAZING RESTAURANTS IN SOHO – It’s London’s restaurant epicentre, so there’s a lot. But Speedboat Bar, Rita’s and the veg-led Bubala are all strong contenders. See all our favourite Soho restaurants
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Marylebone | Kol
Hdg photography (Laura Lajh)
When René Redzepi decided to open a pop up of Noma in Mexico back in 2017, he chose Santiago Lastra to help run things. The man is an unbelievably good chef. And now he runs his own Michelin-starred restaurant in London, where you can score langoustine & smoked chilli tacos; whole grilled octopus with bone marrow; and roe deer & pumpkin tzic – sat at the chef’s table with Santiago himself, if you so choose – before sliding downstairs to the basement mezcaleria.
Details: 9 Seymour Street, Marylebone, W1H 5BT | Book Kol
Our favourite bar nearby: Continue the Mexican theme, and slip into El Bar De Cavita
See all our favourite Marylebone restaurants
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Fitzrovia | Carousel
Ok, so this one is cheating. Slightly. Technically, it’s not one of Fitzrovia’s best restaurants… it’s an infinite number. See, the whole concept at this Charlotte Street spot is to invite some of the world’s finest chefs in for week-long residencies, so you could come here 50 times a year and never eat the same thing twice. They invite everyone from Michelin starred veterans to experimental young prodigies – the only criterion being that they’re f*cking amazing. Naturally, a tasting menu with a world-class chef usually comes with a heavy price tag, but if you’re just in the mood for some quality small plates, drop into the wine bar round the front for a more relaxed, seasonal offering from Carousel co-founder & chef Ollie Templeton.
Details: 19-23 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 1RL | Book Carousel
Our favourite bar nearby: Bourne & Hollingsworth for cocktails in a teeny tiny den, or Artesian for total opulence
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Bloomsbury | Master Wei
They’re not overplaying the ‘master’ thing, seriously. This is the first solo London eatery from Guirong Wei, who at one point was the only female head chef in her home city of Xi’an (before she came to London to head up Xi’an Impression). And it’s here that you’ll find the finest biang biang noodles in the city – lovely, chilli-slathered strands wrapped around pork, tomato and egg, and served up with a thirst-quenching Chinese plum juice.
Details: 13 Cosmo Place, WC1N 3AP | Book Master Wei
Our favourite bar nearby: The Bloomsbury Club Bar, a fairy-lit den with Ancient Egyptian cocktails.
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Holborn | Ikoyi
In a gracious move (which, incidentally, has given them a lot more space), the folks at Ikoyi have recently transplanted their entire Michelin-starred, critically acclaimed restaurant from restaurant-saturated Mayfair to the Strand (and isn’t that really, in a way, basically Holborn?). Their new digs are gorgeously copper hued, with hand-thrown crockery and curving armchairs that envelop you as you tuck into tasting menus of adventurous cooking that combines influences from around the globe, with an emphasis on African spices and techniques.
Details: 180 Strand, Strand, WC2R 1EA | Book Ikoyi
Our favourite bar nearby: Venture towards Covent Garden and drop into NoMad’s Side Hustle.
OTHER AMAZING RESTAURANTS IN HOLBORN – Ah, yes, you’ve probably just seen the tasting menu price. And once you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor, you can make a less wallet-torturing booking at Holborn Dining Room.
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Covent Garden | Parsons
It’s not easy for a restaurant in one of the busiest parts of London to feel ‘neighbourhood-y’. But with space for just a handful of diners in what feels like an old Victorian fishmongers, Parsons fits the bill. Head here for daily specials sourced fresh from the boat, plus a generous wine list offered by the glass – unsurprising, since the team also run The 10 Cases across the street.
Details: 39 Endell Street, WC2H 9BA | Book Parsons
Our favourite bar nearby:Baudry Greene, a relaxed wine & aperitivo bar from the same team. They’re not paying us, honestly.
OTHER AMAZING RESTAURANTS IN COVENT GARDEN – The secretive, tasting-menu only Kebab Queen and the elegant dining room that is Cora Pearl. Oh, and The Barbary, obviously – but we couldn’t have that AND The Palomar. See our pick of the Best Restaurants in Covent Garden here.
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Mayfair | HUMO
HUMO offers live-fire cooking given a fine dining spin. And if that sounds extraordinarily hard to pull off, you’d be right. Chef Miller Prada tames the flames with the skill of a snake charmer, using fire, smoke and embers in creative, subtle ways to conjure a parade of dishes from the grill. Try a scallop seared on a hunk of reclaimed whisky barrel, or cauliflower softened in the ashes of the fire. Even the cocktails can’t escape a lick of flame, and the wine pairings here are some of the most surprising and interesting we’ve come across. If you really want to push the boat out, book in to the basement chef’s table, Abajo.
Details: 12 St George St, London W1S 2FB | Book HUMO
Our favourite bar nearby: The Connaught Bar, ranked Best Bar in the World twice in a row.
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN EAST LONDON
Shoreditch | Rochelle Canteen
Rochelle Canteen is one of those places that’s difficult to get into. Not because of a starry A-list clientele, or a booking system that fills up months in advance… but because it’s housed in an old school bike shed, tucked away behind a door in a garden wall. The Modern British food befits the garden setting, with playful inventions like grilled pork with dandelion, nettle arancini and apricot sorbet with vodka featuring on a regularly changing menu from culinary legends Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson.
Details: 16 Playground Gardens, E2 7FA | Book Rochelle Canteen
Our favourite bar nearby: Seed Library, a low-lit, brutalist basement bar from cocktail whizz Mr. Lyan.
OTHER AMAZING RESTAURANTS IN SHOREDITCH – Brat, the smoke-filled Michelin star dining room opened by former Kitty Fisher’s head chef Tomos Parry, Manteca for nose-to-tail Italian – aaand all these other excellent restaurants in Shoreditch.
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Dalston | ACME Fire Cult
ACME Fire Cult worships the grill. Chef Andrew Clarke’s showstopping BBQ spot is parked right by 40ft Brewery (which has the fortunate side-effect that a lot of beer makes it into the recipes). And surprisingly, it’s not just slabs of meat making their way onto the rack – although the Tamworth pork chop is something to behold – vegetables are given the spotlight with dishes like aubergine steak with sourdough mole, coal-roasted celeriac and delicious smoked potatoes with tahini mayo.
Details: The Bootyard, Abbot Street, London E8 3DP | Book ACME
Our favourite bar nearby: Three Sheets, a no-frills cocktail bar with award-winning drinks.
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Hoxton | Morito
Remember when no-one cared about nostalgia? Those were the days. Like back in 1997, when Moro first opened and everything was all-new: like their fresh style of North African & Spanish Moorish tapas, or their then-innovative, stripped-back space with countertop dining and a wood-fired grill. Well two decades later they opened a new place, Morito on Hackney Road. And it’s amazing.
Details: 195 Hackney Road, Hackney, East London, E2 8JL | Book Morito
Our favourite bar nearby: Sager + Wilde, one of London’s best wine bars.
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN HOXTON – On a Sunday, there’s really nowhere else you should be than enjoying a roast with the Sunday papers at The Marksman.
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Haggerston | Berber & Q
Steven Joyce
Perched inside an old railway cavern in Haggerston, this exposed-brick, industrially-styled space sees some pretty unusual fusion cuisine plated up on its wooden tables: Middle Eastern and North African recipes, cooked using American BBQ techniques. Which, if you’re wondering, takes the form of dishes like smoked pork belly with pomegranate molasses BBQ sauce, harissa hot wings, and dirty-fried mejadrah (a type of sweet rice) with sumac onions and barberries. You won’t find better Middle Eastern BBQ in town, trust us.
Details: Arch 338 Acton Mews, Haggerston, E8 4EA | Book Berber & Q
Our favourite bar nearby: Brilliant Corners, one of London’s best bars with live music
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Clerkenwell | St John
Despite fierce competition from the hyper-trendy Sessions Arts Club, our loyalty remains with St. John – a pioneering eatery and probably the best value Michelin Star in the city. Reasonably priced, and changing daily, the menu is famed for its nose-to-tail philosophy, but in addition to alternative cuts of meat, you’ll find the likes of cured sea trout served with cucumber and dill; langoustines; poached rabbit; and freshly-baked madeleines (which can, and should, be ordered by the dozen).
Details: 26 St. John Street, Smithfield, EC1M 4AY | Book St John
Our favourite bar nearby: Mosey up to The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell.
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Farringdon | Quality Chop House
Behold a place that totally lives up to its name.
A 19th-century working man’s eating house revamped as a Modern British dining room, The Quality Chop House has been feeding the residents of Farringdon, and those from a little further afield, since 1896. And it was all getting a little ‘meh’, until 2012 when the grade-II listed dining room was taken over by new owners, who overhauled the menu, the service… and added cushions to the wooden benches. Which was nice.
Details: 88-94 Farringdon Road, The City, EC1R 3EA | Book Quality Chop House
Our favourite bar nearby: Quality Wines, the neighbouring wine bar with a food menu equally worth investigating.
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Bethnal Green | Rogues
It’s a beautifully intimate restaurant built lovingly from scratch by two former Galvin La Chapelle chefs, combining relaxed, cosy interiors with a mouthwatering menu of globe-trotting small plates scrawled on a blackboard menu and a short, elegant list of natural wines and classic cocktails. No gimmicks; just an all-round wonderful experience. Pretty rogue.
Details: 460 Hackney Road, E2 9EG | Book Rogues
Our favourite bar nearby: The equally excellent and unfussy Satan’s Whiskers
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN BETHNAL GREEN – The stripped-back, airy space serving up a daily menu of beautifully seasonal European fare that is Brawn.
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Hackney Wick | Barge East
A 114 year old Dutch cargo barge moored up on the Hackney riviera, serving small plates of such impressive elegance, you’d never think they were being assembled in a kitchen the size of a captain’s cabin.
Details: Sweetwater Mooring, River Lee, White Post Lane, E9 5EN | Book Barge East
Our favourite bar nearby: Grow, for canal-side live jazz
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Stoke Newington | Perilla
Perilla is an “anti-fine dining fine dining restaurant”. And as it turns out, hypocrisy tastes delicious. More specifically, it tastes like seaweed bread brushed with roasted lamb fat, roast kale with cod roe, and cuttlefish bolognese; complimented by a concise yet worldly wine list, simple, flower-laden tables, and a strongly botanical cocktail menu.
Details: 1-3 Green Lanes, Newington Green, N16 9BS | Book Perilla
Our favourite bar nearby: The Lady Mildmay, a proper local with an excellent beer garden
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Clapton | Mambow
Abby Lee’s Malaysian restaurant & wine bar has been phenomenally popular since opening in 2023, which might have something to do with her unique background both in a family-run Malaysian bakery and a Michelin-starred eatery in Italy. The menu here is distinctive, creative, and will keep you coming back to try everything from the tamarind skate wing to the comforting yellow jackfruit curry with coconut pandan rice.
Details: 78 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0RN | Book Mambow
Our favourite bar nearby: May you live in interesting wines at 107 Wine Bar
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Spitalfields | Bubala
After years of sold-out supperclubs and pop-ups, the dream team behind Bubala – Berber & Q‘s Marc Summers and former Palomar chef Helen Graham – finally went permanent. Helen’s since moved on to focus on other projects, but this Spitalfields restaurant still scores 10 on every front – rustic, welcoming atmosphere; thirst-quenching wines and cocktails; and an absolutely knock-out menu of Middle Eastern vegetarian dishes.
Details: 65 Commercial Street, E1 6BD | Book Bubala
Our favourite bar nearby: Discount Suit Company, serving creative cocktails in an old tailor’s basement.
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN SOUTH LONDON
London Bridge | Kolae
Almost a year after opening, Kolae remains one of London’s hottest restaurants. Must be something to do with the liberal amount of spice they throw into every dish. The sophomore restaurant for the Som Saa team, this is Thai cooking at its finest: fierce heat imbuing dishes with punch and flavour, while the cooling balance of traditional ‘kolae’ dishes (marinated in coconut and scorched over a grill) provides some light relief. On top of that, the cocktails are fantastic, and the setting – a revamped coach house round the corner from Borough Market – is a date night slam dunk.
Details: 6 Park Street, SE1 9AB | Book Kolae
Our favourite bar nearby: Swift Borough, a South London outpost of the award-winning cocktail bars in Soho & Shoreditch
OTHER AMAZING RESTAURANTS IN LONDON BRIDGE – And yes, we get the whole “is this London Bridge, Borough or Bermondsey?” conversation… but these places are basically our favourites “in and around London Bridge station”. So there’s the amazingly cute and delicious Casse-Croute on Bermondsey Street; Portuguese small plates at Bar Douro; and the ultimate “date to impress” spot, with panoramic views of London, that is Aqua Shard. Find a full list of our favourite London Bridge restaurants here.
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Peckham | Kudu
Kudu’s won itself a legion of fans since opening in 2018, scoring a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a matter of months. In a rose-tinted, bare plaster-walled Peckham dining room, a former Paradise Garage chef plates up luxurious and beautiful South African-inspired dishes with foraged ingredients. Expect numbers like pig’s head tortellini with mushroom and hay broth, and chicken parfait with leek ash cracker – plus Boerewors sausage with romesco for brunch.
Details: 119 Queens Road, SE15 2EZ | Book Kudu
Our favourite bar nearby: Unusual wines at Peckham Cellars
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Tower Bridge | Legare
A tiny little pastel-hued enclave tucked at the bottom of a Victorian spice warehouse. Legare is the product of a Barrafina General Manager and a Trullo sous-chef, and it shows – with fresh pasta made daily on site, a superb Italian wine list to wash it all down, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand for their troubles.
Details: Cardamom Building, 31G Shad Thames, SE1 2YB | Book Legare
Our favourite bar nearby: Nine Lives, a sustainably-minded cocktail den with low lighting and a shuffleboard table.
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Battersea | Sinabro
Yoann and Sujin met while working at the Michelin starred La Table de Joël Robuchon in Paris, and can now be found running their very own restaurant in Battersea. He puts together dishes that reference their links to French, Korean and British cuisine; she knocks it out the park with an exceptional wine list. And you can take it all in from a seat up at their oak dining counter, hand-carved by Yoann’s father.
Details: 27 Battersea Rise, Battersea, SW11 1HG | Book Sinabro
Our favourite bar nearby: Humble Grape Battersea
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Pimlico | La Poule Au Pot
This little French restaurant makes the word ‘quaint’ seem like a quaint understatement. It’s cosy, wood-filled, romantic, wicker-laden, and a tiny bit elegant to boot. And the food is, similarly, delightfully French with coq au vin, escargots, bouillabaisse, and poule au pot (chicken in a pot). It’s glorious.
Details: 231 Ebury Street, SW1W 8UT | Book La Poule au Pot
Our favourite bar nearby: Amie wine studio
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Clapham | Sorella
This Amalfi-inspired Italian comes to you from Robin Gill, the lauded chef behind Darby’s and The Dairy. A few years ago he stripped out the interior of his previous restaurant, The Manor, and filled the kitchen with gelato makers, pasta machines and bread ovens to create a classic neighbourhood eatery… and we’re very glad he did.
Details: 148 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6BX | Book Sorella
Our favourite bar nearby: WC, a wine & charcuterie bar in a former public convenience.
See all our favourite Clapham restaurants
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Brixton | Naughty Piglets
With relaxed counter dining, a menu scrawled on a blackboard and very little by way of décor beyond a couple of ornamental pigs, this unpretentious spot is a haven of good cooking and even better wine. After years of offering crowd-pleasing French dishes, Naughty Piglets recently pivoted to a chef residency model – meaning you can sample the cooking of the city’s finest cooks who are on the cusp of getting their own place, and hitting the big time.
Details: 28 Brixton Water Lane, SW2 1PE | Book Naughty Piglets
Our favourite bar nearby: Head back into Brixton’s centre for a glass at Bottle + Rye
See all our favourite Brixton restaurants
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Wimbledon | The Black Lamb
The Black Lamb is the sixth restaurant from the Gladwin Brothers – and no, it’s not the black sheep of the family. Like its siblings, it’s a relaxed modern bistro that draws ingredients fresh from the family farm in Sussex, and whips them into dishes like mushroom marmite eclairs with confit egg, and pork belly with black pudding and marjoram salsa. It’s everything you could want from a neighbourhood restaurant, and more.
Details: 67 High St, London SW19 5EE | Book The Black Lamb
Our favourite bar nearby: It’s right next to two of our favourite Wimbledon pubs.
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Vauxhall | Brunswick House
Despite being one of the city’s most beautiful restaurants, Brunswick House shouldn’t just be reserved for special occasions. The elegant modern British menu put together by Orasay’s Jackson Boxer is the stuff dreams are made of: grilled potato bread with green garlic butter to start; raw dexter beef with smoked bone marrow for mains and spiced pumpkin parfait with treacle to finish. There’s a gorgeous, leafy terrace out the front for good days, and a cellar bar below (often with live music) for even better nights. And if you are visiting for a special occasion, well, the antique-stuffed private dining rooms upstairs provide the perfect setting for that, too.
Details: 30 Wandsworth Rd, London SW8 2LG | Book Brunswick House
Our favourite bar nearby: Live jazz and reasonably priced negronis at Cable Café Bar.
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Balham | Milk
This bright, breezy, brilliant little cafe space is famous for serving some of London’s best brunches. Head down for crispy sweetcorn fritters with kasundi and avo; baked eggs with roasted butternut squash or panko fried red snapper sandwiched between shokupan milk bread… and be prepared to queue.
Details: 18-20 Bedford Hill, SW12 9RG | Walk-ins only
Our favourite bar nearby: henny’s, for a glass of wine in a stylish setting.
ANOTHER GREAT RESTAURANT IN BALHAM: Ok, so a brunch restaurant isn’t always what you’re looking for. And in that case, you’ll want to swing by Burning Rose for amazing Thai.
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Deptford | Marcella
Cousin to the equally amazing Artusi in Peckham, Marcella offers simple Italian food done really, really well. Seasonal ingredients lead the direction of the menu, forming their signature fried artichoke with aioli; fresh pasta; hearty mains such as grilled squid with Iberico tomato and courgette; and elegant desserts like apple and gin sorbet.
Details: 165a Deptford High Street, London SE8 3NU | Book Marcella
Our favourite bar nearby: The delightfully kitschy Little Nan’s Bar.
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Camberwell | The Camberwell Arms
Camberwell is rapidly becoming a neighbourhood where you can eat well, too. And that’s thanks to longstanding institutions like the great-value Silk Road, the buzzy new counter spot at The Bear, and The Camberwell Arms, which just wins out thanks to its chameleon-like ability to suit any occasion. Drop by for a drink and a couple of bar snacks with high aspirations; settle in for a grown-up dinner of elegant gastro fare and trad British puds; or hire out the private dining room for the most stylish of birthday feasts.
Details: 65 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8TR | Book The Camberwell Arms
Our favourite bar nearby: Mamma Funki
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Elephant & Castle | Paladar
A critically acclaimed Latin American restaurant run by a passionate team who are enthusiastic about what they do, and will take you along for the ride. Chef Jose Rubio-Guevara puts together a menu of dishes like Nikkei salmon ceviche, grilled ox tongue on blue corn tortillas, and an exemplary cochinita pibil – and you can enjoy it all as a great value set lunch or a fancy, wine-paired tasting menu depending on how far away payday is.
Details: 4-5 London Rd, London SE1 6JZ | Book Paladar
Our favourite bar nearby: Diogenes The Dog, home to hundreds of little-known wines
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN WEST LONDON
Shepherd’s Bush | Endo at the Rotunda
The redevelopment of the old BBC Television Centre was the dining equivalent of Westfield opening in Shepherd’s Bush, bringing a rush of new restaurants to the area. On the ground floor, Kricket White City offers up a mash-up menu of British and Indian that’s a hit any night of the week, but the absolute stand-out is Endo at the Rotunda. Brought to you by third-generation sushi master Endo Kazutoshi, both the decor and 8th floor views give you the impression of dining in the clouds. And as one of London’s best sushi restaurants, the exquisite Michelin-starred tasting menus are, fittingly, heavenly.
NOTE: Endo at the Rotunda reopens after a refurb on 17th September.
Details: 8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London W12 7FR | Book Endo at the Rotunda
Our favourite bar nearby: The rooftop bar at The Broadcaster really elevates pub drinking.
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Notting Hill | Akub
Fadi Kattan’s Akub is a palace of Palestinian cooking, with welcoming, homely interiors; thoughtful service; and a menu that sings of his home country. Everything’s designed to share, which should go some way to relieving the decision paralysis that will grip you as you read the menu: the monkfish cured in arak, or the slow-cooked fava beans humming with garlic? Spiced squash dumplings or chilli-loaded langoustines? Order it all – with a zaatar martini on the side – and consider it a culinary education.
Details: 27 Uxbridge Street, W8 7TQ | Book Akub
Our favourite bar nearby: Viajante87, a stylish subterranean agaveria
See all our favourite Notting Hill restaurants
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN NOTTING HILL – Core by Clare Smyth, the debut solo restaurant from the magnificent chef who maintained Restaurant Gordon Ramsay’s three Michelin stars for almost a decade. Unsurprisingly, Core’s scored a slew of awards (including three Michelin stars) for itself – if you’re looking for somewhere special to celebrate, this is it.
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Hammersmith | The River Cafe
Now open for decades, The River Café has become mainstream for a reason. Focussing on serving just really, really great Italian food, they’ve so far earned a Michelin Star, snagged an MBE for co-founder Ruth Rogers, and incubated future greats like Jamie Oliver, Theo Randall and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. And like a fine wine, it’s aged very well.
Details: Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 9HA | Book The River Café
Our favourite bar nearby: The Dove, or any of these other excellent Hammersmith pubs
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Knightsbridge | Dinner by Heston
Joining forces with historians from the British Library and Hampton Court, Heston Blumenthal has managed to create the only restaurant in the UK which can boast two Michelin stars and a dish called ‘meat fruit’. A time-travelling menu, anachronistically suave interiors and a historically accurate pineapple roasting pulley all combine to make one of the most unusual and exquisite dining experiences in town.
Details: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA | Book Dinner by Heston
Our favourite bar nearby: Acclaimed cocktails combining Japanese flavours and art nouveau style at The Aubrey
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE – If you’re not about to hit up a Michelin star restaurant on a Tuesday night, try Hawksmoor Knightsbridge.
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Maida Vale | The Hero
The Pelican scooped up a lot of praise, but the team behind the wildly popular Notting Hill gastro are here to prove they’re not a one-trick pony. Downstairs, The Hero is a cosy, rustic pub with a crackling fire and banging bar snacks. And upstairs, they’re serving up accomplished takes on classic British grub, plus meat and fish roasted over glowing coals, in a dining room faintly reminiscent of an abandoned ballroom. In a good way.
Details: 55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD | Book a table at The Hero
Our favourite bar nearby: Head downstairs and steal a spot by the fire.
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Chiswick | The Silver Birch
As neighbourhood restaurants go, The Silver Birch is solid gold: the interiors are gorgeous, all neutral tones and rustic textures; the atmosphere is relaxed (but refined enough to feel like eating here’s a treat); and chef Nathan Cornwell pours his wealth of experience at Michelin starred restaurants into a fresh, seasonal menu celebrating the produce of our native shores. It’s all elegantly, faultlessly executed, with the option to plump for the chef’s tasting menu when you really want to push the boat out.
Details: 142 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU | Book The Silver Birch
Our favourite bar nearby: The Hound
See all our favourite Chiswick restaurants
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Barnes | The Waterman’s Arms
The Waterman’s Arms: warm, welcoming and covered in hair easily the best spot for a bite along this stretch of the river. The place was recently restored back to its 1850s roots, all smart wooden features and rustic furnishings. And chef Sam Andrews (ex-Ducksoup and The Camberwell Arms) ensures this is a neighbourhood restaurant worth travelling for, whether it’s a little crispy fried pig’s cheek with plum, or a whole fish roasted over the coals.
Details: 375 Lonsdale Rd, SW13 9PY | Book The Waterman’s Arms
Favourite bar nearby: Would you look at that, you’re already sitting in it.
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Chelsea | Kutir
Former Gymkhana chef Rohit Ghai struck out on his own with Kutir, an impeccable Indian restaurant in an elegant Chelsea townhouse. Dine on dishes like guinea fowl biryani, truffled quail naan and cardamom-laced lamb shank with purple potato, while sipping signature cocktails like the Bagh, with tequila, fresh mango and chamomile foam.
Details: 10 Lincoln Street, Chelsea, SW3 2TS | Book Kutir
Our favourite bar nearby: Bartsfor retro cocktails & eccentric decor.
See all our favourite Chelsea restaurants
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Richmond | Petersham Nurseries
The Petersham Nurseries Café – which isn’t a café at all, but a restaurant – is one that used to have a Michelin Star. They famously hated it, because of the heightened expectations that diners now had, hoping for fine dining in what is, essentially, a greenhouse. Which ironically is precisely what makes it so good; you’re eating food a few yards away from where it was grown. As long as you go into it expecting something simple, rustic, and homely, you’ll love it.
Details: Church Lane, Petersham Road, TW10 7AB | Book Petersham Nurseries
Our favourite bar nearby: Nearby is pushing it, but take a look at these Richmond pubs.
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Putney | Home SW15
The team at Home SW15 are so confident that you’ll enjoy their cooking, the main point of decor in their cosy, stripped-back restaurant is a wall of quotes from their (very few) 1* reviews on Google. After all, how could a meal here be ‘worse than an airport lounge’, when you’re dining on beautifully presented, deeply satisfying dishes like cauliflower cheese croquettes with punchy aioli; maple & chilli-glazed squash with curried hummus; and a molten chocolate pot topped with salted caramel ice cream? It’s all clearly a labour of love for the owners, who were given a kickstart by Rebecca Mascarenas (the hospitality legend behind Michelin-starred Elystan Street).
Details: 146 Upper Richmond Road, London, SW15 2SW | Book a table at Home SW15
Our favourite bar nearby: Try one of these classic Putney pubs
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Fulham | The Harwood Arms
The Harwood has taken the gastropub ball, run with it, and scored a try – it’s not a pub with a great menu, it’s a (Michelin starred) restaurant with a great bar. The food is extremely British (venison scotch eggs, slow-cooked lamb, treacle tart, etc.) and cooked impeccably by former Ledbury head chef Josh Cutress. And you can just pop in for a beer if you fancy.
Details: Walham Grove, SW6 1QP | Book The Harwood Arms
Our favourite bar nearby: Pour-your-own wine at Vagabond
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN NORTH LONDON
Camden | The Cheese Bar
A permanent bricks-and-mortar upgrade from The Cheese Truck that’s been roaming the UK for many years selling on-point toasties and other oozy goodness, this is a restaurant dedicated to cheese. Over the winter they run fondue nights every Thursday, frequently collaborating with other top restaurants for an unexpected twist. Though let’s be honest, it’s very hard to improve on a tub of molten cheese.
Details: Camden Stable Market, NW1 8AH | Book The Cheese Bar
Our favourite bar nearby: Let your hair down at The Blues Kitchen Camden
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN CAMDEN – Head to Mr Ji, which involves considerably less lactose.
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King’s Cross | Coal Office
A restaurant from legendary chef Assaf Granit, who’s created a typically inventive Middle Eastern menu featuring small plates like kingfish sashimi with ginger vinaigrette, in-between plates like baked bone marrow shawarma, and big plates like beef fillet with black chickpea stew & poached egg. All served in a beautiful Tom Dixon-designed space with a roof terrace overlooking the canal.
Details: 2 Bagley Walk, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4PQ | Book Coal Office
Our favourite bar nearby: Gothic Bar, for the interiors alone… but also for the cocktails. Supermax is equally beautiful, and a little bit closer.
ANOTHER AMAZING RESTAURANT IN KING’S CROSS – Supawan, where the Thai team on the pans are serving up some of the less well-known dishes of the cuisine, and make some hella punchy curry pastes in-house. Don’t leave without trying the tamarind sorbet – it’s nothing short of remarkable.
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Kentish Town | Anima e Cuore
On the one hand, it’s hard to miss Anima e Cuore, thanks to its vivid lilac frontage. But on the other hand, it would be easy to assume this gelateria didn’t have an incredible – yet totally unassuming – Italian fine dining spot tucked away at the back of the store. But we all know what assuming does…
Details: 129 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8PB | Book on 020 7267 2410
Our favourite bar nearby: Knowhere Special… which is just being modest.
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Queen’s Park | Carmel
A warm and buzzy spot from Berber & Q’s Josh Katz, who was so determined to find the perfect neighbourhood restaurant in his own locale, he’s just gone and made it himself. You’ll find Middle Eastern dishes building on a foundation of perfectly scorched flatbreads, with chocolate tahini tarts to finish…
Details: 23-25 Lonsdale Road, NW6 6RR | Book Carmel
Our favourite bar nearby: Milk Beach for a little wine on the cobbles
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Islington | F.K.A.B.A.M.
The home of glitter-dusted squid ink buns, of Hawaiian-shirted tables and inappropriate flooring (you’ll see what we mean), the restaurant Formerly Known As Black Axe Mangal is full heavy-metal. And in the most heavy metal move post-covid, chef Lee Tiernan has switched to offering a ~£60 set menu each week, take it or leave it. Rock on.
Details: 156 Canonbury Road, N1 2UP | Book F.K.A.B.A.M
Our favourite bar nearby: The cosy, candlelit Trullo Wine Bar
See all our favourite restaurants in Islington
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Tottenham | Chuku’s
Chop, chat, chill is the motto of this buzzy joint by Seven Sisters station. It’s run by siblings Ifeyinwa & Emeka Frederick, who have brought the nous of running four years of hugely popular supperclubs to their own permanent spot. Here you’ll get their take on Nigerian ‘tapas’, like dodo (cinnamon-sugar dusted fried plantain); fluffy yam dumplings served with three stews; and smoked mackerel croquettes with scotch bonnet jam…
Details: 274 High Road, Tottenham, N15 4AJ | Book Chuku’s
Our Favourite Bar Nearby: The High Cross, possibly the tiniest pub in London.
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Highbury | Farang
From young uberchef Seb Holmes – who earned his Thai stripes at The Begging Bowl and Smoking Goat –everything at Farang is served in both small and larger plate portions, so you can mix & match fragrant stews like Cornish mussels in a coconut-scented green curry broth; spicy meat dishes like flat iron-grilled beef steak with roasted chilli jaew (a kind of dipping sauce); and fresh veggie options like aromatic crispy wontons and dipping vegetables.
Details: 72 Highbury Park, N5 2XE | Book Farang
Our favourite bar nearby: BookBar, an independent bookshop that also serves wine.
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Hampstead | 28 Church Row
Tucked away in the basement of a beautiful Georgian townhouse in Hampstead, 28 Church Row feels like one of those Michelin-starred eateries in a Cotswolds village thanks to the beaten up bentwood chairs and exposed beams running across the ceiling. Oh, and the Spanish-Italian dishes that would be well worthy of a nod from the guide.
Details: 28 Church Row, NW3 6UP | Book 28 Church Row (lunch only, dinners walk-in only)
Our favourite bar nearby: The Duke of Hamilton, a stylish pub with a jazz bar in the cellars.
Now that you’re well acquainted with London’s best eateries… may we introduce you to these restaurants for a special occasion?