Rail House Café

Features

Hattie Lloyd 04/12/22


The Best Restaurants in Victoria

The Best Restaurants in Victoria | The Inside Track

Sometimes you’re in the mood for fine dining.

But sometimes, you’re in the mood for really good dining.

And if one of those moods happens to strike you when you’re in Victoria – fear not. Because we’ve tirelessly sought out the greatest dining establishments in the neighbourhood, selflessly sampling every brunch, lunch and dinner for the sake of your tastebuds, and rigorously assessing each restaurant for its atmosphere, service, and of course, food.

Behold our pick of the best restaurants in Victoria…

La Poule au Pot

best restaurants london neighbourhoods

Romance doesn’t come more distilled than at La Poule au Pot, a decades-old French restaurant on the fringes of Victoria, away from the bustle of the station. Decked out with antique furnishings, linen tablecloths and candlelight twinkling in every corner, it’s a sure-fire date spot where classics like boeuf bourguignon and platters of escargots are accompanied by wine served from the magnum.

Details: 231 Ebury Street, London SW1W 8UT Book here

Pantechnicon

sachi restaurant belgravia

Technically in Belgravia rather than Victoria, but well worth hopping across the imaginary border. Pantechnicon is a five-storey temple to all things Nordic and Japanese, including shops filled with stylish, hard-to-find products; a tiny sake bar; a Nordic rooftop restaurant and terrace; and a Japanese restaurant, Sachi, in the basement. It’s basically worth its own day trip.

Details: 19 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LB Book here

A. Wong

a wong victoria restaurant

Michelin starred and critically lavished, A. Wong is the apex of fine dining restaurants in Victoria. At lunch, pick and choose from individual dim sum dishes. At night, an excellently laid-out taster menu takes you on a tour of China’s diverse culinary heritage; from poached yolk steamed rice rolls and soy chicken with caviar, to Sichuanese aubergines and prawn-stuffed chicken wings. It is, in a word, excellent.

Details: 70 Wilton Road, SE1V 1DE | Book here

Rail House Cafe

Rail House Cafe

The Rail House Café was the first follow-up to Fitzrovia’s Riding House Café.

And it’s still very much on track.

Plush, bohemian surroundings bolstered by salvaged architectural features, floor to ceiling windows and a gentle clink of activity at the central bar make it one of the best-looking restaurants in Victoria, featuring classic all day dining from sumptuous brunches to wholesome warm grain salads, steaks, and fresh seafood dishes…

Details: 8 Sir Simon Milton Square, SW1E 5DJ | Book here

Market Halls Victoria

A vast indoor food hall inside a converted Edwardian arcade just opposite Victoria station, Market Halls Victoria is home to eight micro-restaurants in the form of street food stalls. The line-up currently includes buttermilk fried chicken from Butchies, Malaysian dishes at Gopal’s Corner, and Mexican from DF tacos – plus a couple of bars, a cinnamon bun stand for dessert, and a rooftop bar just a sprint away from your last train.

Details: 191 Victoria Street, Victoria, SW1E 5NE No bookings

Chez Antoinette

A bright and airy little Parisian bistro, tucked away in a quiet courtyard towards St James’s Park station. Whether you’re stopping in for a croque monsieur before work or a 300g beef fillet with peppercorn sauce and fries afterwards, Chez Antoinette is one of the few restaurants in Victoria that adapts itself to any occasion. Particularly if that occasion calls for £5 glasses of wine, available during their weekday happy hours, 4.30-6.30pm.

Details: 22 Palmer Street, Victoria, SW1H 0PH | Book here

The Ivy Victoria

the ivy victoria

It’s a glamorous brasserie spin-off of one of London’s most iconic restaurants – bringing all of The Ivy‘s signature glamour and panache to Victoria. The all-day menu encompasses lavish cooked breakfasts; classic grill fare; afternoon tea and showstopper desserts – all of which can also be enjoyed in an opulent private dining room. Head upstairs to the dazzling pink bar for signature cocktails after dinner, or lounge on the heated outdoor terrace, easily one of the nicest al fresco dining spots in Victoria.

Details: 66 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6SQ | Book here

Lorne

Lorne

It takes bottle to put your wine list on an equal footing with the food.

But that’s exactly the idea at Lorne, which comes to you from sommelier Katie Exton and chef Peter Hall. The pair first met at Michelin-starred The Square, and between them boast experience at The River Café, Brawn, and San Fran’s triple-starred Benu. And if anyone’s going to do it…

Details: 76 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DE | Book here

Artist Residence London

Cambridge Street Kitchen Victoria Restaurants

In a word, Artist Residence is beautiful. In 43 words, it’s a beautiful, bohemian hideaway tucked down a residential side street in Victoria, in which you can dine on everything from full English breakfasts to delicate tuna tataki…

Details: 52 Cambridge Street, SW1V 4QQ | Book here

Timmy Green

Timmy Green Victoria Restaurants

Restaurants in Victoria were, for a time, suffering a distinct lack of Antipodean all-day brunch spots serving vodka-spiked smoothies; poached eggs with halloumi soldiers and balsamic dust; and Melbourne Mars bar cheesecake balls. With bottomless booze. So it’s a relief that this place exists, to say the least.

Details: 11 Sir Simon Milton Square, SW1E 5DJ | Book here

Kazan

Kazan

Welcoming, unpretentious, and festooned with beautiful lanterns, Kazan is a palace of ‘Ottoman indulgence’. Take your pick from a huge range of mezze including drunken calamari marinated in vodka; tempura battered sage prawns; and a 17th century dish of pan-fried calf’s liver with sumac and red onion; before tucking into hunks of shredded, slow-cooked lamb shoulder to share.

Details: 93-94 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DW | Book here

Caxton Grill

Best Restaurants in Victoria: Caxton Grill

Don’t be fooled by the salad on the Caxton Grill menu – it’s merely the obligatory healthy option alongside all the steaks, whole native lobster and chicken they’re cooking up on their (and coincidentally one of London’s first) Josper grills. After which, you’ll be free to wander the al fresco terrace, with a Bowler Hat cocktail in hand… Just be careful not to tip it.

Details: 2 Caxton Street, SW1H 0QW | Book now

 


Spend a lot of time in the area? Then you’ll need our guide to the best bars in Victoria, too