SD › London › Best Restaurants
Updated: May 24, 2022
By Santorini Dave
See Also
The Michelin-starred Social Eating House restaurant in Soho
The 14 Best Restaurants in London
Social Eating House • Soho • $$$
Michelin-starred bistro cuisine by Gordon Ramsey protégé Jason Atherton. Informal, vibrant bare brick walled setting, excellent use of seasonal, local produce. The prix fixe early bird menu is great. Attached to The Blind Pig: a stylish, speakeasy-style bar known for its killer cocktails. Reservations.
Location • +44 20 7993 3251
Sabor • Mayfair • $$$
The best Spanish restaurant in London. Dine on grilled meats at the asodar’s communal tables upstairs or dig into tapas plates downstairs; dishes span Castille, Galicia, Andalucia, and more. Black trumpet and truffle croquetas, Jerusalem artichoke tortilla, and suckling pig are standout dishes.
Location • +44 20 3319 8130
Homeslice Neal’s Yard • Covent Garden • $$
Bustling Covent Garden branch of the fantastic local pizza mini-chain. Unusual toppings vary from spiced lamb with suman yogurt to kimchi with porcini cream; you can either get it by the 20-incher mega slice (plenty for two) or go half and half. No reservations.
Location • +44 20 3151 7488
Roganic • Marylebone • $$$
A successful pop-up has found a permanent home here, showcasing the best of seasonal produce from around the country in tiny, beautifully-assembled dishes. Choose between an 8 or 11-course tasting menu and feast on the likes of dry-aged Cumbrian beef and chicken with cod roe. Weekday business lunches are a bargain.
Location • +44 20 3370 6260
HIDE • Mayfair • $$$
An ambitious project by hotshot chef Ollie Dabbous, split into three levels: Below is the classy subterranean bar serving innovative cocktails and rare spirits. Ground is the informal all-day restaurant, while Above is the light, bright fine dining venue with bold-flavored tasting menus that make great use of local produce. Scroll through the provided iPad to access the 6,800 tipples from Hedonism Wines.
Location • +44 20 3146 8666
Barrafina • Soho • $$$
A larger, glitzier version of the original small-plates-and-no-reservations Barcelona-style tapas bar. Perch on a leather stool and order the runny-centered tortilla, the Josper-grilled meats, and the fantastic fresh seafood. Get here early or be prepared to wait.
Location • +44 20 7440 1456
Rules • Covent Garden • $$$
London’s oldest restaurant first opened its doors in 1798 and was once frequented by the likes of Charles Dickens and Edward VII. The plush old-world interior – all dark wood and velvet banquettes – goes well with braised pork cheeks with black pudding, venison with chanterelles, and other fine British fare.
Location • +44 20 7836 5314
St. John • The City • $$$
Contemporary, Michelin-starred nose-to-tail dining. This trendy yet affordable ‘meatery’ makes the most of local, seasonal British produce, and the menu changes daily. If you’ve never tried roast bone marrow and devilled kidneys, this is the place to do it. Reservations highly recommended, but walk-ins welcome for dining at the bar.
Location • +44 20 7251 0848
The Ninth • Fitzrovia • $$$
French-Mediterranean dishes made for sharing, against a backdrop of exposed brick and wine racks. Standout dishes include salted beef cheek, oxtail croquettes, and chargrilled calcots. 2 and 3-course set lunches are a steal. Terrific wine list.
Location • +44 20 3019 0880
Benares • Mayfair • $$$
Michelin-starred North Indian dishes in a stylish setting. Head to the lounge bar for East-meets-West cocktails and street food-style snacks, or opt for a full meal in the dining room – meats grilled in the tandoor oven, lobster biriyani, seared and spiced scallops, and more.
Location • +44 20 7629 8886
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay • Chelsea • $$$$
Mr ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ doesn’t cook at his flagship, 3-Michelin-starred restaurant anymore, but it’s still the place to blow your paycheck on some of the most memorable French fare of your life. Expect flawless service, a stellar wine list, and intelligent, beautifully-executed dishes, such as Cornish turbot with black garlic and roast pigeon with buckwheat. Reserve well ahead; smart dress code.
Location • +44 20 7354 4441
The Palomar • Soho • $$$
A taste of 21st-century Jerusalem, served to the pulsing beat of dance music. Perch at the busy bar and watch the chefs put together tapas-style dishes designed for sharing: seared octopus, Yemeni-style kubaneh bread, and Josper-roasted poussin. Open for early dinner; ideal if you’re catching a West End show.
Location • +44 20 7439 8777
Bao • Soho • $$
Former Taiwanese street food turned hip eatery serves its signature gua bao (fluffy steamed buns with braised pork) alongside other, slider-like bao and a smattering of xiao chi (small eats), such as oyster mushrooms with century egg. Wash them down with sakés, artisanal ciders, well-matched beers, and hot oolong tea. No reservations.
Location • +44 20 3019 2200
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal • Belgravia • $$$$
Centuries-old British recipes given the super-modern treatment by Britain’s most experimental and daring chef. Try the salamagundy, powdered duck breast, and tipsy cake or go for the blowout option of a multi-course meal at the chef’s table. Fun, playful, and memorable.
Location • +44 20 7201 3833
5 Best Brunch Spots in London
Regency Cafe • Westminster
Best place in London for a full English breakfast. Come to this Art Deco-style cafe for a generous plate of sausages, beans, hash browns, eggs, toast, fried tomatoes, and black pudding and hear your order yelled across the room. Solid British menu the rest of the day.
Map • +44 20 7821 6596
Ottolenghi • Spitalfields, Multiple Locations
Super-popular Middle Eastern-style eatery. Ottolenghi has several branches around London; their brunch menu is short and sweet and includes the likes of shakshuka with labneh, za’atar fried eggs with Mastelo cheese, and Dutch pancakes with poached quince. Reservations recommended.
Map • +44 20 7247 1999
Jikoni • Marylebone
Playful multicultural menu. Chef Ravinder Bhogal mines her heritage (India via Nairobi) for inspiration for her creative dishes such as tamarind-glazed bacon with fenugreek waffles and poached eggs with curry hollandaise. Wash them down with achari Marys and banana and cardamom lassis.
Map • +44 20 7034 1988
Aquavit • Piccadilly
Sky-high ceilings, minimalist decor, and the finest contemporary Nordic breakfast in London. Choose classic smorgasbord items such as herring or gravlax with mustard and pair them with aquavit, or go for weekend brunch dishes, including raggmunk (Swedish potato pancakes) with bacon and lingonberry.
Map • +44 20 7024 9848
Balthazar • Covent Garden
Suave Art Deco Covent Garden outpost of the Manhattan institution. People come here for hazelnut waffles, pancakes drenched in maple syrup, and great egg dishes – with Cornish crab, poached with smoked haddock or the classic eggs Florentine.
Map • +44 20 3301 1155
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