Aldwych Restaurant Guide

“I keep going back to Roka, and have never had a bad meal there” – so say fans of Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s slick Japanese-inspired venues, which are celebrating their 20th year in 2024. “Despite increasing competition, it remains a good choice, with sound cooking and good-value sushi, sashimi and robata dishes”; and despite perennial complaints that they are “way overpriced for tiny portions”, quality has held up well. All that said, service is more often “amateurish” and “erratic” than it once was; and long-term fans have a point when they say the general performance is “not as good as it used to be” – the 2024 openings will be in Bahrain, Germany and Greece and there is growing impression of ‘the same old, same old’ in its original home market.

“Quite unique!” – Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale have won renown (including two Michelin stars and the 2nd highest score in the UK on World’s 50 best 2024) for their transformation of West African culinary traditions into an “incredible” and groundbreaking haute-fusion mashup; and a meal at this copper-shaded and minimalist venue (relocated a couple of years ago from St James’s) is acclaimed in a majority of reports as an “exceptional” and “creative” all-round experience. Even fans, however, often note that it’s also become a “very, very expensive” one, while for a significant minority it’s a “disappointing” or even “joyless” one too. Chief concerns are cooking that can seem “too complicated” or “unmemorable (and I was longing to try it!)”; “robotic” staff “not engaging with customers and barely explaining dishes” is another repeat complaint.

“Restaurants that open to a fanfare of plaudits from critics often go off the boil after the first year. Not so Toklas!” which is going from strength to strength in our annual diners’ poll since it was launched just off The Strand in 2021 by the founders of Frieze art fair. It’s a “large” and “relatively unadorned” space with a “great buzz that’s not too loud”, and whose “well-spaced tables allow enough room to talk”. And in summer, the best choice is the large outside terrace which is “delightful” (“despite the view of rather decrepit buildings opposite!”). Chef Yohei Furuhashi presides over a “really interesting and ever-changing” menu that’s “mostly Spanish or Italian-influenced”, with “added little twists to make it different”. There is also a “lovely in-house bakery” which contributes “creative but not wacky desserts and very good bread”. “One to watch!”

2022 Review: This independent fixture in legal-land (near the LSE) is a long-running staple of the area – welcoming, “always good value”, and with some interesting picks and bin-end deals on the wine list.

2023 Review: “Good scruffy fun with a side order of nostalgia” is to be had at this “hidden gem” in the Strand (a favourite with staff at the Indian High Commission opposite). “An almost anonymous doorway leads you up some stairs” where you “step back in time, not to a cheesy incarnation of the British Raj, but to the early days of independence”. Founded in 1951 (Prime Minister Nehru was among the founding members), the ‘club’ is open to the public and serves food that can be (but is not invariably) “excellent” at a “great price”, in an authentically “slightly chaotic atmosphere”. It’s been under siege for the past five years from a landlord itching to redevelop, but it’s “an institution that deserves to survive, and an oasis of good value in central London”. Top Tip – it’s unlicensed – “pause for a drink in the bar downstairs before or after eating” or carry your pint to the table.

“You know that you’ll get a decent meal” at these “unpretentious” ‘Fishmongers & Restaurants’ in Covent Garden, Marylebone and off Piccadilly, where you can buy retail from the wet counter or proceed to eat in at the adjoining dining room. “A wide variety of fish and seafood can be cooked to your specification” and “it’s the perfect place for some nice, simple cooking”. Any drawbacks? The food is “good but rather unimaginative”; “ambience is a little lacking; and the service level is not as good as could be”.

“A very good pre-theatre meal” makes this mezzanine spot in a luxury hotel near Covent Garden a particularly useful option for eating around a show. It’s also “great for those who are gluten or dairy free”, and “the children’s chocolate-themed afternoon tea themed on Charlie & The Chocolate Factory is absolutely great”. Any downsides? It’s “a bit noisy”.

Opened in 1870 as London’s first licensed casino, this impressive Covent Garden mansion is proof that it takes more than a fine space in a handy location to make a terrific eatery. Relaunched as a luxurious American restaurant in 1991 (by the son of a Tory grandee), it aims to import Manhattanite sophistication, top-quality surf ’n’ turf and high-class brunch to the capital, alongside a popular Martini bar. But, while it does still receive the odd nomination as a place for a business lunch, it’s largely ignored in our annual diners’ poll nowadays.

“Classic, uncomplicated Italian dishes are done accurately and well-flavoured” at Angela Hartnett’s trio of “deservedly popular” modern trattorias. “Consistently enjoyable, with a buzzy atmosphere and lovely staff”, they are widely tipped as a “good standby” for many occasions, and the worst anyone had to say about them this year is that they can seem “unimaginative but competent”. Top Tip – “the pasta is the thing here – especially the spicy rigatoni – but the menu is broad enough for kids and their parents (with a decent wine list); and staff are patient with families”; and “good-value set lunch”.

“Classic, uncomplicated Italian dishes are done accurately and well-flavoured” at Angela Hartnett’s trio of “deservedly popular” modern trattorias. “Consistently enjoyable, with a buzzy atmosphere and lovely staff”, they are widely tipped as a “good standby” for many occasions, and the worst anyone had to say about them this year is that they can seem “unimaginative but competent”. Top Tip – “the pasta is the thing here – especially the spicy rigatoni – but the menu is broad enough for kids and their parents (with a decent wine list); and staff are patient with families”; and “good-value set lunch”.

2021 Review: “Surprisingly good food and charming service” make it worth remembering this historic hostelry (refurbed in recent times), near the Royal Courts of Justice. You can eat in the ground floor bar, or in the upstairs ‘Pig and Goose’ restaurant.

“If you like dosas, idlis and uttapams”, these “cheap and cheerful” but “spotless and well-run” canteens in the West End (plus Hammersmith and Harrow) are “an excellent choice for very good South Indian vegetarian food” – they’re also “a top option to take a crowd because they’re not fazed by large tables”, and “even carnivores don’t complain” when they try the “tasty food”.

With “light streaming through the windows”, this “big, airy space in Somerset House” is “such a beautiful dining room”: “not cosy” but “very elegant” and with “luxuriously spaced” tables, it’s a really “great choice for an intimate conversation”. Skye Gyngell’s cuisine “is not in-yer-face gastro, but simply thoughtful, beautiful and heartwarming”; and together with the “personal” service it adds up to a “delightful” overall package. Top Tip – “the set lunch and early bird ‘scratch’ menus are good value” (utilising food that would otherwise be wasted).