Bloomsbury, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Really nice, and often outstanding dishes” are acclaimed by most reports on this former greasy spoon in Bloomsbury from ex-Rochelle Canteen chef Anna Tobias and the 40 Maltby Street team: and they say the simple, modern bistro dishes are backed up by a “very fair wine list” with a “good selection of natural wines”. (A more sceptical, minority view is that “although the place hits the nerve of the Zeitgeist – with food suggesting honesty and simplicity, complete with an air of sophistication – its success is a pricey London phenomenon possibly explained by the decline in home cooking”).

2023 Review: The “beautiful terrace” with its “attentive staff” at this very central hotel makes for an oasis of calm close to busy Oxford Street. Named in reference to Virginia Woolf, the queen bee of the Bloomsbury set, it has a “fun atmosphere”, and the heating and retractable roof make it ideal for afternoon tea throughout the year.

Wanting to eat in the wee hours? This stalwart chain has fed tolerable diner food 24/7 (VQ = Vingt Quatre, geddit?) to the denizens of the Fulham Road for as long as anyone can remember (before 1995 it was called ‘Up all Night’); and has a more recent outlet (unusually, licensed till 4am, though you must be eating) that’s more convenient if you are clubbing in the West End on the ground floor of a Bloomsbury hotel.

2022 Review: The former HQ of the Baptist Church provides the gracious quarters for this swish Holborn hotel, converted by design guru Jacques Garcia. Since Tony Fleming left in December 2019, the main food operation (formerly known as The Baptist at L’Oscar hotel) has shifted to this all-day ground-floor operation offering a more accessible, Parisian-café-style menu from breakfast through to dinner. Allan Pickett (former head chef at Orrery, and briefly chef-patron of Piquet) is the new head chef.

“The wine is – as always – the star attraction” at Mark Andrew & Dan Keeling’s original venue, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025, and which is once again one of the Top-10 most commented-on entries in our annual diners’ poll. “Wonderful passionate staff really know the wines”: “the list is so long!” with select vintages listed on the “terrific blackboard, where there’s always something new to explore”. And the “intimate” (“slightly cramped”) environment is perfectly suited to tippling – an “old school” wine bar in Bloomsbury that (previously trading for decades as ‘Vats’, RIP) had been completely forgotten-about before they took it over. Fans say the “robustly delicious and bold” bistro food “nearly matches up, with some really good dishes kicking around here and there”. But “the bill can add up” (“those 125ml glasses don’t last long”); and while there were no specific criticisms this year, ratings here in general are more middling than once they were: perhaps the strains of now running three rather than just two sites?

“Lovely combinations of flavours are expertly executed” at Jun Tanaka’s inviting and “buzzy” Fitzrovia restaurant, where his cuisine is consistently praised by a big fan club as “really fresh and seasonal, and very satisfying”. And, especially given the high quality, a visit “doesn’t break the bank” either. Top Tip – “the incredible value set lunch is a joy for a Michelin star restaurant – please go!”

“An exceptional meal all round, with fantastic, seasonal cuisine” is how all the numerous reports we receive describe James Knappett & Sandia Chang’s 18-seat chef’s table experience in Fitzrovia, which has one of the best reputations amongst the capital’s most renowned tasting experiences. Even so, its “eye-watering prices” are of concern to both fans and foes alike. A rare critic says that “everything about the place misses the mark for me, apart from the food. I am in a minority, but just not a fan”. More representative is the following enthusiasm: “somehow I have managed to justify to myself spending this much on a meal four times now. That’s how good I think it is!”

“Reliable and fun” gastropub serving an “interesting range of Spanish tapas”, that belies its appearance as a standard Victorian boozer in the backstreets between King’s Cross and Russell Square – a useful option “in an area with limited choice at reasonable prices”.

“On the site of the old Gay Hussar in Soho”, Dan Keeling & Mark Andrew’s “tightly spaced” drinking den has recreated the “wonderful raffish atmosphere” of its famous predecessor. In combination with the attractions of its “fabulous wine list” – “always with something new to try”; with the huge draw of “outstanding vintages by the glass”; and “presided over by knowledgeable and really friendly staff” – it “makes you nostalgic for the days of the long long lunch”, especially “if a cheeky afternoon away from work can be arranged”. A few critics view its culinary performance as “indifferent” to the point of being “vastly overrated”, but most diners hail its “unfailingly good Anglo-French classics” as “superb food, where they manage to elevate the simple into something special”. Nowadays one of the Top-40 most-mentioned locations in our annual diners’ poll, its most ardent fans claim “there’s no better place to eat in London”, especially if you go for the “amazing value set meal”. Top Menu Tips – “The Liver Pâté Choux bun nibbles are addictive”; “the roast chicken with rice and Jura vin jaune sauce is pretty good too”.

“For first timers, the room [a converted banking hall] remains one of – if not the most – dramatic dining room in London and possibly the UK” at this Ian Shrager-designed hotel north of Oxford Street. Jason Atherton’s smart brasserie cuisine more than holds its own nowadays, too, and it‘s a hit with expense-accounters as well as those on a big night out: “come for the business meeting, stay for the mac ’n’ cheese and wine list – always a treat!”.

“Scrumptious food, Soho ambience: a winner!” – Cameron Emirali and Luke Wilson’s “intimate” fixture has won renown above its size and inspires feedback from diners living all over London. The food from the open kitchen “is amazing and interesting” and “it’s a place to come back to” (“I’ve eaten at 10 Greek 20+ times, I’ve never had one bad mouthful of food”). Top Tip – ask for their ‘Little Black Book’ of ‘rarer wine gems’.

2021 Review: A “superb and quirky afternoon tea” is to be had in the atrium of this boutique hotel north of Oxford Street, with is themed around Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter (the ‘drink me’ potion here, is an invitation to indulge in Champagne!): “good value for a huge amount of attention to detail – love it!”

2023 Review: “The magnificent and historic, late-Victorian dining room makes for a truly stunning backdrop to any meal” at this “beautifully renovated” chamber: the main dining room of the monumental hotel (originally Hotel Russell) that dominates the north of Russell Square. Critics say the space is “the star of the show”, feeling that the cuisine from the newly installed Galvin Brothers regime “fails to live up to it”; but taken overall, ratings for its “menu of British grill favourites” are good. Top Tip – “a very good family Sunday lunch option”.

With its mix of grown-up comfort food and fashionable styling, Adam White’s Fitzrovia fixture has long been a key destination for “all-day brunch on Saturdays”, and in recent times has added an attractive new sibling at the brutalist Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury (there’s also a related ‘Railhouse’ at Nova in Victoria). Top Menu Tip – “kedgeree to die for”.

This historic Holborn tavern – dating from 1549, if rebuilt a century ago – deploys its wood-panelled Dickensian atmosphere to good effect, with appetising bites served in the bar and a more involved menu in the upstairs Oak Room, complete with dining booths and an open fireplace.

2022 Review: In late 2019, the team from well-known café, 26 Grains of Neal’s Yard, opened a big sister over the road from Borough Market. It’s a casual, tastefully decorated haunt serving simple food; and where at night, the vibe is less café, more wine bar. In late 2020, Tom Cenci (the ex Duck & Waffle head chef, whose own Loyal Tavern venture did not survive the pandemic) took over what has become an extended residency. The cooking (by him and one other chef) centres on sustainability, and less-used cuts of meat (particularly Irish beef).