Borehamwood, International Restaurant Guide

This smart ‘country pub’ overlooking the village pond in Totteridge, far North London, boasts a menu that ranges from steaks to sourdough pizza. But marks suffered this year on the basis of one or two reports saying recent standards have been “all a bit ‘meh’”.

2021 Review: “A very small, friendly local” in the centre of Muswell Hill for over two years now; mostly it serves “delicious”, light brunch-friendly fare from breakfast onwards (“lovely healthy salad options”), but there’s a more substantial menu of simple, modern bistro dishes by night.

This renovated Victorian tavern makes a “great location” for refuelling “if you’ve been walking on Hampstead Heath”. Its fame rests on Florrie Forde’s music-hall song from the Edwardian era, when day-tripping Cockneys would visit, not on its cooking – the latter does have its fans, but there is also the view that it is “standard pub grub and rather indifferent” at that. Top Tip – “if you use the car park, make sure you check-in with the computer screen at the bar or risk a penalty charge”.

This “ancient characterful tavern” by Hampstead Heath has hosted an impeccable list of literary tipplers in its long history from 1585, from Byron and Dickens to Bram Stoker and local poet John Keats, who listened to a nightingale in the walled garden. These days it serves “good fish ’n’ chips” and other pub staples, and an “excellent Sunday lunch”.

Not to be confused with its namesake near Hampstead tube on the other side of the Heath – this classic, traditional pub (which boasts Dickens as a former patron) sits in a beautiful slice of period Highgate, and benefits from a large outside terrace, a characterful interior and dependable grub.

2023 Review: With an all-day menu that bounces happily from the Caribbean and Mexico to the Isle of Man and Thailand, Juliette Banner has provided up-beat service in Crouch End for more than 30 years. “A Banners breakfast is the perfect cure for a hangover” – and you can also earn one with the “great cocktails”. The “authentic American-style burgers” must have attracted Bob Dylan, the bard of Americana, whose 1993 visit is commemorated with a plaque – you can even book the table he sat at!

A “fabulous bistropub” – “now also a hotel with comfortable rooms” – in a “great location” near Parliament Hill and Hampstead Heath. “Giles Coren is not wrong” – the Times columnist is a local and a big fan. Any complaints? “If only they’d turn the music down...”.

This “superb, cosy local” in Belsize Park now also has an offshoot that’s proving “a great addition to St John’s Wood”. The focus is on “interesting food cooked with fire” from chef-owner Jake Finn (ex-LPM and The Ritz), who takes inspiration from Mediterranean, Peru and Japan: “a sharing concept from a menu that’s not huge but with good variety and lots of veggie options”. Both sites provide “wonderful combinations, simply done”, with meat, fish and veggies that are “both charred and succulent”. “It’s not inexpensive, but great value given the quality of ingredients and cleverness of the cuisine”. Top Menu Tip – “whole sea bream, fennel, radish and fresh herbs is a standout”.

“Safe food and lovely decor” help maintain fans for this “beautifully decorated” and “quintessentially French” brasserie – part of the Wolseley Group, and – according to such supporters – “everything you could want from a neighbourhood restaurant”. However, even those who say it’s “one of the only decent options for a meal in St John’s Wood”, can feel that “it’s really gone downhill since the departure of the Corbin & King founders”; and a slip in ratings can be ascribed to “inconsistent” standards here this year. Top Tip – popular for breakfast.

“Simple food done well...and the cheese!!” – this small group has basic eateries attached to their stores as well as “an enormous selection of cheese to buy at retail”. WC1 is by far the most popular outlet – “like wandering into a village restaurant in the heart of Bloomsbury”. “If you like cheese and wine, what’s not to love about this place?”

This “great meeting spot” in Bayswater is “ever-popular” for its “excellent coffee and snacks” served in immaculate minimalist surroundings, from founders Mathew and Charmaine Tabatabai. The menu stretches from breakfast/brunch dishes to afternoon cocktails.

A retro shopfront (left behind by a 1940s car showroom) adds to the street cred of this well-known East End foodie hotspot (linked to Westerns Laundry and Jolene). Its fashionable combination of small plates served with natural wines doesn’t inspire as much feedback in our annual diners’ poll as its fooderati renown might imply, but is all positive.

2022 Review: In March 2020, the team behind Flat Iron Yard in Borough opened a new (if old-school in its theming) street-food hall, bar and live music venue. Stallholders include familiar faces (Breddos Tacos, Temple of Seitan and Duck Truck) and some new ones including New York’s respected Sushi On Jones and Pomelo from the Lupins team.

2022 Review: It’s a bit less nook-like than it looks, if you head to the larger basement of this summer 2020 Highbury newcomer: a deli by day and neighbourhood café in the evenings. With a vague connection to Linden Stores (RIP), which it replaced in 2020, there’s a Turkish twist to the contemporary European small dishes and sharing plates. Limited early feedback, but very positive all-round.

2021 Review: Limited-but-upbeat feedback on this new hotel dining room: “an oasis of calm near Euston station (an area short of nice places to eat!)”. Ethical sourcing and African influences in dishes – as well as Asian ones – help take it slightly out of the mainstream, and one or two early reports say it’s “a hidden gem”.

“Simple food done well...and the cheese!!” – this small group has basic eateries attached to their stores as well as “an enormous selection of cheese to buy at retail”. WC1 is by far the most popular outlet – “like wandering into a village restaurant in the heart of Bloomsbury”. “If you like cheese and wine, what’s not to love about this place?”

This “beautiful little restaurant with a neighbourhood feel” in Marylebone, from chef and food writer Ravinder Bhogal, offers a “wide-ranging and ever-changing selection of consistently good dishes” inspired by her ‘no borders kitchen’ philosophy. “It’s a melange of Middle Eastern, African and Indian influences” that results in “very creative flavours – not just in the cooking but also outstanding cocktails such as a Negroni with pomegranate and rose”.

This “lovely neighbourhood restaurant” in Islington from brothers Martin & Christoph Lange thrives thanks to a “really good all-round menu” fusing Nordic, French and German influences, and a “New York-style ambience”.