City, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

“It’s back” under new ownership and management – tucked away in the former HQ of Sandeman’s port dynasty, this City haunt was “much missed by locals in search of a good ‘working’ lunch, and is settling back into operation nicely” after a four-year interregnum. The modern European cuisine and service are consistently well rated, and “the experience is not too expensive” – while the 600-bottle wine list, appropriately strong on port, is “as good as they come”.

2021 Review: A “wealth of wines by the glass” and “tasty nibbles”, help make this growing group of self-service wine bars a “fun way to try a selection of vintages from a multitude of small producers”. At the Battersea Power Station branch’s school you can educate your palate towards Wine & Spirit Education Trust certification and watch wine being made from grapes grown in Oxfordshire and Surrey.

“A great wine list from all corners of the globe” has helped underpin the ongoing popularity of this modern wine bar chain, despite a year that saw it sold out of administration and the closure of its popular King’s Cross branch. Although this period inspired iffy marks and the odd report of “totally disorganised” service, the four remaining outlets still inspire tons of, albeit slightly lukewarm nominations as a handy option “for a simple meal”: “don’t expect any sort of culinary fireworks” from the “straightforward” dishes “but there are some very nice, reasonably priced wines” and the interiors are “definitely pleasant”. Top Menu Tips – “lovely cheese croquettes and steak ’n’ chips”.

“Go mad for further adventures in veg” at Yotam Ottolenghi’s famous deli-cafés, whose Middle Eastern inspired menus are best known for their “creative” salads and meat-free dishes (bread and pastries are also “fabulous”) but there are also some meat and fish options. They are far from cheap, but “the spicing is interesting”, “the flavours are immense” and “the small-plates format allows you to try a number of options”. “A great spot for brunch” or “to drop in for cake and tea”. The Islington branch is most commented-on, and in December 2023 its newest sibling (also in north London) opened on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, while a branch in Richmond, in the leafy southwest, is scheduled for late 2024.

With a bright, modern interior lit by big floor-to-ceiling windows, this flexible neighbourhood amenity near Old Street is a canteen and bar that opens all day from breakfast. It’s from the team behind well-known Hackney wine bar Sager + Wilde, hence an above-par drinks offering. But food is far from incidental: there’s a “constantly changing, seasonal menu” of southern European small plates, some larger risotti, pasta and burgers and it majors in a big range of pizza. Top Tip – it “can handle large parties with ease”.

“A great discovery, even though it’s been there a long time” – this green-tiled gastropub helped put Bermondsey on the gastronomic map in the early noughties. The food is more bistro fare (e.g. Chicken Liver Parfait, Steak Frites, Chocolate Crémeux) than pub grub, and although you can eat cheaply here, you can also push the boat out on the more ambitious main dishes.

“Fancy? No. Value? Yes” – this bustling tapas bar directly opposite the Young Vic theatre offers “tasty, simple, quickly prepared dishes, delivered with energy and charm at a fair price”. Launched in 1987, well before London’s tapas boom, “it has survived for so long, it must be doing something right”. (“The real joy? Absolutely packed and not a single photo being taken!”).

“Delicious tiny plates of interesting and seasonal Italian dishes” plus low-intervention wines delight diners at Jon Lawson’s “casual and vibey small Shoreditch place”, which – post Covid – is re-establishing its very impressive all-round ratings. “It’s just a really great place to go: grab a seat at the kitchen bar and watch lovely food being expertly prepared”.

“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!”

“The original gastropub and still streets ahead of the competition” – this enduring institution (est. 1991) continues to put in a remarkably enduring performance on Farringdon Road. Chef Ed Mottershaw rustles up a daily changing menu of “cleverly constructed, intelligently put together flavours… like the dishes you wish you cooked at home…”; “no faff, pretence or posturing, just honest fare packed with hearty flavour and devotion to the palate”.

This “buzzy and enjoyable location” for “very well-executed Mediterranean small dishes” is the more casual offspring of Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro next door in Exmouth Market – and now has its own spin-off in Hackney Road. The original Spanish/Moorish fusion has taken on additional influences from further afield, including Crete and the Middle East. Top Menu Tip – “good cheese fritters with Cretan honey and Cretan sausage and yoghurt with first rate flatbread”.

This “absolutely beautiful” venue in Covent Garden’s pretty Floral Court development is the central London satellite of the famous garden centre-turned-restaurant on the edge of Richmond Park and Ham Common. You pay a high price, though, for cooking that ranges from “delicious” to “overpriced” and no more than acceptable – the latter view shared by too many reporters to ignore.

“Simple… seasonal… superb” sums up chef-patron Ed Wilson’s approach at this East London fixture, near Columbia Road flower market – and after 15 years, “the food is better than ever”. “Despite the carnivorous name (and logo!)” the menu also incorporates “impressive and delicately cooked fish and seafood”. Natural wines are a big theme – “uber cool, weird and wonderful bottles that taste better than they look” – “but there’s lots for the traditional palate, too”. Top Tip – “go on weekday lunchtimes to avoid booking”.