Fitzrovia, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

James Knappett and Sandia Chang 18-seat, chef’s-table experience is “an exceptional restaurant that never ceases to amaze and delight” and some would say it’s “London’s best Michelin two-star by far” (“I’ve had four visits in the last year, and this is the most imaginative cooking in the capital!”). Even fans, though, had come to see it as “ridiculously overpriced” – “I love Kitchen Table, I really do. I’ve dined there quite regularly since it first opened and the food is exquisite. However, the price per person of £300 is a step too far: it’s a great establishment, but that feels extortionate”. The penny has dropped however, and in late May 2023 – after our survey concluded – they slashed the price here by one third, to £200 per person for their 20-course experience. On that basis, we’ve rated it a little more optimistically than this year’s feedback in our annual diners’ poll would have suggested.

Perhaps our user-base isn’t impressed by the c’leb ownership of Guy Ritchie’s rustic Fitzrovia pub, where pal Becks has been seen pulling a pint, as we receive few reports. But such as we do get praise “fantastic food, attentive service and good value”.

“An upmarket but wonderfully understated local without pretensions” that’s “just 10 minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus”. Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s well-regarded – if “fairly cramped and noisy” – Fitzrovia corner site wins continues to win support with its “very competent, modern British cooking”, “varied international wine list, with many options by the glass”, and “staff who are friendly and passionate about what they serve”. Is it the cost of living crisis though? – “rather small portions” is a repeat complaint this year. Top Tip – “great value lunch with an (always) interesting menu”.

“Exceptional food and an approach that’s attentive and friendly but never overbearing or distant” wins nothing but high praise for Jun Tanaka’s “consistently excellent and very enjoyable” HQ, on Fitzrovia’s restaurant row. “It was closed from summer last year until mid March 2023 owing to a fire – post re-opening, the cuisine is of just the same standard as before”.

“The most original brunches” – with “a good selection of super-tasty, tapas-style dishes” fusing eclectic flavours from the Middle East to the Pacific – are the top feature of these “nicely vibey” haunts, which also boast “great coffee and pastries, plus interesting non-alcoholic drinks (like sodas and kombuchas)”. And they serve “lots for vegans and veggies too”. On the downside, they become “noisy”; staff can be “overstretched” and ratings are dragged down by those who find them “a convenient option, but, in truth, a slightly disappointing one”. Expansion is still on the cards, though, with 2023 seeing a big new opening in Covent Garden, in a workspace on Drury Lane, complete with outside terrace.

Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau have created an understated classic at this Fitzrovia fixture, with open kitchen on view. No-one minds that the “informal atmosphere is nothing particularly special” or that “tables are too close together” – they value the positive vibes generated by “low-key, friendly and unobtrusive staff who are helpful without hovering or being overly servile”. Most importantly, “if the decor is slightly bland, the food is anything but”: it can be “outstanding”; comes at “a very reasonable price given the location and quality”; and is backed up by “unusual and excellent wines”.

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!”

The “superb neighbourhood café we’d all love to have around the corner” – this upgraded greasy spoon “in a dead area of Bloomsbury” provides “particularly tasty, modern French fare” realised with a “delicious and light” touch by co-founder Anna Tobias, former head chef at Rochelle Canteen.

“The impressive room is good as it looks in the photos” and “the bar is one of the most beautiful in central London” at Jason Atherton’s sparkling venue: a converted banking hall that’s part of a glam (Ian Shrager-designed) hotel, north of Oxford Street. With its “big and well-spaced tables” it’s “sure to wow your customers”, catch the attention of your date or set the scene for a “lovely special occasion”. Historically, other aspects of the performance have played second fiddle to the surroundings here, but this year it won all-round praise for its “excellent” luxury brasserie cuisine and “knowledgeable” service too.

2022 Review: ‘Exciting concept changes’ are promised at this elegant Roux-branded dining room, within the luxurious five-star opposite Broadcasting House. Democratised in style in 2018, then closed for much of the pandemic and beyond, the presumption is that it will take another move to a less formal (perhaps brasserie?) style when it reopens in 2022. Just the other side of the wall is The Wigmore – a pub created from spare space at the hotel and launched with its own entrance and Roux input in 2017. A hint at what’s to come?

“Open 24 hours, with flexible options for breakfast” – these round-the-clock cafés are worth remembering if you’re out on the town and need to refuel. Only the SW10 original generates much in the way of feedback – “the cuisine is not fine food, but it’s a convenient option that’s good value” and “reliable”. (Aldgate also has a standalone bar with a 24-hour alcohol licence).

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.

This “grand but friendly” tavern, in “magnificent” 18th-century premises a short walk from Oxford Circus, offers Kitchen Table chef “James Knappett’s take on traditional pub classics with inventive twists”. In the main bar you’ll find elevated snacks, while a “concise British menu” is served in the upstairs dining room, including “incredible roast dinners – huge slices of beef with what can only be described as a chimney-sized Yorkshire pudding!”.

A “fabulous wine list with so many wines available by the glass” is the key draw to this trio of wine-bar/kitchens from the West End to Chelsea (the Draycott Avenue branch closed this year). Dining can seem “quite pricey” for what it is, but most diners say they “love the food as well”.