Greater London, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Still fantastic after all these years” – this celebrated foodie favourite near the Old Vic returned to being London’s No.1 gastropub this year, in a dead heat with Fulham’s Harwood Arms. “It’s a bit insulting to call it bar/pub food as it’s a level up from that” – “very strong, British traditional fare is made with added flair and style” from a “daily changing menu with lots of options” (“the shared roast and other meat dishes are quite unique and the eclectic wine list a joy”). And “nowadays they serve a well-priced lunch as well as its always-magnificent evening menu”.

“With spectacular views of London over the Thames, this is the place to bring out-of-towners”, say fans of this huge, Brutalist chamber, built in the 1950s as the South Bank’s original destination restaurant (when it was known as ‘The People’s Palace’). Supporters – particularly those on business – say the food is “perhaps a little formulaic, but reliably good too”. This is not a universal experience, though, and too often this D&D group venue suffers from “complacent service” and “below-average cooking”. (Some reports do also tip it as “a very nice spot to eat before a concert”. But others have had a bad pre-show trip… “what we ordered never arrived in time”).

“Still adore the room but the food should get a leg up at that price” – a verdict that has for many years dogged this landmark venue. Even though it’s the cheaper section of the large operation run by D&D London, “you’re most certainly paying for the location, when there are similarly priced restaurants along the South Bank which are much better”.

2021 Review: For some reporters, the National Theatre’s “brisk” in-house diner delivers on the “plain good food near the theatre” you’d hope for, so “it’s a shame” that the “food is complacently ordinary” for too many others to make it a reliable recommendation. Top Tip – “best when you can sit in the garden”.

2022 Review: “The set menu is good value” at the National Theatre’s most salubrious in-house dining option, so it’s “always reliable” as a pre-show pit-stop. But critics would welcome a bit more ambition, saying the current effort is “a wasted opportunity” given the site and its captive audience. Top Tip: “the waiters are always a good source of play reviews”.

2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “Italian-leaning” warehouse conversion in Southwark, with an indoor ‘olive grove’ complete with trees, pleases some with its “giant portions of great food” and “fantastic cocktails”. Far too many reporters this year, though, complain of a “sterile” aspect to its “industrial” decor, and dismiss the fare as mightily “uninspired”.

This swish and “buzzy” hotel dining room on the South Bank walkway – designed by Tom Dixon with full-height windows and a terrace overlooking the river – makes a most “enjoyable place to meet friends” – “and there’s a great bar” by Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan. On the debit side, it’s certainly “not cheap”, and the food “could be so much better”.

“The view is incredible, especially in the evening” from the posh section of this South Bank landmark – “anything with a view of St Paul’s wins high marks in the romantic stakes”. But too many of those acknowledging the “wonderful location” feel it “needs a revamp”, or find the experience “very overpriced for the quality of food and service… One can’t help but feel that OXO Tower trades off of its name and outlook rather than the actual virtues of its offering”.

“A table right by the windows here – overlooking the river – is frankly still one of the best restaurant views to be had in London”; and some diners feel that the brasserie at this long-established Art Deco landmark provides a good all-round experience. It still gives rise to more than its fair share of disappointments, though, and the perennial complaint that “you get a wonderful vista but a very disappointing experience”.

2021 Review: “A firm favourite for breakfast and brunch in Southwark” – this café-style fixture a short stroll from Tate Modern serves “a great menu to suit all tastes”, and fans say it’s “unbeatable”.

“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.

With its “great view over the river”, the sixth-floor restaurant in this converted power station opposite St Paul’s Cathedral is a “really rather splendid place for a decent set lunch”. The food is “better than expected, perhaps better than it needed to be” – “appropriately arty”, too, with dishes inspired by artists on display in the gallery. (Over at Tate Britain, “the Rex Whistler dining room is sorely missed and a real loss” – its closure brought about by a combination of Covid and dilemmas about the depiction of slavery in its Whistler murals, nowadays deemed ‘unequivocally… offensive’.)

“Excellent food in a leafy setting, especially on a warm and bright day” makes the elevated café at Lambeth’s Garden Museum “a complete go-to” for foodies in the know. George Ryle, the chef who co-founded it to great acclaim in 2017, left after five years to return to his native Yorkshire, but the kitchen has barely missed a beat under his successor Myles Donaldson (ex-Noble Rot and Anchor & Hope among others).