Hoxton, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

The UK’s leading position on World’s 50 best has helped underpin the longevity of this mould-breaking icon, which opened 10 years ago to phenomenal acclaim in the incongruous hipster surroundings of Shoreditch Town Hall. Fans “love the vibe of the room”; and say Isaac McHale’s “awesome and imaginative” cuisine “just gets better and better”. Even they, though, can concede that with the tasting menu now costing £195 per person it is “getting a little expensive now”. And then there is a minority for whom it’s not only “overpriced” but “vastly overrated and living off the PR” (“I adore fine dining and was fully prepared to spend on a fantastic meal. But the food, while technically fine, felt over-thought and overly fussy, with scant imagination or soul”).

2023 Review: “Superb food with a real eye for detail and quality” – Ruth Hansom’s “outstanding modern cuisine” is really “going places” at this well-established gastroboozer, just off Great Eastern Street. The pleasant-enough dining area is quirkly located on the mezzanine, up a spiral staircase from the main bar: choose from either a five-course or eight-course tasting menu.

“It’s probably unfair to call it pub food though it is food in a pub!” – Re-opened in 2022, this revamped Islington boozer has built a major following thanks to offering “an all-round five-star experience” that’s very superior for the gastropub genre. Staff who are “charming, friendly and fast” provide “simple”-sounding yet “fabulous” and “sustainably sourced” dishes (“the almond financier made me smile so much the chef came over to see what was entertaining me”). “The only downside is the slightly out-of-the-way location” that’s “hard to get to on public transport”.

2022 Review: Although it’s from the Anchor and Hope stable, this all-day operation near Hoxton tube is not a pub: it’s a new café (opened May 2021) within the rebranded Geffrye Museum (which features exhibits on domestic living since 1600). On offer – breakfast, lunch and buns, and – in the fullness of time – a dinner service.