LONDON Restaurant Guide

“Fantastic pizza that’s good value” continues to win praise for Alan & Mark Wogan’s (the sons of the late Sir Terry) three-strong chain in Neal’s Yard (the original), Marylebone and the City. The 20-inch pizzas are enough to feed 2-3 people and flavours can be split 50/50.

2023 Review: A handy location, near the Guildhall, “buzzy” large interior and versatile menu of “decent (if unspectacular) food” mean it’s worth remembering this “reliable option in the City”, although it “can be incredibly busy”.

2021 Review: “Escape the feel of the City for very reasonable home cooked-food” in the ancient crypt of Bow Bells church. “There are no better dining establishments in the Square Mile: affordable, great service, good food with delicious daily changing salads” including “excellent veggie and vegan options”. Depending on when you go, it’s either a “quiet” space or quite a “noisy” one.

“Well-spaced tables are comfortable to the point of luxury” in this club-like, wood-panelled chamber – the highpoint of the food offerings within Soho House’s gargantuan hotel: the conversion of the opulent former Midland Bank HQ just next to the Bank of England. Its “pricey” caviar, oysters, “top Dover Sole”, wide selection of steaks and Beef Wellington carved from the trolley all provide excellent sustenance for the local power brokers (“I have won more business here than in any other restaurant”).

“The energy is fab” at this “busy and buzzy” Mayfair haunt, whose large central bar, pavement tables and green leather stools import a sense of chic Italian glamour to this corner-site a minute from Bond Street. The Italian food (cicchetti, risotti, pastas, traditional mains) doesn’t detract from the occasion, but is “highly priced for average quality”, albeit “all decent”; and “service can suffer when it’s over-busy”. Nowadays part of Soho House, its branches spread from Berlin to West Hollywood, via the City of London (in The Ned). Comments on the latter aren’t terrible, but less enthusiastic than those for W1.

Misha Zelman, Ilya Demichev & George Bukhov-Weinstein’s trio of NYC-style steakhouses offer a straightforward combination of top cuts of steak with “an extensive selection of wines – from the affordable to the ridiculous – both from old and new world to accompany the many meats on offer”; and “the non-steak options are surprisingly tasty” too. Oft-compared in years gone by with Hawksmoor, it is somewhat eclipsed by the latter nowadays and reports this year included one or two disappointing accounts, particularly when it came to the lacklustre ambience.

2021 Review: “Good value” sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes trundle past your seat at these two ‘kaiten’ (conveyor-belt) operations in the City, tempting you to help yourself. It makes a fun, fast and efficient way to grab lunch. The chain also has takeaway and delivery options for evenings.

“Simply love Hawksmoor!”. Founded by Will Beckett and Huw Gott, this phenomenal steakhouse chain remains one of the Top-5 most-mentioned restaurant groups in our annual diners’ poll and also one of the most popular. At heart – despite expansion to the 10 UK sites, one in Ireland and two in the US (Chicago, launched in July 2024, is the latest) – the essentials of the brand haven’t changed since they first opened near Spitalfields in 2006: “the steak and the sides are all thumping winners” (“chewy char on the all-grass-fed meat and perfect chips”); “cocktails are a standout attraction” (“those cherry Negronis are a bit too addictive!”); “service is smiley”; all the above is “unbelievably popular”; and consequently they are seemingly able to charge “silly prices”, while not deterring their huge fan base. Opening in the City also helped establish the brand as a huge client-entertaining favourite: “if you’re doing business with carnivores, the excellent steak, red wine, service, and professional ambience should help you seal the deal”. Meanwhile, “good fish and veggie options” have been added to the menu in recent times, perhaps to help defuse the obvious criticism that beef farming is not that super for the planet. In July 2024 – three years after the business tried to float on the stock exchange – majority owners, Graphite Capital, put their 51% stake in the business up for sale for a reported £100m valuation. Will and Huw will, it seems, retain their stake. Top Tip – “BYO is £5 on a Monday!”

“Perfect for a slick business lunch” – “if the weather permits get an outside table” at this D&D London operation on the top floor of No 1 Poultry, where you eat just a minute’s walk from the Bank of England amidst leafy roof terraces. Despite the upheavals at its owning group (sold to new private equity owners in October 2023) it put in a stronger-than-ever performance this year. True, “it’s best when the meal is not at your own expense”, but perennial complaints were absent this year. Instead, “nothing but praise for the lovely staff and excellent kitchen”; and for the “consistently good” modern French cuisine: “I’ve taken numerous guests – all very happy!”

2022 Review: This 55-year-old City trattoria is a popular, lunchtime rendezvous spot on account of its “huge” helpings of classic dishes; its terrace by Bow churchyard for al fresco eating; and its good regional list of Italian wines.

2022 Review: “A stalwart for lunches in the City”, this “unpretentious” venue in “lovely Bow Lane by the famous church” has “kept its standards up” for 35 years. The outdoor seating was a major attraction during the pandemic restrictions, and prices are “very reasonable” for the area, while “the boisterous tables make it easy to have confidential chats without being overheard”.

2022 Review: Yet another option for eating at The Ned! This time, the colossal hipster hotel near Bank has added a new basement bar and entertainment space, complete with regular live music. The food is more than just bar bites though – Lobster Thermidor anyone?

“‘Unchanged by time’ defines Sweetings” – in a quiet way, “one of London’s iconic restaurants”, although its clientele is almost exclusively made up of City brokers who have sustained it on its current site by Mansion House tube since the 1920s (it was founded elsewhere in the 1830s). “Unchanged service (efficient and friendly); unchanged team (some of whom – like the loyal customer base – are unchanged from the last century); unchanged atmosphere in the last 50 years” at least. Arrive by noon if you want to beat the traders to a seat at the small counter or sit in the dining room. “Superb fish” is “cooked simply and well in the English grilled style”. “Kick off with the modestly priced pint of Black Velvet served in a pewter tankard. Try a half-dozen really fresh oysters with a lovely red onion and red vinegar dressing (you can almost hear the sea!). Follow with the fried plaice, homemade tartar sauce and new potatoes in butter”. “Perfect”. “It’s not cheap” but “thank goodness it’s still there”.

2021 Review: In less than 20 years, Danny Meyer has transformed his New York City hot-dog cart into a global fast-food brand giant with eight outlets in London – including a Covent Garden flagship that was revamped earlier this year. Ratings remain remarkably solid for “a chain that does what it’s supposed to do”.