London , British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

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”.

“It’s as though time was paused 100 years ago” at this Square Mile legend, founded in the 1830s and on its current site since the 1920s. Arrive early if you want to beat the City pinstripes to a table or a spot at the counter, although “it’s worth the wait for a seat while sipping a tankard of Black Velvet”. “Traditional, hearty British fish is served in a manner unchanged by time” – oysters, smoked eel, whitebait – and “the fish pie is still good and not too expensive”. “Longstanding staff add to its stalwart appeal”.

2023 Review: This “unique” institution – a traditional City chophouse founded in 1757 – is “the sort of place cooking the kind of food that doesn’t exist any more… except it does here!”. Guests seated in 19th-century oak-panelled stalls feast on full English breakfasts and grills or pies for lunch followed by the signature stewed cheese pudding (there is no evening or weekend service). “My father took me there 65 years ago – it’s hardly changed, but there’s no longer an open fire!”

2022 Review: The name says it all about this new ‘Britisserie’ (an ‘authentic British patisserie’), which opened on a corner site near St Paul’s in December 2019. Owners Daniel Jobsz and his mum honed their classic pie-making skills at markets, festivals and pop-ups from 2015 before they found the site, which incorporates a small courtyard. Full English breakfasts (in a tart, of course), plus epic mash and a good list of beers and other drinks complete the formula.

Punters are often drawn to this D&D London operation because of its association with TV show ‘First Dates’, for which it was famously the location. Originally it was conceived by the group as a classic City steakhouse kind of place, but has never really made waves in that department. Still, the odd report says it’s a “useful” option in the area (although, note, if you haven’t visited for a little while, it’s moved – it’s no longer overlooking St Paul’s from Paternoster Square and is now on Ludgate Hill).

The “unforgettable setting” of this pub and restaurant adjoining Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, “with a lovely view over the river” to St Paul’s, provides much of the draw, although its food and service are (just about) up to scratch too. The wide range of menus makes it a “flexible option”, providing afternoon teas, brunches, drinks and meals before and after performances.

“Still love the place…” – Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s icon of British cuisine coined the concept of ‘nose-to-tail dining’ and hasn’t missed a beat since it opened in 1994, in a “stark-but-chic” ex-smokehouse, near Smithfield Market. Known for its “sometimes challenging menu (not least for its selection of offal dishes)”, it continues to deliver “totally brilliant”, “straightforward” dishes (“the cuts may be humble, but the results are of the highest grade”) from “good old-fashioned recipes” in its distinctive “white-walled, down-to-earth” setting, whose ultra-utilitarian style is livened up by “entertaining” service that’s “very kind and personable”. Top Menu Tip – “puddings are to die for (I don’t have a sweet tooth but this is the only restaurant where I ALWAYS have a pudding)”.

The dramatic setting of a wrought-iron and glass portico – originally part of Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House and now overlooking Borough Market – makes this “a great place for breakfasts or business lunches”. More generally, though, its retro-British cuisine generates limited enthusiasm (the main problem is “it costs too much!”).

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”.

“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”.

“Wearing the ‘nose-to-tail’ mantle a little more lightly” than the Smithfield original, Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s Spitalfields canteen hits the nail on the head for many diners. Its robust British small plates are “seriously good – different, and utterly delicious with plenty of offal” – and “the wine list with lesser known bottles is also interesting”. “The room may be clinical” but “its basic style is attractive… if you like that sort of thing”. Top Menu Tip – “the best bacon butty in London!”, plus “mega Eccles cakes with Lancashire cheese to fill you up”.

2021 Review: “Surprisingly good food and charming service” make it worth remembering this historic hostelry (refurbed in recent times), near the Royal Courts of Justice. You can eat in the ground floor bar, or in the upstairs ‘Pig and Goose’ restaurant.