London , International Restaurant Guide

“A buzzy, fashionable Italian that’s thoroughly enjoyable for a casual but high-quality meal” – this smart, all-day bar/brasserie behind the RA in the heart of Mayfair is fast approaching its half-century, and remains a favourite for a loyal clientele of glam local professionals for less formal business occasions; post-work meet-ups; or a “refined brunch”. The sceptical view of it is that it’s “all good, but very pricey for simple food”. Part of the Soho House group for the past 20 years, it now has branches at the Ned in the City, in Shoreditch, and in international cities from West Hollywood to Mumbai.

2024 Review: “A unique experience!” – “For a dinner with a twist, sit ‘outside’ within Borough Market and enjoy a set menu with wine pairing” at Tomas Lidakevicius’s offbeat venture, attached to a greengrocer’s stall. “You’ve no need to choose anything and everything is good”: “the lovely setting helps for sure, but the great food from a tasting menu with seasonal veg as its centrepiece speaks for itself”. “Loved it!”.

“The South African wine selection can’t be beaten” at these steak-and-wine-bar fixtures on the edge of the City (Faringdon and London Bridge) – each with a wine cave and ‘walk-in cheese room’ showcasing British artisan cheeses. They pull in a crowd – “we could hardly hear each other!” – but also attract the odd complaint of “average food at huge prices (£100 per head was way over the top for a very dull meal)”.

“The South African wine selection can’t be beaten” at these steak-and-wine-bar fixtures on the edge of the City (Faringdon and London Bridge) – each with a wine cave and ‘walk-in cheese room’ showcasing British artisan cheeses. They pull in a crowd – “we could hardly hear each other!” – but also attract the odd complaint of “average food at huge prices (£100 per head was way over the top for a very dull meal)”.

How many hours have been convivially lost in this wine bar extraordinaire behind Tower Hill station, which has barely changed in the almost 40 years that it has operated in its current guise – and possibly since the Victorian era? It consists of “two adjoining cellars: one is a wine shop (with a “marvellous selection”) where you pick a wine to be decanted and served – for only £12 corkage over the take-away price – in the adjoining cellar, which has a small number of seats and tables. Platters of charcuterie and cheese (and also a vegan board) are assembled to order and served to the table”. “The quality of the food is high and prices restrained” – and if you don’t feel like a whole bottle, a good selection is available by the glass.

This South Bank pan-Asian is, for many, a “go-to near the National Theatre” – and chef-patron Peter Lloyd doubled up three years ago by taking over the former Cantine del Porte downstream at Shad Thames, which offers “great views of Tower Bridge and the river”. Both sites benefit from their “enviable locations” and – on most accounts – “give rise to little to complain about”, with “pleasing food and reliable service”. But the “tasty” cooking doesn’t always stand up to scrutiny (“my Singaporean friend was disappointed that the menu was not more authentic”) and even advocates can feel, “it’s not otherwise a destination, but it suits us pre-show”.

“Really interesting food, superbly prepared” won more consistent raves this year at Jeremy Chan’s (chef) and Iré Hassan-Odukale’s (MD) ground-breaking venture, which moved to this ‘Midtown’ location on Aldwych in 2022 having won renown for itself in St James’s Market. At the vanguard of transforming impressions of African cuisine, chef Jeremy takes the spices of sub-Saharan West Africa and combines them with British ingredients in a ‘micro-seasonal’ culinary mash-up that’s won it two Michelin stars and the UK’s highest position on the World’s 50 best (at No. 15 in 2025). It’s “exceptional food but with an exceptional and terrifying final bill” – the set menu is £350 per person before wine. And while “Jeremy’s personal attention is without parallel”, the atmosphere of this copper-hued chamber can seem “sterile”. Top Tip – at £150 per person, the shorter express lunch menu is a relative bargain.

“As many lovely sandwiches as you can eat, a big selection of teas, great cakes etc; all impeccably served in a beautiful and very comfortable room with a pianist” marks out the central lounge of this famous property as offering one of London’s top teas. The space was called ‘Thames Foyer’ up till its redesign and relaunch in late 2024 and one report does quibble at the changes (“it’s now not as comfortable as extra tables means you eat much closer together and prices seem to be higher”). Most feedback, though, is a hymn of praise and also claims that tea here has “less pressure and formality than at The Ritz”. The venue is also tipped for “a good selection of posh breakfast classics, well-prepared and served with style”.

“Good pre-theatre option very close to the Royal Opera House” – this Covent Garden fixture is “not overly expensive”, and even if its French brasserie food is sometimes “OK but uninspiring”, it “hits the spot for a quick dinner” and provides a very “buzzy” launchpad for an evening in the West End. Top Menu Tip – “excellent onion soup”.

“A nice lunchtime respite from shopping in Marylebone High Street” – this characterful café attached to a specialist cheese shop (and its siblings in Bloomsbury and Highbury) “showcases the best of the cheeses they stock” – “there are a few non-cheese dishes, but with cheeses this good, stick to what they do best”. Top Menu Tips – “go for the raclette or the fondue savoyarde”.

The soaring windows and high ceilings of this revamped hall make a “great setting” for a bite at the opera – “and you get somewhere to sit in the interval!”. Yes, it is “expensive” and the menu options are “rather limited”, but it does the job.

Named for a “wine list built on love and low mark-ups” (they order 10 cases of each vintage on a rotating basis), this “bustling little wine bar and bistro” in Covent Garden is a marvellous haven for oenophiles, serving “top-quality food and regularly changing wines without too much faff” – and “not too stratospherically expensive” either. “Very well run, with professional yet discreet service”, it’s “a top place pre-theatre for a relaxed supper and a glass or two”, even if “the tables are a little close”.

“It’s been going for very many years, has become far too busy and can get very cramped”… but that’s been a typical description of the capital’s oldest wine bar (est. 1890) near Embankment Tube for as long as anyone can remember. One casualty of popularity in recent times has been the hot food specials – it’s now just the cheeses, cold cuts, pâtés and salad selection, although they recently introduced meat and mezze sharing boards. The “great wine list” is the same pull it always was. Top Tip – try to visit in winter and arrive early for a table in the candle-lit cellar… but in summer they also have one of central London’s biggest, nicest outdoor terraces.

“Famous for being London’s top romantic dining spot with good reason” – this bewitching Covent Garden “haven” comes complete with an “exquisite” rear conservatory, with “a glass roof that opens in summer” and “the treat of a log fire in winter” – and “on the first floor you dine under a vibrant canopy of flowers”. By most accounts the European cuisine is “beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks” too, although a slight slip in its ratings of late supports those who feel that “it’s more hit and miss since the pandemic”. No change in its “wonderful wine selection” however: “a surprisingly eclectic list of wines, alongside the bonus of an extensive cognac offering (and Armagnac dating back 70 years!”). “A must for a special celebration”.

2022 Review: Charlie Mellor’s (ex-Brawn and Elliot’s) cute Hackney wine bar and merchant provides a high- quality fixed-price modern European menu, accompanied by artisan wines from small producers. There’s also ‘The Cave’, for evening DJ sets, behind the off licence.

2024 Review: A mega new hotel for London sees the Old War Office on Whitehall – in which Winston Churchill made many of the most important decisions of World War II – being taken over by Raffles, no less (their first venture in Europe) and the Hinduja Group, to open in late 2023 as a new 125 bedroom property. It will have nine new restaurants, of which we list the five most notable individually: Café Lapérouse, Endo Kazutoshi, Langosteria, Mauro Colagreco and Paper Moon (see also). Other options include Mauro’s Table and a fine high-ceilinged brasserie called ‘Saison’ – which fall under the Colagreco umbrella – as well as The Drawing Room (lounge and all-day dining) and Guards Bar.

It’s hard to know how enthusiastic to be about these slick food courts from all-conquering JKS restaurants at the foot of Centre Point and in the heart of Battersea Power Station. They do win dependable feedback for their “nice mix of cheap ’n’ cheerful food and drink” and “great selection of different cuisines”, but more cynical types dismiss them as hyped, unimaginative venues for sanitised street food. BREAKING NEWS. In July 2025, the group applied for planning permission to create a third ‘Arcade’, in the landmark site of Covent Garden’s former TGIF.

From a French family who have operated in this corner of Kennington for almost 35 years – this brasserie with an upstairs jazz club on a corner near Elephant & Castle remains “a great neighbourhood choice”. The brothers behind it, Noland & Florent Regent, grew up next door in the Lobster Pot, which their parents ran for 25 years until 2016. The Gallic menu – snails, foie gras, cassoulet and madeleines – is complemented by “great beer”, including Meteor from France and Orbit from less than a mile away.