Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in London Belgravia
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Belgravia restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 72 restaurants in Belgravia and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Belgravia restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Belgravia Restaurants
1. Sale e Pepe
Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge
9-15 Pavilion Road - SW1
Retired maître d’ Tony and his team created an atmosphere that was “mad, crowded, noisy yet still great fun” at this fifty-year-old Trattoria (est. 1974), long known for providing relatively good value for somewhere not far from the back door of Harrods. In February 2023, it was taken over by The Thesleff Group, whose press release promises ‘a revitalised energy and subtle changes’ to this old groover, which includes a trendified menu. No reports from the old regulars as yet on the new regime so we’ve left it un-rated for the time being.
2. Hans’ Bar & Grill
British, Modern restaurant in Chelsea
164 Pavilion Road - SW1X
A very appealing looking spot, in one of Chelsea’s more chichi little enclaves – this café bar is part of nearby boutique hotel, 100 Cadogan Gardens. It’s not the cheapest venue, and service can lag, but for a breakfast or light shopping lunch it’s praised (albeit in limited feedback) as “a good all-rounder”.
3. Caraffini
Italian restaurant in Pimlico
61-63 Lower Sloane Street - SW1
“Still as popular with its regular clientele as ever” – this “civilised old-favourite” near Sloane Square “doesn’t change much”, to the relief of its massive, silver-haired following (“you could do away with the menu, as all the customers know exactly what they will order before they arrive. It’ll be the same as they’ve been ordering for the last 25 years!”). The traditional, “comfort-Italian” food is “reliable”, but it’s the “extremely courteous service and wonderful greeting” that really carries the day. Top Menu Tip – “best calves’ liver in London”.
4. Enoteca Turi
Italian restaurant in Pimlico
87 Pimlico Road - SW1
“The personal touch is invaluable” at Giuseppe & Pamela Turi’s “thriving” and “very confident” Italian stalwart, which “has gone from strength to strength since moving from Putney to Pimlico in 2015, and is always full” (often of long-term customers, who “happily make the trek” into the centre of town). “If Italian wine is your thing, this is the place to go”: Giuseppe’s all-Italian list is a “masterpiece in its own right” and even if “a ton of money is sometimes required, the vintages are not expensive for what they are”. To match it: “refined cooking, with classics, specials, and seasonal variations, reflecting the team’s heritage”. It’s a “grown-up” and “very confident experience, without bowing to fashion” – “the Turis be found at the restaurant every day, and there is always a smile to welcome you”. BREAKING NEWS – In August 2023, the Turis announced their retirement, thus rendering the above entry otiose. A month later, just before we went to press, experienced restaurateur, Dominic Ford, and Liberty Wines owner, David Gleave, were announced as the new patrons. Much of the team remains in place, as does the cellar. But – as our read feedback clearly demonstrates – this whole enterprise has always been a supremely personal one and the Turis will be a hard act to follow. We’ve maintained its rating (but taking service down a notch, reflecting the very personal style of the founders).
5. La Poule au Pot
French restaurant in Pimlico
231 Ebury St - SW1
Dark and candle-lit, this “unchanging French” old charmer in Pimlico has “lots of tiny tables squeezed into its intimate nooks”; and yet again comes highly recommended for a steamy date in our annual diners’ poll. The very Gallic service “can be a bit hit ’n’ miss (it helps if they know you)” but typically “makes you feel so cosseted and looked after”. “There aren’t so many restaurants left in Paris serving such traditional bistro fare” (Tarte à l’Oignon, Beef Bourguignon, Crème Brûlée…), all served in “very generous portions” and “with a sensibly priced wine list”. Top Tip – “great terrace for al fresco dining” in summer.
6. Il Pampero
Italian restaurant in Kensington and Chelsea
20 Chesham Place - SW1X
2022 Review: A short walk from Sloane Street, this elegantly panelled Belgravia dining room is part of a luxurious five-star hotel. Perhaps because it’s tucked away in such an expensive ’hood, it doesn’t generate a huge volume of survey feedback, but such as there is says it successfully sets a superior standard of Italian cuisine.
7. Belmond Cadogan Hotel (The Lounge)
restaurant in Knightsbridge
75 Sloane Street - SW1X
2022 Review: “Superb dishes, presented wonderfully” win praise for the afternoon tea served in the stylish lounge of this deluxe hotel on Sloane Street (where Oscar Wilde was arrested in 1895 after losing a libel case). Prices, though, are too “aggressive” for some tastes.
8. The Restaurant at The Capital
British, Traditional restaurant in Knightsbridge
22-24 Basil Street - SW3
Back in the day, this small chamber – in a luxury five-star near the back of Harrods – was a much stiffer and foodie affair. In recent times the style has become laid-back – bare tables and an all-day menu (much of it from a Josper grill). Feedback is a little up-and-down, but even a reporter who was “a little disappointed” ultimately rated the experience as “good all-round”.
9. Boisdale of Belgravia
Scottish restaurant in Belgravia
13-15 Eccleston Street - SW1
The Scottish roots of Ranald Macdonald (the eldest son of the 24th chief and captain of Clanranald) help explain the approach of this Belgravian stalwart, which – since 1986 – has majored in a menu of Scottish-sourced beef and burgers (plus lobster and a few other dishes); backed up by an ‘old school’ wine list informed by Ranald’s original career in the wine trade; and topped off with a huge range of whiskies. “Live music helps make it fun” and there’s also a cigar terrace. On the downside, although harsh critiques are absent, its overall rating suggests it is fully priced. (For traditional expense-accounters, though, it’s tailor-made.)
10. Olivomare
Fish & seafood restaurant in Belgravia
10 Lower Belgrave Street - SW1
“Reliable Sardinian shellfish and pasta” win consistent high marks for this seafood specialist in Mauro Sanno’s smart Belgravia group, which has been feeding well-heeled locals for 15 years. The pavement seating in the summer is a better bet than the sleek but stark modern interior.
11. Chucs Belgravia
Italian restaurant in Belgravia
25 Eccleston Street - SW1W
Inspired by La Dolce Vita lifestyle (indeed, there used to be an accompanying apparel resort-wear brand), this small Italian group strives to evoke the retro glamour of the 1960s ‘jet set’. There’s some enthusiasm for them amongst reporters, but a recognition that the food is “nice but not exceptional”: “I had an excellent martini. But the dishes were either overly seasoned or (the salad) not dressed at all”.
12. Muse
British, Modern restaurant in Belgravia
38 Groom Place - SW1X
“Tom Aikens is back to his brilliant best!” at his “chic little Belgravia mews house”, where he’s created “an outstanding small restaurant with open kitchen”. Set on two floors, “tables are a bit close”, but the “intimate” style is a selling point for most diners (especially at the chef’s counter), as is the fact that there’s “plenty of interaction with the chefs including patron Tom”, all of whom “serve and explain with a remarkable personal touch”. The menu – “exquisite food, delivered with passion and skill” – draws on Tom’s upbringing – “love the story-telling… a truly special experience”.
13. Santini
Italian restaurant in Belgravia
29 Ebury St - SW1
Food writer Laura Santini nowadays oversees this datedly chic Belgravia Italian founded by her father Gino in 1984, and which had quite a celebrity following back in the day (Frank Sinatra was a fan). Ever since we started our guide in 1991, it’s been priced for the rich residents of SW1 (a bowl of pasta is about £30), and most years don’t see a huge volume of reports. Representative of feedback this year: “OK food on the whole (if unexciting)… and big wine list mark-ups”.
14. The Thomas Cubitt Pub Belgravia
British, Modern restaurant in Belgravia
44 Elizabeth St - SW1
“Consistent over many years”, this smart (and “not particularly cheap”) Belgravia gastropub is named after the master-builder who developed the area in the Georgian era, and is the flagship of the ambitious Cubitt House group, which has hired chef-director Ben Tish (ex-Salt Yard, The Stafford and Norma) and food journalist/hospitality expert Joe Warwick to bolster its standards.
15. Olivo
Italian restaurant in Belgravia
21 Eccleston Street - SW1W
In its day a pioneer of Italian ‘peasant’ cuisine in the capital, Mauro Sanna’s original Belgravia Sardinian remains “steady and always reliable” in its 35th year – “this restaurant has never disappointed”. If it’s “quite pricey”, that has never been an issue for the well-heeled locals who ensure it is perennially busy.
16. Oliveto
Pizza restaurant in Belgravia
61 Elizabeth Street - SW1
Whether you choose pizza, pasta or a main dish, this all-rounder in Sardinian Mauro Sanna’s smart Belgravia group “never disappoints”. Following a fire, it has moved a few doors to the premises formerly occupied by stablemate Olivocarne (RIP). A major attraction is the “wine list to delight lovers of off-beat, small producer wines”.
17. Abd El Wahab
Lebanese restaurant in Knightsbridge
1-3 Pont Street - SW1X
2021 Review: Surprisingly little feedback on this posh Lebanese, swankily located near Belgrave Square – the London outpost of a well-known, Beirut-based chain with 18 branches in the Arab world. Such as we have suggests it’s good all-round, but doesn’t set the world on fire.
18. Morena
South American restaurant in Pimlico
10-11 Eccleston Yards - SW1W
2022 Review: Caffeine aficionados should truffle out this all-day dining spot and coffee house from sisters Juliana and Valentina Beleno, who import green beans from their native Colombia and roast ’em themselves. It’s a pleasant spot, too – for a snack or brunch on the likes of poke bowls and Latino-inspired salads – located in the attractive Eccleston Yards development.
19. Ganymede
British, Modern restaurant in Belgravia
139 Ebury Street - SW1W
“More gastro French than pub, but delicious” – the successor to much-missed Belgravia institution the Ebury Street Wine Bar (long RIP) has got off to a strong start, helped by a “very high standard of food and service” from “welcoming, friendly and courteous staff”.
20. The Dining Room, The Goring Hotel
British, Traditional restaurant in Belgravia
15 Beeston Pl - SW1
Very often recommended as an “expensive but reliable” venue for a “perfect business lunch”, this “decorous”, family-run hotel near Buck House (where the Middletons stayed before Kate & Will’s big day) has won renown as a “very classy”, traditionally British affair, where “everything is done perfectly”. Post-Covid, however, its dining room’s performance seems to have been on the slide and the downward trend noted last year continued in this year’s poll amidst gripes that it was “not as good as previously”, serving “bland food” and with “too many high expectations dashed”. Top Tip – “a quintessential English afternoon tea” in the lounges here is still a popular event.
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