London Belsize Park Restaurant Guide

“Owner/front-of-house Giuseppe is Sicilian, chef Antonio is Sardinian, and the cuisine is a mix of the two” at this cute Primrose Hill corner-site, praised for its “fabulous cooking and charming service”. An impressive wine list explores biodynamic bottles from the two islands.

2021 Review: Now fully vegan, this 1968-vintage Primrose Hill outfit can claim to be Europe’s oldest veggie restaurant, and is still co-owned by musician Roger Swallow of the Albion Band, long-time resident in LA. The food has had its ups and downs over the decades and is nowadays mostly (if not uniformly) rated “enjoyable and tasty”, even by reporters “neither vegetarian nor vegan”. It closed for major refurbishments in summer 2019.

“Still going strong” after 45 years, this big, “family-friendly, community-spirited” taverna on Primrose Hill boasts a “reliable Greek-Cypriot menu that suits all tastes”. “Visit for the ambience rather than the food and you won’t be disappointed” – it’s the sort of place where “many of the waiters have served for decades; and once-young guests can often be seen tucking in with now grown-up children as well as grandchildren in tow”.

This “vibrant and busy” hangout in Primrose Hill is “obviously very popular with locals”, plying them with “huge salads offset with brownies and ice cream”, along with decent coffee and cocktails. In particular, it’s a big local favourite for a “released breakfast… if you can get a table”.

2021 Review: This “excellent local” bistro in Primrose Hill – “there should be one on every high street” – has a “good buzz” and does “a nice line in deconstructed versions of French classics”. The original La Petite Ferme near Exmouth Market is a “lovely little” venue “offering brilliant value”.

David Levin’s elegant-looking brasserie near Belsize Park tube scores well for its “consistent quality” and “great location”. And by the dire standards of London’s kosher restaurant scene, it’s one of the best all-rounders in town.

Simon & Jacinta Bradley’s “reliable neighbourhood restaurant” near Swiss Cottage station is one of the capital’s stalwart local champions, offering an unfailing combination of “well-presented dishes, friendly service and well chosen wines” for 32 years and counting. “Rarely busy at lunchtime”, it’s also a “very useful pre-theatre restaurant” for those heading to the Hampstead Theatre around the corner. Ratings, though, remain capped by those who view it as “a venue that’s convenient but dull”.

“Everything is flame-grilled – including the olives!” at this Belsize Park three-year-old from chef-patron Jake Finn (ex-LPM and The Ritz), whose second branch in St John’s Wood is equally highly rated. They are “buzzy, sometimes noisy” places, “famous locally for their triple cooked potatoes”. Top Menu Tip – “the standout chargrilled leek salad with ricotta and hazelnuts”.

“A well-conceived shortish menu of varied and interesting food” has won a warm reception for coffee entrepreneur Jeffrey Young’s ‘Antipodean-inspired Modern Italian in the heart of Belsize Park’. A visit is buoyed along by “a warm welcome and efficient but unobtrusive service (everyone in our – not always easy to please – party said they’d like to go again soon!”).

“Real quality pizza, good portion sizes and reasonable prices” have driven the rapid growth of this Chelsea-based group, launched five years ago by Carmelo Meli and Emanuele Tagliarini. A couple of reports also give a shout out to the “short but reasonably priced wine list”.

“The best bagels in London”! Self-taught baker Dan Martensen and Caravan head baker Jack Ponting worked on perfecting a New York bagel recipe and opened this bricks-and-mortar place in September 2023 in Primrose Hill. There’s the odd table, but it’s primarily take out.

“Classic Italian dishes are executed as well as one could hope for” at Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi’s “long-established” Marylebone stalwart: “the food is always very good – ragu a case in point – and the specials and seasonals can be mouthwatering”. That remains the majority view anyhow, although its critics feel results are “competent if unexciting”. Still, it’s proved a successful base for expansion, as the couple also run a restaurant in Bray (complete with cookery school) and in April 2024 added a new offshoot in Belsize Park: an initial report says the NW3 branch is “a welcome addition, well-designed with friendly staff; and serving a relatively short menu including pizza and pasta, if at West End prices”.

2023 Review: This three-year-old neighbourhood Italian wins solid ratings for its modern cuisine and is a bright spark in Belsize Park’s fairly dim culinary constellation.