London Farringdon Restaurant Guide

“Decent tapas for the price” – with “all the usual suspects (patatas bravas, padron peppers, tortilla, croquettas)” – win praise for this Hispanic quartet, now well into their second decade. These days the cooking is reckoned “competent”, if “not up to the earlier standards” – perhaps a reflection of improved competition. Top Menu Tip – “it’s worth checking out the vegetable dishes” (“with some left-field options for the adventurous; the beetroot with coffee was great!”)

“Shocking news when Russell Norman died” in November 2023 – his legacy remains this “buzzy, brilliant Italian trattoria in the City of London” that was his “homage to hearty Tuscan food” and which is now run by his widow Jules and son Ollie. Perhaps it’s “a bit too cramped for comfort” and there’s “loud, thumpy music”, but most diners feel “it just gets everything right”. “It’s hard to get a table, but with Negronis at £5...who is surprised?”. The food is “not stellar, but fine-to-good” and – importantly – also generous and comforting (as exemplified by its best known dishes the ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’ and its ‘Coccoli’ – cuddles – of deep fried dough with soft cheese and prosciutto). “Cosy, cute and very romantic, go there for any occasion… but with a date it’s even better!”

“Amazing steak (though the rest of menu is good too)” and terrific views over the City and St Paul’s share top billing at the flagship restaurant at the top of a handsome Grade II-listed former Smithfield market warehouse. It can be “a bit noisy”, but it makes for a “solid dining experience” that’s “always good for business”.

Now branded as ‘No.3 Rooftop Restaurant’ (formerly, it was just ambiguously referred to as the top floor) – Smiths’ flagship venue was once a top spot for business wining and dining thanks to its wide outside terrace and striking views over to the City and St Paul’s. Ups and downs over many years have lowered its profile, but no-one rates the food badly nowadays, even if some think elements of the experience are “overpriced” or “disappointing”. With the rebrand has come less emphasis on steak, and a sign-of-the-times refocus on fish and seafood (including a raw selection), but still alongside cuts of dry-aged, grass-fed British beef.

2022 Review: “The duck burger is sublime and the triple-cooked duck-fat chips are moreish” at this offshoot of nearby Club Gascon, which offers a more informal venue for simpler but similar cuisine from SW France. We’ve rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance, as it remains closed as of September 2021 while the team waits for folks to return to their offices around Smithfield.

“A great wine list from all corners of the globe” has helped underpin the ongoing popularity of this modern wine bar chain, despite a year that saw it sold out of administration and the closure of its popular King’s Cross branch. Although this period inspired iffy marks and the odd report of “totally disorganised” service, the four remaining outlets still inspire tons of, albeit slightly lukewarm nominations as a handy option “for a simple meal”: “don’t expect any sort of culinary fireworks” from the “straightforward” dishes “but there are some very nice, reasonably priced wines” and the interiors are “definitely pleasant”. Top Menu Tips – “lovely cheese croquettes and steak ’n’ chips”.

“The OG” of ‘nose-to-tail’ British cuisine and recherché offal-related dishes – Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s Smithfield icon is “as brilliant as ever” after all these years (it opened in 1994). Occasionally reports accuse it of “complacency”, but for the most part they pay awed homage to its “top cooking and fine ingredients” delivered by “superb, genuinely engaging and caring staff”. There’s an “excellent wine list” too. “The matching stark white dining room” of this converted smokehouse “still has that Scandi-chic feel, but is oh-so-loud – perhaps the worst acoustic of any restaurant ever!”. Top Menu Tip – “Worth it for the roast bone marrow alone”; suckling pig is a favourite for a group celebration; and “it’s one place you must never pass on pudding!” (“amazing Marmalade Bakewell, Rhubarb Trifle, Steamed Sponge… all excellent)”.

2021 Review: “Perfect coffee every time” keeps caffeine fiends crawling back to this small and serious chain. “Baking from Fortitude Bakehouse is a good complement”.

“A tiny nondescript frontage” north of Smithfield Market hides this “deceptively large” and “classy” Italian – a sibling (though you would never know it) of The Clove Club (see also). You enter through the “very convivial” bar (where they serve “a stunning set business lunch”) to enter “a spacious environment” including “a romantic hidden back terrace”. The cuisine is “sensational old school Italian cooking”: “classic dishes are elevated by the clever use of subtle flavours” and there’s “a beautifully-put together wine list (a not cheap, but interesting selection)”. Top Menu Tip – “worth it for the Parmesan churros, or the homemade Limoncello”.

Now in its 40th year, this “charming, family-run brasserie”, “hidden away near Smithfield Market”, is “about as close as you’ll get to France” without leaving Blighty. With a “great atmosphere, but still quiet enough to be able to chat”, it’s “a great place to seal a business deal” – but equally “French is always best for romance!”. In the evenings, “regular live music adds to the relaxed atmosphere”.

Celeb chef Bill Granger passed away in December 2023, and although the group he founded is still oft-nominated as a brunch favourite it’s perhaps no surprise that these “stylish” Aussie-inspired haunts inspired more mixed reports in this year’s annual diners’ poll. Rather than itemise this year’s ups-and-downs, at this time of change it seems more appropriate to postpone a rating till next year.

2021 Review: Promising initial feedback on this tiny, wine, cheese, charcuterie and tapas yearling in Clerkenwell, whose backers include wine buyer Anthonin Charlier (formerly at Cellar and Club Gascon). French and Spanish flavours are to the fore – “a really happy discovery: both food and wine are great, but the service makes the place”.

“This Clerkenwell bolt-hole remains a genuine experience, accessed through a nondescript black door and a rickety brass lift before coming round a curtain into the expansive two-tier dining room”. It’s part of a large, Grade II listed courthouse which features in Dickens’s ‘Oliver Twist’. “From the moment you enter and take the lift to the wow factor of discovering the room itself onto the excellent food (up to the point where the staff gently encourage you to leave) it’s a wonderful experience”. The room itself is “like nowhere else”: so “beautiful” and “glamorous”. But while it’s one of London’s most atmospheric dining locations, the rest of the experience holds up well, with an “eccentric but good” small plates menu which “contains all manner of interesting morsels” and “a great wine list with interesting and eclectic choices”. Top Tip – “A glass of champagne on the roof terrace in the sunshine is a wonderful prelude to a yummy lunch of sharing plates”.

“Pure craft” – Toru Takahashi’s tiny 7-seat venue in a cute Clerkenwell alley does not go out of its way to advertise itself, with almost zero online presence, and bookings released weekly each Monday via a form on one of the booking platforms. He doesn’t need to plug himself, though, as this is “hands-down some of the best sushi in London” (although, because it doesn’t fit into a jelly mould, it goes without saying that Michelin have failed to recognise it, although those less cynical about how it operates have “no idea why they have yet to recognise this place”). For one reporter: “a recent trip to Japan and then a revisit here after confirms the standard at which this charming little shop is operating – on a par with some of the higher-end Tokyo spots. Delicious, imaginative sushi and the warmest of welcomes… the only issue is actually getting a seat!”. The full menu is £187 per person, for 17-20 courses for which you should allow four hours. Or there’s a somewhat cut-down Saturday lunch experience for £167 per person. Top Tip – email info@sushitetsu.co.uk for all the details.

“It was very sad when the Bleeding Heart restaurant never reopened” – a victim of Covid-19 – “but the adjoining bistro” in a Dickensian yard “hidden around the back of Hatton Garden” is “still going strong” under its long-term owners Robert & Robyn Wilson (who established the business in 1983). “In a convenient location between the City and the West End”, the venue has always been popular amongst expense-accounters and “minimal intervention from the efficient service means it’s a great choice for a business lunch” and always feels “busy and buzzy”. The “reliable, classic French bistro cuisine provides something on the menu for all tastes” and “is consistently of a high standard”; and while the cellar is not quite as deep as when the restaurant was in full swing, there remains “a fairly comprehensive wine list”. Top Tip – in summer, “the really lovely terrace is an oasis in this busy part of London”.

2022 Review: On the fringe of the City, this large tavern is part of the well-known eateries grouped around Bleeding Heart Yard, all under common ownership. A “decent-all-round and handy standby”, it was in particular “a perfect place to meet people for the elusive business meetings that could take place between lockdowns”. Reported by Google as ‘Temporarily closed’ in October 2021, we have rated it on the basis that – as the Square Mile picks up – its return is likely.

This “friendly Italian near the Barbican” has a good-sized fan club. It serves “food that is just that little bit different” – “the cooking seems to have taken a step up recently, and the place is often bustling”. There’s a “great and fairly priced list of Italian wines” – “and do leave room for the puddings”.