London Pimlico Restaurant Guide

This Pimlico veteran has served “tasty, reliable and good-value tapas” including “particularly enjoyable seafood” for more than 30 years – putting it well ahead of the more recent vogue for Hispanic cuisine. “The menu is always the same and always very good”, which suits local regulars well.

Little has changed at this “unstuffy” Pimlico bistro since it opened 60 years ago (except that, back then, a couple could eat here for under £3!). The original wooden panelling and furniture are still in place, the fish pie is still topped with piped potato, and pricing is still “cheap ’n’ cheerful”. It also does a “great Sunday lunch for the kids”.

“Delicious chops piled high, good gluggable house red – what’s not to like?” at this long-running and “extremely good-value” Turkish-Cypriot grill near Victoria station in Pimlico. It’s “not a place for a romantic tête-à-tête, but great fun – you’ll leave very well fed and watered, and with a smile on your face”.

2021 Review: “Like a home away from home”, this Pimlico stalwart keeps regulars happy with a “lovely range of tapas” and Spanish classics, “supervised brilliantly by the amazing host, Issy”. “In an age of ever-changing restaurants, it’s a great pleasure to enjoy such consistency over many years.”

This “absolutely reliable” chippie has done sterling service in Pimlico for 59 years, with a recent refurb enabling it to live up to its name. “Dishes range from excellent fish ’n’ chips to more complex and flavourful fare” – and it’s “reasonably priced”.

“Honest Turkish food and very good value” continue to inspire enthusiasm for this Pimlico local of over two decades’ standing: “meat is grilled to perfection” and there’s “a high standard of service”.

“Going from strength to strength... surviving a flood in its first year... then Covid… it shines triumphant!” – owner Katie Exton “has dedication in abundance” and her “superb and fairly priced” Pimlico favourite is the result. That the “lovely and intimate” room can also appear “a little understated” is the nearest any report gets to a criticism; and most are a full-on hymn of praise to its “stunning, clean-flavoured seasonal food” served with “enthusiasm and knowledge”. La patronne is a top sommelier and “pound for pound her brilliant, eclectic and accessible wine list is one of the best in London; punching well above its weight for a restaurant of its size and price-point”.

All-day Italian-style eating, inspired by the grand cafés of Europe and the culinary traditions of Venice, is the aim at this ground-floor venue in a hotel near Victoria station and its sibling in the Battersea Power Station development’s new art’otel. Both can still be an “asset to the area”, offering a “buzzing” setting, “amazing breakfasts” and “decent dining proposition”, but there was also a high proportion of disappointments this year – in particular, poor service in both locations.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

One of “London’s best kept foodie secrets”, where you act as a guinea pig for the next generation of the UK hospitality trade within Westminster Kingsway College, on leafy Vincent Square. There are two restaurants: the relaxed ‘Brasserie’ and more formal ‘Escoffier Room’, where “the cooking by third-year students is often Michelin quality”, while “the service by first years is lovely… if a bit rough at the edges”. Not only is a meal here “terrific value (£35 for 5-course tasting menu, ditto wine pairings)”, you also “support budding culinary careers”.

“A great option near Victoria” – this indie venue in the stylish Eccleston Yards project provides a comfy spot for its Josper-grilled steaks, other grills from ‘sea, land and field’ and fish tartares. It’s “relatively simple fare” but well-realised from a wide variety of menus, including Sunday roasts. And the venue “makes a virtue of its converted warehouse space” with “very friendly” service that helps it win votes both for business and as a good spot to spend “a lovely lazy afternoon”. Top Tip – wonderful outside dining in summer.

“The best whistle-stop pizza in London” for its army of fans – the Elliot brothers’ successful chain continues to grow, with their latest opening in Queen’s Park in June 2023. But even if “you can’t knock the food” or the “realistic prices”, the rest of the experience is somewhere between “pleasant” and “a bit underwhelming”.

A definitive London caff – this Westminster institution has hardly changed since opening in 1946, and provides “the best fry-up you’ll likely have had in years, with quality ingredients, well cooked and served in an iconic Art Deco setting”. Breakfast here is “an experience every Londoner should try at least once in their life: consistent, quick and heavy” – and it’s “as good as ever, even if there are lots of tourists now” (“you’ll totally understand why people join the long queue”).

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.

“Well produced, tasty morsels of delight” including “ace lunchtime bento boxes” are served at these “pared down” Japanese canteens, which provide “good value for money for what is generally an expensive cuisine”. Founder Mr Taro is not one for fast food: he conceived the idea of opening an ‘everyday dining room’ on a visit to London in 1979 and launched it in Soho 20 years later. Two decades on he is in expansion mode, and in February 2023 opened a sixth branch in a former Manze Pie & Mash shop in Walthamstow, with a Grade II listed interior now restored to its previous glory.

“Terrific Nepalese dishes in a basic setting” behind Victoria station. “The manager is exceptionally friendly and skillful – they were happy to make black lentils for us despite not being on the menu”. They also have a lunchtime food truck at Merchant Square in Paddington. Top Tip – “BYO, so don’t turn up empty-handed expecting a beer or glass of wine”.

Opening summer 2024 on the top floor of Belgravia's Ice Factory, a follow-up from the team behind highly rated Medlar in Chelsea. Details are scarce, but it's definitely pitched as a 'destination' restaurant of high ambition