London St John's Wood Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: Wholesome family fare with an eco-friendly twist is the promise of this new all-day arrival on St John’s Wood High Street – open from breakfast onwards and incorporating a child-friendly cookery school. The menu leans heavily on its plant-based associations.

“The dangers of overextending the brand are writ large at these places” – the sub-sub-brand derivatives from the Theatreland classic, which haven’t taken off like the slightly posher ‘Ivy Brasserie’ spin-offs (perhaps because “they do this better at Côte”). They are not without supporters, who say they have fab locations and “look great” (SW19 is particularly “delightful”); or that although “supper is terribly disappointing, for breakfast they are an absolute joy enhanced by the refined surroundings”. Too often, though, they are dismissed as a “so-so brasserie chain that’s only really aiming for gullible out-of-towners” nowadays.

“Just a lovely space to be in” – the Wolseley Group’s St John’s Wood brasserie has “a very French feel” that takes its inspiration from ‘the great boulevard cafés of Paris’ and has been a boon to the area since it launched in 2019. The “unashamedly French” menu perhaps seldom hits the heights, but is awarded consistently good ratings by diners, and it’s a particular breakfast favourite.

“Oslo Court is one of a kind” and “still going strong after 40 years” at the foot of an apartment block north of Regent’s Park. “Old School in the extreme”, it’s a “classic that never goes out of fashion”… at least if your idea of ‘classic’ is drawn from the era of the mid-1970s. “From the peach tablecloths to the generous servings of melba toast, butter curls and crudités, it’s like going back in time… in a good way. Staff make you feel very special, the whole experience is warm and fun and the classic cooking is great”, so long as you are looking for the antithesis of modern food fashion. “The menu is incredibly large and there’s a long list of specials too” (remember Avocado & Prawns? Or Melon with Parma Ham? Dover Sole Véronique?). “Bring an appetite” as “portions are excellent”. Also, go in festive mood: seemingly everyone over the age of 80 in north London is there to celebrate an occasion (“I lost count of how many times Happy Birthday was sung at lunch last Saturday.”). Top Tip – “the waiter who has been there years still serves the best desserts”.

La Patronne, Catherine Parisot, was just in her twenties when she started this “lovely” old-fashioned charmer in St John’s Wood and has run it for over 43 years now. A very loyal clientele from all over London has discovered it over the years, and for them it’s a huge “favourite” that’s particularly “perfect for evenings ‘à deux’”. Her classic ‘cuisine bourgeoise’ is “old-fashioned French cooking at its best (you would struggle to match it in France)”; and features “a number of staples on the menu that have been on forever (her pea soup is unbeatable!”). Its ratings no longer scale the pinnacles they did some years ago, but the overall tenor of reports remains overwhelmingly positive: “so French, perfect food, perfect service, I love it!”

This “stunning and ornate pub” in St John’s Wood with a “high-ceilinged, intricately decorated and chandeliered” dining room is the perhaps-unlikely setting for “delicious Lebanese food from the Maroush group” (who have owned it for over a decade now). The monumental, late-Victorian Renaissance-style building was originally intended as a railway hotel for a mainline London terminus that ended up being built half a mile away (in Marylebone) – hence the ‘folly’ of the name.

2023 Review: This tiny Japanese near Little Venice is “well worth seeking out”. “The food is served in a friendly manner and the sushi and sashimi is always very fresh”.

Taking over the former Harry Morgan’s site (RIP) in St John’s Wood, a classic Italian all-day restaurant that has transferred across from Mayfair. Owned by football agent Kia Joorabchian, it attracted a Premier League crowd in its earlier incarnation.

“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”.