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 venues are wonderful to look at, but the food is almost always below average, over-priced from an uninspiring menu, with service that can be pushy and inflexible” – a fair summary of the pros and cons of the sub-sub brand of the famous Theatreland classic, which more generous fans claim provides “reliable comfort food without the hassle of the original”. Many diners have their eyes wide open when it comes to the trade-offs of choosing to dine here: “you likely have a good time; it’s just that, in London, there is always somewhere more interesting round the corner”.

“Standards have gone downhill this year” according to more sceptical reports on this attractively designed Wolseley Group brasserie in St John’s Wood. Fans do still hail it for its “good choice of reliable French dishes” and “pleasant ambience”, but quite a number feel it is becoming “very disappointing”: “not as good as it thinks it is” with “slow service and poor food”.

“One of a kind!” – this old-school favourite “on the ground floor of a mansion block near Regent’s Park” has seemingly “been perfectly preserved in a time-warp, given a menu, decor and staff that don’t seem to have changed in decades (and the prices seem remarkably reasonable, as though they too have escaped inflation)”. Some in our annual diners’ survey “go every week” (“we are life-long customers, as were my parents before me”; “30 years visiting this restaurant and never a bad meal”) and the place is famous for being packed with silver-haired north Londoners celebrating occasions with their families (“Happy Birthdays are sung and there’s cake with a candle”). “Some things just never go out of fashion and it all just works”: “there are elegant pink tablecloths and napkins” arranged in a 70s’-tastic manner and “the set price menu includes melba toast, then crudités as well as generous servings of the main dishes”, drawn from an “old-fashioned” menu which incorporates items like Dover Sole Véronique or Veal Schnitzel Holstein. Portions are “substantial” and “you’ll never leave hungry!”, although some are “still in mourning for the dessert trolley (a victim of Covid)”. “It’s always full, so remember to book!”

Catherine Parisot was in her twenties and fresh off the boat from France when she started this “small, old-school Gallic restaurant” in St John’s Wood, and over its 44-year existence it has become a “go-to” destination for many regulars, especially for a “memorable”, “romantic” celebration. “It is the sort of place that makes one feel good”: “a gem” with a “calm and peaceful atmosphere” and “wonderful” and “authentic” cuisine bourgeois. Its ratings scored something of a bounceback this year: “the menu is still largely the same (best pea soup and lamb anywhere) and the quality of everything else as high as ever… plus the indomitable patronne”.

“Beautiful and no doubt listed surroundings” (in fact Grade II*) add to the experience of a visit to this unlikely venue – a monumental ornate pub, bizarrely located off the beaten track (in fact, it was originally built as a railway hotel for a terminus that was never built); and nowadays a slightly offbeat part of the Maroush Lebanese restaurant empire. The odd incident of “indifferent service” or “fairly bland food” tinges feedback that’s mostly still highly upbeat regarding the “lovely building” and “on-point cooking”. Top Tip – “dress warmly in winter, as it’s a big place and can feel cold”.

Conventional fare delivered to a good standard is the hallmark of this venue, which has served St John’s Wood for more than 20 years. “Waiting staff are attentive and helpful”, there’s “a lovely terrace” and the easygoing food is consistently well rated.

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 famous Harry Morgan’s site (RIP) in St John’s Wood, this all-day classic Italian – known for its footballing associations, as it’s owned by agent Kia Joorabchian – transferred across from Mayfair in early 2025. In his January 2025 review, The Times’s Giles Coren went wanting to hate it but found 70s-style Italian food that was “not madly ambitious, but very precisely executed… what you want from a glittering local restaurant in a wealthy neighbourhood”. Diners in our annual diners’ poll are more mixed. Many do proclaim “a good neighbourhood option (if you live in NW8!)” and that “some of the dishes are very good”. “Chaotic, if friendly” service can let the side down though, and there’s also a feeling that “this so-called Italian restaurant is ‘beloved of prem’ league footballers’ and it shows in being over-expensive”.

“Buzzy” north London flame-grilled specialist with outlets in Belsize Village and St John’s Wood, the brainchild of former LPM and The Ritz chef Jake Finn. “Deservedly very busy”, they’re “both lovely places that are worth a visit”, with “friendly staff” and “delicious food” from a “changing menu” based around a “lovely, small-sharing-plate concept”.