London White City Restaurant Guide

“Brilliant, innovative and constantly changing” – Will Bowlby & Rik Campbell’s “unfailingly interesting” street-food cafés provide “real Indian food… cooked by Brits” and inspire a large army of fans for this small group, which added a fourth Canary Wharf outlet in early 2024 (and has announced a fifth branch will be coming to Shoreditch at the end of the year). They have achieved an all-round success story: “super-friendly service” scores incredibly highly as does the “buzzy environment”. And in Soho, “the restaurant is now supplemented by the Soma Bar next door” with an array of funky cocktails.

“Wow! – How to describe the extraordinary gastronomic experience created by master sushi chef, Endo, and borne from his obsession with quality and refusal to compromise on even the tiniest detail?” Diners are blown away by Endo Kazutoshi’s 16-seater on the eighth floor of the old BBC TV Centre in White City, where he presents over 20 courses at the cost of £250 per person. “Every dish is an experience and the theatre of chef Endo’s entertaining presentation and explanations is a delight. It may seem like no bargain, especially if you take the (recommended) sake pairings, but it is nevertheless excellent value”. It closed for a five-month refurb over summer 2024 – “Good luck getting in here after the reopening!” Since 2020 it has been recognised by Michelin, but “we have no clue as to how this has just a single star, while Alain Ducasse for example has three!”

“More hit ’n’ miss than they used to be, but still a go-to chain” – the Elliot brothers’ successful group is heading towards 20 branches in the capital, but “still producing quality dishes despite becoming quite a brand”: “lovely scorched, pillowy-based pizzas with plenty of power in the ingredients” and “reasonably priced for the quality!” Latest to launch, in June 2024, was a branch by Euston.

“No gimmicks and great flavours” is the recipe for a “semi-religious experience” at this small group (which also has three delivery-only outlets): for its many fans, “still the gold standard by which all burgers in the UK should be judged”. “Gloriously juicy meat with just the right amount of extras” all “comes together in the most mouth-watering way”. You “don’t come for the experience” though: they are “very cramped when busy”, if “still somehow cool”. In August 2024 they opened a new site not far from London Bridge.

2022 Review: After winning a mentorship in a pop-up competition at Westfield White City Shopping Centre in 2018, Mehak Kansal brought this bricks-and-mortar operation to Mayfair in October 2020. ‘Bindas’ – Punjabi for without limitations and inhibitions – here translates into eclectic decor and a varied selection of street food. No feedback as yet, but they must be doing something right, as a second site is on the cards.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

2022 Review: An evocative tiled interior adds to a visit to this cheap ’n’ cheerful Syrian café, near the north end of Shepherd’s Bush Market – a handy place for a fresh fruit juice and affordable mezze meal.

2023 Review: “A great addition to White City”, this vast new all-day operation caters for everything from big parties – it can accommodate 350 guests, feeding them “fabulous small plates and lovely wine” – to weekday working lunches (£15 for any large plate and a drink). On the site of the former Wellbourne brasserie, it’s from the team behind Lost in Brixton and the Pergolas at Paddington and Olympia. Feedback is too limited for rating, but early reports are very positive.

2023 Review: Near the entrance to the former TV Centre (and Westfield’s John Lewis), this striking-looking modern pub opened in October 2021, followed the following summer by its good-looking ‘Aerial Roof Top’ bar. It’s not dissimilar to King’s Cross’s well-known Lighterman (same owners) and well-rated for its food – a contemporary brasserie menu that makes something of a feature of its selection of flatbreads.

“LOVE this chain and would happily eat there any day!” – These “always buzzy” Nordic operations (originating in Copenhagen 30 years ago) provide a “tasty mix of sushi and grilled yakitori kebabs” in Scandi-minimalist dining spaces. One or two reporters hesitate at the prices for these luscious morsels – “not sure you can justify the cost of leaving full up” – but the overall satisfaction-level is high. They added a branch in Richmond’s former House of Fraser in May 2024 followed by another on Islington Green in September.

“Despite now being part of a rolled-out chain, they have managed to maintain good quality” at these tapas-haunts, whose original branch off Goodge Street was an early pioneer of the capital’s trend to small plates. A minor gripe is of “packed” seating, but most feedback focuses on their “delicious food and well-thought-out wine list”.

“All falafels are definitely not created equal”, agree fans of this 25-year-old family-run spot that’s “well worth seeking out in marvellous Shepherd’s Bush Market” – “the freshly fried falafels and all the trimmings are eyebrow-wagglingly good!”. Motto ‘We Speak Falafel Fluently’ – you can order the dish in various styles from around the Arab World, including the owners’ native Palestine. “Arrive early to grab a table and avoid the queue”.