South Kensington, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Still a great haunt in South Kensington” – in summer the big front terrace of this well-located watering hole is a particular favourite for the kind of West Londoners who look like they’re just back from Bali; and it also has a charming, traditional interior. As pub grub goes, it’s “consistently good with decent ales”.

2023 Review: This “lively and friendly local” in South Ken rates well for its “high-quality menu complemented by daily specials”. Opened three years ago by the Lunar Pub Company, it’s “not somewhere for a quiet and romantic dinner, but the young local crowd make it a vibrant venue”.

Wanting to eat in the wee hours? This stalwart chain has fed tolerable diner food 24/7 (VQ = Vingt Quatre, geddit?) to the denizens of the Fulham Road for as long as anyone can remember (before 1995 it was called ‘Up all Night’); and has a more recent outlet (unusually, licensed till 4am, though you must be eating) that’s more convenient if you are clubbing in the West End on the ground floor of a Bloomsbury hotel.

“The food is pretty basic, but that’s not why people go” to wine merchant John Brinkley’s Chelsea brasserie, a long-time hangout for a loyal ‘Sloane Ranger’ crowd who discovered the place in the ’80s – “the wine list is excellent and not greedily priced, and the atmosphere remains great”. There are suggestions, though, that its “buzz” is on the wane (“the place has been sliding for at least two or three years”), but people have been saying this for over a decade now!

If Hollywood was going to film a cutesome Kensington scene, it might well choose the picturesque sidestreet location of this “ideally romantic” townhouse, where it’s “always a pleasure to have a meal”; and which, under various owners, “has been satisfying diners for a few decades now”. The “quiet and cosy” interior is “conducive to conversation” and sets the scene for Ben Murphy’s “classy” modern European cuisine from an “impressive menu that’s excellently presented”. At least, it did before August 2024, when Murphy resigned – presumably demoralised by Michelin’s stoic (pig-headed?) refusal to recognise this place with a star despite it being so clearly merited. His final services are in October 2024, and given the uncertainty surrounding this D&D London venue we’ve removed its excellent ratings for the time being. At dinner choose a three-course à la carte for £75 per person, or a seven-course tasting option for £105 per person. Top Tip – lunch is a relatively cheap £42 per person for three courses.