Westminster, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

A “long-established cafeteria” in the beautiful, brick-vaulted crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields that’s a useful venue for daytime and pre-theatre refuelling – “cheap and tasty and near the National Gallery”. In summer, they open a ‘Café in the Courtyard’, too.

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”).

A two-month closure facilitated a ‘Gatsby makeover’ this year at this elegant and famous grill room, which for the last 20 years has been part of Gordon Ramsay’s culinary empire. (It now incorporates a chef’s table, and a walnut wood-lined wine experience room for eight). With its Beef Wellington, Dover Sole and Lobster Thermidor – plus also a selection of steaks from now de rigueur charcoal grill – fans say it’s “superb all round for celebrating that special occasion”. Doubters, though, continue to focus on its “extortionate prices and very uninspired menu in this newly redecorated Art Deco space”.

Traditional, peaceful hotel brasserie, hidden away in a cute warren of St James’s streets, which has successfully upped its profile in recent years. It provides a “very good standard of food and wine that’s not expensive for the quality”. The only recurrent gripe is service that can be a tad “erratic”. Top Tip – “reasonably priced set menu”.

“Ignore The Ritz around the corner, for afternoon tea this is the place to go” according to fans of this St James’s bastion: “the scones are soft and freshly baked”, “the sandwiches and cakes are divine”, and the “famous Dukes ‘James Bond’ martini is an optional extra”.

“What’s not to like about the oldest restaurant in London?” – in continuous operation on the same Covent Garden site since 1798. Of course, it’s “popular with tourists”, but its “quintessentially British” style makes it an “old favourite” for many Londoners too, and it provides “a beautiful, traditional experience”. The atmosphere of the beautiful dining room is “exceptional” and the “old school cuisine, with an emphasis on meat and game”, is very dependable; and backed up by an “extensive, if quite expensive wine list”. Top Menu Tip – “lovely steak ’n’ kidney pie”.

This legendary temple to roast beef (opened in 1828) closed in March 2020 and has yet to re-open. In August 2023, the Savoy (of which it’s a part) auctioned off many of the antiquities relating to the site, including fireplaces, furniture, crockery and its renowned carving trolleys. It has also posted on its website its ‘intention to announce a re-opening date in 2024’. Clearly it will be a new non-heritage-based departure for this famous name, so, watch this space.

“A secret, below-ground escape from the mayhem of Leicester Square” for more than half a century – this “well-hidden”, “old-school” wine bar has “only got better” over the years, first under founder Don Hewitson and latterly under Will Clayton. Top Menu Tip – “share the ham and cheese pie (it is absolutely enormous)”, and has sold around a million portions since 1971.

“Like a holiday in heaven!” – this “simply wonderful” Louis XVI-style chamber is known for its “OTT but magnificent” decor, and creates an “unbeatable location” for a special celebration, particularly an important date. John Williams commands a brigade of 60 chefs in the kitchen to provide “absolutely wonderfully executed, classic dishes, some using gueridon service – so rare now – and always adding a sense of occasion”. It’s “some of the best cooking in London”, and though “horrendously expensive” is justified by the “utterly sensational” all-round level of performance, which also includes “professional and kind” service and a wow of a wine list. “The Ritz is unusual in still having a jacket-and-tie dress code (about the only time I wear a tie these days!)”. “A band provides music, for dancing, at dinner on weekends (although there is a significant supplement for this)”.

2023 Review: “With window views of the back of Buckingham Palace and its comings and goings amidst refills of tea”, this plush lounge can make a good stop-off for an afternoon treat. Feedback is limited, but praises “a lovely stack of sandwiches, pretty cakes and scones with fresh flavours”. More substantial meals are available in the hotel’s very comfortable and traditional dining room (The English Grill), complete with oil paintings and leather banquettes.

“A glorious spot for a boozy seafood bite, watching Soho stroll past” – this “always busy” and “buzzy” venue was converted over 25 years ago from an atmospheric old butcher’s shop (est 1911) and oozes quirky Edwardian charm. Perch on a stool, and “exuberant staff” will serve you fizz and “expert fish dishes” (“simple, but cooked beautifully – fruits de mers, oysters, pints of prawns”). “It’s not the most comfortable time, but worth it for the quality of the food and general ambience”. “Long live R&A”.

Very often recommended as an “expensive but reliable” venue for a “perfect business lunch”, this “decorous”, family-run hotel near Buck House (where the Middletons stayed before Kate & Will’s big day) has won renown as a “very classy”, traditionally British affair, where “everything is done perfectly”. Post-Covid, however, its dining room’s performance seems to have been on the slide and the downward trend noted last year continued in this year’s poll amidst gripes that it was “not as good as previously”, serving “bland food” and with “too many high expectations dashed”. Top Tip – “a quintessential English afternoon tea” in the lounges here is still a popular event.