International Restaurants in Westminster
3.
The OWO
International restaurant in Westminster
The Old War Office, 57 Whitehall Place - SW1A
2024 Review: A mega new hotel for London sees the Old War Office on Whitehall – in which Winston Churchill made many of the most important decisions of World War II – being taken over by Raffles, no less (their first venture in Europe) and the Hinduja Group, to open in late 2023 as a new 125 bedroom property. It will have nine new restaurants, of which we list the five most notable individually: Café Lapérouse, Endo Kazutoshi, Langosteria, Mauro Colagreco and Paper Moon (see also). Other options include Mauro’s Table and a fine high-ceilinged brasserie called ‘Saison’ – which fall under the Colagreco umbrella – as well as The Drawing Room (lounge and all-day dining) and Guards Bar.
4.
The Northall, Corinthia London
International restaurant in Trafalgar Square
10a Northumberland Ave - WC2
As ‘plain vanilla’ posh hotel brasseries go, this elegant and airy chamber near Embankment station puts in a polished performance, yet arguably flies under the radar in terms of media profile (and inspires only limited feedback in our annual diners’ poll). André Garrett’s cuisine is “very good” and staff are “professional and friendly”. Top Tip – “excellent lunch menu” at £39 for two courses.
5.
Gordon’s Wine Bar
International restaurant in Strand
47 Villiers Street - WC2
Quirkiness in spades is the particular appeal of this Dickensian watering hole – London’s oldest wine bar, whose best tables are in a superbly ancient candle-lit cellar which originally housed wine shipped to its front door by barges on the Thames. But in summer its outside comes into its own, boasting as it does a huge terrace adjoining leafy Victoria Embankment Gardens. “It has a very good wine list” – while the cold food is somewhat incidental: “a simple menu of quality ingredients” majoring in cold cuts and cheeses. Fun fact: it’s owned by entrepreneur Simon Gordon (the place was already called ‘Gordon’s’ when he bought it), who owns the increasingly ubiquitous Facewatch anti-shoplifting software, which was originally developed to stop thefts at the bar.
6.
Scully
International restaurant in St James's
4 St James's Market - SW1Y
“Absolutely fantastic flavours” are on the “great tasting menu” at Malaysia-born and Sydney-raised, Ramuel Scully’s idiosyncratic venue in St James’s Market, whose cuisine is flavoured by unusual ferments – some of them as much as a year old. It no longer generates the massive excitement of its early days, but still inspires lots of supportive feedback.
7.
Clos Maggiore
British, Modern restaurant in Covent Garden
33 King St - WC2
“The go-to place to celebrate a special anniversary” – this “enchanting” Covent Garden haunt is “magical for a special occasion or simply a treat”; and is yet again voted Londoner’s No. 1 choice for a hot date in our annual diners’ poll. If possible, try to book a table in the “beautiful flower-filled conservatory”, where there’s an opening ceiling in summer and a log-fire in winter: “upstairs, the cosy and intimate dining rooms have a whiff of that atmosphere (e.g. similar white flowers across the ceiling) but are perhaps for more mature relationships!”. While not its USP, its French cuisine is by no means incidental – “beautifully presented and bursting with flavour”; but it is upstaged by the wine list, which is “a rival to ‘War and Peace’ in length”. Service that’s “extremely helpful and very welcoming” caps off an impressive all-round performance. Top Tip – “the weekday set lunch is astonishingly good value for such cooking, particularly as it also offers a small carafe of well chosen wine for a pretty modest supplement”.
8.
Laurent at Café Royal
International restaurant in Piccadilly
Hotel Café Royal, 68 Regent Street - W1B
2021 Review: “Set upstairs in the Café Royal” on its mezzanine level, this glitzy dining space is branded for French chef Laurent Tourondel. After its opening in mid-2018, both Giles Coren of The Times and Jay Rayner of The Guardian lined up to tear the place to shreds (“howling”, “shameful pricing”,…). Survey feedback regarding its steak and sushi formula is a little thin on which to rate a place of this calibre, but such reports as we have are, by contrast, upbeat: despite the odd warning of “not-so-experienced service” or a “pricey wine list”, they suggest it’s “very enjoyable”.
9.
The Savoy Hotel, Savoy Lounge
Afternoon tea restaurant in Covent Garden
The Strand - WC2R
“A special location for afternoon tea!” – the “beautiful” foyer of this celebrated hotel serves one of “the best teas in London”, which fans say is “as good as it gets”: “not too formal”, with “service that’s up-to-standard but not too stuffy” and “limitless sandwiches” amongst the “lovely and plentiful food, with no problems replenishing”. In August 2024, the site closed to relaunch in November 2024 – renamed from its former ‘Thames Foyer’ branding to this new moniker, with a new look and a new menu of ‘traditional recipes with a modern twist’ (which will maintain the ‘legendary afternoon tea’). Though likely a case of ‘plus ça change’, we’ve removed ratings for the time being.
10.
Sticky Mango
Pan-Asian restaurant in Waterloo
33 Coin Street - SE1
“Handy for the South Bank arts venues” – chef-patron Peter Lloyd took over the much-loved RSJ eight years ago with enough success to add another south Thames site near Tower Bridge to the brand (although a third site, in Islington, lasted just months in late 2023). “Soft shell crab, Roti canai, Singapore chilli lobster; Lamb Shank Massaman” have all been enjoyed – if there’s a gripe, it’s that the food is “good, but nothing exceptional” (“we enjoyed it, but my friend who is Singaporean by origin was disappointed that the menu was not more authentic”). Top Tip – “the pre-theatre menu of 3 courses for under £30 is excellent value”.
11.
Boulevard
International restaurant in Covent Garden
40 Wellington St - WC2
“Convenient, if unexciting, medium-priced brasserie two minutes from the Royal Opera House” that’s worth knowing about in the touristy ‘minefield’ it inhabits. The Gallic staples are “fairly priced” (“in particular, the set menus are good value”) and “service is acceptable for such a busy, central establishment”. Top Tip – “great pre-theatre”.
12.
Market Halls Victoria
International restaurant in Victoria
Terminus Place, 161 Victoria Street - SW1V
2021 Review: Opened in November 2018 on the site that long ago was the nightclub Pacha, this 400-cover food hall hosts eleven vendors, plus three bars and a coffee stop. “Variety is the key to its strength” and – as at many similar venues – “much of the food is better-than-OK but some is not excellent”. A West End branch is opening in late-2019; Fulham was the first, in the atmospheric former ticketing hall of the tube station. Top Tip – “very family friendly and you’re spoilt for choice”.
13.
Grumbles
International restaurant in Pimlico
35 Churton St - SW1
“An institution that’s been there forever” (well, since 1964) – this “fun, local bistro” is a “go-to in Pimlico for ‘cheer-you-up’ comfort food” from a menu that has barely changed over the decades (moules marinière, fish pie with piped potato, calves’ liver and bacon, crème brûlée). The original wood panelling is unchanged, and “the very friendly team have also been there since the dawn of time!”
14.
Prix Fixe
French restaurant in Soho
39 Dean St - W1
This “fun” brasserie in Soho with an “old- style ambience” and a “good variety of French and less French food” is “brilliant value” for the West End – “and the quality is fine”. “The staff make a real effort to please”, and it really comes into its own with its set-price lunch and early evening meals (available before 4pm and 6.30pm respectively; at other times it’s à la carte).
15.
Ikoyi
International restaurant in St James's
180 The Strand - WC2C
“Quite unique!” – Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale have won renown (including two Michelin stars and the 2nd highest score in the UK on World’s 50 best 2024) for their transformation of West African culinary traditions into an “incredible” and groundbreaking haute-fusion mashup; and a meal at this copper-shaded and minimalist venue (relocated a couple of years ago from St James’s) is acclaimed in a majority of reports as an “exceptional” and “creative” all-round experience. Even fans, however, often note that it’s also become a “very, very expensive” one, while for a significant minority it’s a “disappointing” or even “joyless” one too. Chief concerns are cooking that can seem “too complicated” or “unmemorable (and I was longing to try it!)”; “robotic” staff “not engaging with customers and barely explaining dishes” is another repeat complaint.
16.
The 10 Cases
International restaurant in Covent Garden
16 Endell St - WC2
“They order 10 cases of wines on a rotating basis so the wines change regularly” at this “cosy, bustling little venue (recommended by a sommelier friend)”, with “simple French bistro food that’s really well-cooked” and “sunny service to match”. The result is “never a bad meal or a boring glass of wine” – “how they manage to have such a good wine list with such favourable markups in Covent Garden is a puzzle”. And “it’s in the perfect location for the theatre or opera”.
17.
Amazonico
International restaurant in Mayfair
10 Berkeley Square - W1J
The “wonderful decor” at this jungle-themed Mayfair haunt combines with live music and cocktails to create a “great atmosphere”. But the high-end Latin-American-cum-Japanese cuisine comes at “gulp-inducing prices”, and critics say the venue is “Instagram-worthy but not much else” – “a place to go to be seen”.
18.
Arcade Food Hall
International restaurant in Holborn
103-105 New Oxford Street - WC1A
A “useful pitstop for a quick bite while out in the West End” – this food hall at the foot of Centre Point is, say fans, “so much better than similar places where there’s a disorganised queue for food”: here, “you order on your phone from your table, and a waiter brings your food from whichever stall you have picked”. As for the food, “the variety is great” from some high-quality names, “but the quality is less consistent” – and “the noise can be just too much”. Similar feedback too on its year-old, 500-seat sibling at Battersea Power Station, whose 13 different brands “provide great choice but are quite pricey”. Backers the all-conquering JKS Restaurants look like they are onto a commercial winner in both places, but (inevitably?) neither site has lived up to the fooderati hype that’s accompanied both launches.
19.
Toulouse Lautrec
French restaurant in Kennington
140 Newington Butts - SE11
Inspired by Art Deco Paris, this wood-panelled Gallic brasserie south of Elephant & Castle provides a “wonderful atmosphere”, a menu of “food you want to eat” and “Meteor à la pression” – better still, there’s a jazz club upstairs. Les patrons, brothers Noland & Florent Regent, grew up next door in the Lobster Pot – another Francophile’s delight, run by their parents for 25 years until 2016.
20.
Carousel
International restaurant in Fitzrovia
19-23 Charlotte Street - W1T
“Visits from chefs from around the world are a splendid way to try great food at ridiculously low prices”, at this “always fabulous” operation, which has established itself as a fixture of London gastronomy over the past 10 years. They bring their A-game to showcase their best dishes, resulting in some truly “brilliant” and celebratory meals – so it’s always worth taking a chance on something unfamiliar that might “blow you away”. Initially operating in Marylebone, they moved to this new large Fitzrovia site in 2021.
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