City, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

2020 Review: A “perfect City lunch-spot”, handily located just a short cheque-bounce away from the Bank of England, with “plenty of space between tables” and “a cracking wine list”. A French menu is “well executed and served” to a very “consistent standard”. For the cellar bistro, see Don Bistro & Bar.

2021 Review: A “wealth of wines by the glass” and “tasty nibbles”, help make this growing group of self-service wine bars a “fun way to try a selection of vintages from a multitude of small producers”. At the Battersea Power Station branch’s school you can educate your palate towards Wine & Spirit Education Trust certification and watch wine being made from grapes grown in Oxfordshire and Surrey.

“An exceptional list of wine with so many to choose by the glass that it’s always possible to try something a bit different” is the key selling point of this popular modern wine bar chain. Its culinary attractions are less reliable – the food can be “surprisingly good” but is too often “essentially average”; service can be “accommodating” or “rushed”; and the ambience can be “better if you can sit outside”. But its “excellent value” drinking and “lively” style carry the day. In particular, the “conveniently placed” King’s Cross branch has a “great location, which makes it a winner”. Top Tip – “creditable set lunch at a pretty restrained price”.

“Stunning salads, amazing pastries” and a “lovely variety of interesting prepared dishes” have stood the test of time at Yotam Ottolenghi’s “vibrant” deli-cafés – still hugely popular 22 years on from the launch of the first in Notting HIll. The Israeli-born chef and writer has had an enormous influence on the way people shop, eat and cook, helping to create a whole category of modern Middle Eastern cookery and “totally living up to his reputation as a leading expert in vegetarian cuisine” – even though his premises serve meat and fish. An occasional quibble – “the prices? Too high for a few stalks of broccoli even taking into account the undoubtedly skills of the Chef!”

2023 Review: “A reliable spot for light Italian-style lunch or dinner” near Silicon Roundabout, with a strong drinks list courtesy of its co-founders: sommelier Michael Sager of Sager + Wilde and mixologist Marcis Dzelzainis. “The pizza dough is some of the best and the toppings are very different from your usual Italian”, the pasta is home-made, and the grills are “just as good”.

“Still a very good gastropub”, this green-tiled ex-boozer was a leading light in Bermondsey’s emergence as a foodie destination when it opened 21 years ago, and remains in the gastronomic high ground with its commitment to ethically sourced ingredients.

Many older Londoners tasted their first tapas at this “fun and reliable” Hispanic spot on a prominent corner of the Cut, near Waterloo – back in the days when you “had to queue (now you can book)” for a place in the “cramped interior”. It’s still “excellent before and after visiting the Old Vic” across the road.

“A find!” – “Sit at the ground-floor kitchen bar for a fun, close up experience” at this sophisticated Shoreditch joint, where Jon Lawson and his team provide accomplished sharing plates (often with Moorish touches) and deliver them in a “knowledgeable and friendly” manner. But ratings took a hit this year, with the odd review referring to cost-of-living concerns: “most of the food is excellent but the size of the portions for the price charged was ridiculously small and felt like a starter at the price of a main. For the premium cost, you might expect comfy seating too!”

Who knew Arthur Andersen’s previous HQ (also apparently a former car park) could look so chic! The founders of Frieze art fair are behind this “stylish and buzzing” yearling in a Modernist building, off the Strand – “an interesting mid-century space”, which is “spacious” and “with a lovely secluded outside terrace”. Chef Yohei Furuhashi delivers an “on-trend concept”: “ingredients so fresh and of superior quality” are interfered with as little as possible: “this is how delicious food should taste, with flavours bursting in one’s mouth, not dishes laced with salt lazily passed off as a meal in most restaurants” (“impeccable…. I’m still dreaming about the artichoke and pea salad”). “Prices seem to have jumped up in recent months” though, placing it in value terms as “pricey, but worth it”.

“Gastropub heaven!” – this basic boozer on the busy Farringdon Road is where the gastropub revolution started in 1991, and it’s “still fabulous after all these years” – “no fuss, no pretence, just wholehearted focus, as ever, on simple yet perfect flavour combinations. Unbeatable!”. Head chef Edward Mottershaw celebrates two decades as head chef this year, and still chalks up the daily changing menu of Mediterranean-influenced dishes a matter of minutes before service, ensuring “simplicity and perfection without scary prices”.

The “lovely Moorish/Spanish sharing food” at the little sister of Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro next door in Exmouth Market – and also its spin-off in Hackney Road – makes them “a go-to place when you don’t know where to go”: “an all-round crowd-pleaser, good for meat and non-meat- eaters alike”.

“One of the prettiest restaurants in London – charmingly tucked away in Floral Court, Covent Garden” – this is the in-town offshoot of the famous Richmond plant nursery, and in fact houses two establishments – “La Goccia is the better of the two” (see also). There’s “a lovely atmosphere in this light and bright room – it’s the sort of place you might take your rich aunt to for lunch”. The food, though, is “not especially memorable” and “weirdly expensive for average fare”.

“Not missing a beat and at the very top of its game” – this culinarily renowned East End fixture, near Columbia Road flower market, scored highly all round in this year’s annual diners’ poll, putting any doubts about its staying power to one side. Its Med-influenced, superior bistro cuisine delivers “extraordinary flavours”, service is very “charming” and all in all, it’s “a delightful, unpretentious neighbourhood place”.