London Nine Elms Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “Bright modern tapas with some old favourites” are on the menu at this “stylish” pair south of the river, named after the food market in Barcelona. “Consistently good cooking” and “reasonable prices” are the plus points, although they may “lack the extra zing of the very best places”.

“Tasty, good-value noodles” in a “relaxed environment” make this 12-year-old London chain (14 branches, plus Brighton and Brum) “worth a visit”. The “ramen is deep and fabulous” if “limited in range (no fish-based dishes except prawn)”, and is augmented by “quite acceptable katsu curry”. Aficionados should head to the Haggerston branch to watch the noodles being made.

“An excellent location overlooking the River Thames makes the Richmond branch very special if you are able to bag one of its outside tables on a balmy summer evening”; and it’s a highpoint of this chain run by a firm of well-known Iberian food importers. On the plus-side, its branches are generally “buzzy”, with “tasty” and “authentically flavoured” tapas. On the minus-side, for all the “high quality ingredients”, dishes can end up “indifferent” and “pricey for the size of the portions”; and “service can be a little too uneven”.

“Crowded… slightly crazy-busy… top oysters supported by a changing menu of fish and crustacea” – that’s the package at this trio of “busy” bistros in Borough Market, Battersea Power Station and South Kensington. “You come here for the seafood, not to be fawned over. The decor’s a little rough and ready but the food’s so fresh and delicious”.

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.

This “elegantly decorated, modern Italian” with a terrace overlooking the river near the redeveloped Battersea Power Station is “useful in the neighbourhood” – a “safe bet”, albeit “expensive for what it is”. High-profile chef Francesco Mazzei parted company with the owners, D&D London, in early 2023, boosting the sentiment that this potentially spectacular venue has never fully realised its potential.

“Attractive Indians with a good range of different dishes” – Vivek Singh’s dynamic duo of affordable spin-offs from his celebrated Cinnamon Club inspire practically nothing but high praise. The long-established City outlet set inside a rather 1980s atrium development is “a solid option around Liverpool Street” (although at times “the cavernous interior can feel a bit odd and echoey”); the newer Battersea branch occupies a railway arch near the power station and feels “different” (in a good way).

“Fairy lights, greenery and charming decor create a warm and cosy atmosphere” at this still-expanding group, which is most popular as a “reliable and friendly brunch option”. Its Med-inspired tapas is typically rated somewhere between “tasty” and “nothing special” and scores overall are dragged well down by those experiencing “chaotic service” and “food that doesn’t live up to the pretty dining room”.

In a style not dissimilar to an NYC steakhouse, Irish chef Robin Gill’s “lovely” venue is an “excellent addition” to the new Nine Elms development – and should make staff at the US Embassy next door feel right at home with its “solid” menu of seafood and steaks and “nice cocktail bar vibe”. “Oysters are good value in happy hour”, accompanied by “spot-on martinis” or draught Guinness. Other highlights include breakfast, Sunday lunch with live music, and Southeast Asian BBQ treats from ‘The Hatch’ in the beer garden.

On the fringes of the new developments around Battersea Power Station, this modern all-day-brasserie opened in April 2023 – too late to generate any survey feedback. Instagram-worthy foliage is a feature, both inside and on the terrace. Let’s hope chef Luigi Vairo (who provides an international menu) doesn’t take too much inspiration from the restaurant’s name… the legendary queen of the Iceni, who burnt London to the ground…

“This new spot under the railway arches by Battersea Power Station has some really good cooking” from ex-River Café chef, Alex Owens, to the extent that one early reporter thought it this year’s “top opening”. It helps too that it has a very attractive interior and “amazing service”, led by the other woman behind the new place: owner and CEO Emily Few Brown, who launched the catering company Spook almost ten years ago.

All-day Italian-style eating, inspired by the grand cafés of Europe and the culinary traditions of Venice, is the aim at this ground-floor venue in a hotel near Victoria station and its sibling in the Battersea Power Station development’s new art’otel. Both can still be an “asset to the area”, offering a “buzzing” setting, “amazing breakfasts” and “decent dining proposition”, but there was also a high proportion of disappointments this year – in particular, poor service in both locations.

Near the new American Embassy in Nine Elms, this modern izakaya opened in September 2022 and is the creation of Singapore-born Lynus Lim (ex-The Laughing Heart) and Chase Lovecky (formerly of The Clove Club). Foodwise, it’s a bit of a mashup, aiming to ‘highlight Japanese cookery techniques whilst engaging the micro-seasonality of produce from the British Isles’. Most reports say the result is “a super newcomer with really enjoyable food showing great balance of flavours and representing value for money”. On the downside, there’s the occasional view that “though good it’s been very hyped up and some dishes work better than others (a bit overcomplicated)”.

“Tasty kebabs and sides” that “offer a modern twist on traditional Middle Eastern cuisine” make this “brilliant” Carnaby Street outfit “a must-visit”, “in the lovely setting of Kingly Court”. The Battersea branch is “an absolute gem”, and there are now half a dozen outlets around town, including at the Market Halls in Oxford Street and Canary Wharf. See also Kebab Queen.

“You feel like you’re on the set of Blade Runner next to the floor-to-ceiling windows” of this striking newcomer on the 16th floor of the new Battersea art’otel, with gobsmacking sightlines over the top of the power station and of the London skyline. Fêted Portuguese chef, Henrique Sá Pessoa, provides a not-unaffordable selection of tapas, petiscos, tortilla, grills (from the Josper) and a few large plates. Our reporters were generally more enthusiastic than The Standard’s Jimi Famurewa (whose food “lurched, haphazardly, from forgettably luxe to clumsily experimental”), referencing “classic Portuguese dishes, all executed with impeccable attention to detail”. But one reporter did feel their meal was only “fine… like JimFam we were thinking of the much more interesting and better value menu at Lisboeta”. Top Tip – dip your toe in the water by “heading to the rooftop bar next door which has stunning views: order some drinks and nibble on small plates”.

“The best vitello tonnato ever tasted” was one fan’s recommendation at Louis Korovilas’s Islington yearling, which serves a range of affordable pasta alongside Italian street-food dishes. Another supporter “raved about Noci last year, but found a recent lunch a little disappointing with cooking lacking the earlier refinement”; but even they still thought “this is a cut above the usual Italian fare and still something of a find”. In any case, Korovilas must be doing something right, as in May 2023 (too late for our survey) he launched a new offshoot in Battersea Power Station; to be followed swiftly in August 2023 by one in Shoreditch.

“A first-choice Asian restaurant” – say fans of this “friendly, buzzy” chain serving “delicious” Taiwanese filled buns that can constitute “a quick bite for lunch, or a longer meal with friends”. Launched as a street-food stand in 2012 by Erchen Chang, her husband Shing Tat and his sister Wai Ting Chung, the group is now backed by the all-conquering JKS Restaurants and opened its sixth venue in Battersea Power Station in 2023. Top Tip – “beef with black pepper sauce and rice is a must-order at King’s Cross”.

“Huge queues are par for the course but worth it in spades”, when visiting this “sensational” basement – “a great, basic pit stop” on “a dodgy street near Euston station” where you “pack in tight” for the “amazing, fresh and feather-light rotis”, “excellent laksa” and other “stalwart Malaysian dishes”. “For a satisfying, cheap meal” many would say this is “the best value in town”. There’s also now a larger spin-off in the Battersea Power Station development – “it’s good, but the original is still the favourite”.