London South Kensington Restaurant Guide

This “great (if pricey) institution” near Gloucester Road tube station is often forgotten, but still delights its small fan club with “proper Indian food – each dish has a different and very authentic flavour”. The excellence is no surprise given its ownership by the luxury Taj Hotels group. What would it take to regain its huge 1980s renown? – perhaps there are just too many quality Indians nowadays.

Yasuhiro Minemo & Shinya Ikeda’s odd but “excellent” duo are over a decade old but little known, perhaps due to the “somewhat sterile” nature of the interiors: both in Kensington backstreets (“cramped seating on high stools on the bright ground floor, or in the downbeat ‘Siberia’ of the dark basement”); and in the ‘Yashin Ocean’ younger sibling in the potentially cute old Brompton Library on the fringes of South Kensington. If you like “top sushi” however, this is some of the best in town: not cheap, but without the second mortgage required at the Mayfair omakase restaurants. Top Tip – “the set lunches are top quality!”

A South Ken fixture for more than 60 years, this curry house classic is a treasured neighbourhood asset to its local regulars (“it’s the only Indian we ever go to…”). Critics feel its performance is “very unexceptional”, but that somewhat misses the point that it is the venue’s very reassuring predictability and familiarity that’s so central to its appeal, not to mention its “reasonable prices” (“at some posher Indians in West London, the prices are insane”).

“Reliable, comforting French fare” and a predominantly Gallic wine list keep well-heeled locals comfortably fed and watered at this “candle-lit and romantic” wine bar and restaurant on the border between Earls Court and Kensington.

“The quality never waivers” at Abel Lusa’s “fun and buzzy” tapas bar in South Kensington, a spinoff from his famous Cambio de Tercio – and some even reckon “the food is better than in its more expensive big brother over the road”. Top Menu Tips – “patatas bravas a must, as well as the jamon”.

2024 Review: With its “good North Indian cooking” from family recipes, this well-established venue with Bollywood posters lining the walls is these days a rival to veteran Noor Jahan for bragging rights on Earl’s Court’s “curry corner”.

Rioja-bred Abel Lusa “has been serving top-quality Spanish food since 1995 – long before Hispanic restaurants became fashionable in London” at his South Kensington flagship. He “deserves a medal for consistency at least” as it’s “hard to have a bad meal” here, and yet it’s “surprising how rarely it is mentioned in foodie circles”. The same cannot be said of its renown down at the All England Club: both Nadal and Alcaraz are regulars during Wimbledon fortnight (although often it’s for delivery-only) and Lusa now serves food at major tournaments around the globe.

You walk past “chiller meat displays” as you enter Roberto Costa’s Italian group. Macellaio means ‘butcher’, and the focus is on quality steaks, particularly the Piemontese Fassona breed, but also including cuts from the UK (from Herefordshire) and with tomahawk and Halal options; all matched with an “extensive wine list”. “For a great and reasonable dinner (including pre-theatre) and excellent steaks” it does still have fans. But its support has waned in both quality and quantity in recent years, and the group has halved in size since the last edition, shedding branches in Bloomsbury, Borough and Clapham (all RIP) to focus on Theatreland/Soho, Exmouth Market and the South Kensington original. All of the (relatively few) reports say the food is still mostly good but increasingly there are caveats: “Hmmm, the steaks are getting pretty… not bad, but no longer as good value”. Top Menu Tip – the “dessert theatre of tiramisu created at the table”.

“Upmarket Italian” – associated with a lifestyle brand originally specialising in yachtie apparel, these luxurious all-day cafés aim to recreate the retro glamour of 1950s Italy, complete with deep blue awnings, wood panelled walls and white-jacketed staff. At their best they are a “lovely dining experience”, but – especially given the aspirational pricing – they sometimes fall short of their aims with an offering that can seem “mass and carelessly produced”.

Duo of valued “neighbourhood hang-outs” in Dulwich Village and South Ken, providing a “pleasant, safe option” (and a “kid friendly” one too); “the food is in standard pizza and pasta territory, but freshly prepared and in decent portions”.

“Sit at the counter in crowded seafood heaven” for “fabulous oysters” (both raw and cooked) and “always the freshest fish”, say fans of the “buzzy” original branch at Borough Market, which elicits the bulk of the large volumes of enthusiastic feedback in our annual diners’ poll (the Battersea outlet seems “soulless” by comparison). Service can be “somewhat chaotic”, but is “friendly”, and although the interior is not in its first flush of youth the overall vibe is upbeat.

Barry & Patricia Hilton’s “buzzing and deservedly popular” trio thrive on their “interesting” and “reasonably priced” small plates from an “evolved eastern Mediterranean menu” of “very tasty and well flavoured dishes, which show that simple combinations of good fresh ingredients are all you need”; and it’s accompanied by an “eclectic and unusual list of wines” from the same region. The original South Kensington venue opened 10 years ago, followed by branches in Queensway and, last year, Farringdon. Top Menu Tip – “the apple, mint and pomegranate salad is especially effective”.

The “simple but tasty Vietnamese food in a relaxed atmosphere” at ex-Hakkasan chef Jeff Tan’s South Kensington venue is “all you really want in a local Asian restaurant” (and rather different from his street-food outfit Viet Food in Chinatown).

This “lovely traditional pub with a wood-panelled dining room” has been a gathering place for a well-heeled young South Ken pack since time immemorial (it “can be crowded”). There’s a “great atmosphere and a good range of ales, though the food could go up a notch with a little more effort”.

“Friendly and professional service” has helped make Riccardo Mariti’s Tuscan venue on a Chelsea corner a “favourite local” – “always relaxed and informal”, it has built a “loyal following” over three decades and more. Another winning feature was his early adoption of a small plates format – all the Italian dishes come in “tapas portions as well as standard”.

“May this old-time Polish survive a few years yet!” – the news that Transport for London’s plans to upgrade South Ken tube station involve demolishing this “legendary” restaurant sent shock waves through the capital’s foodie circles. Founded in 1947, Daquise has provided “generous Polish cuisine” to generations of “students on their first dates, old members of the Polish diaspora in search of comfort food” and celebs from Christine Keeler and Roman Polanski to Hugh Grant, Mark Rylance and Penelope Cruz – although the “traditional cooking” has always played second fiddle to the institution’s atmosphere and history. Top Tip – go as soon as you can, before it either closes forever or moves to less evocative premises.

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”.

“Enjoyed sitting at the bar in Borough Kitchen…”; “a great place near the South Kensington Museums…”; “a great site on the banks of the Thames in Richmond” – it’s often the handy situation, “casual atmosphere” and affordable prices of this Hispanic group that generates interest amongst diners. “The food is of a reasonable standard”, but considering they are run by the UK’s premier Spanish food importers, performance is notably “chain like”, with “nothing spectacular” food-wise and “average service” often the end-product.