Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Tower Hill
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Tower Hill restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 53 restaurants in Tower Hill and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Tower Hill restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Tower Hill Restaurants
1. Piazza Italiana
Italian restaurant in
38 Threadneedle Street - EC2R
This “beautiful old banking hall” in Threadneedle Street makes for a “decent business venue” in the heart of the City, with “a well-executed if limited Italian menu, and wines priced for expense accounts”. On a quiet evening, though, it can “lack atmosphere”.
2. The Melusine
Fish & seafood restaurant in St. Katharine Dock
Unit K, Ivory House, St. Katharine Dock - E1W
“Consistently delicious seafood” and a “lovely location” by St Katharine Dock have put this three-year-old securely on the map. The interesting wine list is strong on “Greek offerings” – thanks no doubt to co-founder Theodore Kyriakou, a veteran of Livebait and The Real Greek in the ’90s. Top Tip – “go on Wednesdays for the half-price wine”.
3. Coppa Club Tower Bridge
British, Modern restaurant in City
Three Quays Walk, Lower Thames Street - EC3
“Sat in an outdoor pod with the family, drinking mimosas and with lovely views of the river” is a key feature of London’s two outposts of these comfy venues (part of a national chain), both of which have riverside terraces featuring all-weather igloos for year-round fun. The Italian-ish food in the dining rooms is “unexceptional”, but “their lounge areas are cosy and just the place for morning coffee or afternoon tea”.
4. Bodean’s
American restaurant in City
16 Byward St - EC3
2021 Review: “A nice, laid-back American buzz” has helped win a loyal following over the years for this small chain of Kansas City-style diners: one of the first in London to bring BBQ indoors. “It’s a fun place” (in the right mood) and the food is “decent” and in man-sized portions, but “not particularly special”.
5. La Dame de Pic London
French restaurant in City
10 Trinity Square - EC3N
“A perfect marriage of traditional and modern culinary approaches” is to be found in the “impeccably-run” dining room of this impressive five-star hotel near the Tower of London. The Pic in question is Anne-Sophie, owner of Maison Pic near Lyon and Michelin’s most decorated female chef. Fans say her team’s contemporary French cuisine, led by head chef Evens López, is “on a different level from almost every other restaurant in the capital – presented like modern art and with each dish a lovely surprise”. In fact, given its consistent quality (as recognised by two of the tyre men’s stars) it’s surprising that – perhaps due to its Square Mile location – it still maintains a relatively low profile in the capital’s food scene.
6. Mei Ume
Japanese restaurant in City
10 Trinity Square - EC3N
2021 Review: Delectable Asian-fusion delicacies – combining dishes of both Chinese and Japanese inspiration – win nothing but bouquets for this palatial dining room in a City five-star hotel, near the Tower of London. On the downside, cynics say “it feels like a business hotel restaurant”, and one or two diners “expected more, considering the big-ticket prices”.
7. The Wine Library
International restaurant in City
43 Trinity Sq - EC3
“Back to being busy, bubbly and bright” after the bleak pandemic years – this vaulted 19th-century cellar near Tower Hill offers a “great and interesting selection of wine”, served at retail prices plus £9.50 corkage, with “informative staff” to help you choose. A “help-yourself” menu of cheeses, cold meats and other nibbles is on hand to provide ballast.
8. K10
Japanese restaurant in City
Minster Ct, Mincing Ln - EC3
2021 Review: “Good value” sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes trundle past your seat at these two ‘kaiten’ (conveyor-belt) operations in the City, tempting you to help yourself. It makes a fun, fast and efficient way to grab lunch. The chain also has takeaway and delivery options for evenings.
9. Haz Mincing Lane
Turkish restaurant in City
6 Mincing Ln - EC3
“Good mezze and grilled meat” help tick the boxes for “delicious food that is not expensive” at this Turkish business with five branches in the City – making them suitable “for business or social occasions” (although they can be “noisy”). In summer 2023, the group made its West End debut with the opening of Olea Social in Covent Garden, with a more general Mediterranean focus.
10. Camino Monument
Spanish restaurant in City
15 Mincing Lane - EC3
“Reliable tapas in handy locations” is the USP of this 16-year-old trio with a flagship near King’s Cross station (by far the best known) and offshoots in Shoreditch and Monument. But while they’re “decent enough”, they offer “standard fayre” – it’s “nothing exceptional”.
11. 14 Hills
British, Modern restaurant in
120 Fenchurch Street - EC3M
“Great decor” in the shape of 2,500 living evergreen plants vie with the “stunning 14th-floor views” over the City for top billing at this D&D London venue in 120 Fenchurch Street. By comparison, the “expensive but good food” from an Anglo-French menu is somewhat in the shade.
12. Emilia’s Crafted Pasta
Italian restaurant in St Katharine Docks
Unit C3 Ivory House, St Katharine Docks - E1W
“Excellent pasta” is the straightforward proposition at this Italian trio, with a flagship in Canary Wharf, which takes its name and inspiration from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.
13. Blacklock
Steaks & grills restaurant in City
13 Philpot Lane - EC3M
“Absolutely delicious grilled meats with equally tasty accompaniments, all in a buzzy and fun setting” inspire many loyalists for Gordon Ker’s “go-to” chain, which in May 2023 added a fifth branch in Canary Wharf’s North Dock. “Hawksmoor every week could be financially ruinous, but this never disappoints, be it lunch or dinner, for half the money”. Top Tips – “Butchers Block Monday prices, and regular £10 corkage. Get in!” Also the “all-in” meat-fest of lamb and pork chops, steak and bacon: “it uses cheaper cuts and preparation is basic, but juices drip over the plate, and the peppercorn sauce is delicious!”
14. Darwin Brasserie
British, Modern restaurant in City
1 Sky Garden Walk - EC3M
“The view from the gallery over the city is great” at this sky-high brasserie, on the 36th floor of the ‘Walkie Talkie’. Reports this year were limited and rather uneven, so we’ve taken ratings down a peg. It won particular praise, though, as a glam breakfasting destination.
15. Dokke
International restaurant in St Katharine Docks
Ivory House, 50 St Katharine's Way - E1W
2021 Review: “Sensational Asian-fusion cooking, with the freshest of ingredients” creates an “exciting” culinary experience at this small waterside café, in St Katharine Docks. “The team is friendly and you can chat to the chef – who is a real artist – as he works in the open plan kitchen area, adjacent to your table”.
16. The Coal Shed
Steaks & grills restaurant in Southwark
One Tower Bridge - SE1
With its “straightforward” offering including “very good fish and lamb” and its “welcome service”, this offshoot of a Brighton steakhouse is “a top option in the locality of The Bridge Theatre”, near City Hall – “it just works”.
17. Vivat Bacchus
International restaurant in Southwark
4 Hay’s Lane - SE1
Now in its 21st year, this South African-owned duo in Farringdon and London Bridge thrive on their “good basics”, including “delicious steaks” and a “lovely wine list” with a focus on South African vintages. Saffa-style dried meats and a dedicated cheese room complete the deal.
18. Gunpowder
Indian restaurant in Southwark
One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square - SE1
“Innovative small plates pack a flavour punch” (“the lamb chops are some of the most glorious things ever”) at this “buzzy if rather cramped” Indian street-food trio, with operations near Tower Bridge, and in Spitalfields and Soho. Top Tip – “good, if limited, pre-theatre menu. Virtually no choice but, with tasty and large portions costing £22 for two courses or £25 for three, excellent value”.
19. Tavolino
Italian restaurant in London Bridge
Unit 1, 2 More London Place - SE1
“Fabulous views of the Thames” from this modern Italian in the new development next to City Hall make it “perfect for giving out-of-town guests the full London experience”. “The food has sufficient interest, but the real draw is the panoramic view from HMS Belfast to Tower Bridge”.
20. Rosa's
Thai restaurant in Southwark
2 Duchess Walk, Unit 6.1 One Tower Bridge - SE1
2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.
View full listings of 53 Tower Hill Restaurants
Popular Tower Hill Restaurant Searches
Tower Hill Restaurant News