Where to eat in London: my 26 favourite restaurants
Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 26 restaurants in London I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.
Book a TableAmazónico★ 4.3 · £80-120 pp · Latin American · Jungle themeBerkeley Square's full-sensory Latin American restaurant: jungle plants from floor to ceiling, a live samba band most nights, a sushi counter, a Brazilian rotisserie, and a downstairs jazz club that turns into a DJ set after… Directions
Book a TableBacchanalia Mayfair★ 4 · £100-180 pp · Modern Greek-ItalianRichard Caring's £25 million Mount Street fever dream: the dining room is built around four original Damien Hirst sculptures and a glass-ceilinged atrium of marble centaurs, gilded mosaics, and live olive trees. Directions
Book a TableBao Soho★ 4.8 · £12–20 · TaiwaneseTiny no-reservations Taiwanese bao bun specialist near Carnaby Street. Directions
Book a TableBerber & Q Shawarma Bar★ 4.8 · £10–18 · Middle EasternExmouth Market shawarma counter with a queue of locals every lunch. Directions
Book a TableBorough Market Food Stalls★ 4.6 · £8–25 · Street FoodNot one restaurant but a whole food court of them. Directions
Book a TableBrat Shoreditch★ 4.5 · £55–95 pp · BasqueOpen-fire Basque cooking above a Shoreditch pub. Directions
Book a TableBrick Lane Beigel Bake★ 4.4 · £3–8 · Jewish DeliThe 24-hour bagel shop on Brick Lane that's been there since 1974. Directions
Book a TableChiltern Firehouse★ 4.2 · £90–160 pp · InternationalThe celebrity-spotting restaurant: converted Victorian fire station in Marylebone, Nuno Mendes in the kitchen. Directions
Book a TableCore by Clare Smyth★ 4.7 · £235 tasting · Modern BritishThree Michelin stars in Notting Hill: Clare Smyth (the first British female chef to hold three) does refined British cooking with her famous potato course as the signature. Directions
Book a TableDishoom Covent Garden★ 4.7 · £15–30 · Indian CafeInspired by old Bombay Iranian cafes: the bacon naan roll at breakfast (£8) is the iconic order, but the dinner menu is just as good. Directions
Book a TableDuck & Waffle★ 4.4 · £45-70 pp · Modern British · Skyline viewThe 40th floor of Heron Tower in the City, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: with a wraparound floor-to-ceiling window view across the Shard, Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, and the entire London skyline. Directions
Book a TableHawksmoor Seven Dials★ 4.6 · £45–90 pp · SteakhouseThe London steakhouse that locals actually love. Directions
Book a TableHelene Darroze at the Connaught★ 4.5 · £175–250 tasting · FrenchThree Michelin stars in Mayfair's grandest hotel. Directions
Book a TableKOL★ 4.5 · £100-150 pp · Modern Mexican · 1 Michelin starChef Santiago Lastra's Marylebone Mexican restaurant: awarded a Michelin star in 2022 and currently sitting on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Directions
Book a TableLos Mochis London City★ 4.5 · £80-120 pp · Japanese-Mexican fusionA rooftop restaurant on the 16th floor of 100 Liverpool Street, looking straight at the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater. Directions
Book a TableLyle's★ 4.5 · £45–90 pp · Modern BritishMichelin-star modern British in a converted Shoreditch tea warehouse. Directions
Book a TableOttolenghi NOPI★ 4.5 · £55–90 pp · MediterraneanYotam Ottolenghi's flagship sit-down restaurant in Soho: Mediterranean small plates designed for sharing, generous on the herbs and spices that made his cookbooks famous. Directions
Book a TablePadella★ 4.7 · £10–20 · Italian / PastaBorough Market's tiny no-reservations pasta counter. Directions
Book a TableRestaurant Gordon Ramsay★ 4.4 · £185 tasting · FrenchThree Michelin stars in Chelsea since 2001: Gordon Ramsay's flagship. Directions
Book a TableSketch The Lecture Room & Library★ 4.6 · £200–350 pp · Modern FrenchThe pink Instagram-famous restaurant in Mayfair, but the upstairs Lecture Room & Library is the serious one, two Michelin stars from Pierre Gagnaire. Directions
Book a TableSmokestak★ 4.5 · £35–55 pp · BBQShoreditch BBQ joint: proper American-style brisket, pulled pork, beef ribs, all smoked in-house. Directions
Book a TableSt John Smithfield★ 4.5 · £40–65 pp · BritishFergus Henderson's nose-to-tail British dining room: bone marrow + parsley salad is the signature, Welsh rarebit at lunch, the famous Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese for dessert. Directions
Book a TableSucre Restaurant★ 4.4 · £60-90 pp · Modern Argentinian · Wood-fireArgentinian chef Fernando Trocca's Soho restaurant: almost everything goes over a wood fire, from the bone-in ribeye to the whole fish to the seasonal vegetables. Directions
Book a TableThe Ledbury★ 4.7 · £195 tasting · Modern EuropeanTwo Michelin stars in Notting Hill. Brett Graham's tasting menu is one of London's most consistently great fine-dining experiences, and the wine list is legendary. Reserve a month ahead. Directions
Book a TableThe Wolseley★ 4.4 · £35–70 pp · European Brasserie1920s Bentley dealership turned grand Viennese-style brasserie on Piccadilly. Directions
Book a TableZuma London★ 4.5 · £80-120 pp · Modern Japanese · IzakayaKnightsbridge institution since 2002: chef Rainer Becker's modern Japanese izakaya that spawned a global empire (Hong Kong, Dubai, New York, Bangkok). Directions
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Book a TableBorough Market Food Stalls★ 4.6 · £8–25 · Street FoodNot one restaurant but a whole food court of them. Directions