The 27 Best Restaurants in London
London is a city whose diners are adventurous to a fault—spawning all kinds of niche pop-ups and fleeting, Insta-fueled trends. Beyond the gimmicks, though, the best restaurants focus on ingredients and craft, whether it’s hand-rolled pastas or fiery clay-pot cooking. Our picks for where to eat runs from Michelin-starred dining rooms to tiny neighborhood joints, those serving exquisite tasting menus to versions of down-home cuisines that span several continents. Be prepared to book well in advance (and where you can’t, to wait) but also rest assured that it’s going to be worth it. Whatever you do, always make sure you show up hungry.
Read our complete London travel guide here.
Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve.
Andrew MontgomeryrestaurantPetersham Nurseries Restaurant
$$$In 1997, the Boglione family moved into West London's picturesque Petersham House, which handily had a disused plant nursery on the grounds. They channeled their love of antiques and plants and passion for sustainability into restoring the nursery, which opened in 2004 selling furniture, bits and bobs and plants with a quaint tea room in the conservatory. Since then, this has expanded to the now Green Michelin-starred restaurant that stands today—there’s still a lovely tea room next door. And as good as it is for the planet, it’s still very delicious. Start with vibrant antipasti of bruschetta with confit tomatoes and grilled cheesy polenta with caramelized onions before moving onto succulent pumpkin gnocchi, truffle tortellini, or punchy line-caught sea bass ceviche.
Courtesy BaorestaurantBAO Noodle Shop
$The Shoreditch branch of this buzzy Taiwanese bao house is just as lively and inviting as its other locations in Soho, Borough Market, and Marylebone. Each one has a specialty, and Shoreditch is all about rich, beefy noodles. Arriving in a bowl of deep, rich broth amid generous, flaky chunks of beef cheek and short rib, it’s a super-indulgent hug in a bowl— perfect for a rainy London day. Bao’s signature buns are also a must-order: get one or two for each diner, including the classic pork-and-peanut plus a fried chicken or prawn croquette. And don’t skip the xiao chi: Taiwanese small plates like mutton dumplings bathing in chili oil or a dish of pickled veggies (perfect to set off the beef). Everything is meant for sharing, and it’s all good.
Courtesy KlinrestaurantKiln
$Take a front row seat at the counter to see Chef Meedu Saad’s rustic Thai food come together over fire and embers, like the charred, cumin-dusted aged lamb skewers we always order on arrival. Ingredients on the short, changing menu here are impeccably sourced, from Cornish seafood (delivered fresh each day) to British-grown Thai and Chinese herbs. The turmeric-laced red mullet's a must, if it’s on the menu; ditto the raw langoustines, spiked with mint and Kaffir lime.
Courtesy MantecarestaurantManteca
$$Against the backdrop of street-art splattered Shoreditch, the minimal greige exterior of Manteca is positively demure, giving nothing away of the delights to come. But once through the door, you’re hit with the full-frontal buzz of one of London’s hottest Italian dining destinations. Although it is possible to have a vegetarian meal here, Manteca is really all about the meat. This is a nose-to-tail establishment with their own in-house butchery and salumeria, a room full of hanging homemade goodies which use up all parts of the animal. This is proudly displayed as you go down the stairs, (not one for the vegans) and is sliced to order at the bar in the center of the restaurant. Ease yourself in with wild-farmed focaccia with rosemary and a plate of melt-in-the-mouth house charcuterie. Then it’s on to small plates of pork and beef meatballs, melon and prosciutto crudo and ‘nduja steamed mussels, with some homemade ricotta and courgettes and a herby pea salad to lighten things up just in time for the pasta course—all homemade, of course.
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restaurantSessions Arts Club
$$$It might take a few furtive strolls around this Grade II-listed former courthouse in Clerkenwell to discover the secret red door with a very discreet Sessions Arts Club buzzer. Once buzzed in and up the stairs, the candle-lit dining room might have you catching your breath. Often described as the most beautiful restaurant in London, the two story high room is a heady mix of decadence and coziness, with huge arch windows and alcoves, peeling mint green paint, exposed plaster, artworks and sculptures, plants and velvet sofas. Even though it only opened in 2021, it feels well-worn, in a good way, and has already become a London classic. The short little menu is a true delight—Chef Florence Knight pulls inspiration from all across Europe for her beautiful and unpretentious creations: from brown shrimp croquettes which explode with butter to fluffy panisse with pleasing peas and parmesan.
Maureen M EvansrestaurantCafe Cecilia
$$$Duck off the fray of Broadway Market and along the canal and soon you’ll come to the very unassuming facade of this wonderful little restaurant. This is chef Max Rocha’s (brother to fashion designer Simone Rocha) first solo venture and although it’s fairly fuss-free, it still manages to feel special. There’s Italian prowess in the sage and anchovy fritti, marinated peppers and aubergines, and freshly-made pasta such as spinach farfalle with walnut sauce. Then there’s a love for classic meat dishes with the pork and apricot terrine and onglet with chips and peppercorn sauce and playful comforting puddings like deep-fried bread and butter pudding with cold custard (a dish that requires a lie down straight afterwards).
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Jérôme GallandrestaurantCircolo Popolare
$$Fun is the name of the game at all of the Big Mamma restaurants, and it’s no different at this Fitzrovia favorite. The second of the five London outposts is the most dramatic, with high wall arches filled with illuminated bottles and ceilings draped in flowering foliage and twinkling festoon lights. Tables are packed in tight and the crowd are always merry and ready for a party. If you want something slightly out of the main fray, ask for one of the four-seater booths off to the side but even from there, the energy is infectious. Pasta is the real reason to come—flavors are big, as are the portions. La Gran Carbonara is the winner, but if you want something even richer go for the mafalda with black truffle and marscapone cream sauce.
Ben McMahonrestaurantBrat
In order to find Brat, look for the discreet black awning and small, chalk-scrawled blackboard. It’s an understated entrance for a restaurant that’s made such a splash: Chef Tomos Parry scored a Michelin star within six months of opening. All of Parry's dishes have a tell-tale whisper of smoke and flames, from blistered anchovy flatbreads to a tangle of charred leeks, topped with milky, made-in-Hackney stracciatella. But it's the turbot, caught off the Cornish coast and slow-cooked over the fire, that really stands out.
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Patricia NivenrestaurantHoney & Co
$$$In 2022, this tiny Warren Street favorite moved to a bigger, lighter, brighter, and more grown-up space on Lamb’s Conduit Street and never looked back. Inside, it’s still as welcoming as ever, but there’s more space to savor your supper, plus plenty of quiet covered outdoor tables, which are the ideal spot for a sunny lunch. All their Middle-Eastern inspired dishes are vibrant, fresh, and moreish. From the pleasing plates of juicy peach salad with goat’s cheese and crunchy almonds, sour labneh, and crispy fried artichokes and sea bream cured in sumac salt to the heartier mains of lovingly grilled meats and fish, you’re going to want to order as much as possible. We’d advise to go straight for the sharing menu to get a taste of all the mezze dishes—such a route is best if you’re very hungry.
Courtesy SpringrestaurantSpring
$$$Set in the grandly neo-classical Somerset House, Spring offers up a dreamy dining room, all pastel hues, Italian marble, and blossoming wall art—light-filled in the daytime, softly luminous at night. A dozen changing starters and mains showcase the best of what’s in season—often grown on Fern Verrow's 16-acre biodynamic farm. Dishes often skew Italian, but Skye Gyngell is a culinary magpie, so labneh, persimmon and fermented chilis also find a place on her menus. It’s a deliciously grown-up place to come for dinner: expensive, quietly elegant, and oblivious to trends.
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Steven JoycerestaurantPadella
$$When the food’s this good and the prices are this restrained, you won’t mind waiting in line...to get on the waiting list. This no-reservations, edge-of-Borough-Market eatery is a favorite of the pasta-obsessed, and a place where a plateful of the pici cacio e pepe is a must and aperitivi are a steal, with inexpensive spritzes, Negroni, and Prosecco by the glass. It’s perfect for a comforting carb fix, and a great place for dinner and a catch-up.
Carol Sachsrestaurant40 Maltby Street
$$If Maltby Street sounds familiar, it’s probably due to its market, which quietly transformed a row of run-down railway arches into a foodie destination. Amid the street food stalls and artisan breweries, this place has been there from the start; a natural wine-importing business with a bare-bones bar and kitchen. Draw up a stool and turn your attention to what really matters: the scribbled blackboard by the bar, announcing the day’s menu. As regulars know—and try to keep on the down low—there’s some serious talent in the kitchen; head chef and co-owner Stephen Williams won a Michelin star when he headed up The Harwood Arms. If it’s Saturday and there’s a baked ham on the counter, then order a plateful to start, and make sure you get some bread, served with salty, silken whey butter. After that, take your pick of the ten or so small plates from the board.
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Patricia NivenrestaurantSt. JOHN
$$Any Londoner who knows about food has a soft spot for St. JOHN, as do the myriad chefs who trained here under Fergus Henderson before opening their own places. Come for nose-to-tail eating, with a menu that might run from deviled kidneys to the decadent roasted bone marrow, or less carnivorous options like earthy braised beetroot with goat’s curd. And don’t miss the baked-to-order madeleines.
Jonathan ThompsonrestaurantThe Ledbury
$$$Tables are in high demand, and best reserved a few months ahead at Brett Graham's restaurant. The menu's a love-letter to the British countryside, prepared with inimitable self-assurance, and is perfect for a special occasion. The dishes are constantly changing, though certain favorites recur, like a truffle-laced pheasant’s egg that’s nothing short of sublime. The same could be said, on the sweet side, of Graham's signature brown sugar tart, with its silken, just-set custard and heady stem-ginger ice-cream. Sneak in for the (slightly) cheaper four-course lunch or invest in the full tasting menu.
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John CareyrestaurantIkoyi
Set in a glass-fronted space in a sleek, slightly corporate development, Ikoyi, a Michelin-starred newcomer, feels surprisingly homey. But in the kitchen Jeremy Chan is pushing boundaries. Every dish is thrillingly unfamiliar, from the moment the first plate lands; say, plantain dipped in hot-pink raspberry salt with a luscious slick of smoked scotch-bonnet mayo. That’s followed by six more courses, all packed with slow heat and umami, such as a shellfish dashi-infused jollof rice laced with velvety crab-meat custard. Everything’s plated with painterly precision, including the desserts.
Courtesy Clove ClubrestaurantClove Club
$$$From the World’s 50 Best list, the Clove Club has come of age after starting out in the '00s as a Dalston supper club. These days it’s set behind a glossy blue door in Shoreditch’s stately old town hall, with a polished, low-lit bar, and pared-back dining room, where the best views are of chef Isaac McHale’s buzzing, blue-tiled kitchen. Fuss and frills are out but the elaborate tasting menu is dizzyingly ambitious—though, unlike some Michelin-starred joints, they’re not averse to serving fried chicken. Two Michelin stars means it’s always busy, but don’t panic if you’re seated in the bar; candlelit, cozy, it has its own low-lit charm. Booking ahead is advised, although you can sometimes nab a seat at the bar where they also serve the full tasting menu.
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Courtesy Rochelle CanteenrestaurantRochelle Canteen
$$Set in a converted school on historic circular street Arnold Circus, savvy diners need to find the unmarked door and the discreet buzzer to be let into this cult classic. Once inside, walk through the garden and look out for jars of local honey on a shelf by the wall. The restaurant itself, in the school’s former bike shed, is quite compact with a minimal white interior—just some straw hats perch on the wall—but they’ve expanded the seating into the garden outside with summery-feeling covered tables that are perfect for every weather eventuality. Since opening in 2004, Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson’s daily-changing menu has been a celebration of seasonal ingredients. Fish and meat here are treated with the utmost respect and served with pleasing accompaniments such as grilled mackerel with peas, and horseradish and onglet with beetroot and anchovy. Don’t skip over the sides: glorious new potatoes arrive swimming in melted butter.
Courtesy Claude Bosi at BibendumrestaurantClaude Bosi at Bibendum
$$$This is just the place for a blow-out meal: one that starts with champagne and witty amuse-bouches, and ends with a show-stopping cheese trolley. Tables get booked up weeks ahead, and there’s a tangible air of expectation for the seven-course tasting menu that blends beautifully elaborate dishes with rustic French cooking. Service is smooth and formal, the sommelier is very helpful, and the meal is unforgettable. Even the set lunch menu feels gratifyingly grand.
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Courtesy SmokestakrestaurantSmokestak
$$You’ll probably smell David Carter’s barbecue joint well before you see it; while the signage is discreet, the tang of smoke meets you halfway up the street. Behind two heavy, metal-riveted doors, it’s a temple to certain ideas of masculinity and to meat—all concrete walls, steel paneling, and rough-planked tables and banquettes (subtext: real men don’t need cushions). The meat comes in many forms here: 15-hour smoked brisket, superb pastrami, and generous portions of ribs.
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Courtesy SilorestaurantSilo
$$$Right on the canal in post-industrial hipsterville Hackney Wick, and above popular brewery, bar and pizza joint Crate, sits one of the most unique spots in the city. This is the only restaurant we’ve ever heard of that has no garbage bin. Yes, Silo takes the idea of zero waste to the ultimate conclusion, reusing everything they can in unique and delicious ways, composting all food waste and creating an entire restaurant out of upcycled materials. The menu is projected onto the large wall and available via QR code (no wasted paper here), and it’s a 10 course voyage of discovery costing £65 per person. It all goes totally wild: a sweet and sour miso crisp covered in treacle made from vegetable peelings, grilled garlic scapes (the shoots that grow from the top of the bulb) with cuttlefish garum, and a rainbow chard dumpling with a sourdough wrapper and a ‘meta dairy’ sauce made from all the old bits of milk and cheese. It’s brave, bonkers, and very original.
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Courtesy The WolseleyrestaurantThe Wolseley
$$$Set in a 1920s car showroom, this grand all-day brasserie exudes a heady glamor, with its gleaming marble floors, red-and-gold Japanese panels, and sleek leather banquettes. Londoners tend to come to take in breakfast and the paper, with a menu that runs from stacked pancakes to an impeccable omelet Arnold Bennett, layered with smoked haddock and creamy hollandaise. The stately surroundings never feel too stiffly formal; drop by on a whim for just about anything you fancy.
restaurantSmoking Goat
$$On a weekend night, there’s always a crowd of hopefuls hanging around outside this popular Shoreditch spot looking to bag a last-minute table. And it’s easy to see why: music blasts out the door, cocktails fly from the big central bar, and the menu of Thai street food is so spicy that everyone is slightly giddy. This is food made for drinking and drinks made for eating: cocktails are strong and fruity and beers similarly refreshing—if you're making a night of it, be brave and order the Tray of Joy, a selection of six liquor shots from around the world. The food will take you on a journey, from fragrant light green mango and papaya salad and raw mackerel with herbs to stacks of friend chicken that come with finger bowls and crab dishes that require you to get your hands dirty.
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Courtesy The River CaférestaurantThe River Cafe
$$$Thirty years after it opened, there’s still nowhere else in London quite like the River Café, Ruth Roger’s iconic Thames-side restaurant. Join the noisy mix of media types, off-duty movie stars, and artists for a wonderfully evocative menu, conjuring up vague but heady fantasies of a new life in rural Tuscany, with a wine list that’s a grand tour of Italy. On a languid summer’s afternoon, there’s no better place to be in all of London.
Greg FunnellrestaurantBarrafina
$$$Every dish has earned its place on the menu at Barrafina, a cult tapas bar with an ever-present line, from the crisp-skinned chicken in Romesco sauce to the molten, magnificent tortilla. The best way to order is to watch the chefs at work, and get whatever’s looking good. The convivial vibe makes solo dining an extra attractive prospect, but it’s also a great place to take a date (so you can share more plates).
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Photo by Carol SachsrestaurantThe Barbary
$$The Barbary makes quite a first impression; it’s small, pulsing to electro-pop and almost certainly full of people. Its party-loving sister the Palomer serves modern Israeli food, but this place has a more poetic remit, with a menu inspired by the Barbary Coast (an old term for North Africa’s Mediterranean coastline, once famed for its pirates and lions). Think smoky baba ghanoush, octopus Mashawsha and cumin crusted lamb cutlets.
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Greg FunnellrestaurantQuo Vadis
$$This charismatic Dean Street address is a slice of old Soho, founded in the 1920s and still going strong. The food is regional, seasonal, and thoroughly British, from suet-crusted pie and mash to deviled kid-liver skewers. The wine list is lengthy, and the cocktail menu offers punchy house creations alongside classics. It’s enjoyable in a different way at any time of day, from a breakfast bacon roll in upscale surrounds to a blowout dinner.
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Ed Cumming/@clerkenwellboyec1restaurantHoppers Soho
$Several years after its launch, this Sri Lankan restaurant still draws a nightly queue—no small feat in fast-paced Soho, where there’s always a new must-try dinner spot. The wait takes dedication, so you know you’re all there for one reason: the food. The menu riffs on street food from Tamil Nadu in the Indian South and Sri Lanka, mostly taking the form of small sharing plates. You'll need to order the namesake dish (hoppers are lacy-edged, bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice flour) to scoop up hot butter deviled shrimp, coconut sambol and fragrant karis.
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