Seafood££boroughMon 12:00-22:00, Tue 12:00-22:00, Wed 12:00-22:00, Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri 12:00-22:00, Sat 12:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-21:00
Robin Hancock and Ben Wright's seafood counter on Stoney Street next to Borough Market in London, opened 2002, runs a daily-fresh oyster menu and a serious.
Signature: Native oysters, Fish pie
Order: Half a dozen West Mersea or Lindisfarne native oysters, then the fish pie with mashed potato top.
Tip: Counter seats face the bar. Lunch runs walk-in; Saturday at noon is the un-touristed slot before market crowds peak.
Modern European£££covent-gardenMon 12:00-22:30, Tue 12:00-22:30, Wed 12:00-22:30, Thu 12:00-22:30, Fri 12:00-22:30, Sat 12:00-22:30
Skye Gyngell's Modern European dining room inside the New Wing of Somerset House in central London, opened 2014, runs vegetable-led seasonal cooking.
Signature: Whatever spring vegetable course is on, Brown butter custard tart
Order: Whatever the spring or autumn vegetable opener is, and the brown butter custard tart for pudding.
Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
Greek Taverna££camden-primrose-hillMon 12:00-22:00, Tue 12:00-22:00, Wed 12:00-22:00, Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri 12:00-22:30, Sat 12:00-22:30, Sun 12:00-16:00
The Evangelou family's Primrose Hill Greek taverna on Regent's Park Road in London, opened 1979, still the village's Sunday-lunch destination for lamb.
Signature: Lamb kleftiko, Saganaki
Order: Lamb kleftiko (slow-cooked in paper for three hours), with saganaki to start.
Tip: Sunday lunch books two weeks ahead through their site. Tuesday-Thursday dinner walks in any time after 19:00.
Gastropub££clerkenwellMon-Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-17:00
Britain's first gastropub on Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell London, opened 1991 by Mike Belben and David Eyre, still serves Mediterranean-leaning.
Signature: Bife Ana steak sandwich, Whatever is on the chalkboard
Order: The Bife Ana steak sandwich, on the menu since 1991, and a pint of bitter.
Tip: Walk-in only. The chalkboard menu rewrites every day at 12:00; the best dishes go by 14:00 on a busy lunch.
Steakhouse££sohoMon-Fri 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-23:00, Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 11:45-20:00
Gordon Ker's basement chophouse on Great Windmill Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs charcoal-grilled chops in a 1850s-era basement room.
Signature: Lamb chops, Pre-theatre skinny chops
Order: The all-in chops board with beef, lamb and pork, plus the bone-marrow gravy.
Tip: Sunday roast is £20 and books two weeks ahead through Resy. Pre-theatre chops at 17:00 walks in for half-price.
International££borough-bermondseyMon-Tue closed, Wed 17:30-21:30, Thu-Sat 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-21:30, Sun closed
Steve Williams's wine-bar-with-kitchen inside a Maltby Street railway arch in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, runs a daily-changing chalkboard of small.
Signature: Whatever is on the chalkboard, Smoked-eel sandwich
Order: Whatever the smoked-fish or charcuterie opener is, with a half-bottle of growers' Champagne.
Tip: Open Wed-Sat lunch and dinner; closed Sun-Tue. Walk-up only; first sitting at 12:00 always has bar seats.