The Layo Paskin brothers' Jerusalem-leaning counter and dining room on Rupert Street in Soho London, opened 2014, runs a kitchen-counter front and a calmer back room.
Signature dishes: Kubaneh bread with tahini, Octopus mishmish
Must order: Kubaneh bread (warm pull-apart with tahini and pepper jam) followed by the octopus mishmish main.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back take bookings two weeks ahead.
Address: 34 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DN
Neil Borthwick's upstairs dining room above the historic French House pub on Dean Street in Soho London, opened 2017 in the room Free French resistance used through the war.
Signature: Daily-changing chalkboard
Order: Whatever the seasonal main is on the chalkboard, with a glass from the focused wine list.
Tip: No mobile phones, no music. Tables book one week ahead. The downstairs pub still pours a proper half-pint of bitter.
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond, with the date and region listed.
Signature: Suckling pig porchetta, Whatever regional special is on
Order: Suckling pig porchetta with crackling on a soft roll, and a Lambrusco from the carafe list.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
The 1944 Brewer Street deli's first sit-down restaurant on Greek Street in Soho London, opened 2018, runs hand-rolled pasta and Italian-deli classics in a green-tiled room.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever fresh stuffed pasta is on the daily menu, and the tiramisu in the original Lina recipe.
Tip: Walk-up only at the deli original on Brewer Street; the Greek Street site takes bookings via Resy two weeks ahead.
Neil Borthwick's upstairs dining room above the historic French House pub on Dean Street in Soho London, opened 2017 in the room Free French resistance used through the war.
Signature: Daily-changing chalkboard
Order: Whatever the seasonal main is on the chalkboard, with a glass from the focused wine list.
Tip: No mobile phones, no music. Tables book one week ahead. The downstairs pub still pours a proper half-pint of bitter.
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond, with the date and region listed.
Signature: Suckling pig porchetta, Whatever regional special is on
Order: Suckling pig porchetta with crackling on a soft roll, and a Lambrusco from the carafe list.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
The 1944 Brewer Street deli's first sit-down restaurant on Greek Street in Soho London, opened 2018, runs hand-rolled pasta and Italian-deli classics in a green-tiled room.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever fresh stuffed pasta is on the daily menu, and the tiramisu in the original Lina recipe.
Tip: Walk-up only at the deli original on Brewer Street; the Greek Street site takes bookings via Resy two weeks ahead.
Brett Redman's small-plates dining room on Stoney Street next to Borough Market in London, opened 2010, runs wood-fire cooking and a market-driven daily-changing chalkboard.
Signature: Wood-fired flatbread, Burrata with seasonal greens
Order: Whatever the wood-fired flatbread topping is, and a burrata with whatever's in season.
Tip: Walk-up only at the bar. Tables book a fortnight ahead. Closed Monday; the Borough Market kitchen runs Wed-Sat.
Jonathan Lawson's Italian-leaning dining room on Rivington Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2017, runs hand-rolled pasta, North African accents and a Sicilian wine list.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Whatever Sicilian special is on
Order: Whatever fresh pasta is on, and the Sicilian-spiced lamb if it's on the night.
Tip: Counter seats wrap the open kitchen. Walk-up only at the counter; tables book a week ahead through their site.
Owen Kenworthy's Modern European dining room on Columbia Road in Shoreditch London, opened 2010, runs a daily-changing menu of small plates with a natural-wine list.
Signature: Charcuterie board, Whatever offal special is on
Order: House charcuterie board, then whatever offal main is on the night.
Tip: Best on a Sunday after the Columbia Road flower market closes at 14:00; the kitchen runs to 17:00.
