££££Modern BritishClerkenwell
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Priced at £££. Kitchen leans modern british.
OrderRoast bone marrow with parsley salad and toast, then Eccles cake with Lancashire.
TipThe bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
££££Modern BritishShoreditch
Taz Sarhane's one-Michelin-starred tasting-menu room inside the Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch London, opened 2022, runs a 90% British menu cooked.
OrderWhatever Cornish day-boat fish is cooked over flame, and the foraged-herb course that anchors the tasting.
TipOne tasting menu per service; book six weeks ahead. The wine pairing leans natural and biodynamic UK growers.
££££Modern BritishShoreditch
Isaac McHale's tasting-menu kitchen inside Shoreditch Town Hall in London, opened 2013, kept its Michelin star and a place on the World's 50 Best list.
OrderWhatever the seasonal seafood opener is, and the buttermilk fried chicken canape that started the room.
TipCounter seats face the kitchen pass directly. Book the bar for an a la carte run if the tasting menu is full.
££££Modern BritishShoreditch
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch.
OrderWhatever offal opener is on the chalkboard, then the custard tart for pudding.
TipOpen Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
££££Modern BritishSoho
Jeremy Lee's Dean Street dining room in Soho London, opened 1926 and restored under chef Lee since 2012, runs a daily-changing seasonal British menu.
OrderThe smoked eel sandwich on rye, and whatever pudding is on the chalkboard at the door.
TipLunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
££££Modern BritishClerkenwell
The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking.
OrderThe famed confit potato, then mince and potatoes off the daily menu, with a bottle from the shop next door.
TipThe wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
££££Modern BritishBorough
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.
OrderWhatever the wood-fired flatbread topping is, and a burrata with whatever's in season.
TipWalk-up only at the bar. Tables book a fortnight ahead. Closed Monday; the Borough Market kitchen runs Wed-Sat.