16 restaurants in London, editor-picked for sunday dinner. Where to eat a sit-down dinner on sunday. All restaurants in London.
Brat ★ 4.8
shoreditch · 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL
Hours: Mon closed, Tue-Sun 12:00-22:30
Tomos Parry's Basque-fired wood-grill room above the Smoking Goat in Shoreditch London, opened 2018 and the whole-turbot benchmark for the city.
Tip: Bookings open thirty days ahead at 10:00 and burn fast. Walk-up bar seats are released on the day from 11:00.
The River Cafe ★ 4.6
hammersmith · Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:30-14:15 and 18:30-21:00, Sun 12:30-14:15
Ruth Rogers's Italian dining room on the Thames in Hammersmith London, opened 1987 by Rose Gray and Rogers, still the city's defining seasonal Italian.
Tip: Sit on the riverside terrace in summer. The lunch sitting from 12:30 is markedly cheaper than dinner with the same kitchen.
Manteca ★ 4.6
shoreditch · 49-51 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
Hours: Daily 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-23:00
Chris Leach and David Carter's whole-animal Italian dining room on Curtain Road in Shoreditch London, opened 2021, charcuteries pork in-house and rolls pasta.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
Kiln ★ 4.5
soho · 58 Brewer Street, London W1F 9TL
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-21:00
Ben Chapman's wood-fired Northern Thai counter in Soho London, opened 2016, sits in front of an open grill that turns out skewers and clay-pot noodles.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-in only after 17:30. Lunch tables behind the counter take bookings two weeks ahead.
Rochelle Canteen ★ 4.5
shoreditch · 16 Playground Gardens, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES
Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00-15:00, Wed-Sat 18:00-19:45
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
Trishna ★ 4.4
marylebone · 15-17 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DG
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-14:30 and 18:00-22:30, Sun 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-21:45
Karam Sethi's Blandford Street Indian coastal restaurant in Marylebone London, opened 2008 and Michelin-starred, focused on Konkan and Mangalorean fish.
Tip: The tasting menu is the best route in, but a la carte stays open at lunch and books a week ahead.
Barrafina Adelaide Street ★ 4.4
covent-garden · 10 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HZ
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-23:00, Sun 13:00-15:30 and 17:30-22:00
The Hart brothers' walk-up tapas counter on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden London, opened 2014 and Michelin-starred, runs a daily-changing list of Spanish.
Tip: No bookings. Aim for 11:45 to be first in at the lunch open; sit at the counter to watch the plancha.
Akub ★ 4.4
notting-hill-bayswater · 27 Uxbridge Street, London W8 7TQ
Hours: Mon closed, Tue-Thu 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-23:00, Fri 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-23:30, Sat 11:00-15:00 and 18:00-23:30, Sun 11:00-16:00
Fadi Kattan's Palestinian dining room on Uxbridge Street in Notting Hill London, opened 2022, spreads across four floors and runs traditional Palestinian.
Tip: Ground-floor counter takes walk-ins for mezze. Tables upstairs book a fortnight ahead. Brunch service runs Saturday and Sunday.
Bao Soho ★ 4.3
soho · 53 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AS
Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-22:30, Sun 12:00-17:00
Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung's original Bao counter on Lexington Street Soho in London, opened 2015, the bao that put Taiwanese food on every restaurant.
Tip: Walk-up only. Put your name down on the chalkboard outside; the queue moves in 20 to 40 minutes from open.
Quality Chop House ★ 4.3
clerkenwell · 92-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA
Hours: Mon closed, Tue-Fri 12:00-14:15 and 18:00-21:45, Sat 12:00-14:30 and 18:00-21:45, Sun 12:00-15:30
The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking.
Tip: The wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
Jose ★ 4.2
borough-bermondsey · 104 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3UB
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-22:15, Sun 12:00-21:00
Jose Pizarro's standing-only tapas bar on Bermondsey Street in London, opened 2011, a Spanish counter that runs Cantabrian anchovies, jamon and croquetas.
Tip: No bookings; squeeze in standing at the bar from 18:00 onwards. Lunch from 12:00 is walk-in friendly all week.
J Sheekey ★ 4.1
covent-garden · 28-32 St Martin's Court, London WC2N 4AL
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-21:00
The Caprice Holdings seafood institution on St Martin's Court in Covent Garden London, opened 1896, runs a pre-theatre fish-focused menu with the oyster bar.
Tip: The Oyster Bar at no. 28-32 takes walk-ins at the bar; the main dining room books two weeks ahead for evening service.
The Wolseley ★ 4.1
mayfair · 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Hours: Mon-Fri 07:00-23:00, Sat 08:00-23:00, Sun 08:00-22:00
Chris Corbin and Jeremy King's grand European brasserie on Piccadilly in London, opened 2003 in a former 1921 Wolseley showroom, runs from breakfast.
Tip: Breakfast from 07:00 is the un-touristed slot. Pre-theatre dinner from 18:00 books a fortnight ahead.
Dishoom Shoreditch ★ 4.1
shoreditch · 7 Boundary Street, London E2 7JE
Hours: Mon-Wed 08:00-23:00, Thu-Fri 08:00-00:00, Sat 09:00-00:00, Sun 09:00-23:00
The Bombay-cafe-styled Indian dining room on Boundary Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2012 as Dishoom's second site, runs Parsi cafe cooking.
Tip: No bookings for weekend lunch; expect a 45-minute queue on Saturday. Weekday breakfast from 08:00 walks straight in without waiting.
Rules ★ 4.0
covent-garden · 34-35 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7LB
Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-23:30, Sun 12:00-22:00
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse.
Tip: Lunch is a third of dinner's price and just as well-staffed. The upstairs cocktail bar runs to 23:00 most nights.
Tayyabs ★ 4.0
whitechapel · 83-89 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1JU
Hours: Daily 12:00-23:30
The Tayyab family's Punjabi grill on Fieldgate Street in Whitechapel London, opened 1972, runs charcoal-grilled lamb chops, karahi and seekh kebab.
Tip: BYOB. Friday and Saturday queues run to 60 minutes; aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday at 19:00.