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 through 2026.
Signature dishes: Buttermilk fried chicken, Wood-fired raw scallop
Must order: Whatever the seasonal seafood opener is, and the buttermilk fried chicken canape that started the room.
Tip: Counter seats face the kitchen pass directly. Book the bar for an a la carte run if the tasting menu is full.
Address: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch and weeknight dinner.
Signature: Crispy lamb sweetbreads, Custard tart
Order: Whatever offal opener is on the chalkboard, then the custard tart for pudding.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
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 all day.
Signature: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, Cured pork skewers
Order: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, plus a skewer of aged Tamworth cured pork.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-in only after 17:30. Lunch tables behind the counter take bookings two weeks ahead.
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 map in town.
Signature: Classic bao, Fried Horlicks ice cream
Order: Classic pork bao with peanut and fermented greens, plus the fried Horlicks ice cream to finish.
Tip: Walk-up only. Put your name down on the chalkboard outside; the queue moves in 20 to 40 minutes from open.
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch and weeknight dinner.
Signature: Crispy lamb sweetbreads, Custard tart
Order: Whatever offal opener is on the chalkboard, then the custard tart for pudding.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
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 and a famous smoked eel sandwich.
Signature: Smoked eel sandwich, Steamed mutton pudding
Order: The smoked eel sandwich on rye, and whatever pudding is on the chalkboard at the door.
Tip: Lunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
Karam Sethi's Albemarle Street Indian dining room in Mayfair London, opened 2013 and Michelin two-starred since 2024, modelled on a colonial-club room with serious tandoor cookery.
Signature: Kid goat methi keema, Tandoori guinea fowl
Order: Kid goat methi keema with sesame naan, plus whatever wild-game tandoori cut is being grilled that night.
Tip: The basement bar serves the same kitchen as a la carte without the tasting menu lock-in. Book a fortnight out.
Karam Sethi's Blandford Street Indian coastal restaurant in Marylebone London, opened 2008 and Michelin-starred, focused on Konkan and Mangalorean fish cookery.
Signature: Brown crab Goan curry, Hariyali bream
Order: Brown crab Goan curry, hariyali bream and a glass of riesling from the all-aromatic list.
Tip: The tasting menu is the best route in, but a la carte stays open at lunch and books a week ahead.
