16 splurge rooms in London, editor-picked. tasting menus and the full big-night-out treatment in London. All London food.
Core by Clare Smyth ★ 4.8
notting-hill-bayswater · 92 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2PN
Clare Smyth's Notting Hill London dining room, opened 2017, was the first three-Michelin-starred restaurant run by a British female chef. Tasting menu £275.
Tip: Book the kitchen counter for the Chef's Table service; same kitchen, fewer covers, eight weeks instead of twelve.
The Clove Club ★ 4.7
shoreditch · Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
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.
Tip: Counter seats face the kitchen pass directly. Book the bar for an a la carte run if the tasting menu is full.
The Ledbury ★ 4.7
notting-hill-bayswater · 127 Ledbury Road, London W11 2AQ
Brett Graham's Notting Hill London tasting-menu kitchen, re-opened 2022 after a refurbishment, holds three Michelin stars and runs ingredient-first British.
Tip: Tuesday lunch is the easiest slot to book and the kitchen runs the same menu. Wine pairings start at £180.
Sketch ★ 4.7
mayfair · 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG
Mourad Mazouz and Pierre Gagnaire's Conduit Street dining rooms in Mayfair London, opened 2002, hold three Michelin stars in the Lecture Room and run a famed.
Tip: The Gallery serves the bistro menu and books a fortnight ahead; the three-starred Lecture Room is the eight-week wait.
The River Cafe ★ 4.6
hammersmith · Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
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.
Kitchen Table ★ 4.6
fitzrovia · 70 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QG
James Knappett's twenty-seat tasting-counter dining room on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia London, opened 2012, holds two Michelin stars and runs.
Tip: The counter wraps the kitchen; sit at the centre seat for chef interaction. Wine pairings are exceptional and add £160.
Ikoyi ★ 4.6
covent-garden · 180 Strand, London WC2R 1EA
Jeremy Chan and Iremae Adeyeri's West African-influenced tasting room on the Strand in London, opened 2017 and Michelin two-starred, on the World's 50 Best.
Tip: Counter seats look directly at the pass; book the corner for two and watch every plate go out.
Helene Darroze at The Connaught ★ 4.5
mayfair · Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
Helene Darroze's three-Michelin-starred dining room inside The Connaught hotel in Mayfair London, opened 2008, runs ingredient-led French-British cooking.
Tip: Lunch (Tue-Sat) at £75 for three courses is the most accessible route. The Connaught Bar next door is one of the world's great cocktail rooms.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay ★ 4.4
south-kensington-chelsea · 68 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HP
Gordon Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road three-Michelin-starred kitchen in Chelsea London, opened 1998 and held its three stars longer than any other restaurant.
Tip: Lunch (Tuesday to Friday) at £140 is half the dinner tasting price with the same kitchen run.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal ★ 4.4
south-kensington-chelsea · 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
Heston Blumenthal's historical-British research kitchen inside the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London, opened 2011 and Michelin two-starred.
Tip: Lunch a la carte at £55 for two courses is half dinner. Sit at the open kitchen counter to watch the mousse-shaping.
Trivet ★ 4.3
borough-bermondsey · 36 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU
Jonny Lake and Isa Bal's two-Michelin-starred dining room on Snowsfields in Bermondsey London, opened 2019, runs imaginative ingredient-driven cooking.
Tip: Lunch books inside three weeks and uses the same kitchen. Sommelier Isa Bal will steer the Georgian and Armenian bottles.
Behind ★ 4.2
hackney · 20 Sidworth Street, London E8 3SD
Andy Beynon's one-Michelin-starred fish counter on the edge of London Fields in Hackney London, opened October 2020, runs an 18-seat kitchen table.
Tip: One sitting per service; book six weeks ahead. The relaxed wine bar at the front takes walk-ins and pours from the same list.
Akoko ★ 4.2
fitzrovia · 21 Berners Street, London W1T 3LP
Aji Akokomi and Ayo Adeyemi's West African tasting-menu kitchen on Berners Street in Fitzrovia London, opened 2020 and Michelin-starred since 2022.
Tip: Sit at the counter to watch the open kitchen. Wine pairing leans into Lebanese, South African and English wines.
The Ritz ★ 4.1
mayfair · 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR
The Ritz Piccadilly dining room in Mayfair London, opened 1906 in Cesar Ritz's hotel, holds one Michelin star and runs classical French cooking.
Tip: Afternoon tea in the Palm Court is the easier reservation; dinner books 8 weeks ahead with strict dress code.
Mountain ★ 4.1
soho · 16-18 Beak Street, London W1F 9RD
Tomos Parry's Soho London second restaurant on Beak Street, opened 2023 above a wood-fired open kitchen, runs Welsh-Spanish cooking and has held one Michelin.
Tip: Counter seats around the pass take walk-ins from 17:30. Bookings open six weeks ahead through Resy.
Hide ★ 4.0
mayfair · 85 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NB
Ollie Dabbous's Piccadilly dining room overlooking Green Park in Mayfair London, opened 2018 and Michelin-starred, runs a Modern British menu across three.
Tip: The ground-floor Below cocktail bar takes walk-ins and serves the same kitchen as a la carte plates.