23 upscale rooms in London, editor-picked. occasion rooms in London — destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All London food.
St John ★ 4.9
clerkenwell · 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Whitewashed dining room, no music, daily-changing menu on a single sheet.
Tip: The bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
Brat ★ 4.8
shoreditch · 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL
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.
Gymkhana ★ 4.8
mayfair · 42 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JH
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.
Tip: The basement bar serves the same kitchen as a la carte without the tasting menu lock-in. Book a fortnight out.
Lyle's ★ 4.7
shoreditch · Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ
James Lowe's Tea Building dining room in Shoreditch London is a Michelin-starred set-menu kitchen built on British produce, opened 2014, on the World's 50 Best list.
Tip: The lunchtime daily-changing two-course is half the price of dinner and uses the same kitchen.
Sabor ★ 4.7
mayfair · 35-37 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR
Nieves Barragan Mohacho's Mayfair Spanish dining room off Regent Street in London, opened 2017 and Michelin-starred, runs a tapas counter downstairs and a wood-fired upstairs.
Tip: Counter seats downstairs take walk-ins. Upstairs has a six-week booking lead time but a fixed-price suckling pig set menu.
Manteca ★ 4.7
shoreditch · 49-51 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
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 to order.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
Andrew Edmunds ★ 4.7
soho · 46 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LP
The candlelit Lexington Street bistro in Soho London, opened 1985 by print-dealer Andrew Edmunds, still runs a daily-handwritten Modern European menu in a creaky-floored Georgian townhouse.
Tip: Bookings take a six-week lead; bar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30 on weekdays.
Rochelle Canteen ★ 4.6
shoreditch · 16 Playground Gardens, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES
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.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
Quo Vadis ★ 4.6
soho · 26-29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL
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.
Tip: Lunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
Trishna ★ 4.6
marylebone · 15-17 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DG
Karam Sethi's Blandford Street Indian coastal restaurant in Marylebone London, opened 2008 and Michelin-starred, focused on Konkan and Mangalorean fish cookery.
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 ★ 4.6
covent-garden · 10 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HZ
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 small plates.
Tip: No bookings. Aim for 11:45 to be first in at the lunch open; sit at the counter to watch the plancha.
Luca ★ 4.6
clerkenwell · 88 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH
The Clove Club team's neighbourhood Italian on St John Street in Clerkenwell London, opened 2016, runs British-Italian seasonal cooking in a tiled dining room and bar.
Tip: Sit at the bar for the four-course tasting menu at half the dining-room price. Lunch books at three days, dinner at three weeks.
Noble Rot ★ 4.6
fitzrovia · 51 Lamb's Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NB
The wine-led dining room on Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury London, opened 2015 by Daniel Keeling and Mark Andrew of the wine magazine, runs a serious Modern European menu.
Tip: Lunchtime three-course is a third of dinner's price. The Soho sibling on Greek Street has the same kitchen with longer hours.
Quality Chop House ★ 4.6
clerkenwell · 92-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA
The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking in original Victorian booths.
Tip: The wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
Bocca di Lupo ★ 4.6
soho · 12 Archer Street, London W1D 7BB
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.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
Levan ★ 4.5
peckham · 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL
Nicholas Balfe's small-plates room on Blenheim Grove in Peckham London, opened 2018 and Michelin-recognised, runs Modern European cooking with a long natural-wine list.
Tip: The room is small and bookings book a fortnight ahead; bar seats are released for walk-ins from 18:00.
J Sheekey ★ 4.5
covent-garden · 28-32 St Martin's Court, London WC2N 4AL
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 next door.
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 ★ 4.5
mayfair · 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Chris Corbin and Jeremy King's grand European brasserie on Piccadilly in London, opened 2003 in a former 1921 Wolseley showroom, runs from breakfast to late-night supper.
Tip: Breakfast from 07:00 is the un-touristed slot. Pre-theatre dinner from 18:00 books a fortnight ahead.
Brawn ★ 4.5
shoreditch · 49 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG
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.
Tip: Best on a Sunday after the Columbia Road flower market closes at 14:00; the kitchen runs to 17:00.
Spring ★ 4.5
covent-garden · Somerset House, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA
Skye Gyngell's Modern European dining room inside the New Wing of Somerset House in central London, opened 2014, runs vegetable-led seasonal cooking and a Scratch dinner program.
Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
Rules ★ 4.4
covent-garden · 34-35 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7LB
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse, partridge and venison seasons.
Tip: Lunch is a third of dinner's price and just as well-staffed. The upstairs cocktail bar runs to 23:00 most nights.
The Laughing Heart ★ 4.4
hackney · 277 Hackney Road, London E2 8NA
Charlie Mellor's wine-bar dining room on Hackney Road in east London, opened 2017, runs a Modern European small-plates menu with a natural-wine list and late kitchen.
Tip: Open Wed-Sun, kitchen runs to 23:30. The downstairs wine room takes walk-ins on weeknights.
The Jugged Hare ★ 4.3
clerkenwell · 49 Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4SA
The Jugged Hare on Chiswell Street in the City of London, opened 2012 by ETM Group, runs a game-led gastropub menu with hung-game cabinets in the dining room.
Tip: Lunch and pre-theatre runs walk-in friendly. Sunday roast books a fortnight ahead through their site.