40 upscale rooms in London, editor-picked. occasion rooms in London: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All London food.
St John ★ 4.8
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. Priced at £££. Kitchen leans modern british.
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.
Andrew Edmunds ★ 4.8
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.
Tip: Bookings take a six-week lead; bar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30 on weekdays.
The Connaught Bar ★ 4.8
mayfair · The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
Agostino Perrone's hotel cocktail bar inside The Connaught in Mayfair London, opened 2008, runs the trolley-poured Connaught Martini and has topped.
Tip: The trolley-Martini is the marquee order; £24 a glass. Book a fortnight ahead through the hotel; jacket required after 19:00.
P. Franco ★ 4.8
hackney · 107 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 0NP
Liam Kelleher's natural-wine room on Lower Clapton Road in Hackney London, opened 2014, runs a wall-of-wine shop by day and an evening counter.
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday at 17:30 is the easy slot; Friday-Saturday queue 30 minutes for a counter seat.
Cycene ★ 4.7
shoreditch · 9 Chance Street, London E2 7JB
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.
Tip: One tasting menu per service; book six weeks ahead. The wine pairing leans natural and biodynamic UK growers.
Gymkhana ★ 4.7
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.
Tip: The basement bar serves the same kitchen as a la carte without the tasting menu lock-in. Book a fortnight out.
Bocca di Lupo ★ 4.7
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.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
Lyaness ★ 4.7
covent-garden · Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD
Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan)'s cocktail bar inside the Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank in London, opened 2019, runs an ingredient-driven menu.
Tip: Walk-up at the bar most weeknights; weekend tables book a week ahead. Six house ingredients drive the menu each season.
Swift Soho ★ 4.7
soho · 12 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4TQ
Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston's two-floor cocktail bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2016, runs an upstairs Irish-coffee bar.
Tip: Upstairs takes walk-ins from 17:30. The basement runs to 02:00 with a deeper whiskey list. The Borough sibling has the same kitchen.
Noble Rot Bloomsbury ★ 4.7
fitzrovia · 51 Lamb's Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NB
Daniel Keeling and Mark Andrew's wine-magazine-meets-bistro on Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury London, opened 2015, runs serious old-world wines.
Tip: Lunchtime three-course is £45 with a glass. The Greek Street Soho sibling has longer hours and the same list.
Sabor ★ 4.6
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.
Tip: Counter seats downstairs take walk-ins. Upstairs has a six-week booking lead time but a fixed-price suckling pig set menu.
Manteca ★ 4.6
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.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
Dukes Bar ★ 4.6
mayfair · 35 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NY
Salvatore Calabrese's hotel cocktail bar inside Dukes London in St James's, trading since 1908, claims to have inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond Vesper.
Tip: The trolley-Vesper is the marquee order; £28 a glass. The bar remains open during the hotel's 2026 refurbishment.
The American Bar at The Savoy ★ 4.6
covent-garden · Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
The Savoy hotel's American Bar on the Strand in central London, trading since 1893 and the world's oldest surviving cocktail bar of name, codified the modern.
Tip: Walk-up only between 11:30 and 19:00; book a week ahead for evenings. The Beaufort Bar across the lobby has the more modern programme.
Sager + Wilde ★ 4.6
hackney · 193 Hackney Road, London E2 8JL
Michael Sager and Charlotte Wilde's bar on Hackney Road in east London, opened 2013, ran the bridge between London's old wine-bar scene and the natural-wine.
Tip: The grilled cheese sandwich is the marquee bar snack. Wednesday and Thursday nights run a £25 menu pairing.
Rochelle Canteen ★ 4.5
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.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
Quo Vadis ★ 4.5
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.
Tip: Lunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week 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.
Tip: Best on a Sunday after the Columbia Road flower market closes at 14:00; the kitchen runs to 17:00.
Cafe Cecilia ★ 4.5
hackney · Canal Place, 32 Andrews Road, London E8 4FX
Max Rocha's solo Cafe Cecilia by Regent's Canal in Hackney London opened 2021. Modern European plates with Anglo-Irish notes, drawing on River Cafe and St.
Tip: Book Wed-Sun on Resy; lunch and dinner slots release a week ahead. Saturday brunch is the quieter door.
Satan's Whiskers ★ 4.5
shoreditch-spitalfields · 343 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA
Daniel Bovey's east-London cocktail bar on Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing menu of classic and modern.
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday from 17:00 is the easy slot. The daily menu turns over fully; favourites change weekly.
Happiness Forgets ★ 4.5
shoreditch · 8-9 Hoxton Square, Hoxton, London N1 6NU
Alastair Burgess's basement cocktail bar on Hoxton Square in Shoreditch London, opened in 2010, runs a small handwritten menu of cocktails consistently.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the room takes 35 covers and burns through. No music, low light, conversation-first design.
40 Maltby Street (wine) ★ 4.5
borough-bermondsey · 40 Maltby Street, London SE1 3PA
Gergovie Wines's importer-run wine bar and kitchen inside a Maltby Street railway arch in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, the home address of London.
Tip: Open Wed-Sat only. Walk-up at the counter from 12:00. Closed Sun-Tue; the Saturday market crowd from 10:00 anchors the day.
Trishna ★ 4.4
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.
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
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.
Luca ★ 4.4
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.
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.
Three Sheets ★ 4.4
hackney · 510B Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE
Max and Noel Venning's neighbourhood cocktail bar on Kingsland Road in Dalston London, opened 2016, runs a daily-mixed-on-site cocktail menu and a small wine.
Tip: Walk-up only Tue-Thu. Friday-Saturday books a week ahead. The brothers source ingredients to make every house spirit from scratch.
Forza Wine ★ 4.4
peckham · 133a Rye Lane, London SE15 4BQ
Bash Redford's wine bar atop the Peckham multistorey carpark in south London, opened 2018, runs Italian-leaning natural wines and small plates with a rooftop.
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday from 17:30 walks in; Friday-Saturday queue runs to 90 minutes for the rooftop seats.
Noble Rot ★ 4.3
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.
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 ★ 4.3
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.
Tip: The wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
Spring ★ 4.3
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.
Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
Coupette ★ 4.3
shoreditch-spitalfields · 423 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AN
Chris Moore's French-influenced cocktail bar on Bethnal Green Road in east London, opened in 2018, runs a Calvados-heavy menu and ranks regularly.
Tip: Counter seats walk in any night. Booking a fortnight ahead through their site secures a table. The cocktail flight is the easy ask.
The Donovan Bar ★ 4.3
mayfair · Brown's Hotel, 33 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BP
Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan's hotel cocktail bar inside Brown's Hotel in Mayfair London, named for photographer Terence Donovan, runs.
Tip: The Breakfast Martini was Calabrese's invention; ask for it after his Guinness-record house pour. The bar opens at 16:00 weekdays.
Quality Wines ★ 4.3
clerkenwell · 88-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA
Will Lander's wine shop and bar next to Quality Chop House on Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell London, opened 2019, runs a focused natural-leaning Continental.
Tip: Buy a bottle and drink it in the bar for £15 corkage. The lunch sandwich menu from Quality Chop House is half-price.
Levan ★ 4.2
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.
Tip: The room is small and bookings book a fortnight ahead; bar seats are released for walk-ins from 18:00.
Discount Suit Company ★ 4.2
shoreditch-spitalfields · 29A Wentworth Street, Whitechapel, London E1 7TB
Justyna Kosinska's basement cocktail bar in a former 1900s tailor's storeroom on Wentworth Street in Spitalfields London, opened 2013, runs a focused.
Tip: Walk-up only. Doors open 18:00 weekdays; weekend queues run 30 minutes. Cash and card; tiny capacity below ground.
Scout ★ 4.2
hackney · 93 Sclater Street, London E1 6HR
Matt Whiley's hyper-seasonal cocktail bar on Sclater Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2018, builds the menu around local UK ingredients and zero-waste.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-up. The menu turns over by season; British produce defines the drinks list throughout the year.
Diogenes the Dog ★ 4.2
kennington · 96 Brixton Road, London SW9 6BE
Sunny Hodge's neighbourhood wine bar on Brixton Road in Kennington London, opened 2017, runs a serious natural-wine list and Mediterranean snacks at counter.
Tip: Walk-up only Tue-Thu. Friday-Saturday books two weeks ahead. The wine focus is on growers Hodge knows personally.
J Sheekey ★ 4.1
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.
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
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.