British
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy follow up Pidgin with a more casual restaurant in King's Cross. Here's there's a big focus on all types of sandwiches (including finger sandwiches) and soft serve.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
It's taken millions to transform the old Savoy Cinema into a modern arts space and the restaurant is every bit as ambitious with former St John executive chef Chris Gillard running things. Expect a menu of modern British cuisine.
In a quiet part of Clerkenwell, The Green comes from the same people who also run The Culpeper in Shoreditch. Either take it easy in the pub downstairs or head up to the first floor restaurant and you'll find the pub serving modern British food from an ever changing menu. Also look out for a Sunday lunch where they concentrate on Beef Wellington and one key roast dish.
The huge Standard hotel comes with not one, but two ground floor drinking spaces. Run by ex-Pachamama chef Adam Rawson, there will be Isla (focusing on British coastal cuisine) and the more British pub/dive bar Double Standard.
One of the oldest pie & mash shops in London, this branch of the Manze empire opened in 1927. Still in the original family’s hands, it’s renowned for its pies, mashed potato and liquor, as well as their jellied or stewed eels. Walking inside feels like stepping back in time with chilli vinegar on the table and white-clothed friendly staff.
Local piemasters Piebury Corner serve up a cracking selection of British pies, served along with mash or roast potatoes. There's a decent craft beer selection too and the space is great.
This Hackney wine bar mixes carefully curated wine with the cuisine of head chef Tom Anglesea, who's taking on a modern approach to British cuisine.
The Ned is both an impressive City hotel as well as a collection of restaurants. Soho House took over an impressive (and huge) old banking site and stuffed it with places to eat. There are ten restaurants to choose from and while some City restaurants get quiet at the weekends - this is buzzy at all times.
Critic reviews - total score 9 out of 10
This is the original Rochelle Canteen, from chef Margot Henderson and business partner Melanie Arnold, and has been held up by almost every chef in London as one of the best places to eat at in town. Expect classic, seasonal cooking from Henderson. It's a little on the hard side to find - but well worth it.
Popular east London spot Rochelle Canteen from Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold is going all central. Expect similar style food, which looks deceptively simple but which showcases thoroughly excellent cooking.
The Shoreditch outpost of the St John empire is almost like a finishing school for London chefs. This restaurant is the beating heart of seasonal British cooking in London and has spread that influence all over the UK. A cracking place for a weekend breakfast too.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
Expect a seasonal menu with regular specials at the heart of this new relaxed bistro-style restaurant, bringing a taste of British new wave dining to Mayfair. And it boasts two very experienced chefs, Alex Harper and Mark Jarvis, at the helm.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
Having run supperclubs and residencies across London (as well as a long term spot in Islington) Smoke + Salt have settled down in Brixton. Expect various methods of smoking, curing and preserving to appear throughout the menu.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
There's a new in Lambeth attached to the freshly reopened Garden Museum, and it's some interesting chefs at the helm, who'll be dishing up a daily changing menu.
Critic reviews - total score 6 out of 10
After 25 years working for Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett, chef Emma Duggan is going solo with this restaurant on Stroud Green Road, just north of Finsbury Park station.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
The Stafford Hotel's main restaurant has a menu by acclaimed chef Ben Tish. Expect a lot of game on the menu which is an ultra-British affair.
Critic reviews - total score 7 out of 10
Launceston Place has been a mainstay of the high-end Kensington dining scene for some time. And now it's had something of a rejuvenation with new head chef Ben Murphy at the helm. Expect a tasting menu with more than a few twists taken from Murphy's background.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
This is the first of Neil Rankin's Temper restaurants, taking over a huge basement spot in Soho. The room is dominated by a central kitchen where all the smoking happens. From that you can expect tacos, meat piled onto freshly baked flatbread and a lot of mezcal.
Critic reviews - total score 9.5 out of 10
This is a revamped pub from two St John veterans, Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram. It focuses on the best of British food and drinks, with a menu inspired by the history of London.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
The people behind Noble Rot magazine have opened a wine bar - but not any old wine bar. They've enlisted not only an ex-Sportsman chef but the Sportsman's Exec Chef Stephen Harris is advising on the menu too.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
The original BBQ boys, Pitt Cue Co, outgrew their Soho spot and relocated to much bigger premises in the City. And the menu has taken something of a shift too, with much of the meat sourced from pigs at Coombeshead Farm (and their amazing bread too). Choose from a wide selection of meat cuts, plus the bone marrow mash is unmissable.
Critic reviews - total score 6 out of 10
This restaurant is from Magnus Reid, previously best known for the Rooftop Cafe near London Bridge. This is a wine bar and restaurant which features a seasonal menu and an ever-changing wine list from small producers.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
Six Portland Road comes from Oli Barker (who used to head up Terroirs alongside Ed Wilson). It's a small 40 seater restaurant with an ever-changing menu.
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
The Guinea Grill has been a London steak institution since 1952 and it's still going strong, particularly under the leadership of landlord Oisin Rogers. Expect perfectly cooked steaks in an old school setting and a breakfast menu that'll set you up for days.
Critic reviews - total score 10 out of 10
This is next door to the Dairy, and taking the space formerly held by The Deli in an entirely new direction. Billed as "The Dairy's evil little brother", Counter Culture sees them aiming for the vibe of a San Sebastián pintxos bar - but with the Dairy's signature style.
Critic reviews - total score 7 out of 10
One of the biggest restaurants of the 90s - albeit for a very short time - has returned as Damien Hirst has brought back Pharmacy restaurant to his gallery space in his Newport Street gallery. And Mark Hix is in charge of the menu.
Critic reviews - total score 9.5 out of 10
Mark Jarvis's modern British fine dining restaurant in the heart of Farringdon serves up seasonal, inventive food from a pared back dining room. It, deservedly, won critic plaudits from the get go.
Critic reviews - total score 8.5 out of 10
Max Halley puts together some of the best sandwiches you'll have in North London.
Critic reviews - total score 7 out of 10
Critic reviews - total score 8 out of 10
Lee Tiernan's Black Axe Mangal has made a small site on Highbury Corner into - in our opinion - one of the best restaurants in London. With metal and rock music blaring out on the speakers, it's certainly unlike much else in town. It's described as 'an unauthentic, bastardised take of Turkish Mangal and Ocakbasi, with global influences.' With an ever-changing menu, it rewards repeat visits.