Modern European

Booking Office at St Pancras was always an impressive looking restaurant but the latest design has really kicked things up a notch, emphasising the height (there are trees inside!) and with a lighter design. That's paired with a new many by Allegra's Patrick Powell that really helps to make this a proper destination restaurant. The cocktails are particularly good too. 

This is chef Sven Hanson Britt's first solo restaurant, and combines that restaurant with a shop, bar and gallery. It's all about his signature tasting menu and has a big focus on using local producers.

After a number of years in pop-ups and other spaces across town, Rita's have settled in Soho for their main restaurant (they also do sandwiches in Dalston). The menu is inspired by owners Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn travels across the Americas and the wine list is pretty special too.

This is the Finsbury Park restaurant from Four Legs, the team that became a hit at The Compton Arms, and created one of London's best burgers along the way. This is a much bigger space for them acting as part pub, part restaurant with a regularly changing menu. And yes, there will be burgers.

Taking two railway arches in Haggerston, Planque is a wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store, with a key focus on natural and low intervention wines. And most importantly it has Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) running the kitchen and serving up a modern take on French food.

Fiend is from Chris Denney, previously of 108 Garage. Here's he's putting together a menu that's trying to be as eclectic as it can in what's described as a "vibrant bohemian restaurant, bar and lounge" that's "provocative, rebellious and inspired".

Recently renovated, this popular Battersea haunt has been given a Gatsby-style makeover. So if you’re after somewhere a bit glam to go ‘out out’ then this is the venue for you. Weekend brunches are a big thing here and the cocktail list combines both low and no alcohol serves as well as those with a serious kick.

With a spa, hairdressers and beauty salon, the cafe here follows the same ethos of wellbeing with a plant-forward menu and list of organic wines on offer. Vegan, flexitarian, gluten-free and dairy-free diets are all catered for.

Nest comes from the same team behind West London's Fenn and offers a set, regularly changing menu of small plates with a strong focus on provenance and local, British suppliers. Sustainability is also a big thing here and the wine list concentrates on low/no intervention.

This restaurant taking old over an old Grade II courthouse in Clerkenwell sees the return of Florence Knight to the London restaurant scene, with a menu that is a mix of British, French and Italian cooking. As befitting its protected status, it's also in one of the most beautiful dining rooms in London and it's also a wine bar and art gallery space.

This huge restaurant in Soho is inspired (officially) by DC Comics. But you may well have heard it referred to as "The Batman restaurant". Essentially, it's a massive subterranean space which takes elements of various Batman stories as its theme. There are multiple areas throughout, but the immersive Monarch Theatre is an experience like no other in London.

This is Max Rocha's solo restaurant by the canal in Hackney. The chef came from The River Cafe and like many of London's best chefs has also spent time at St John Bread & Wine. It's just breakfast and lunch right now, but dishes like rabbit tagliatelle and sage & anchovy fritti (not to mention Guinness bread ice cream) should make this a very worthwhile trip to the canal.

All-day Hackney restaurant Little Duck - The Picklery comes from the same people behind Rawduck and Ducksoup. It's part shop and cafe and they're proud of their fermented food and drink (as the name gives away). On the menu, expect small plates that see those pickles put into action, with a focus on sharing.

She won loads of plaudits for her time at The Harwood Arms and now Sally Abé has moved to the Conrad St James. She's in charge of all the food at the hotel and this is her main restaurant, aiming to "build on the foundations of British cuisine" with a menu that intends to be elevated but fun.

This sees boutique US hotel group NoMad has expanding outside the USA for the first time and they've done it with style. It combines a world-class bar (the cocktails are truly excellent) with one of the best looking restaurants in London and became an instant hit. The Chicken Dinner is definitely worth a look and the bar is very welcome for an area of Covent Garden that isn't blessed with them.

The Cheese Bar team could simply have settled for serving cheese platters on a boat and Londoners would have lapped it up, but they've done so much more with this floating restaurant. The vessel itself - purpose-built- gives nearly everyone a water level view. As for the food, it really is all about cheese in many, many different forms - and that's a very good thing.

Anna Tobias is an ex-River Cafe and Rochelle Canteen chef and her first solo venture, in Bloomsbury, is backed by the people behind 40 Maltby Street and it's very much about comfort food. Keep an eye on Instagram for the daily changing menu - each one is a masterclass in great menu writing.

The Nook comes from Angus and Lale Oztek-Pook who have experience at Zucca, Bernardis and Oklava among others. The food is described as "contemporary European with a Turkish twist" and is paired with a winelist of sustainable, organic, biodynamic and minimal intervention wines. It works as a deli too, so there's lots to take away.

Coming from Robin Gill, this is The Dairy Mk II in everything but name. The same team, the same seasonal menus, great wine and cocktail list - just in a different location.

This East London restaurant from Douglas McMaster is at the forefront of no-waste cooking (and restaurants) in London. McMaster has been involved in the no-waste initiative from the early days and has created a restaurant that both embraces the movement fully and showcases the excellent food that a no waste ethos can produce.

This is the follow up to the original Noble Rot, led by Mark Andrew and Daniel Keeling. This Soho outing is a purely restaurant affair, which takes on the building that used to be the Gay Hussar. Dishes explore the heritage of that Hungarian restaurant and, of course, there's an excellent wine list.

This is the Old Street restaurant for Richard Corrigan, the top Irish chef who's also behind Bentley's in Mayfair. Expect a menu that has a modern European base mixed in with various Irish influences. There's an excellent pub downstairs too, in the shape of Gibney's.

This Mayfair pub is best known for its pies - having won the British Pie Awards three times. It's also now run by the same people behind The Guinea, so there's an expanded menu as well as access to all the wines on The Guinea's list. Look out for the secret roof terrace at the back.

Andy Beynon's London Fields restaurant is all about opening up the kitchen experience. That starts with a huge counter that you gather around for a truly unique tasting menu experience (with a focus on seafood).

This Stradford restaurant comes from chef Patrick Powell, previously Head Chef at the Chiltern Firehouse. He's taken over a huge space in The Stratford, with a new-style fine-dining menu (as well as a more informal menu for the bar and extensive terrace).

Victor Garvey's Soho restaurant looks towards Californian fine-dining restaurants for its inspiration. So there's a West Coast USA vibe to the restaurant, fitted into its Soho location.

Trivet is a joint collaboration between chef Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal, both alumni of Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck. Here you can expect an informal take on fine dining with a truly epic wine list that covers the globe. The attached wine bar has a pared down menu that's also worth trying out.

This sees Tom Aikens return to the kitchen in a mich more intimate setting. Counter dining is the order of the day where you can see the chefs properly in action. The menu is based around Aikens' life and expreience and expect a lot of attention to detail in the presentation.

Adam Byatt's Clapham restaurant is a super neighbourhood restaurant that's also well worth crossing town for. They say their food is seasonal and inspirational, countless loyal customers agree.

The main restaurant at the five star Lanesborough hotel on Hyde Park Corner is one of London's more beautiful dining rooms with a conservatory ceiling flooding the place with light. Expect modern European cuisine done with finesse whilst roaming the UK for the best ingredients.