If you've ever been in charge of organising a special occasion but been hampered by the one person in the group who is, shall we say, "hard to please", we have the guide for you. Here's our run-down of notably glam restaurants in London where the fussiest* of eaters can find something they'll like, and you'll have a great meal too.
Brasserie Zedel
Soho - 20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED
Fussy eaters will often swiftly move on to complaining about the cost of a night out, so Brasserie Zedel manages to nip that in the bud straight away. Head downstairs from the streets of Soho and you'll find a huge dining room, which is one of the best looking in London. A great place for a special occasion, it's also pretty affordable for somewhere so bling. While fussy eaters can enjoy dishes like quiche, steaks, onion soup and pork chops, there's a lot of very French dishes for the rest of you to enjoy too - they even have frog's legs on the menu. Just maybe don't mention those when booking.
Everyone will enjoy: Whole French corn-fed chicken for two with fine French beans and gratin dauphinoise (£49)
The Dover
Mayfair - 33 Dover St, London W1S 4NF
The Dover has quickly become one of the hottest restaurants in town and it's probably one of the best places for celebrity spotting right now. Head into the beautiful wooden-panelled back room and you'll find a menu that's based on classic Italian-American restaurants in New York, which means a fussy finer will find plenty to choose from. From an excellent prawn cocktail through to the spaghetti and meatballs, there's an awful lot to please on this menu. And for those who aren't fussy at all, the crispy potato cakes with caviar are an absolute must.
Everyone will enjoy: Chicken cordon bleu (£29) - a classic old-school dish, done incredibly well.
34 Mayfair
Mayfair - 34 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2HD
One of Richard Caring's many London restaurants, this has one of those gilded dining rooms but is considerably less gaudy than Sexy Fish or Bacchanalia. It's billed as a "modern grill" restaurant, which means there's a big steak section which is usually a crowdpleaser. The rest of the menu includes dishes like their shrimp cocktail, their brand new ravioli primavera, BBQ chicken, roast cornish lamb and more.
Everyone will enjoy: Roast fillet of cod with white asparagus, morels, wild garlic & chicken butter sauce for a very apt £34. A very upmarket version of the standard cod in butter sauce.
Bob Bob Ricard
Soho - 1 Upper James Street, Soho, London W1F 9DF
Bob Bob is usually near the top of the list whenever anyone asks us for a recommendation for a special night out in London. From the Press for Champagne buttons to the beautiful design (lots of brass and very comfy booth seating) it's always good fun. The menu is also notably accessible with smoked salmon, cheese souffle and a great chicken Kyiv being perfect for someone who won't go near the caviar section of the menu. And if your fussy companion hasn't been here before, ordering the Chocolate Glory pudding - a globe which melts under hot chocolate sauce - is a must. Next door, Bébé Bob is also a good recommendation, with a main course that focuses on roast chicken.
Everyone will enjoy: The chicken and Champagne pie (£29) - a contender for one of London's best pies (and it looks amazing)
Arlington
St James - 20 Arlington St, St. James's, London SW1A 1RJ
Another of London's hottest restaurants, the return of Le Caprice in all but name also brought with it a very similar menu to the original restaurant. It's the kind of place that is trying to give a great night out to all kinds of diners, so your average fussy eater will have plenty to choose from here. Perfect options include Eggs Arlington (an all-day version of Eggs Royale), shepherd's pie, beer-battered haddock and chips or steak with bearnaise sauce. Meanwhile, the rest of you can keep the perfectly made martinis coming while eating a lobster thermidor soufflé.
Everyone will enjoy: There are a lot of possibilities on the menu, but we'll settle with a classic - the salmon fish cake with sorrel sauce (£23.50) - a very elegant fish dish.
Booking Office 1869
King's Cross - Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR
This restaurant is right next to St Pancras station and had a complete redesign a few years back which made great use of the original architecture to create an amazing dining room. Catering partly for commuters, there's a menu here which will easily appeal to the masses, with dishes like buttermilk fried chicken, their own cheeseburger and English pea tortellini. If you can get your guests feeling a bit more adventurous, the excellent Midland Grand Dining room in the same hotel is well worth a look.
Everyone will enjoy: Steak Diane beef rump, shallot and parsley salad (£36). Frankly, we love the throwbackness of a good Steak Diane.
The Savoy Grill
The Savoy Hotel, Strand, London WC2R 0EU
Gordon Ramsay's main restaurant in the Savoy Hotel remains a classic that's still easy to recommend, plus you'll have a head start with any fussy diners as this is a chef they'll actually have heard of. Start off with a quick cocktail in the American Bar before heading into the restaurant, which has recently had a big refurbishment, to make it look even more glam than before. There's always a well-priced lunch and post-theatre menu here, both of which give you the opportunity to have a beef Wellington as the main course. Otherwise, steaks from the grill or dishes like Cornish red chicken will be a good bet alongside a great Arnold Bennett Souffle.
Everyone will enjoy: It has to be Gordon's beef Wellington (£65), one of his signature dishes.
J Sheekey
Covent Garden - 28-34 St. Martin's Court, London WC2N 4AL
As long as your fussy guest is OK with seafood, this classic restaurant (it's been here for over 125 years) is well worth a look. It's also a perfect choice for pre or post-theatre (plus you might spot a stage star or two). Perfect options here include the prawn tempura or their hot-smoked salmon and they also do a great prawn and avocado cocktail. Mains like the fillet of cod or fried haddock are also a good option and there are even a couple of non-fish dishes if you need them. The terrace is a great space in the warmer months.
Everyone will enjoy: The amazing fish pie (£23.75), which is one of our personal favourite dishes in London.
Nomad
Covent Garden - 28 Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7AT
Originally a hotel in New York (which is now an NYC version of The Ned) this Covent Garden hotel took over Bow Steet Magistrates Court and turned a huge part of it into one of London's most impressive dining spaces. Any fussy diner would be hard-pressed not to be impressed by this amazing-looking covered courtyard. Food-wise, options like burrata, spinach rigatoni, a huge rib of beef to share and more are decent options for the less adventurous. It's also well worth stopping by for a drink at their bar Side Hustle, one of the best bars in London right now.
Everyone will enjoy: The ideal dish is the Creedy carver chicken with foie gras, brioche & black truffle cavolo nero (£60 per person), but if that foie gras isn't going to pass muster, then the lamb chops, grilled with pecorino, peas & pistachio (£52) should do the job.
The Colony Grill Room
Mayfair - 8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens W1K 6TF
Just minutes away from Oxford Street and Selfridges, you'll find the art deco stylings of The Beaumont hotel, and hidden away at the back of that is the Colony Grill Room. It's almost like being let into a private club, and you'll definitely want to grab one of the booths if you can. The food is very accessible here, with tried and trusted smoked salmon and prawn cocktails on the menu as well as a cheeseburger or shepherd's pie (and they do an excellent Caesar salad). We also think that anyone will be won over by the ice cream sundae, where you're given a menu card with lots of options, to let you mark out your own bespoke creation.
Everyone will enjoy: Any of the grills should do the job, particularly the beer and treacle cured pork chop (£40)
Jacuzzi
Kensington - 94 Kensington High Street, London W8 4SH
Pretty much any of the Big Mamma restaurants could be a good recommendation for this list. The combination of big portions of pasta and pizza in pleasingly OTT surroundings make them an easy recommendation. Of all of them, Jacuzzi is probably the most impressive, particularly the opening atrium which is dominated by the tree you see above (although Carlotta in Marylebone is also a good option). The menu is huge and there really is something for everyone on there, with options like saltimbocca and big Florentine T-Bone as well as pizza and pasta. Make sure to save some room for the enormous desserts, though.
Everyone will enjoy: It has to be the spaghetti al tartufo with black truffle, served at the table in a Pecorino wheel (£23.50 per person)
* We'd like to think that it's clear that by 'fussy' we mean folk who are perfectly capable of eating something but aren't good at trying new stuff and not those people who are unable to try food because of food intolerances or allergies. But just in case it's not - the former is what we're addressing in this feature.
See also
If all else fails to impress that fussy friend then pizza, pasta or steak restaurants may do the job. If that's the case - here are some of the very best in town.
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