When you want to get dressed up and go somewhere glitzy and your neighbourhood hangout just doesn't cut it, here are London's most beautiful restaurants to enjoy a big night out in.
Amazonico
10 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6BR
From the private dining room covered floor to ceiling in peacock feathered fabric to the sushi bar with its own huge fish tank backdrop, Amazonico’s Mayfair interiors are meant to dazzle. Diners will need to dress up so as not to blend into the wallpaper.
Follow them on Instagram: @amazonicolondon
Beast
3 Chapel Pl, Marylebone, London W1G 0BG
If you’ve ever wondered what a Harry Potter movie set would look like as a London restaurant, then Beast answers that question. All wax-dripping candelabra and long oak tables make it look for the world like the dining room at Hogwarts.
Follow them on Instagram: @beast.restaurant
Berners Tavern
10 Berners St, London W1T 3NP
Why have just one or two paintings on the wall when you can have hundreds? Ian Schrager’s London hotel has lined the walls of its huge Grade II listed dining room with paintings - making the diners a mere backdrop to the art collection.
Follow them on Instagram: @bernerstavern
Bob Bob Ricard
1 Upper James St, Soho, London W1F 9DF
Literally everything about BBR is extra, from its Tsarist train carriage decor to the much-copied "press for Champagne" button. The City branch is equally fabulous and just the place to try some Armagnac made in the year you were born.
Follow them on Instagram: @bobbobricard
Brasserie Zedel
20 Sherwood St, Soho, London W1F 7ED
For when your tastes are Champagne but your budget is Cava this Corbin & King palace in Piccadilly is the place to go. Once part of The Regent Palace Hotel, which back in 1915 was the largest hotel in Europe when it opened, it’s still a place of wonder - not least because of how low the bill usually is.
Follow them on Instagram: @brasseriezedel
Circolo Popolare
40-41 Rathbone Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HX
Short of beaming yourself Star Trek-style to the shores of Sicily, stepping in off the Fitzrovia payment into Circolo’s magical interiors is the fastest way to transport yourself to a trattoria in Taormina without heading to the airport. Dishes are similarly OTT - don’t leave without trying the iceberg-sized lemon meringue pie.
Follow them on Instagram: @bigmamma.uk
Claude Bosi at Bibendum
Michelin House, 81 Fulham Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 6RD
Michelin House is a gorgeous example of Art Nouveau design so it's not a surprise to discover it's Grade II listed. And when a building's this gorgeous, you need a lovely restaurant inside it which is where Claude Bosi comes in. They may not have the eminently nickable ashtrays any more, but the butter dishes are definitely along the same lines - look around and you'll see the Michelin man everywhere.
Follow them on Instagram: @ClaudeBosiAtBibendum
More about Claude Bosi at Bibendum
Decimo
10 Argyle St, Kings Cross, London WC1H 8EG
From its sunken pit, macrame hangings and general 70s West Coast vibe to the views over London, the rooftop restaurant at the Standard London is a vision. Add to that live DJ sessions, a clientele that's very easy on the eye and tortilla topped with caviar and you have a restaurant that's 100% extra.
Follow them on Instagram: @decimo.london
Hide
85 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NB
Sure, the gorgeous fairytale-like oak staircase winding its way up through three floors of Ollie Dabbous’s restaurant is jaw-dropping, but what really sets this restaurant apart from the crowd is the private dining room with its own car lift - perfect for dining royals or A-listers who are after total privacy from pavement to dining table.
Follow them on Instagram: @hide_restaurant
The Ivy Asia
20 New Change, London EC4M 9AG
The extra factor: Featuring 12-foot tall Samurai warriors in the toilets and a day-glo floor made from semi-precious stones, Ivy Asia is certainly the blingiest restaurant in Richard Caring’s empire. But when weekends are booked up 12 weeks in advance, even during a pandemic, then OTT decor is clearly what folks are looking for.
Follow them on Instagram: @theivyasiastpauls
Maison Francois
36 Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6DF
Surrounded by hedge funds and art galleries, Maison Francois' St James locale means its natural clientele are both demanding in terms of both luxury and aesthetics. It's a good job then that this new brasserie looks like a total dream. Slide into one of the butter-soft leather banquettes and just hope you can reverse that action after you've called the dessert trolley over.
Follow them on Instagram: @maisonfrancoislondon
The Ned
27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ
From its opening party which had Paloma Faith and Tiny Tempeh strutting the stage, The Ned set out to transform the City's night time and weekend scene. Even if you're not a member, you get to enjoy the live music and palpable buzz at one of the many ground-floor bars and restaurants. But for the real wow, head to the rooftop pool bar in the summer, or The Vault in the basement.
Follow them on Instagram: @thenedlondon
Park Chinois
17 Berkeley St, Mayfair, London W1J 8EA
Looking for the world like the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, this subterranean dining room evokes 1920s Shanghai with all its gold leaf and tassels. This is dinner and a floor show territory - enjoy your Cantonese style lobster noodles while a smoky-voiced chanteuse takes centre stage.
Follow them on Instagram: @parkchinois
Petersham Nurseries
Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AG
Petersham Nurseries' cafe is a garden centre cafe about as much as The River Cafe is a workplace canteen. Festooned with flowers and with a bare earth flooring this is the kind of effortlessly lovely dining space that only someone with exquisite taste and pots of money could put together. You'd feel a million miles away from London if it wasn't for all the other well-heeled Londoners around you.
Follow them on Instagram: @petershamnurseries
More about Petersham Nurseries
The Ritz
150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR
You come to the Ritz for synchronised dome lifting, Gueridon table service, heavy-duty napiery and an iron-clad dress code - oh, and all the gold! John Williams’ Michelin-star cooking helps elevate what could be merely old-fashioned into an old-world glamorous experience. Dress up to match the room.
Follow them on Instagram: @theritzlondon
Rules
35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7LB
Everyone from the Downton cast to James Bond have been filmed dining at this, one of London's oldest restaurants. But while the history and decor could have made this Covent Garden institution rest on its laurels and settle for the tourist market, Rules is a genuine gem and one that every Londoner should make a booking at, at least once. The cocktail bar upstairs now has legendary bartender Brian Silva back in his rightful place making it yet another reason to go.
Follow them on Instagram: @rules_restaurant
Seabird
14th Floor, 40 Blackfriars Rd, London SE1 8NY
Are you in South Beach or Southwark? If it weren't for the London vista laid out beneath you, the vibe of this rooftop hotel restaurant is way more Florida that Sarf London. Obviously, the terrace is the big draw but the rest of the restaurant is so gorgeous you won't feel hard-pressed by dining indoors one bit. Order a flamboyant cocktail and a platter of oysters and live the high life.
Follow them on Instagram: @seabirdlondon
Sketch
9 Conduit St, Mayfair, London W1S 2XG
The extra factor: Certainly London (and the UK’s) most extra three Michelin-starred restaurant - Mourad Mazouz’s Sketch has gone all-out with the design of its restaurants from the Accidentally Wes Anderson pink Gallery to its rainbow Fin de Siecle Library. But it’s the toilet pods that fall somewhere between Spinal Tap stage prop and cryo space units that are the main attraction.
Follow them on Instagram: @sketchlondon
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