Restaurant Reviews

This tiny restaurant - just nine people up at the dining counter and six in a private dining room - becme a hit in London. But the chef has now returned to Tokyo, leaving his sushi apprentice turned head chef Marty Lau in charge.

This restaurant at the top of the Hilton on Park Lane is the jewel of the Galvin restaurants. It boasts amazing views over Hyde Park and some of the best service in London thanks to a team trained by the legendary Fred Sirieix who you might see in there from time to time.

People may complain about the sharp table-turning at this subterranean Chinese restaurant - Alan Yau's follow-up to Hakkkasan, but you'll never hear a bad word about the dim sum. If it's something sweet you're after, head for the street-level patisserie and tea shop.

From the same group as the New York restaurant of the same name, this Nordic spot on St James Market goes for a more informal vibe to its NYC stablemate. As you might expect from the name, there's a cracking selection of Nordic spirits on offer.

This restaurant is from Jason Atherton and, to date, his only one in Soho. Expect a very British menu, with plenty of starters in jars too. As with all of Atherton's places, the bar is just as important - so make time to head upstairs for a cocktail or three.

For years Clare Smyth was seen as the guiding light of Gordon Ramsay's flagship Hospital Road restaurant. Since going it alone with her own fine-dining spot in Notting Hill she's already notched up three Michelin stars as well as the top London slot in the Good Food Guide.

Pierre Gagnaire's uber chic Mayfair restaurant is certainly for special occasions - it's one of the most expensive meals in town. There are multiple dining rooms within the building, all with very different looks and menus. There are also incredibly instagrammable loos.

This is Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant on Hospital Road. Since Clare Smyth's departure, Matt Abé is the man in the kitchen here, in charge of retaining Gordon's three stars.

One of the main restaurants at prestigious London hotel The Connaught, this is run by French Chef Helene Darroze. Expect high-end French dining that has won the restaurant three Michelin stars. It reopened in Autumn 2019 after a major refurbishment which also gave it an impressive new chef's table.

Alain Ducasse is one of France's most celebrated chefs and he's done pretty well over here too. This restaurant at The Dorchester hotel, serving up fine French food, is one of only three restaurants in London to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Two chefs, one from Argentina and the other from Brazil teamed up with Singaporean hotelier Peng Loh for this Latin American and Italian inspired restaurant by way of San Sebastian. It's the kind of international melting pot story that makes London's restaurant scene so great. Michelin clearly agree - they gave it a star in its first year. Tasting menus can be an ordeal, but here there's a great deal of humour, making a trip to Bethnal Green to try Da Terra's inspired dishes a must.

Originally at Hibiscus, Claude Bosi's home is now at the classic Bibendum building. Being in the Michelin building seems a very good fit for Bosi whose fine-dining French style has already won him two stars. He's also in charge of the downstairs seafood restaurant.

The main restaurant at the Four Seasons has triple-Michelin-starred French chef Anne-Sophie Pic as the chef - and she's Michelin star for this restaurant too. It's very much a modern French fine dining affair.

He's worked with the likes of Rene Redzepi at Noma, and with Tom Aikens, Adam Byatt and Thomas Keller. Now Tom Sellers has his own restaurant in London called Story. They set out their stall as serving humble ingredients but thrown together in a creative, inspired way - including beef dripping candles that you can eat.

This Michelin starred Chinese restaurant is the flagship for Andrew Wong (who is also behind Kym's in the City). In a pared-back room, the menu travels the broad spectrum of Chinese cooking and has a lunchtime dim sum menu that's absolutely worth crossing town for.

Kitchen Table is the main event of the two-part restaurant from James Knappett and Sandia Chang (also including Bubbledogs). Here you can expect a new meal almost every visit as the menu evolves depending on the chef's preferences and the seasons. And all this in a setting that sees you seated around the open kitchen watching and interacting with the chefs.

One of the few London restaurants on the World's 50 Best list, Heston's only London gaff is still hugely popular. The dishes that captured everyone's attention when it opened - the Meat Fruit (chicken liver parfait shaped like a mandarin) and the Tipsy Cake are still on the menu and are must-order dishes if you haven't got round to trying them yet. Keep an eye out for A-list diners, the hotel is a well-known celebrity haunt. 

Headed up by chef Michel Roux Jr, this classic London restaurant prides itself on having some of the best service in London. It's not cheap but if you book for lunch, there's one of the best set menu deals in town.

Casa Fofo saw ex-Pidgin chef Adolfo De Cecco opening his own place in Clapton, carrying on the same approach of a single tasting menu that makes the most of seasonal and local ingredients.

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).

Victor Garvey's second Soho restaurant (in the same spot as the first) 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.

This is the London restaurant for Daniel Humm, whose Eleven Madison Park restaurant has reached number 1 on the World's 5- Best Restaurants list. This sees him in charge of the main restaurant at Claridges with a main fine dining menu - but also snacks at the bar.

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.

London's oldest restaurant (it was opened way back in 1926) covers all the classics you'd expect from an old school, rather grand Indian restaurant on Regent Street.

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.

This Shoreditch restaurants was conceived by James Brown & former Viajante chef Nuno Mendes and now has Executive Chef Edoardo Pellicano at the helm. It's best described as a hidden, permanent supperclub. There's one sitting each evening, with an inventive menu that is never the same.

This family-run restaurant may technically be in London, but its buccolic charm and setting belies the urban address. Chef Kenneth Culhane and his team are all about providing a convivial experience with super food.

The former executive sushi chef at Zuma has opened a tiny sushi restaurant in the Television Centre at White City development. With just 15 seats expect, this is already one of the hottest tickets in the area.