Restaurant Reviews

This upmarket Chinese restaurant in Marylebone certainy hasn't stinted on the opulence, with a flamboyant look and feel throughout. The menu is huge, but the weekend and lunchtime dim-sum is what it's all about. It's very popular with families and larger groups alike.

This Italian restaurant in Marylebone comes from Kurt Zdesar, the man behind Chotto Matte and Black Roe. There's traditional Italian cooking in a very impressive building, decked out in stained glass windows.

The people behind New York's infamous Pac Man dumplings have made it to London. The menu here is a modern take on Chinese dim sum with a few NYC influences too.

It's third time lucky for the team behind Westerns Laundry and Primeur as they have opened Jolene, a rare grain bakery and restaurant, on Newington Green. Expect a similar approach to their previous restaurants - ever changing menus, organic wines - with a big focus on the bread too.

Clarette took over an old pub in Marylebone and kept the pub aesthetic with a touch of Art Deco design. You'll find a wine bar downstairs with a more traditional bistro upstairs, alongside a French wine list.

Roti King has established a huge reputation from a small restaurant in Euston. It's oft lauded as one of the best Malaysian restaurants in town and has attracted many to its subterranean location. Certainly expect some of the best rotis in town as well as great lentil curries and spicy noodles.

Flat Iron have an avid following amongst Londoners, with their signature flat iron steaks being one of the best deals in town. This is their King's Cross location where they serve up the usual flat-iron steaks as well as some special cuts. And all for a much cheaper price than you'd normally pay at a steakhouse.

This is a combined wine bar, trattoria and deli in Marylebone. It comes from chef Maurizio Morelli, also behind Latium in Fitzrovia. Expect a traditional Italian menu throughout, and you should pay particular attention to their bread - bricole does mean breadcrumbs, after all.

The duo behind Shoreditch's popular Oklava restaurant,Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie, have opened this spot in Fitzrovia, where they make Turkish pasta in the window and serve up an eclectic selection of wines.

With eyepopping interiors by Tom Dixon and food by Palomar chef and restaurateur Assaf Granit, this was the first restaurant to open at Coal Drops Yard. If you're up at the counter, it's a scene quite familiar from The Palomar - Jerusalem-inspired food served up by a lively kitchen. They also have a handy bar - and outside space - on the first floor.

For his second restaurant, Andrew Wong has his own take on classic Chinese dishes. The city in Bloomberg Arcade seat over 120, with a separate bar and private event space and a bloody great big tree inside the restaurant too (which looks amazing). The roasted meats are amazing.

This pub in Marylebone puts its own spin on pub grub (and with some excellent snacks too).

Michelin-starred James Cochran has gone back to his roots with 1251, his Islington restaurant which is a much more personal affair for him. Here he's serving up modern British food, made with Kentish produce (and several nods to his West Indian heritage). The restaurant is pitched as a place to try Michelin-level dining in a more relaxed environment.

This Shoreditch restaurants was conceived by James Brown & former Viajante chef Nuno Mendes and is best described as a hidden, permanent supperclub. There's one sitting each evening around a sixteen-seater table, 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.

This canalside restaurant on Caledonian Road has a menu full of authentic Chinese dishes that you don't see all that much of outside of Chinatown. Particularly good for groups.

Soho House are taking the classic Italian restaurant and going for a more laid-back experience, serving up pizzas and cocktails.

Market Hall is on a mission to change the image of food courts in London. They're gathering some top names - many who have never done anything outside their main restaurants - all under one roof. It's a good way to see the real breadth of food in London all in one place. Just order your food, grab a pew and they'll buzz when it's ready. And repeat. And repeat.

Bleecker are in the upper echelons of what's already a pretty damned good burger scene in London. Originally starting out on the street-food market, they've slowly become established across town. The cheeseburgers are great but if the Blecker Black is on offer - with extra black pudding - that should be your go-to burger.

If you love nothing more than getting stuck into a kebab then prepare to have your horizons widened by Berenjak, which focuses on recreating proper Persian-style kebabs, stews, sides, with a Soho twist. It all comes from JKS, the same people who've had successes with Hoppers, Trishna, Bao, Brigadiers and more.

Casa & Plaza Pastor is the Mexican restaurant of two parts from the Harts Group - the people behind El Pastor in Borough and the Barrafina restaurants. Casa Pastor - the part that's most like El Pastor before it - serves up Mexican classics done well. Outside is Plasa Pastor, which has a line in sandwiches and rotisserie chicken (and is, obviously, heated in the winter).

They're viewed as being some of the best Spanish restaurants in London and this Barrafina is no exception. All of the Barrafinas have a unique menu and the King's Cross outpost has a unique menu with a particular focus on Catalan cooking. Otherwise, expect a no-reservation counter-dining-only restaurant with excellent Spanish small plates.

Respected restaurateur and chef Anthony Demetre (of Wild Honey) has brought his vision of a Spanish/Italian vermuteria to the Coal Drops Yard part of King's Cross. Expect plenty of vermouth and negronis aplenty alongside a tapas-style menu focusing on seasonal produce.

Sushisamba have taken over the Opera Terrace at Covent Garden- expect the same mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food as the original (and a big bar too). And all that with decor that's bound to impress and a handy outdoor terrace for the summer months.

Yotam Ottolenghi's restaurant in Fitzrovia is a bit of a departure for the chef and author. Veg is still at the heart, but this place with an ex-Grain Store chef sees them using fire and fermentation more.

Former Engawa chef Akira Shimizu is opening his own robatayaki and sushi restaurant in Japan's new cultural centre, Japan House on Kensington High Street.

His Buckinghamshire pub was the first pub to win two Michelin stars. Now Tom Kerridge is bringing some of that magic to London for his first restaurant in the city.

Adam Handling's Frog empire continues in Hoxton. This sees the original Frog restaurant move to a bigger location in Hoxton Square - chicken butter and all his other classics intact. And, in addition to that, this restaurant also has a bar space called Iron Stag with cocktails that feature Handling's touches too.

This neighbourhood cafe in Clerkenwell is blessed with a hidden courtyard terrace which is a good-to-know alfresco option in this area. As for the food, they serve up ethically-sourced organic produce taking inspiration from both European and Californian cafes and a small regularly changing menu.

This Clerkenwell pub has a long history in Clerkenwell and may only be second in line to The Eagle when it comes to pubs that went "gastro". Settle in downstairs for more traditional pub fare, or head to the upstairs restaurant if you're after something a little more fancy.