157 Commercial Street, London E1 6BJ

The original Hawksmoor, and for many the best. Known as the group that transformed steaks in British restaurants forever for the better, this is a perfect place to come to for a meat-fest. And expect some cracking cocktails too - head to the bar downstairs for those and extra snacks not on the main menu.

44 Commercial Street, London E1 6LT

Chef Tom Brown, best known for the Michelin-starred of Cornerstone, is behind this Shoreditch restaurant and oyster bar. It's a seafood-centric menu, featuring UK and Irish-sourced oysters, and you can even get crispy buffalo oysters here. A must-have dish is the cuttlefish lasagne and take note of the cocktails, which are created by Max Venning from Three Sheets.

39 Northcote Rd, London SW11 1NJ

Casual Indian spot Tamila comes from the folk who brought us Indian gastopubs The Tamil Crown and Tamil Prince. Harking back to the group’s street food roots the menu puts roti and curries at the heart of its offering with a special section for dosas and snacks too. Cocktails are particularly inventive and worth trying, including a Gunpowder Margarita.

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

One of the best restaurants in town and one of the few to make it into the World's 50 Best list, The Clove Club is now a London institution, on the must-try lists of all good gastro tourists. Head into the main restaurant for a regularly changing set menu which is at the heart of things here.

97 St. John’s Road Battersea Rise, London SW11 1QY

Ploussard comes from the same team behind Other Side Fried but this is a very different affair. It's a neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant in Battersea with a seasonal small plates menu and a focus on natural wines. Tables are also kept back for walk-ins at the bar if you fancy popping in for wine and snacks.

Lancer Square, 28A Kensington Church Street, London W8 4EP

Krokodilos is a Greek restaurant from the restaurant group that brought us Wild, Fantomas and Pinna. Led by ex-Connaught chef Angelos Togias, the food here takes an inventive (and generous) approach to Greek cuisine with excellent breads, dips and their own takes on some Greek classic dishes. The slow-cooked goat is a must and there's a notably extensive Greek wine list here too.

92-93 Berwick St, London W1F 0QB

A sister venue to the original Battersea Breadstall, this location actually has some inside dining space. You'll still see them selling huge biga slow-fermented sourdough Neapolitan pizzas whole or by the slice, with options changing almost daily. There's also a hatch, so if you're looking for a pizza on the go in Soho, this should be your first stop.

28 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AA

Bar Valette comes from the same team behind The Clove Club, albeit with a slightly more casual vibe. They bill themselves as a European restaurant, with a menu (and drinks list) that features French and Spanish influences as well as a few Clove Club signatures.

16 Playground Gardens, London E2 7FA

This is the original Rochelle Canteen, from chef Margot Henderson and business partner Melanie Arnold, and has been held up by almost every chef in London as one of the best places to eat at in town. Henderson serves up classic, seasonal cooking. It's a little on the hard side to find - but well worth searching out.

74 Luke Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 4PY

This is a French-style bistro in the heart of Shoreditch that comes from the same people behind Crispin and Bar Crispin. Here, they're serving up their own take on bistro-style dishes, backed up by an all-French wine list.

35 Sclater St, London E1 6LB

David Carter's smoky, steampunk room in Shoreditch shows that there is real innovation and creativity behind the macho 'cue look. There's a huge range of smoked delights like the brisket and pickled chilli bun, while there are also some gorgeous dishes for vegetarians.

1 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS

The original Padella is a London sensation, with its affordable fresh pasta winning friends far and wild. It's hugely popular, which led to this second outpost in Shoreditch. Expect the same great value, high quality pasta and more.

63-65 Parkway, London NW1 7PP

This small Parkway restaurant doesn't like to conform to labels. Instead, it describes its sharing plates style as a blend of Asian and European cuisines and takes its cocktails seriously, too. The menu lists its wonton dish as "Wontons? Tortellini?" noting the similarity between wonton skins and traditional pasta. It also includes other fusion dishes like the Sichuan chicken burger and dumpling skin "tacos".

64 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ

Sister restaurant to Kiln, this is the second version of Smoking Goat and a huge hit. Whether you're sitting up at the counter or enjoying a group meal with friends, enjoy a range of Thai dishes that change depending on produce and a lot of Thai BBQ as well.

57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX

Over the years at his south of France restaurant Mirazur chef Mauro Colagreco picked up a clutch of awards from three Michelin stars to topping the World's 50 Best list. Here in London it's taken a little longer to attract Michelin's attention to his restaurant at Raffles London at The OWO. This London restaurant just off Whitehall takes hyper-seasonality as its lodestone, along with close relationships with some of the UK's best producers.

9th Floor, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT

The City branch of this Notting Hill fusion restaurant serves up a winning mix of Japanese dishes with Mexican influences. Its biggest selling point here at Liverpool Street is the late licence and capacious roof terrace with a great view of the City. There’s also a huge separate bar here as well.

151 Commercial St, London E1 6BJ

Husband and wife team Limor and Amir are behind this Shoreditch spot with a menu that celebrates Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. The menu leans towards plant-forward options with an emphasis on healthy cooking methods. Even the drinks list is similarly curated. Weekend brunches are particularly popular.

8 Melior St, Bermondsey, London SE1 3QP

Sollip is from husband and wife team Woongchul Park (formerly at The Ledbury and Koffman's) and Bomee Ki (former pastry chef at The Arts Club). They're marrying the team's European cooking style with Korean influences in a fine-dining, paired back approach.

17 Denman Street, London W1D 7HW

One of Soho's biggest success stories, The Devonshire is a team-up between top landlord Oisin Rogers, founder of Flat Iron Charlie Carroll, and chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. Downstairs, the pub sells some of the best Guinness in London (as well as unique features like three hidden snugs). The wood-ember grill upstairs takes classic grill dishes and elevates them considerably, with some of the best lamb chops in London, a great suet pie and a standout chocolate mousse. if you're lucky, you'll be invited into the celeb-heavy Green Room downstairs, but every element of the building is a roaring success.

Ground Floor, 36–40 Rupert St, London W1D 6DW

Taking over what used to be the ground floor of Hovarda, this sees Australian chef David Thompson, known for cooking Thai food, back in London with an outpost of his casual Thai restaurant. Here, there's a short, tight menu that's specifically influenced by Bangkok.

16-18 Beak St, London W1F 9RD

Tomos Parry is the man behind the uber-successful Brat and this is his just-as-successful Soho restaurant. Here Parry takes his influences from both Spain and Wales, with a big eye on local sourcing and both cheese and bread made in-house. Expect top sharing plates like lobster caldereta and if the spider-crab omelette is on, it's a must-order.

1 Upper James Street, Soho, London W1F 9DF

Bob Bob Ricard remains one of our personal favourite spots in town. We don't know whether it's the fantastically blingy design, the rich food with just a hint of Eastern European in there, the "press for champagne" button or... who are we kidding, it's definitely the Press For Champagne button.

26-29 Dean Street, London, W1D 3LL

Quo Vadis has Jeremy Lee in the kitchen and he's been cooking up a wonderfully British menu. The restaurant has recently had a revamp, bringing it back to former glory and it now fits in twice as many diners as before. The food serves some of the best British/European dining in town, and the pies and smoked eel sandwich are a must.

11 Pimlico Rd, London SW1W 8NA

This Belgravia pub is doing things a little differently. Although it may seem like a more traditional pub when you head in the door, the seafood on the bar hints that there's a lot more to this boozer. The food is Basque in style (with an ex Brat chef in the kitchen) and they even have their own caviar. The pub is downstairs while there's a more traditional restaurant upstairs and both are beautifully designed.

20 Thurloe St, South Kensington, London SW7 2LT

This South Kensington institution opened just after the Second World War and for decades has been serving up borscht and dumplings to locals and homesick Poles. Reeling from a break-up, celebrating an engagement or a 70th birthday party? This is a restaurant for all of those occasions.

10-14 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6RD

This Queen's Park restaurant (on the very foodie Lonsdale Street) comes from one of the founders of Coco du Mama and here he's launched a combo bakery and neighbourhood restaurant. The bakery has proven hugely popular and that leads through to a vibey restaurant with a prominent open kitchen serving up warming cassoulets and more.

31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU

Originally the seafood-centric Orasay, Jackson Boxer reinvented this restaurant as Dove, a neighbourhood restaurant that serves what he describes as "elevated comfort food". The look and feel is similar to its previous guise and the cooking remains on top form as ever. The deep-fried lasagna bites are a must.

64 Dean Street, London W1D 4QQ

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.

Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW

Asma Khan's restaurant returns to where it all began, in Carnaby's Kingly Court. Now the restaurant is much more of an open affair, showcasing the kitchen. The menu still serves up some of the best Indian food in London, as well as their much-loved biryanis.

2 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4NB

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.