22 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NB
Jun Tanaka's Fitzrovia venture is a French/Mediterranean neighbourhood-style restaurant which uses fine dining cheffing techniques but with a more casual feel. The Pain Perdu with ice cream is an absolute must.
72 Highbury Park, Highbury East, London N5 2XE
Seb Holmes' Farang has become a huge Highbury hit, offering some of the best Thai cooking across London, made with both Thai and British produce. Originally a pop-up, it soon went permanent and they've recently added an excellent in-store larder.
Canal Place, 32 Andrews Rd, London E8 4RL
This is Max Rocha's solo restaurant by the canal in Hackney. The chef came from The River Cafe and like many of London's best chefs has also spent time at St John Bread & Wine. The bright dining room overlooking the canal is a great place to sit and try some of their weekly specials alongside what are now signature dishes like the deep-fried bread and butter pudding.
205 Victoria St, Westminster, London SW1E 5NE
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.
Unit 2, Building, 4 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG
The BAO team continue their success with this opening inspired by the western style cafes in Asia. You'll find their signature bao buns alongside inventive western-style dishes like Chicken XO Kiev. As this location is also a bakery, you can take home your very own BAO goodies.
216 Great Portland St, London W1W 5QW
This Middle Eastern grill restaurant is from the award-winning team behind the nearby Honey & Co. Expect dishes like lamb kofta and chops, whole fish and slow-cooked octopus, charred cauliflower and aubergine.
34 Drayton Park, London N5 1PB
Owners David Gingell and Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim also run nearby Primeur and Jolene, both also excellent. Here, there's a distinct focus on seafood and the menu changes every day, although if the cuttlefish croquettes with aioli are on there, make sure you order those. In the summertime, you can take a glass of something cold out on the front courtyard and if you're really pushing the boat out, ask for the leather-bound, handwritten, ‘black book’ of fine wines.
Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP
Acme Food Cult is a team up between chefs Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins and, as the name suggests, it's all about cooking over fire on an impressive grill. You'll find it right next to 40FT Brewery, so expect to spot beer as an ingredient in dishes as well as on the drinks list.
56 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH
This Dalston restaurant has a modern take on Japanese and Italian food - resulting in a creative fusion menu that's inspired by both cuisines, while also pushing the envelope. There are omakase tasting menus alongside a la carte, and it also sports a tiny Tokyo-style cocktail bar.
5 Stable Street, London N1C 4AB
We often daydream about the bacon and egg breakfast naan at Dishoom. Consistently packed and offering a buzzy atmosphere, people keep coming back for its excellent Indian small plates. Its take on Bombay cafe culture ensures long waits and queues at all their restaurants. Be prepared to queue at busier times.
40-41 Rathbone Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HX
The Big Mamma Group's second opening in London saw them hit up Fitzrovia with a massively OTT slice of Mediterranean charm and flavour. It's extremely popular with a stunning looking room.
2 Sir Simon Milton Sq, London SW1E 5DJ
This two-floored Victoria restaurant in inspired by southern Portugal, and the cooking is led by their signature piri-piri chicken, all fire-grilled. Those are paired with small plates like their piri-piri garlic prawns and more. There's a Portuguese wine list with a specific focus on vinho verde too.
171 Holloway Rd, London N7 8LX
This is the Holloway home for critically acclaimed Malaysian laksa specialists Sambal Shiok, headed up by Mandy Yin. The laksa is great, but so are all the other dishes. Look out for regular events there and enjoy the wine list with a focus on Riesling.
10 Berners Street, London W1T 3NP
This is the main restaurant at the London Edition and Jason Atherton is in charge of things. Expect a more upmarket affair to some of Atherton's other spots and a frankly jaw-dropping room.
23 Eccleston Place, London SW1W 9NF
This outlet of a popular pizza chain is just as much about the 72-hour-fermented Neapolitan pizza doughs as it is the music. Expect a next-level sound system with your traditional pizza toppings, as well as gelato, beer and cocktails.
129A Pritchard’s Road, London E2 9AP
Sune (pronounced "soon-er") comes from hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims, with ex-Pidgin Head Chef Michael Robins in the kitchen. Set within a sunlit-filled space near Broadway Market, the seasonal all-day menu is big on inventive comfort food while the wine list, curated by Honey Spencer, evolves with the seasons, offering selections from her extensive producer network.
231 Ebury Street, London SW1W 8UT
This longstanding French restaurant is a Belgravia institution, offering up a bit of rustic charm in the area for more than 50 years. A French bistro, it's a local favourite that goes big on classics like beef bourguignon, coq au vin and steak frites and has an excellent terrace for the summer months.
117 Benwell Rd, London N7 7BW
This Holloway restaurant (it's just across the road from the Emirates stadium) has won a deserved reputation for cooking up some of the best Shang Xi-inspired street food in London. Yes, that means there's a bit of heat involved here, but their hand-pulled noodles are among the best in town. Their pork/beef "burgers" are not to be missed.
4 Compton Ave, London N1 2XD
The Compton Arms has been a tiny Islington mainstay for many years but has really blossomed since its most recent revamp. Originally the home for Four Legs, the kitchen is now run by Dara Klein's Tiella which is all about traditional, rustic Italian food.
Unit 3, 143 Mare Street, London E8 3RH
Former chef at renowned spots like Brat and Scully and popular supperclub chef after those, Whyte Rushen has gone permanent in Hackney. Here you can expect a menu that's as eclectic as his pop-up offerings and if his smashed burger is on the menu, that's a must-have.
34 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NH
Since it opened in 1991, Pied a Terre has launched the careers of Richard Neat, Tom Aikens and Shane Osborn. Dishes comprise exquisitely sourced and prepared ingredients from this Michelin-starred kitchen where Asimakis Chaniotis is running the show.
220 St Paul's Rd, Highbury, London N1 2LL
The Nook comes from Angus and Lale Oztek-Pook who have experience at Zucca, Bernardis and Oklava among others. The food is described as "contemporary European with a Turkish twist" and is paired with a winelist of sustainable, organic, biodynamic and minimal intervention wines. It works as a deli too, so there's lots to take away.
Treehouse London, 14-15 Langham Pl, London W1B 2QS
Nancy Silverton is a big name back in the States where the LA Pizzeria Mozza is extremely popular. This is her London outpost, a pizzeria which really does turn out excellent pizzas (and with a menu that's a good deal different from the norm) as well as huge desserts.
113 Great Portland Street, London W1W 6QQ
From the team behind Clipstone and Quality Chop House, this all day spot sets out its stall as "cooking the best produce, simply but with imagination and plenty of care". Both the main menu and wine list change frequently.
31 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1JH
This Peruvian restaurant is from Virgilio Martinez, former Executive Chef at Astrid y Gaston, listed on the San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list. It aims to "integrate Peruvian traditional cuisine with a modern and contemporary twist."
105-106 Upper St, London N1 1QN
This restaurant comes with the backing of Zhang Chao of Xi’an Impression. The team behind the restaurant are aiming to cover multiple regions of China, all helped by the fact that they have chefs in the kitchen who originate from different regions and bring with them varying experiences and knowledge. Here you can expect an excellent pan-Chinese meal, that just happens to be plant-based too.
21 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LP
Akoko is centred around West African cuisine and they say their aim is to "pay homage to the country's culinary heritage by using recipes passed down through generations and traditional cooking techniques of smoking, curing and fermenting".
9 Islington Green, London N1 2XH
Originally launched by Corbin and King, this is a revived Islington grand cafe which now offers a menu that's more of a traditional French brasserie. It's one of the largest restaurants in Angel and there's a very handy bar in here too.
5 Clipstone St, London W1W 6BB
This was the third opening from the team behind Quality Chop House and Portland. The corner site has loads of natural light and serves up dishes influenced by seasonal UK produce.
115 Hemingford Rd, London, N1 1BZ
The Tamil Prince is a pub in Islington's Barnsbury area that has a big focus on South Asian cuisine. It's named after the chef, Prince Durairaj and the cooking has specific references to the cuisine of his home state of Tamil Nadu
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