320 Old Street, London EC1V 9DR

Great British Menu winner Kirk Haworth is behind this restaurant in Shoreditch which creates a fantastic and unique tasting menu using only plant-based ingredients. Set in a surprisingly quiet building just off Old Street this sees the chef doing wonderful things with vegetables and it's one of the hardest to book restaurants in town.

25 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6JX

The Knave of Clubs brings together James Dye (The Camberwell Arms, Franks) Benjy Leibowitz (JKS and The NoMad in NYC) and Patrick Powell (Allegra and Chiltern Firehouse) for a proper pub in Shoreditch. Walk-in only, as you'd expect from most pubs, this puts drink front and centre but that's backed up by a great menu from Powell, which centres around Rotisserie chicken, along with top-notch snacks like their prawn scotch egg.

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL

Chef Tomos Parry's restaurant remains one of the hottest in the area and still manages to attract a celeb or two to the upstairs room that's a little removed from the Shoreditch masses. Up here, you'll find a menu that features a mix of cooking on fire, Welsh and Basque cuisine, and a big focus on wine. It doesn't hurt that the dining room is quite lovely.

9 Chance St, London E2 7JB

Cycene is the restaurant inside Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch, with chef Taz Sarhane (ex Brooklands and Claude Bosi at Bibendum) in charge. Here you can expect a tasting menu-only experience, with a big focus on British produce and suppliers.The meal takes place throughout the building - from the bar to the kitchen and the dining room.

49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT

Originally big in Soho and now David Carter (Smokestak) and Chris Leach's Manteca moved to Shoreditch. Designed around an open kitchen with plenty of open-fire cooking. The food is described as a nose-to-tail "Italian with a British accent" with both seasonality and a whole-animal approach to cooking the name of the day (alongside some great pasta).

22 Hanover Square, London W1S 1JP

This is one of two restaurants that chef Akira Back has at the Mandarin Oriental in Mayfair. While his main restaurant there is in a huge dining room, this is a smaller chef's table approach, seating just 14 diners around an open kitchen. Inside here, you'll find a Korean tasting menu which "blends traditional Korean techniques with modern innovation".

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR

Victor Garvey, the man behind Michelin-starred SOLA, in now in charge of The Midland Grand in King's Cross. The menu concentrates on French-inspired haute cuisine, with more than a little tableside theatre thrown in. The dining room itself is one of the most impressive in London and it's also well worth making time to have a drink in the excellent Gothic Bar (which also has snacks from Garvey).

5 Dalston Ln, London E8 3DF

One of the earliest interesting wine bars to hit this part of East London, Newcomer Wines started life as a wine shop and bar focusing solely on Austrian wines. They've now expanded to feature natural wines from further afield in Europe. Come the summer, their hidden walled garden is a superb place to enjoy a glass or two.

2-4 Tottenham Rd, London N1 4BZ

Supported by its own natural wine-importing business, Dan’s is one of those wine bars that’s always packed with East Londoners working their way through the impressive catalogue. There’s plenty on by the glass too and it’s always worth seeing what’s on the board that day.

480 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE

The team behind Bar Lotus also run several award-winning bars in Shanghai and Chengdu. Here in London, they've gone ultra minimalist with their space. Drinks have a distinct Asian bent - there might be a yuzu margarita or salted plum and shiso highball on offer.

510b Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AB

They now have bars in Crouch End and Soho, but this was the original opening for the Three Sheets team, bringing their eclectic take on cocktail-making to Dalston. Riffing off the name, the drinks list is divided into one, two and three sheets moving from light to strong in terms of alcoholic content. Regardless of the ABV, whatever you end up ordering is going to taste great.

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ

James Lowe's restaurant at the Tea Building in Shoreditch proved that a restaurant in Shoreditch could gain a Michelin star. This all-day restaurant showcases his food with a regularly changing menu. Look out for special guests popping in from time to time. And they serve a damn fine coffee throughout the day.

23A Englefield Rd, London N1 4JX

A couple of interesting chefs (ex-Big Jo and Noble Rot) are behind this self-styled cafe with 'quite good grub' on the Dalston/De Beauvoir borders. It may look like a cafe from the outside but the quality of the food and wine offering here is definitely a cut above the usual neighbourhood space. Expect a tight menu, singing from the season's songsheet.

Stamford Works, 3 Gillett St, London N16 8JH

Seasonality and provenance are the foundation of the menu at Jones & Sons. So you know they'll have the best day boat fish, amazing English meat and a strong vegetarian offering. Set in a former factory, they're probably best known for the weekend brunches and Sunday roasts. If you're getting a sense of deja vu when you come, it's probably because this is where the Stephen Graham movie Boiling Point was filmed.

Unit 8 Gillett St, London N16 8AZ

Head off Kingsland Road into buzzy Gillett Square and let your nose lead you to Ewart Drysdale's amazing jerk bbq spot. The big oil drum barbecues show you that this place means business - your only dilemma will be whether to opt for the jerk pork or chicken. Barbecue isn't the only thing on the menu here - if you fancy an ackee and saltfish patty or macaroni pie, that's on offer as well.

8 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DU

Tamila is a casual Indian restaurant from the team behind The Tamil Prince (a nearby pub). The food is inspired by executive chef Prince Durairaj’s South Indian heritage and the menu focuses on made-to-order rotis and curries like Thanjavur chicken curry. There's also a Sunday feast available here and a small basement bar (only available if you're dining).

470 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE

Anywhere that survives in Dalston for more than a decade has to be celebrated and Brilliant Corners' winning mix of Japanese-inspired dishes and DJ sessions continues to draw people in. For the food, think izakaya-style drinking food, so sushi and sashimi take centre stage with a wider than expected plant-forward selection of dishes too. The cocktail list is similarly Japanese-inspired with a short classics offering.

89 Shacklewell Ln, London E8 2EB

Chef-owner Oded Oren's Shacklewell Lane restaurant features a menu of Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, served with an eye to seasonality and great local produce. So there might be West Country mussels with Moroccan chraime and pumpkin salad given a Tunisian twist. The hummus is unmissable.

10 Arcola St, London E8 2DN

The OG of the many Mangal spin-offs in Dalston, this ocakbasi started life as a teeny spot with a handful of tables and a charcoal grill. It's now expanded but the classic offering remains the same. Owner Ercan Cuce and his team serve up amazing kebabs and the best bread in an unassuming dining room that to this day doesn't have a booze licence, so bring your own.

70-74 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XB

Former basement dive turned fully fledged restaurant and bar, Corrochio's is named after Guadalajara-born chef Daniel Corrochio who serves up an authentic day into night menu channelling Mexico's city's best taquerias. They also do a very popular Mexican take on brunch at the weekends and if you're just popping in for a drink, there's a separate CINCO agave bar downstairs.

70-74 City Rd, Old Street, London EC1Y 2BJ

This is the Old Street restaurant for Richard Corrigan, the top Irish chef who's also behind Bentley's in Mayfair. Expect a menu that has a modern European base mixed in with various Irish influences. There's an excellent pub downstairs too, in the shape of Gibney's.

43A Commercial Street, London E1 6BD

Serving up some of the best Thai food in London, the trio behind this is Andy Oliver, Mark Dobbie and Tom George. They originally gained a huge following at a Climpson's Arch residency before crowdfunding their own spot. "Regional Thai food with uncompromising flavours" is what they promise.

36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BN

The late, great Russell Norman, who also created Polpo, founded this restaurant just off Smithfield Market. It takes its influences primarily from Northern Italy with a particular focus on Florence. So you'll find Italian snacks and pasta alongside huge T-Bone steaks. It's also part-bar, with an extensive list of cocktail classics, so very handy if you're looking for a decent bar in the area.

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.