Think posh British cuisine with a twist, like Aberdeen Angus beef tartare or smoked eel with creme fraiche. Brunch here is a good decision , and it’s open 24 hours if you need something late night. Good Indian food is to Londoners what good Mexican food is to Texans. Within the last few years, Dishoom changed the game by creating an Indian restaurant that looks and feels modern, yet also serves food of the same quality that you might conceivably eat in Southern Asia.
Prices are high , but really luscious smaller dishes like smoked eel and parsely risotto make things easier on the wallet. The basement dining room is intimate and atmospheric; the street-level wine bar best on a sunny day (as are the two alfresco tables overlooking so-picturesque-it-should-be-in-a-Richard-Curtis-movie Shepherd Market). Putting your meal together from small plates is the best way to leave without having spent a fortune. This former prison launderette (and sibling to the much-loved Primeur) has been repurposed as a cool neighbourhood destination, serving the day’s best produce in a constantly changing line-up of modern European dishes . But instead of feeling like a cynical restaurant by numbers, the concept fits this place as snugly as a just-washed pair of jeans. There’s as much buzz around the food at this enduringly popular Soho Italian as there is around the celebs who dine here.



In October 2016, Giorgio was awarded the Commendatore OMRI by Italian Ambassador Terracciano for services to Italian gastronomy, the equivalent of a British knighthood. La Cinzianella, his uncle Alfio’s Map of London Restaurants Michelinstarred restaurant, from the age of five. His cousins, the Gnocchis, gave him his first experience of industrial kitchens, making fine amaretto cookies for their pastry shop near Milan.

Tom Brown – former head chef at The Capital in Knightsbridge – left his position there to develop Cornerstone (named after the Arctic Monkeys’ song, to give you an idea of the vibe) in Hackney Wick. With a seasonal menu of just 15 dishes, this is a definite example of less is more and although he certainly specialises in seafood, that isn’t all Brown does. If you often find yourself overwhelmed by the choice of some menus, then visit Cornerstone, where the priciest item was only £16. St Leonard’s uses the finest produce as the pivot on which their simple menu is created, but their offerings are far from simplistic. Revolving around a theme of fire and ice, expect succulent oysters straight from the ice bar, situated not far from an impressive open wood-burning hearth. Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke’s latest venture is not one to be missed and we expect it to become a staple even in Shoreditch’s saturated restaurant scene. Located in the culinary wonderland that is Mayfair’s Albemarle Street, Gazelle packs in a stunning cocktail bar and elegant European-themed restaurant across two floors of an Edwardian townhouse.
It’s hard to give the food at Trivet a particular identity; instead, dishes take diners on a globetrotting journey inspired by the duo’s love of travel. There’s reference to Lake’s work in Italy with his hand-made pici pasta served with red mullet; nods to trips to Spain with smoky Iberico pluma; and memories from a tour of Japan with the use of shiitake mushrooms and sake. Plump scallops come with pomegranate, black sesame and bitter endive; artichoke is served in a pool of sourdough broth and topped with a fan of black truffle shavings; and delicate pastry puffs are sandwiched together with sour cream and caviar. The chicken glazed with a vinegar sauce and plated up with mashed potato may sound deceptively simple, but the result is an impressive display of Lake’s precision. However, it’s the puddings that really show off his talent, fusing flavours that many people won’t have tried before. Mille-feuille topped with wafer-thin slices of baked sweet potato and filled with buttery white chocolate and sake mousse isn’t just delicious, it’s a revelation.

Ceilings sprout first-class hams and sausages, many of which can be eaten in the brick-walled restaurant. Usher is typically self-deprecating about the food that comes out of his kitchen, insisting that it’s simple stuff. But good simplicity is notoriously difficult to achieve – there’s no hiding place – and his team carry it off every time. Fluffy foccaccia with a seductive, oily crust; fine meat – lesser-loved cuts such as shin, maybe, or Jacob’s ladder, or pig’s cheeks, slow-braised into spoonable tenderness. The eponymous “sticky walnuts” served with roast baby beets, spicy pumpkin seeds and fresh goat’s curd are now poshly named “walnut praline”, but they’re still there.
Small plates (averaging £14) include dishes such as shrimp tempura with snap pea julienne and black truffle vinaigrette; various sushi and sashimi options are available, and “large plates” include sea bass tempura with beetroot ceviche. Perhaps the city’s most beloved skyscraper (and certainly the City’s), The Gherkin is unmistakable even from within. Found on the building’s penultimate, 39th floor, restaurant Helix is encased by a curved, latticed facade and diners who peer upwards to mezzanine-level rooftop bar Iris will peek the rounded tip that forms its pinnacle. Given you’re dining in an internationally recognised icon of British architecture, it’s no surprise that the menu is British too. London looks minuscule from the top-floor View from the Shard, so the restaurants that occupy the middle levels of the skyscraper are better bets if you’d like to admire the city’s finer details . On the 31st storey of the building,aqua shardis sultry and shadowy space (almost overly so, in fact - take care if your night vision is lacking), serving a contemporary British menu devised by Dale Osborne . That might mean hearty mains such as pork belly with barley, turnips and crackling, followed by cherry bakewell tart with Cornish ice cream.

Plus the bar in the Turnips stall has a classic cocktail list with a focus on seasonal ingredients, like a fig Negroni or a classic Bellini with homemade white peach puree. If you’re skeptical about a vegetable-centred five-course tasting menu, don’t be. Meat, notably 46-day-aged Dexter sirloin or 48-hour short rib, is very much on offer. But it’s the vegetable creations – which change every week depending on what’s in season – where Lidakevicius really shines.
Make sure you ask for a table on the buzzy main floor, though — it can be a little quiet upstairs. The only full-on chain on this list, Franco Manca has more than 20 locations across London, and more throughout the UK. However, it's truly a go-to for affordable sourdough pizza with a good, unpretentious vibe, "no logo" beer, and natural, organic wine. The first solo restaurant from former Chef Director of the Polpo Group, Tom Oldroyd, this quaint and cosy townhouse-style spot in Angel has a constantly changing European menu with super-fresh local ingredients.

It used to be known as TRADE, the members' bar for people in the hospitality business, but now it's been replaced by The Black Book, a new wine bar that's open to all of Soho, from Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset. This is the third Murger Han and as in its other incarnations, they'll have a menu of Xi’an dishes made to family recipes with the Biang Biang noodles and the murgers themselves (slow-cooked meat in flatbread) being the biggest draw. A truly iconic Soho restaurant is revived by the team behind Noble Rot who are promising to be custodians of its history but bring the menu fully into the 21st century.
The owners have strong backgrounds, working in Olkava and The Mash Inn. Sibling duo Victoria and Grace Sheppard are behind new cafe/events space Queens of Mayfair. They're combining their experience in hospitality and interior design respectively for their artisan coffee shop.

Ascending to the restaurant in a rapidly rising glass-fronted elevator is an experience in itself. On the 28th floor of theHilton Park Lane hotel, the restaurant overlooks Hyde Park – at night just an inky blot against a bed of lights – and the surrounding cityscape. For views of central London, St Paul’s and the skyscrapers of the City beyond, make time for a drink at the bar before or after dinner. Working together, they will utilise local produce with items from Simon’s own farm, Our Farm, in Cumbria. Guests will have a choice between the ten-course Roganic Long Taster Menu (HK$980) for the full Roganic experience, or the eight-course Roganic Short Taster Menu (HK$680), both with the option of wine pairings.