London Restaurants

British food hasn't always had the best reputation, but nowhere in the country is that reputation being completely upturned more than in London. The city has zoomed up the global gastro charts, and can now seriously compete with the world’s top culinary heavyweights. The truth is that no other city—barring New York—has the immense range of global cuisines that London has to offer. Standards have rocketed at all price points, and every year it seems like the London restaurant scene is better than ever.

Feel like eating the most-tender Kagoshima Wagyu beef on planet Earth? It can be yours for £150 at CUT at 45 Park Lane. Want to try old English gastronomy from the time of Henry VIII with an ultramodern twist? Ashley Palmer-Watts is your man at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Do you only eat Sri Lankan hoppers? No worries, we’ve got just the thing: Hoppers in Soho will give you a taste of the Sri Lankan pancake, for £4.50 a pop. Can’t stand any more snobby culinary nonsense? The low-key British wild game is so good at The Harwood Arms in Fulham that they’ve earned London’s first gastro-pub-based Michelin star.

To appreciate how far London has risen in the food game, just look back to the days of Somerset Maugham, who was once justified in warning, "To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day." Change was slow after World War II, when it was understood that the British ate to live, while the French lived to eat. When people thought of British cuisine, fish-and-chips—a greasy grab-and-gulp dish that tasted best wrapped in yesterday's newspaper—first came to mind. Then there was always shepherd's pie, ubiquitously found in smoke-filled pubs, though not made, according to Sweeney Todd, "with real shepherd in it."

These days, standards are miles higher and shepherd’s pie has been largely replaced by the city's unofficial dish, Indian curry. London’s restaurant revolution is built on its extraordinary ethnic diversity, and you’ll find the quality of other global cuisines has grown immeasurably in recent years, with London becoming known for its Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Spanish, Italian, French, Peruvian, and west African restaurants. Thankfully, pride in the best of British food—local, seasonal, wild, and foraged—is enjoying quite the renaissance, too.

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  • 1. 45 Jermyn St.

    $$$$ | St. James's | Coffee

    A sophisticated crowd enjoys the clubhouse vibe at this classic brasserie at the back of the royal grocer, Fortnum & Mason. An old-school trolley trundles up table-side to serve Siberian Sturgeon caviar with scrambled eggs, baked new potatoes, and blinis, while creamy beef Stroganoff and whole duck with elderberry sauce get the full table-side-flambé treatment. Truffles that are shaved at the table are another specialty. The popular Welsh rarebit toasty has a punchy mustard kick, while nostalgic desserts include a fleet of alcoholic ice-cream floats.

    45 Jermyn St., London, Greater London, SW1Y 6DN, England
    020-7205–4545

    Known For

    • Unique caviar trolley
    • Glamorous decor
    • Collection of boozy ice-cream floats

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
  • 2. ICA Café Bar

    $ | St. James's | Café

    Overlooking The Mall, this café and bar offers a tasty, reasonably priced lunch and dinner menu, with coffees and snacks available throughout the day. Like the venue itself, it's open 11–11.

    The Mall, London, Greater London, SW1Y 5AH, England
    020-7930–8619

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
  • 3. The Ritz Restaurant

    $$$$ | St. James's

    London's most opulent dining salon here at The Ritz would impress even Marie Antoinette with its sumptuous Gilded Age rococo revival trompe-l'oeil frescoes, tasseled silk drapery, and towering marble columns. Sit at the late Margaret Thatcher's favorite seat overlooking Green Park (Table 1) and luxuriate in unreconstructed British haute cuisine, such as Bresse chicken with black Périgord truffles or beef Wellington carved table-side. Don't miss the crêpes suzette, which are flambéed table-side by the maître d'. The chef's five and seven-course set menus are also a delight.

    150 Piccadilly, London, Greater London, W1J 9BR, England
    020-7493–8181

    Known For

    • Luxurious dining made for the British elite
    • Possibly London's best beef Wellington
    • Legendary traditional Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Jacket and tie
  • 4. The Wolseley

    $$$ | St. James's | Coffee

    A glitzy procession of famous faces, media moguls, and hedge-funders comes for the spectacle, swish service, and soaring elegance at this bustling Viennese-style grand café on Piccadilly. Located in a former Wolseley Motors luxury-car showroom, this brasserie begins its long decadent days with breakfast at 7 am (8 am on weekends) and serves Dual Monarchy delights until 11 pm (10 pm on Sunday). Don't be shy about popping by (they welcome walk-ins) for dishes like kedgeree, steak tartare, chicken soup with dumplings, or Wiener schnitzel. For dessert, go for an éclair, and don't forget to return to savor the classy afternoon tea.

    160 Piccadilly, London, Greater London, W1J 9EB, England
    020-7499–6996

    Known For

    • Old-country central European delights
    • Afternoon tea with a Viennese twist
    • Classic grand café setting
  • 5. Wiltons

    $$$$ | St. James's

    Lords, ladies, and other assorted aristocrats blow the family bank at this Edwardian bastion of traditional English fine dining on Jermyn Street (the place first opened near the Haymarket as a shellfish stall in 1742). Posh patrons tend to order half a dozen oysters, followed by grilled Dover sole, Blythburgh pork from the carving trolley, or fabulous native game, such as roast partridge, grouse, or teal. There is also soft herring roe on toast, plus pleasing desserts like Peach Melba or sherry trifle.

    55 Jermyn St., London, Greater London, SW1Y 6LX, England
    020-7629–9955

    Known For

    • Traditional English dining focused on shellfish and game
    • Waiter service that would put Jeeves to shame
    • Bordeaux-heavy wine menu

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and bank holidays. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential, Jackets encouraged; no sneakers, open-toe shoes, sportswear or short-sleeve tops
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Aquavit

    $$$$ | Piccadilly Circus
    Closed Permanently

    There's a hygge-style glow at this ritzy New Nordic emporium off Piccadilly Circus. Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki pulls out all the best Scandinavian design stops, while a hip, upscale crowd dish over the pickled matjes herring from the small-jars smorgasbord and pair Swedish meatballs with mash and lingonberries. Do try the Arctic bird's nest dessert (with tangled tuile, chocolate twig, and goat-cheese parfait egg) and admire the Svenskt Tenn furnishings, Rörstrand porcelain, and Ida Sjöstedt waitstaff uniforms.

    1 Carlton St., London, Greater London, SW1Y 4QQ, England
    020-7024–9848

    Known For

    • Nifty Nordic smorgasbord starters
    • Soaring Scandinavian design showcase
    • Sea bass with creamy Sandefjord sauce

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 7. Rochelle Canteen at the Institute of Contemporary Arts

    $$ | St. James's | Coffee
    Closed Permanently

    Foodies, fashionistas, and art scene insiders flock to the hearty, low-key Modern British fare at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, one of the city's biggest art and cultural centers. In the uncluttered, all-white space, opt for the slab of braised ox tongue with a single broomstick carrot, or the rustic slow-poached chicken with grilled leeks and a punchy green sauce. There's a bar menu too, if you just fancy a quick bite.

    12 Carlton House Terr., London, Greater London, SW1Y 5AH, England
    020-7930–3647

    Known For

    • Pared-back Modern British dishes
    • Relaxed arty environment
    • Suet-rich rabbit and smoked bacon pie

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.

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