152 Best Restaurants in London, England

This Manhattan-themed, Russian-owned swanky steak house, named after Chicago jazz legend Benny Goodman, has everyone in agreement: these truly are some of the best steaks in town. USDA-certified, 150-day corn-fed, and on-site dry-aged Black Angus T-bones, rib eye, porterhouse, and New York bone-in sirloins compete for taste and tenderness with heavily marbled grass-fed prime cuts from Scotland and the Lake District. There's also grilled cauliflower steaks, tuna tartare, and a superb burger, but everyone at this sultry mecca has only one thing on their minds: the sizzling 250 g–400 g Josper chargrilled steaks, which come with truffle chips and creamed spinach, plus Béarnaise, pepper, or Stilton sauce.

The city's wealthy flock to French virtuoso Hélène Darroze's restaurant at The Connaught for her dazzling regional French haute cuisine, served up in a stylish Edwardian wood-paneled dining salon. Taking inspiration from the Les Landes region in southwestern France, Darroze sallies forth with a procession of magnificent dishes like lobster with carrot, coriander, and tandoori spices. A beautiful venison Wellington is served with hispi cabbage and quince.

A Bayswater favorite with the well-connected Notting Hill set, Hereford Road is renowned for its pared-down, pomp-free, and ingredient-driven seasonal British fare, with an emphasis on well-sourced regional British produce. Work your way through uncluttered combos like smoked mackerel, potato, and horseradish; braised ox cheek and carrots; or buttermilk pudding with blueberries. Their set lunches on Fridays and Saturdays are arguably the best lunch deals in town.

Mayfair is home to more than its share of fussy fine-dining restaurants, so HIDE is a welcome alternative, charming with experimental dishes that make the new-Nordic, produce-focused modern European menu shine. Look out for art-like dishes strewn with wildflowers on the seasonal eight-course tasting menus served in a fairy-tale setting. There's also an in-house bakery, and a menu that includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and cocktails; be sure to explore the 6,500-bottle strong wine list, one of London's finest.

This pint-sized eatery, which specializes in vegetarian Indian street food, is one of the very few independents in a neighborhood dominated by pubs and chain restaurants. Start with crisp samosas before indulging in a creamy dal or curry. The mouthwatering mango lassis are also made fresh.

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 area between Victoria and Westminster is something of a wasteland in terms of independent quick-bite eateries, but this minimalist café serves excellent coffee, salads, wraps, and more. Peak office lunchtimes can get pretty busy, so aim to avoid the rush if you want to dine in.

There is no finer fish dish in town than the Malai stone bass tikka at this upmarket Indian restaurant. The food and spices here are so authentic that it regularly buzzes with Bollywood stars, wealthy Mayfair moguls, and the entire well-heeled Indian diaspora. Inspired by the Viceroy's House in New Delhi and oozing with Lutyens-style furniture, this spot is perfect for luxuriating in mini dosas, coconut spiced lobster, or Old Delhi butter chicken.

Renowned chef José Pizarro has managed to re-create an authentic, slightly rustic Spanish tapas-and-sherry bar. With just 30 seats and no reservations, it's always packed after 6 pm, but it's worth the wait for remarkably fresh, perfectly prepared classic tapas plates like patatas bravas, croquetas, skewered prawns with lemon and garlic, and clams with fino sherry. Everything's impeccably sourced, from the peppery Marqués de Valdueza olive oil to the top-flight acorn-fed Ibérico ham; you'll also find more than 50 Spanish wines and sherries.

Tom Kerridge made his name earning Michelin stars at rural gastropubs, and there's still a sense of pub grub about the menu here, at his first London restaurant, despite the glamorous high-ceilinged dining room, flawless service, and rather steep prices. That's no bad thing, however, when you've got a chef as skilled as Kerridge—think rich, meat-focused dishes served alongside unusual twists, such as gherkin ketchup or black cabbage purée.

Named after an infamous 18th-century courtesan, Kitty Fisher's is situated in a tiny, creaky Georgian town house in Mayfair’s Shepherd Market. Crammed with antique prints, portraits, and silver candelabras, here you can sample some of the finest wood-grill and smokehouse fare around. Options on the changing menu include to-die-for Highland beef and luxurious Wagyu steaks.

Generous dishes of Indian street food fly from the open kitchen at this informal party spot right off Piccadilly Circus. Sit at the L-shaped, lava-topped counter and watch the chefs haul out bone marrow–smeared kulcha flatbread from the blazing clay tandoor oven alongside a heap of other funky dishes. Options include yolk-topped kedgeree, garlic butter crab, and puffed rice bhel puri starters, pepped up with Greek yogurt and tamarind sauce. The place is full of neat touches, from the vintage Indian herb holders to the ornate wooden Haveli doors found in the basement cocktail bar and communal dining den.

With the legend Tous Célèbres Ici ("All Famous Here") boldly etched on the front doors, the delightful LPM boasts an impressively well-sourced and balanced French Mediterranean, Ligurian, and Provençal menu based on the relaxed Riviera style of the original La Petite Maison in Nice. Try the soft Burrata cheese with a sweet Datterini tomato–and–basil spread or aromatic baked turbot with artichokes, chorizo, five spices, and white wine sauce. Dishes come to the table as soon as they're ready, and the très jolie and informal waitstaff make for a convivial rosé party vibe.

This long-standing favorite specializes in French haute cuisine done right, with an emphasis on luxurious dishes like caviar, oysters, lobster, and Dover sole (served meunière) along with bistro classics like rabbit with mustard and steak frites. Standards, like the prices, remain high, and the swanky dining room takes inspiration from the art deco liner SS Normandie. Weather permitting, grab a table on the terrace to make the most of the wonderful views of the Thames, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. A weekday lunch/early-bird dinner set menu (two courses for £30; three courses for £35) lets you sample this expense-account favorite with minimal damage to your wallet.

This consistently popular, family-run, taverna-style restaurant has been serving local families and celebrities alike in its large, vine-decked premises for more than 40 years. Besides a large selection of Greek Cypriot small-dish meze dips, hot breads, and starters, there are rustic mains like moussaka or slow-baked kleftiko lamb in lemon as well as assorted grilled fish. Expect friendly Greek service and hospitality, plus an airy atrium in the back. Generous meze spreads for two or more people are £35, and bargain weekday set lunches are £17.50.

Part of Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton's dining dynasty, Little Social backs its elegant, modernist dining room with a menu of adventurous dishes celebrating the joy of British produce. Expect to find a range of prime cuts straight from the Josper grill, and pay special attention to the maple-glazed pork rib eye with charred cabbage and pomme purée.

Located on the northern stretch of Portobello Road, this quintessential neighborhood café specializes in delicious coffee, cakes, breakfast, and brunch, all served up on classic English crockery. Grab one of the window seats and watch Notting Hill wander by.

This eccentric French pâtisserie (London's oldest) has been around since 1871. Not the finest coffee around, but a nice range of teas and glasses of wine, plus fab French cakes, tarts, and savory quiches more than make up for that.

London's sizable, well-heeled Russian community flocks to this maximalist evocation of a pre-Revolution babushka's living room, overflowing with vintage chandeliers, porcelain figurines, tapestries, and nested Russian dolls. The menu leans toward traditional old-country comfort food like Siberian pelmeni (dumplings) filled with pork and beef, pierogi, smoked salmon blinis, creamy beef Stroganoff with wild mushrooms, and, of course, borscht, finished off with a seven-layer honey cake. If you're dozing off from carb overload, a homemade chili-and-horseradish vodka shot will wake you right up. The waitstaff speak Russian and you may get better service if you can do the same.

This long-established ice cream parlor near Camden Lock has been serving authentic artisan gelato and sorbet since the 1930s (originally a few doors down) and ranks among London’s best. Cones and scoops made from an Italian family recipe come in flavors like Cinnamon and Honey, Dulce de Leche, and Toffee Crunch, as well as more conventional choices, and make the perfect accompaniment to strolling through Camden Market.

Deepest Bloomsbury might be the last place to expect superior Chinese street food, but think again. Tucked down an alleyway just off Southampton Row, this unpretentious eatery features the spicy, surprising cuisine of Xi'an, the city in northwest China that's home to the famed Terracotta Army statues (pictures of which hang above the bar). Popular dishes include the spicy cumin beef "burger" (minced meat inside a flattened bao), fried pot-sticker dumplings, and delicate homemade coldskin noodles called liángpí.

Exmouth Market today is a magnet for fine indie-spirited restaurants and it all began with this one back in 1997. Lovingly nurtured by husband-and-wife chefs Sam and Sam Clark, the menu features a mélange of Spanish and Moroccan dishes, all packed with flavor and perfectly seasoned and spiced. From vegetable mezze like baba ganoush eggplant dip, Syrian lentils, and okra with pomegranate molasses to wood-roasted pork belly with trinxat (a mouth-watering Pyrenean potato, cabbage, and pork combo), your biggest problem will be deciding what to have.

Israeli-born star chef and global cookbook sensation Yotam Ottolenghi cleans up at his flagship vegetable-centric restaurant on the outer edges of Soho. Melding densely flavored small dishes from the Middle East, Asia, and the Mediterranean, diners here can jump around from courgette (zucchini) and manouri cheese fritters to harissa-marinated octopus and Persian love rice to carob and coconut ice cream. Note the more informal downstairs space has two shared communal tables and an open kitchen.

Hidden away in the depths of a Mayfair hotel, Ormer delivers modern British cooking at its finest. In the art deco–inspired basement haven, you can indulge in elegant dishes from executive chef Sofian Msetfi, which celebrate the seasonal and the foraged. You'll find options from roast anjou pigeon to warm Iberico ham jelly. The wide-ranging wine list features an excellent selection of English fizz. At £85 a head, the tasting menu is exceptionally reasonable for the quality you receive.

This Islington institution is a foodie's heaven. With the accent on North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, the inventive, tasty, and healthy veg-centric dishes, along with fresh salads, flaky pastries, and artisan cakes, make this deli-bakery-café worth an hour of anyone's time. Go home with a knockout chocolate meringue or a plum-and-quince tart, and pick up Ottolenghi's outstanding Israeli- and Palestinian-inspired cookbook, Jerusalem, on the way out.

This lively Israeli-Levantine restaurant offers excellent Middle Eastern tapas (plus influences from Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Turkey) at relatively friendly (by Kensington standards) prices and has become a firm neighborhood favorite. Start with fluffy Yemeni challah bread and move onto a grilled eggplant "steak" with black tahini, pine nuts, and pickled tomatoes, a charcoal-grilled mushroom "shawarma" that incorporates a lima bean cream and asparagus (hot dishes are cooked in the open kitchen's wood-fired oven), or a duck breast salad with a pomegranate-and-ginger vinaigrette dressing. A  three-course £30 set lunch offers good value. This is the kind of place where you're expected to share plates and eat with your fingers, and if you have something dribbling down your chin, no one will mind.

Bucolic beauty and rustic Italian cuisine combine wonderfully at Petersham Nurseries Café, a delightfully charming and informal dining experience housed within the serene environ of Richmond's poshest garden center. Prices are high, but your farm-fresh dishes do come surrounded by a backdrop of hanging plants, succulents, shrubs, and climbers that create London's most whimsical greenhouse dining room.

Now in its third location, this Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay flagship offers fine dining to the max without being overly stuffy or cautious. The cooking combines superb technique with creativity, blending complex and intricate flavors in dishes like Isle of Skye scallops with an olive oil sabayon; confit of turbot with pumpkin and clementines; or a prune soufflé with armagnac ice cream. The wine list is divinely decadent, offering, if you can afford them, some of the best wines in the entire world. The service and the room are both relaxed without being casual. Three-course set-price menus (£60 for lunch, £100 for dinner) are available as are more elaborate tasting menus and there is a "preferred smart dress code."