20 Best Restaurants in London, England

This legendary Italian coffee bar on Frith Street is Soho's unofficial beating heart and a 22-hours-a-day institution. Established in 1949 during the postwar Italian coffee bar craze and still run by the founding Polledri family, today an eclectic parade of colorful locals grab a quick espresso or cappuccino made from the vintage Gaggia coffee machine, and wolf down a chocolate baci, slice of pizza, or bacon bap at the mirrored bar counter. The place is plastered with Italian flags and pics of vintage Italian opera singers, movie legends, and '50s world boxing champs, and it's the best spot in town to watch Italy play during the World Cup.

It's all Cockney banter and full English breakfasts at this tiny family-run café and onetime gangsters' lair near Brick Lane and Columbia Road markets. The atmosphere may be rowdy, but it's all good-natured, with greasy fry-ups (think eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, toast, tomatoes, fried mushrooms, black pudding, and cabbage and mash) served alongside homemade Italian dishes like lasagna and cannelloni and British classics like pies and roast dinners, all courtesy of matriarch Mama Maria. With the ornate food-paneling (installed in 1946 by local carpenter and regular customer Achille Capocci) as a backdrop, a visit to E. Pellicci feels a little like a wonderful performance of East End life being staged for your benefit. 

This bakery, which supplies bread to many of East London's top eateries, has a friendly café and deli on-site, where you can sample some of the tastiest toasted sandwiches in the city. The shop also stocks a concise range of elegant household items.

This all-day café provides breakfasts that run from tofu poke bowls to Eggs Royale and waffles and lunches that include Korean-style meatballs, healthy but ample salads, and a kimchi grilled cheese sandwich, plus monthly specials like beetroot risotto, cauliflower rarebit, and calves liver with mash. Cocktails, beer, and biodynamic wines are also available. It's usually packed with local families and their dogs. There's another branch on England's Lane in Belsize Park.

Tucked away on a quiet corner one block behind Greenwich High Road, this little grocery store and café is doing something very special. With a farm shop and a delicatessen that serves specialties like locally made gin, artisanal cheeses, and charcuterie, its biggest draw is the range of gourmet sausages made on site under the direction of chef and patron, Martin Heap, alongside his business partner and Italian food maestro, Vincenzo. Open until 4 pm daily, there are a few seats out front and a covered seating area in the back to accommodate those wanting more than a quick bite. Try a plate of sausage, mash, and onion gravy or a mint and lamb burger in a brioche bun with tzatziki, coleslaw, and a potato cake. Great for takeaway breakfasts, coffee, or lunch on the go, there's a wide variety of burgers and vegetarian options, too, as well as wines, beers, and cocktails. With artisanal sausages made from the very best ingredients, including the spicy Lethal Lucifer or Pork, Prune, and Cognac combo, it's no wonder there's usually a line onto the street that includes local shoppers stocking up on produce.

Once frequented by the likes of Virginia Woolf and Karl Marx, locals still cherish this quirky 1871 French pâtisserie, vintage tea parlor, and occasional pop-up art space, where nothing seems to have changed much since the 1920s. Colorful pastries, tarts, croissants, and sweet cakes are well-loved and expertly baked on-site. You can choose from the gooey chocolate and fruit éclairs, Black Forest gâteaux, marzipan figs, and flaky almond croissants. Still run by Soho legend Michele Wade, Maison Bertaux also hosts a cheery retro afternoon tea service, which comes with pleasing savories like Dijon slice or broccoli quiche.

Located next door to the London Coliseum (home of English National Opera), this hip café serves some of the best sandwiches, salads, and coffee in the neighborhood. In the evening (it’s open until 9 pm, Tuesday through Saturday), there’s more of a wine-bar vibe.

This successful chain serves up delicious juices and smoothies, as well as sandwiches, soups, and wraps.

Family-friendly and tucked away on a pretty mews, Ginger & White is a delightful fusion of a continental-style café and traditional British "caff"—all bound up with a modern, sophisticated Hampstead vibe. Specialties include homemade peanut butter, cakes, buns, all-day breakfasts with farm-sourced free-range eggs, salads and sandwiches, and specialty espresso. It can get crowded on weekends. There's another branch in Belsize Park.

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.

As the name suggests, The Monocle Café isn't quite a restaurant, but thanks to its sheer weight of personality, it still lends itself as an important Marylebone food stop. Salads, bagels, open sandwiches, and breakfasts represent a diverse menu of international bites that can always be accompanied by something from the drink menu, whether that's artisan coffee or something stronger like the yuzu gin and tonic. As one would expect from Monocle magazine's very own drinking and dining spot, both the interior and exterior are impeccably tasteful, making for the ideal place to pause and soak up the Marylebone neighborhood.

This most traditional of old English tearooms is named for a kind of cheese tart invented near here in Tudor times. Legend has it that Henry VIII loved them so much he had the recipe kept under armed guard; this place has specialized in the authentic royal recipe for more than 120 years now and still bakes the maids by hand on the premises. Full afternoon tea is served all day. During busy periods, the tearoom may impose a minimum spend per person. 

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.

Healthy snacks and lunches are served at this bright café next to the Royal Observatory. Homemade soups and sandwiches are good for a quick refuel, or try one of the delicious stone-baked pizzas for something more substantial. Check out the fancy weather vane on the roof of this quirky octagonal building, which depicts Lord Nelson looking through his telescope.

This friendly coffee shop at St. Katharine Docks serves outstanding breakfasts (with fresh juices and baked goods) plus homemade soups, cakes, and light bites for lunch. In an area too readily associated with chains, this charming independent eatery is a breath of fresh air, particularly for long, leisurely brunches when the sun is shining.

In St. Mary-le-Bow's Norman crypt, this café is packed with City workers weekdays 7:30–2:30 for a menu covering breakfasts, scrumptious light lunches, and delicious cakes. It's also open for dinner Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

This is a cluster of small shops specializing in jewelry, art, clothing, and ceramics by designer-manufacturers, with an adjoining cluster of informal restaurants and cafés, most with outdoor seating. A project of the Coin Street Community Builders, a social enterprise group, it bustles with activity. The same group converted the nearby Oxo Tower Wharf, an art deco warehouse with three levels of designer studios that also serve as retail outlets. The Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie, a pricey restaurant operated by the swish department store Harvey Nichols, occupies the top floor, and you can see the same spectacular views from an adjacent free public viewing area (open daily).

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.

With its walls covered in Gilbert Spencer murals, the Royal Academy's café is almost as beautiful as the art hanging in the galleries. The accent is on variety, with hearty dishes like fish pie, cold cuts, and upscale salads and sandwiches. It's open daily 10:30–5:30.