7 Best Restaurants in England

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We've compiled the best of the best in England - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

Blixen

$$ | Spitalfields
Within a magnificent Kew Gardens–style tropical garden and plant conservatory, you'll find this stylish brasserie backing out onto Old Spitalfields Market. Housed in a converted former Victorian bank, Blixen offers evergreen European comfort food. You'll find options like tiger prawn and roast pig's trotters or courgette flower and curried mushroom on its short, sweet, and relatively inexpensive menu. There's neat blueberry pancakes, potato rösti, or a raclette-rich Croque Madame for breakfast and brunch. Check out the small, nautically themed basement cocktail bar.

Canela

$$ | Covent Garden
Bright and casual by day, intimate and atmospheric by night, this is a great spot for refueling mid–shopping trip, grabbing a bite before a show (think filling dishes like pork and clam stew or salted cod, plus charcuterie and sandwiches), or lingering over a glass of reasonably priced Portuguese wine.

Maison Bertaux

$ | Soho

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.

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Merchants Tavern

$$ | Hoxton
The legend on the front of this Hoxton restaurant reads "Merchants of Good Fortune," which neatly sums up the exceptional, smart-casual dining experience you'll encounter within. Seasonal, veg-focused hits from France, Italy, and Britain emerge from the open-counter kitchen housed in a former Victorian warehouse and onetime apothecary. The rare-pink venison with braised red cabbage, Alsace bacon, and celeriac is sublime, as are other dishes like roast lamb with "forgotten" carrots, quail with foie gras, or wild partridge with sage polenta. Enjoy the vanilla panna cotta with unstoned damsons, and note the £20 two-course set lunch.

Redemption Roasters Piccadilly

$ | St. James's

Part of a group of coffeeshops with the aim of giving jobs to those recently released from incarceration, this café also serves really excellent coffee and delicious cakes and pastries. On the grounds of St. James's Church between the garden and the church itself, the space is spacious and welcoming, with room for 35 people inside and garden seating under the trees outside that's perfect for sunny days. With an entrance directly on Jermyn Street as well as through the church gates on Piccadilly, it's also wheelchair accessible. Even if you didn't know you were doing some good by coming here, the story of how Redemption Roasters began (setting up a roastery in a prison to train residents and reduce reoffending rates) is written over the walls, so you can read about it while you wait for your brew. If you're visiting the church, it's the perfect spot to rest and refuel.

The RA Grand Café

$ | Mayfair

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.

Wallace Restaurant

$ | Marylebone

Bringing the outside in, this café and restaurant is in the Wallace Collection's glass-roofed courtyard. It's open (daily 10–4:30) for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings (last seating is at 9:30 pm). The menu includes lamb rump, pan-roasted lemon sole, and other tasty offerings. If you don't want to strain your budget too much, you can just linger over coffee in the gorgeous surroundings.