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If you're wondering when's a good time to get a table at London's hard-to-book restaurants, the midweek lunch spot is your best bet. Not only are you likely to be in with more of a chance of snapping up a table, but you'll also get the opportunity to eat in some of London's top restaurants for the price you'd spend on a meal in your local gastropub. Here are our picks for some of the best lunchtime deals in town. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a good start - how about trying one a month and working your way through.
A few things to note:
- Always make sure that the set lunch deal is running for the day of your booking
- Although the set lunches are pretty rigid in themselves, if there's something you've always wanted to try from a restaurant and don't mind paying full price for that one dish - add it on to what you're ordering.
- And if you want to stick to the budget, be very wary of the wine list in these places, that way penury lies.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Heston and Ashley Palmer Watts' Mandarin Oriental restaurant is currently the most popular restaurant in London thanks to Heston's name on the door. You may not get the Tipsy Cake for this price but it's a good way to experience one of the hottest tickets in town.
The choice: 2 options per course
The offer: £28 for 3 courses
Find out more about Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Le Gavroche
One of London's classiest restaurants ids also one of London's most expensive. You go to Le Gavroche if you want to experience the best service - and food - in London and their lunchtime deal will help you avoid a phone call with your bank manager.
The choice: Three options per course
The offer: Set lunch for £48.90 includes three courses, half a bottle of wine, half-bottle of mineral water, canapes and coffee
Find out more about Le Gavroche
Galvin at Windows
Managed by Fred Sirieix from the TV programme Michel Roux's Service, here's where you can experience fantastic food, courtesy of chef André Garret, with that 'magic touch', enjoying one of the best views in London on top of the Park Lane Hilton Hotel overlooking Hyde Park.
The choice: Three options per course (supplement for cheese)
The offer: Two courses for £35, three courses for £38
Find out more about Galvin at Windows
Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley
Marcus Wareing may have opened The Gilbert Scott (which has a great early evening deal), but this is where he'll be in the kitchen, at his two Michelin-starred restaurant in the Berkeley Hotel. The set lunch even includes his famous custard tart.
The choice: Two options starter and main, three for dessert. Includes chocolates.
The offer: Two courses for £30, three courses for £38
Find out more about Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley
Helene Darroze at the Connaught
Her cooking attracted a second Michelin star this year and who woudn't want to try the food of chef Helene Darroze, who inspired the Disney character of Colette in Ratatouille.
The choice: Three options for starter and main, three for dessert, £8 supplement for cheese as extra course
The offer: Three courses for £35 (£42 with two glasses of wine)
Find out more about Helene Darroze at the Connaught
Hibiscus
Situated just off Oxford Street, Claude Bosi's Hibiscus is another two Michelin-starred restaurant offering some sublime French cooking. The room here can be a little beige for evening meals, so lunch is a good time to come.
The choice: Three options per course, pork belly and cheese require supplement.
The offer: Three courses for 33.50 (add a glass of wine, coffee and petit fours for £42)
Find out more about Hibiscus
The Ledbury
Brett Graham recently reached number 34 in the World's 50 Best restaurants, the highest new entry for the UK, and is highly rated by fellow chefs. So if you want to try out this Australian chef's cuisine, lunch is your best bet - and the full-on Saturday lunch is the one to go for.
The choice: Weekday lunch, two options per course, cheese requires supplement. Saturday lunch six-seven choices per course.
The offer: Two courses for £27.50, three courses for £33.50. Saturday lunch £40 for three courses.
Find out more about The Ledbury
The Square
Philip Howard's Mayfair restaurant has two Michelin stars, but AA Gill said of his meal 'the lunch we had there deserved three.'
The choice: Two options per course, cheese requires supplement.
The offer: Two courses for £30, Three courses for £35
Find out more about The Square
Corrigan's
Richard Corrigan is appearing more and more on TV here in the UK (he's already a huge name in Ireland) and his Mayfair restaurant (around the back of the Grosvenor) is the higher end of his two London restaurants (he also owns Bentley's).
The choice: Weekdays: Three options per course. Weekends: six options per course. Cheese requires supplement.
The offer: Three courses for £27 weekdays and Sundays,
Find out more about Corrigan's
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
This is Joel Robuchon's London outpost of his counter dining experience - where you can sit up and watch your dishes being assembled like works of art. There's also a good value pre-theatre menu here too.
The choice: Three options per course plus extra appetiser
The offer: Two courses for £25 (£32 with wine), three courses for £29 (£38 with wine)
Find out more about L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Bar Boulud London
Daniel Boulud's launch of Bar Boulud London was a huge success and this is the second restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental to offer a great lunch deal. It may not included the burgers - but they're a great deal on their own.
The offer: Three courses for £20
Find out more about Bar Boulud London
Massimo
Massimo Riccioli is already a celebrated chef in Rome and when he opened his restaurant in the Corinthia Hotel near Whitehall, Fabio Capello apparently raved about it to all and sundry. Enjoy refined Italian food in the lavish David Collins-designed room.
The choice: Four to five choices per course.
The offer: Two courses for £23, three courses for £28
Find out more about Massimo
Pollen Street Social
Jason Atherton's solo venture after Maze is booked up weeks in advance, but lunchtimes could be the best way to get a reservation.
The choice: Three options per course, cheese requires supplement.
The offer: Two courses for £20, three courses for £23.50
Find out more about Pollen Street Social
Texture
Texture is an Icelandic, Michelin starred restaurant from Xavier Rousset and Aggi Sverrisson (who are also behind Holborn spot 28-50) offering innovative Northern European cooking.
The choice: Two options per course, cheese as optional fourth course with supplement.
The offer: Two courses for £19, three courses for £24
Find out more about Texture
Hix Soho
Mark Hix's Soho restaurant is a favourite of Hot Dinners' and great for lunch with a lovely airy dining room. If your lunch here inspires you to take the afternoon off, we recommend heading downstairs to the cocktail bar afterwards.
The choice: Two options per course.
The offer: Two courses for £17.50, three courses for £22.50
Find out more about Hix Soho
Koffmann's
Pierre Koffmann's eponymous restaurant shares the Berkeley hotel with Marcus Wareing. Here's where you're likely to spot royalty enjoying the chef's Gascon fare. It may be lunch, but it's not necessarily light with calf's tongue remoulade and sole with lobster sauce on offer.
The choice: Three to four options per course.
The offer: Two courses for £21.50, three courses for £25.50
Find out more about Koffmann's
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
The only three Michelin-starred restaurant on our list is hidden inside the Dorchester and normally costs an arm and a leg. The set price lunch is an excellent way to test the place out without hurting your bank balance too much.
The choice: Three to four options per course.
The offer: Three courses (amuse-bouche and mignardises too), two glasses of wine, half a bottle of mineral water and coffee or tea for £55
Find out more about Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
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