It was 2011's most anticipated restaurant and, having opened way back at the start of the year, remains the best reviewed (and the most reviewed too). Meat Fruit at the Mandarin Oriental clearly proved a huge hit with all the critics.

"The best thing of all about Dinner is a quality never before associated with a Michelin deity. It is colossal fun."
Matthew Norman, Telegraph

"When the hyperbole and hysteria around Dinner subside, it will be clear that while it may not be "the best restaurant in the world", as one over-excited critic has anointed it, it is certainly a world-class restaurant, which takes British food to another level."
Tracey MacLeod, Independent

See all the Dinner by Heston Blumenthal reviews

The Corner Room is a companion restaurant to Nuno Mendes' Viajante, in the same building. It launched quietly in May, as a result not many critics have made the trip, but those who have fell in love with the place.

"Stand back and admire the prices, would you? The value isn't really the point, but, on top of the excellence, it is a kind of wizardry."
Zoe Williams, Telegraph

"While Viajante can seem restrictively expensive and even dauntingly high-end for some, Corner Room feels inclusive and informal -and it costs around half what you might expect to pay for food of this standard in Mayfair."
Euan Ferguson, Time Out

See all the Corner Room reviews

Former blogger Mikael Jonsson worked hard to create the perfect restaurant and the critics agreed, with his Chiswick restaurant getting a rare perfect score from the Sunday Times' AA Gill..

"This dining room gave me such pleasure and left us with a rounded sense of satisfaction and replete wellbeing, without self-conscious fuss."
AA Gill, Sunday Times

"Hedone's not perfect, but it's one of the most interesting and accomplished restaurants to have opened in London for a long time."
Guy Dimond, Time Out

See all the Hedone reviews

Another under-the-radar opening, this time in Chelsea, Medlar quickly garnered rave reviews from the critics..

"...I loved the simple excellence of the food so much that I went back with Esther the following week – it is the highest accolade I can give a place, to say I liked it so much I wanted to share it with her..."
Giles Coren, Times

"A restaurant like Medlar doesn't come along often these days, which is reason enough to hurry there."
Fay Maschler, Evening Standard

See all the Medlar reviews

It's one of the restaurants that we at Hot Dinners kept returning to, and the critics loved it too. We can't wait for our next Iberico burger..

"I would genuinely eat here night after night if I could. In fact, I’m almost devastated I can’t."
Marina O'Loughlin, Metro

"...Opera Tavern is good news in an area that has long been short on restaurants appealing to anyone other than theatregoers on the verge of hypoglycaemia."
John Lanchester, Guardian

See all the Opera Tavern reviews 

Russell Norman launched three restaurants in 2011 alone, but it was Spuntino in March that has proven to be a firm favourite of many, not least for the truffled egg toast.

"This, however, is an American diner, the sort of place you would find right now in Brooklyn. It is a shameless act of cultural larceny, executed with love."
Jay Rayner, Observer

"I love the comfort-food excess of the menu: if it can be fried, put in a bun or slathered in cheese, it will be."
Marina O'Loughlin, Metro

See all the Spuntino reviews

Jose Pizarro's Bermondsey tapas bar proved an instant hit with bloggers and critics alike and has since been joined by the equally successful larger restaurant Pizarro.

"(Rare-grilled pluma) is one of those rare things, a genuine foodie thrill, tasting like an unholy but entirely successful alliance between finest beef rump and silky, nutty, acorn-fed pig."
Marina O'Loughlin, Metro

"When it's very fresh and perfectly cooked, high-grade seafood is distinguished by a subtle sweetness below the initial savoury impact. That was present here, and beautifully drawn out by the saucing and seasoning."
John Lanchester, Observer

See all the José reviews

From the same mainstay as Cay Tre and Viet Grill, Keu showed everyone how to make Banh Mi sandwiches properly.

"The mackerel is the best - the crisp crust giving way to a juicy, aromatic, pungent filling."
Nick Curtis, Evening Standard

"...as far as Vietnamese sandwiches are concerned, Kêu! (‘that’s fantastic!’) – from the same stable as Cây Tre and my beloved Viet Grill – is way ahead of the competition."
Marina O'Loughlin, Metro

See all the Keu reviews

The companion pizza parlour to the original Pizza (actually in the) East, this Ladbroke Grove addition won the praises of many critics who weren't so inclined to make the trek to Shoreditch.

"Pizza East is a great addition to this corner of London. It improves without patronising. It fits in, and it elevates."
AA Gill, Sunday Times

"A spicy sausage seasoned with red chilli and toasted fennel seeds was a marvellous match to the wispy broccoli florets and creamy mozzarella."
Roopa Gulati, Time Out

See all the Pizza East Portobello reviews

Jason Atherton's opening in Mayfair was arguably the second biggest opening of 2011 after Heston. Atherton proved that Maze wasn't a one off and the place has been packed every time we've passed by.

"Atherton, formerly of Ramsay’s Maze, is not merely a sensational technical cook, he is one of those culinary alchemists who can transform what looks like base pretension on the page into solid gold in the mouth."
Matthew Norman, Telegraph

"Max's roasted Scottish halibut, exalted by a yummy mussel sauce, twined itself around asparagus, and battled with a side-dish of Catalan paella. These were vivid and extravagant flavours I'd travel miles to experience."
John Walsh, Independent

See all the Pollen Street Social reviews

Indian Street food came to Mayfair in style with the launch of this restaurant - split into casual (upstairs) and fine (downstairs) dining spaces.

"Pea and potato samosas have a pleasing kick and come with a deliciously spicy kabli chana chickpea curry. The spiced lamb chapli kebab served in a bun is in with a shout for the title of London’s best burger."
Andy Lynes, Metro

"This is all a bit one-note, as in, brilliant. But the flavours are anything but one-note."
Lisa Markwell, Independent

See all the Roti Chai reviews

All eyes were on one of America's biggest chefs as he came to take on the crowded steak market in London. However, Cut proved more than up to the task - it might have been pricey, but it was just what many critics were looking for.

"The steaks are as fine as any you will find in London. They are right up there with Hawksmoor and Goodman: Not better but more refined -- posh and almost ladylike in their elegance."
Richard Vines, Bloomberg

"The best steak I have ever eaten is not on my plate, but sitting across from me, an Australian wagyu costing £70. The first thing that strikes me is the rhombus shape; the second is the powerful, gamey aroma; and the third is the obvious tenderness as Dominic takes his knife to it."
Amol Rajan, Independent

See all the Wolfgang Puck's Cut reviews