Modern European
16 Endell Street, London WC2H 9BD
Just near Covent Garden, this bistro offers a "small but ever changing wine list" and a menu that changes every day to match the list.
Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR
A hugely impressive-looking venue, this has a decadent menu by Allegra's Patrick Powell which includes market oysters, sashimi tuna skewers and snacks like fried chicken and cashew hummus. It’s a proper destination restaurant and bar inside St Pancras.
49 Lexington St, Soho, London W1F 9AP
After a number of years in pop-ups and other spaces across town, Rita's have settled in Soho for their main restaurant (they also do sandwiches in Dalston). The menu is inspired by owners Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn travels across the Americas and the wine list is pretty special too.
52 St Thomas’s Road, London N4 2QW
When the Four Legs crew took on this Finsbury Park there were expectations sure but who could have predicted what a white hot success it would be? It’s often very hard to get a reservation but you can always rock up to the bar bit for a drink and one of their fabulous cheeseburgers.
322-324 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA
Taking two railway arches in Haggerston, Planque is a wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store, with a key focus on natural and low intervention wines. And most importantly it has Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) running the kitchen and serving up a modern take on French food.
339 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 4LS
Recently renovated, this popular Battersea haunt has been given a Gatsby-style makeover. So if you’re after somewhere a bit glam to go ‘out out’ then this is the venue for you. Weekend brunches are a big thing here and the cocktail list combines both low and no alcohol serves as well as those with a serious kick.
Embassy Gardens, 2 New Union Square, Nine Elms, London SW11 7AX
With a spa, hairdressers and beauty salon, the cafe here follows the same ethos of wellbeing with a plant-forward menu and list of organic wines on offer. Vegan, flexitarian, gluten-free and dairy-free diets are all catered for.
77 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 9ZN
This huge restaurant in Soho is inspired (officially) by DC Comics. But you may well have heard it referred to as "The Batman restaurant". Essentially, it's a massive subterranean space which takes elements of various Batman stories as its theme. There are multiple areas throughout, but the immersive Monarch Theatre is an experience like no other in London.
Conrad London St. James, 22-28 Broadway, Westminster, London SW1H 0BH
She won loads of plaudits for her time at The Harwood Arms and now Sally Abé has moved to the Conrad St James. She's in charge of all the food at the hotel and this is her main restaurant, aiming to "build on the foundations of British cuisine" with a menu that intends to be elevated but fun.
28 Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7AT
This sees boutique US hotel group NoMad has expanding outside the USA for the first time and they've done it with style. It combines a world-class bar (the cocktails are truly excellent) with one of the best looking restaurants in London and became an instant hit. The Chicken Dinner is definitely worth a look and the bar is very welcome for an area of Covent Garden that isn't blessed with them.
Sheldon Square, Paddington Central, London W2 6HY
The Cheese Bar team could simply have settled for serving cheese platters on a boat and Londoners would have lapped it up, but they've done so much more with this floating restaurant. The vessel itself - purpose-built- gives nearly everyone a water level view. As for the food, it really is all about cheese in many, many different forms - and that's a very good thing.
43 Store Street, London WC1E 7DB
Anna Tobias is an ex-River Cafe and Rochelle Canteen chef and her first solo venture, in Bloomsbury, is backed by the people behind 40 Maltby Street and it's very much about comfort food. Keep an eye on Instagram for the daily changing menu - each one is a masterclass in great menu writing.
38 Groom Place, Belgravia, London SW1X 7BA
This sees Tom Aikens return to the kitchen in a mich more intimate setting. Counter dining is the order of the day where you can see the chefs properly in action. The menu is based around Aikens' life and expreience and expect a lot of attention to detail in the presentation.
153-157 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 3LW
Coming from Robin Gill, this is The Dairy Mk II in everything but name. The same team, the same seasonal menus, great wine and cocktail list - just in a different location.
2 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4NB
This is the follow up to the original Noble Rot, led by Mark Andrew and Daniel Keeling. This Soho outing is a purely restaurant affair, which takes on the building that used to be the Gay Hussar. Dishes explore the heritage of that Hungarian restaurant and, of course, there's an excellent wine list.
6-8 Mill Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 2AZ
This Mayfair pub is best known for its pies - having won the British Pie Awards three times. It's also now run by the same people behind The Guinea, so there's an expanded menu as well as access to all the wines on The Guinea's list. Look out for the secret roof terrace at the back.
20 International Way, London E20 1FD
This Stratford restaurant comes from chef Patrick Powell, previously Head Chef at the Chiltern Firehouse. The restaurant takes up a whole floor of The Stratford, with a contemporary-style fine-dining menu (as well as a more informal menu for the bar and extensive terrace).
36 Snowsfields, Bermondsey, London SE1 3SU
Trivet is a joint collaboration between chef Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal, both alumni of Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck. Here you can expect an informal take on fine dining with a truly epic wine list that covers the globe. The attached wine bar has a pared down menu that's also worth trying out.
4 The Polygon, Clapham, London SW4 0JG
Adam Byatt's Clapham restaurant is a super neighbourhood restaurant that's also well worth crossing town for. They say their food is seasonal and inspirational, countless loyal customers agree.
95 Portobello Road, London W11 2QB
Notting Hill's food credentials are boosted by a restaurant and bar team that comes via the River Cafe and Soho House to take what was once a pub. They're serving up sharing plates, and food cooked over fire or in a wood-burning oven, all across four floors.
3 Viaduct Gardens, Nine Elms, London SW11 7AY
A menu with some Irish influence menu is on offer at Robin Gill's next restaurant Darby’s, inspired by his father. It's an all-day restaurant and bakery just opposite the US Embassy and they'll also be serving food at the development’s incredible Sky Pool 10 stories up.
Holborn Hall, 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD
A formidable restaurant team have taken on the space at the Grade II listed Holborn Town Hall with their first venture - part bar, part restaurant.
11-17 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BH
It's taken millions to transform the old Savoy Cinema into a modern arts space and the restaurant is every bit as ambitious with former St John executive chef Chris Gillard running things. Expect a menu of modern British cuisine.
177b Blackstock Road, London N5 2LL
Not to be confused with Shop Cuvee or Cave Cuvee, this is the original opening from the team who brought their enthusiasm for natural wine to the Highbury/Finsbury Park borders. Dishes change regularly but might include treats like a very good pate en croute or asparagus cassoulet.
188 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 7JD
Moio restaurant on Stoke Newington High Street is a collaboration between a chef and sommelier who previously worked together at Portland restaurant as chef and sommelier. There's a modern European menu with a big focus on matching wines with it.
336 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH
A totally unique cocktail bar and restaurant, this offers some truly creative and mind-blowing cocktails. A Bloody Mary arrives as a clear drink (they make their own clarified tomato juice), and many others come with a taste-enhancing accompaniment while other drinks are presented with smoke, fizz, or have flashing icecubes. The kitchen has changing residencies, currently Donnelley’s, where you can experience an eclectic range of dishes with influences from all corners of the globe.
374 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8PL
This all-day bistro is set in a former Edwardian laundry - stylish and grown up with a New York feel to it. The terrace will be fantastic in the summer as few places offer outside drinking and dining in this area. Food is seasonal, with a chalk board noting daily sharing dishes. With the same owners as the old Specialist Cellars that used to be in Pop Brixton, a lot of time has been spent on the drinks menu, with wine also available to take out.
Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, King’s Cross, London N1C 4AB
Pip Lacey, the former head chef at Murano is the brains behind Hicce, a restaurant with wood-fired food that's brimming with British flavours via Norway and Japan. Also worth noting, they have a little wine shop and market downstairs.
Town Hall Hotel, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF
Rafael Cagali is the chef who teamed up with Singaporean hotelier Peng Loh for this Brazilian/South American and Italian influenced restaurant. It's the kind of international melting pot story that makes London's restaurant scene so great. Michelin clearly agree - they gave it a star in its first year. Tasting menus can sometimes be an ordeal, but here there's a great deal of humour, making a trip to Bethnal Green to try Da Terra's inspired dishes a must.
75 Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 9SG
From Shoreditch to Sloane Street, Adam Handling's rise has been meteoric. At their English countryside hotel Le Manoir Belmond picked Raymond Blanc, now they've put all their resources behind Handling at their flagship Knightsbridge hotel. He's in charge of all the food, including bar, restaurant, afternoon tea and even the room service food.
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