A stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, this transport hub welcomes thousands of visitors to London every day. But with its theatres, shops and fast-growing number of restaurants and bars, Victoria is not to be overlooked. The arrival of the huge Nova development and Market Hall, plus new openings at nearby Cardinal Place mean it’s a vibrant dining destination. Whether you’re staying or passing through, here’s our guide on where to eat and drink nearby.
Budget
Aloo Tama
18 Greencoat Row, London SW1P 1PG
This Nepalese restaurant serves up food with an emphasis on spicy flavour rather than excessive heat. It’s a place for homestyle cooking, whether you fancy a hearty dal, a mutton curry, or a quick momo. Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for.
Bleecker Victoria
205 Victoria St, London SW1E 5NE
Bleecker are in the upper echelons of what's already a great burger scene in London. The cheeseburgers are fab but if the Bleecker Black is on offer – with extra black pudding – that should be your go-to burger.
Happy Face
23 Eccleston Place, London SW1W 9NF
This new outlet of a popular pizza chain is just as much about the 72-hour-fermented Neapolitan pizza doughs as it is the music. Expect a next-level sound system with your traditional pizza toppings, as well as gelato, beer and cocktails.
Market Hall
191 Victoria St, London SW1E 5NE
A food court, but not as you know it; this is where you’ll find some excellent dining options under one roof, with nine different kitchens, two bars, and a heated rooftop terrace overlooking Victoria station. The only dilemma will be which vendor to order from.
Regency Café
17-19 Regency St, London SW1P 4BY
A classic English café, this opened in 1946 and is so quintessential-looking that it’s been used as a filming location for its art deco style. This is where to get a proper ‘greasy spoon’ breakfast fry-up and two-Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr has also declared it his favourite (there’s a framed photo on the wall with his statement to prove it).
The Vincent Rooms
Westminster Kingsway College, 76 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PD
Play your part in supporting the chefs of the future at this smart brasserie that offers high-standard, contemporary, seasonal food at great-value prices, thanks to the role it plays as a teaching kitchen. You’ll be served by students (both chefs and front of house staff) from the college.
Mid-range
Bone Daddies
Nova, 9 Sir Simon Milton Square, London SW1E 5DJ
A branch of the popular Japanese ramen chain, here you can perch at the central bar and watch all the action at the open kitchen while classic rock tunes blare, or at quieter outdoor tables. Either way, you can slurp on beautiful, slow-cooked broth and noodles.
Chestnut Bakery
17-21 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP
This relatively new bakery has a team of international chefs producing everything you need in the form of bread and patisserie in an upmarket café. Name a variety of loaf from anywhere in the world and it’s probably on offer here. There’s also freshly baked flatbreads from the clay oven to enjoy for savoury brunches at sharing tables out the back.
Ibérica
68 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6AQ
This two-level stylish Victorian branch of the Ibérica restaurant chain from two-Michelin-starred executive chef Nacho Manzano showcases some of the best Spanish produce in London. You can expect Juan Pedro Domecq jamón, croquetas from Manzano’s grandmother’s recipe and classic desserts such as caramelised rice pudding and churros.
Lorne
76 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1DE
With an ex-sommelier from the River Cafe and a chef from Brawn, visitors to Lorne should expect a particularly good wine list and a Modern British seasonal menu to match. It's deservedly rated as one of the best restaurants in Victoria.
Ma La Sichuan
This is the place for modern Sichuan cuisine and dim sum. Expect lots of sizzle and spicy flavours in a relatively minimalist and sleek space with service that errs on the formal side. There are two set menus as well as à la carte; it’s particularly good for groups.
The Other Naughty Piglet
The Other Place, 12 Palace St, London, SW1E 5JA
The Naughty Piglet group started out in Brixton and this is their second restaurant, inside the Other Place Theatre (but open to non theatre-goers too). It's all about sharing plates and there's a big focus on their strong natural wine list too.
Peggy Porschen
116 Ebury Street, London SW1W 9QQ
You may recognise the fairy-tale exterior from Instagram, but the (original) Belgravia outlet of Peggy Porschen still bowls visitors over with its pretty pinkness. You’ll have a wonderful afternoon tea here, as they’re renowned for their creative cakes, but there’s also an all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch.
La Poule Au Pot
The word classic was invented for this longstanding French restaurant which has been serving up dishes like coq au vin alongside onion soup and escargots since the Sixties.
The Thomas Cubitt
44 Elizabeth St, London SW1W 9PA
The Thomas Cubitt is the one of the Belgravia outposts for the Cubitt House Grou. Situated in a Regency townhouse, it combines a ground-floor pub with a more upmarket upstairs dining room.
Tozi
8 Gillingham St, London SW1V 1HJ
Tozi is a Venetian restaurant focusing on cicchetti. Dishes to try include Buffalo Ricotta Ravioli with Black Truffle, Gnocchi with Duck Ragù and Baccala “Mantecato” with Polenta Bramata. There are cocktails, Prosecco on tap and plenty of sharing tables around an open kitchen.
Wild by Tart
3-4 Eccleston Yards, London SW1W 9AZ
Particularly popular for healthy breakfasts and brunch, Wild by Tart in Belgravia’s Eccleston Yards development offers somewhere you can relax at one of the long communal tables and watch the open kitchen prepare dishes from the wood-fired oven.
Luxe
A Wong
70 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DE
This Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant is one of the city’s best. In a pared-back room, the menu travels the broad spectrum of Chinese cooking and has a lunchtime dim sum menu that's absolutely worth crossing town for.
Hunan
51 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8NE
Hunan is rated as one of London's best Chinese restaurants, loved by chefs and critics alike. As the name suggests, you can expect Hunanese cooking here – so there's going to be plenty of heat.
The Dining Room at The Goring
Beeston Place, London SW1W 0JW
A London institution for over 100 years, this hotel is around the corner from Buckingham Palace and the Queen has been known to pop in from time to time, so if you're lucky you might see a royal or two. Don't miss out on the eggs drumkilbo – they were a favourite of the Queen Mother.
Quilon
41 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF
With London high-end Indian restaurants being so good, it’s worthy of note that the Quilon has been one of the longest-serving in the city and it has a Michelin star to boot. Expect southwest coastal Indian cuisine with a high-end feel.
Uni
Uni (Japanese for ‘sea urchin’) serves up Nikkei (Japanese–Peruvian) cuisine in Victoria with a luxurious downstairs restaurant as well as an upstairs sushi bar.
Bars
Bbar
43 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 0PP
If you like plants with your cocktails, Bbar lays claim to having London’s largest ‘living wall’. It’s also directly located across from Buckingham Palace, so keep your eyes peeled for royalty from the terrace while enjoying live DJ sets through the week.
The Goring Cocktail Bar
15 Beeston Pl, London SW1W 0JW
A truly luxurious experience, The Goring’s cocktail bar showcases British spirits along with herbs from the hotel’s garden in an opulent setting, while a live pianist plinks quietly in the background. You can drink ‘The Madness of King George’, a cocktail featuring King George III’s favourite whisky, and nibble at lobster scampi with chilli and pepper jam from the bar menu.
The Leopard Bar
39 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 0PS
An elegant bar within The Rubens at the Palace hotel (opposite Buckingham Palace’s Royal Mews’ entrance), The Leopard is the place to settle into a brown leather sofa to try one of its 200 whiskies or 30 Champagnes and listen to live jazz or swing music.
Vagabond
Unit 17, 77 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 0AJ
Right next to Victoria station, this convenient location of the Vagabond bar chain is the place to wait for your train while sipping on one of the 100 wines by the glass. Or you could try something new, with help from its unique wine-matching machines.
Markets and shops
Cardinal Place Food Market
Held every Thursday from 11am to 3pm, this weekly market features hot and cold fare from wide range of street-food vendors and is a popular lunching spot for local office workers. Think: fish and chips, empanadas, sandwiches, burgers, as well as sweet treats and baked goods.
M Wine Store
Zig Zag Building, 74 Victoria St, London SW1E 6SQ
This is where you can discover oh-so-difficult-to-find wines that are usually only available to restaurants or specialist suppliers. There’s a shop on the ground floor and a tasting area on the first floor, with one of the largest by-the-glass selections in London, thanks to Coravin technology.
More delivery areas...
North: Islington, Highbury, Stoke Newington | King's Cross, Camden & Clerkenwell
South: Borough, London Bridge, Bermondsey | Clapham, Brixton | Peckham, Camberwell, Dulwich
East: Hackney | Shoreditch and Spitalfields | Walthamstow and Leyton
West: Chelsea, Kensington & Belgravia | White City and Notting Hill
Central: Central London restaurant deliveries
And there's more
And for even more delivery ideas (including shops, coffee, booze, bakeries and more), check out our Staying in section.
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