Restaurant Reviews

5 Woodfield Road, London W9 2BA

The team behind Crispin and Bistro Freddie are also behind Canal, an all-day spot on the Grand Union Canal. There's a seasonal British-European menu with standout dishes like Portland crab doughnuts and red mullet bouillabaisse, with the shared "table cheeseburger" a signature dish. Cocktails are from A Bar with Shapes for a Name and wines lean European and low-intervention. With communal tables, a central bar, and two big south-facing terraces on the canal, it’s become something of a scene.

17 Bohemia Pl, London E8 1DU

Inside Hackney Church Brewery, you'll find Elliot Cunningham's Lagom. Part inspired by his Swedish heritage, it's a live-fire cooking affair over wood. Most of the globally-inspired dishes on offer here are worth trying, the smoked beef bun in particular, if it's on. However, the Lagom smashburger is lauded as one of London's very best - so get the burger first, but make sure to roam the rest of the menu too.

Arch 255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LQ

Tasca is from chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinead Murdoch. They're in charge of the kitchen at East London bar Cav, with Tasca. It takes inspiration from their travels through Spain and France, from which they've brought back elements of classic dishes and given them a modern London twist. Expect a parade of excellent small plates and a particularly good European wine list that celebrates female-founded vineyards and female winemakers.

2-4 Farmer St, London W8 7SN

Hidden away at the back of Los Mochis in Notting Hill (which is worth visiting too), you'll find this tiny omakase bar that fits just six diners every sitting. The menu here, which changes daily, takes inspiration from both Japanese and Mexican cuisines, so it's notably different to London's other omakase offerings. A cosy, intimate affair, it's right up there among London's very best omakase restaurants.