Restaurant Reviews

Mitsuhiro Araki's tiny restaurant - just nine people up at the dining counter and six in a private dining room - became one of London's rare three Michelin-starred restaurants. But the chef has now returned to Tokyo, leaving his sushi apprentice turned head chef Marty Lau in charge.

Alain Ducasse is one of France's most celebrated chefs and he's done pretty well over here too. This restaurant at The Dorchester hotel, serving up fine French food, is one of only three restaurants in London to be awarded three Michelin stars.

For years Clare Smyth was seen as the guiding light of Gordon Ramsay's flagship Hospital Road restaurant. Since going it alone with her own fine-dining spot in Notting Hill she's already notched up two Michelin stars as well as the top London slot in the Good Food Guide.

He may have shut up shop at Hibiscus, but Claude Bosi is now at the classic Bibendum building. There he's in charge of both the downstairs seafood restaurant and the fine dining upstairs.

Kitchen Table is the main event of the two-part restaurant from James Knappett and Sandia Chang (also including Bubbledogs). Here you can expect a new meal almost every visit as the menu evolves depending on the chef's preferences and the seasons. And all this in a setting that sees you seated around the open kitchen watching and interacting with the chefs.

One of the few London restaurants on the World's 50 Best list, Heston's only London gaff is still hugely popular. The dishes that captured everyone's attention when it opened - the Meat Fruit (chicken liver parfait shaped like a mandarin) and the Tipsy Cake are still on the menu and are must-order dishes if you haven't got round to trying them yet. Keep an eye out for A-list diners, the hotel is a well-known celebrity haunt. 

Head chef Alex Dilling succeeded Arnaud Bignon to run the kitchen at this Mayfair restaurant in 2018, promising to create "food that sparks joy and is truly elegant, complemented by one of the world’s most outstanding wine lists of over 3,400 wines."

Pierre Gagnaire's uber chic Mayfair restaurant is certainly for special occasions - it's one of the most expensive meals in town. There are multiple dining rooms within the building, all with very different looks and menus. There are also incredibly instagrammable loos.

One of the few London restaurants to make it as far as the top 10 of the World's 50 Best, this is often cited to us by fellow foodies as their favourite place in town. Fronted by Brett Graham it manages to mix high-end Michelin-starred food with a relaxed service, while still keeping the locals happy too.

Umu is billed as the "only Kyoto style restaurant in the UK", and comes with a Michelin star.

Headed up by chef Michel Roux Jr, this classic London restaurant prides itself on having some of the best service in London. It's not cheap but if you book for lunch, there's one of the best set menu deals in town.

One of the main restaurants at prestigious London hotel The Connaught, this is run by French Chef Helene Darroze. Expect high-end French dining that has won the restaurant two Michelin stars. It's closing for two months this summer for a major refurb (from 14 July - September).

This restaurant comes from Iré Hassan-Odukale (front of house) and Jeremy Chan (Head Chef) and features a modern take on West African Cuisine. 

Small plates, sharers and snacks are on the menu here, at this venture from the team who ran Michelin-starred Hackney restaurant Ellory. Now they're Shoreditch-based with a more laid back venture that features their own Vermouth and wines.

Ollie Dabbous' Mayfair restaurant is a three storey affair cominging a fine dining tasting menu upstairs with an all-day a la carte on the ground floor and a basement bar.

Former Kitty Fisher's chef Tomos Parry's solo venture features a mix of cooking on fire, Welsh and Basque cuisine, and a big focus on wine. It became an instant hit - and it doesn't hurt that the dining room is quite lovely too.

Former Barrafina alumni José Etura and Nieves Barragan teamed up for their own restaurant, which specialises in Basque cuisine and it's been packed ever since. There's counter dining and a small bar downstairs or you can book ahead for sharing plates at the asador upstairs.

Simon Rogan's Roganic originally came to town as a long-term experimental pop-up. Now it's back as a permanent restaurant and Rogan's London home (not too far from the original location). Expect regularly changing inventive seasonal dishes, many using ingredients from Rogan's main base, L'enclume.

The main restaurant at the Four Seasons has triple-Michelin-starred French chef Anne-Sophie Pic as the chef - and she grabbed a new Michelin star for this restaurant too. It's a French Fine dining affair.

Phil Howard brought in two Michelin Stars to The Square before he moved on. This is the next restaurant where he's in the kitchen, with a slightly more laid-back feel.

From the team behind Clipstone and Emilia, this all day spot sets out it stall as "cooking the best produce, simply but with imagination and plenty of care". Both the main menu and wine list change frequently.

City Social is Jason Atherton's City restaurant high up in the high-rise Tower 42. There's a fancy design by Russell Sage, a more high-end experience some of his other ventures and a huge bar space. Oh, and there's a fantastic view too.

James Lowe's restaurant at the Tea Building in Shoreditch proved that a restaurant in Shoreditch could gain a Michelin star. This all-day restaurant showcases his food with a regularly changing menu. Look out for special guests popping in from time to time. And they serve a damn fine coffee throughout the day.

Simon Rogan, also behind L'Enclume and Roganic, has taken over the main restaurant at Claridge's and completely revamped it while offering the same food that is so hugely popular at L'Enclume.

This is Marcus Wareing's main base in London, and where he's earned a Michelin star (and also where you're most likely to see him in the kitchen). Expect top-notch Michelin-starred fine dining, where the ingredients are the main focus of the menus.

The Sethi family's concept of taking a colonial gymkhana club theme and serving modern Indian food combined with British ingredients, with a focus on the tandoor oven and sigri charcoal grill was an instant hit. Always packed with A-listers and foodies alike.

This restaurant is from Jason Atherton and, to date, his only one in Soho. Expect a very British menu, with plenty of starters in jars too. As with all of Atherton's places, the bar is just as important - so make time to head upstairs for a cocktail or three.

He's worked with the likes of Rene Redzepi at Noma, and previously with Tom Aikens, Adam Byatt and Thomas Keller. Now Tom Sellers is has launched his own restaurant in London called Story. Expect "humble ingredients but throws them together in a creative, inspired way" including beef dripping candles that you can eat.

One of the best restaurants in town and one of the few to make it into the World's 50 Best list, The Clove Club is now a London institution, on the must-try lists of all good gastro tourists. Head into the main restaurant for a regularly changing set menu which is at the heart of things here - or to the bar for cocktails and nibbles.