27 Blackstock Rd, London N4 2JF

There aren’t all that many places serving up Uyghur food in London (and for that matter the UK), making Dilara a place of pilgrimage for anyone who wants to try it. Specialities include amazing hand-pulled noodles (the beef is a must if you’re a meat-eater) and they also do a range of Turkish dishes too.

Thames Wharf Studios, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA

Decades after originally opening, Ruth Rogers' River Café opened a new café close to the original legendary restaurant that's a much more casual affair. As well as pastries and cakes, you'll also be able to order dishes cooked up by the main River Café team here.

172 Tollington Park, London N4 3AJ

Four Legs, the team behind nearby pub The Plimsoll, have transformed an old fish and chip shop into a Spanish-style seafood bar. That means there are plenty of seafood tapas and small plates on offer like their deep-fried deviled crab. And yes, there are chips too, with bravas sauce poured all over them.

The OWO. 7 Horse Guards Ave, London SW1A 2EX

Endo Kazutoshi, who also runs Sumi and his signature restaurant Endo at Rotunda, is behind this extensive Japanese restaurant at the top of The OWO in Whitehall. Here he's created a menu that has more European Influences than his other places, while boasting a great roof terrace that looks over some of London's most iconic buildings. Make sure to also pop into the excellent Kioku Bar on the ground floor for cocktails and sake.

123 Bayswater Rd, London W2 3JH

The Park is billed as a New World grand cafe and this restaurant from Jeremy King moves outside of his traditional European grand cafe comfort zone. Here, both the food and wine are influenced by the west coast of America and there's also a feel of mid-20th Century US glamour here too. Expect a wide range of food that includes everything from huge pies to seafood pasta with both US and European-influenced dishes appearing and a great cocktail list.

19 Old Park Ln, London W1K 1LB

The Nobu restaurants worldwide are just as big a deal since the first one opened in New York about 30 years ago. This Park Lane outpost was the first in London (and the first outside the US) and remains hugely popular to this day. The miso black cod is still the signature dish and the sushi here is excellent - many of London's great sushi chefs started here.

62 Seymour St, London W1H 5BN

The Italian Greyhound occupies an enviably large corner space in Marylebone, offering both a sunlit dining room as well as a great terrace space. Billed as a neighbourhood Italian restaurant, you can find classic Italian food on the menu, from pizza to pasta, and there are some great snacks if you fancy popping in for a glass of wine. There's a handy private dining room downstairs if you need somewhere for a group.

3 S Quay Square, London E14 9RU

The small Goodman group offers up one of the best steak experiences in London, and this Canary Wharf outpost is no exception. Their steak comes from farms both grass-fed in the Lake District and across the pond in Nebraska, and are aged on-site. It's a great place for a perfectly cooked steak but also has an impressive wine list, not to mention good private dining options.

3 Crispin Pl, London E1 6DW

Taking up almost all of one side of Spitalfields Market, this hybrid bar, restaurant and alfresco space manages to be all things without diluting its offering. There are small plates and wines on tap in the bar along with a more formal dining room to enjoy the Italian-led menu. The outdoor kitchen also allows them to do a lot of live-fire cooking.

Unit 2A, Tower Place, London EC3R 5BU

This sees chef and restaurateur Guirong Wei (of Master Wei) taking her Shaanxi menu to the heart of the City. The Tower Hill restaurant has a strong focus on hand-pulled noodles with them making up many of the signature dishes.

9th Floor, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT

The City branch of this Notting Hill fusion restaurant serves up a winning mix of Japanese dishes with Mexican influences. Its biggest selling point here at Liverpool Street is the late licence and capacious roof terrace with a great view of the City. There’s also a huge separate bar here as well.

44 Cloth Fair, London EC1A 7JQ

Set in a historic part of the City, this neighbourhood-style restaurant was opened by a pair of wine importers so you can expect the wine offering to be on point. It’s split, loosely, into a wine bar for enjoying small plates, and a cosy dining room. The dishes are seasonal and the cooking is both inventive and great, with a big emphasis on seasonality.

55 Shirland Rd, London W9 2JD

The Hero saw the team behind The Pelican take The Hero at Maida and completely revamp it, with a stripped-back look that really showcases the rooms beautifully. Food here comes in two parts. There's the pub food downstairs, which features pub snacks and classics like ham, egg and chips while there's a proper grill restaurant upstairs.

135 Portland Rd, Holland Park, London W11 4LW

The third iteration of Julie's sees the restaurant back to its former glory, albeit in the new guise of a French brasserie. Now owned by a local, the restaurant features an array of small plates, snacks and larger dishes like a lobster souffle. Expect a piano player inside, a lively terrace and the downstairs bar is back in action too.

109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ

London's OG department store rooftop space, the fifth floor at Harvey Nichols is an incredibly handy place to swing by for food as it comprises six restaurants and bars in one space. Underneath the glass roof and leading out to a lovely terrace is the Fifth Floor Cafe but you'll also find a branch of Burger & Lobster up here along with Zelman Meats, Madhu's Brasserie and two more bars.

12-14 Basil Street, London SW3 1AJ

While it has a name that comes with perhaps unfortunate connotations in the UK, this high-end Japanese restaurant, which comes via the Middle East, has managed to find quite a following here. It mixes Japanese dining with a clubby feel, but there's also notable skill showing through in a menu that certainly has the odd nod to Nobu. They're also blessed with a rooftop area overlooking Knightsbridge.

4 Harriet Street, London SW1X 9JR

This high-end Italian restaurant has an impressive background, coming from the Antinori family, one of the most famous winemakers in Italy. The restaurant is focused on Tuscan cuisine, so as well as pasta, carpaccio and other dishes, you'll also find huge Florentine T Bones here. The design is a highlight, with a much more homely feel than typically upscale Italians, so it has a much more cosy vibe.

2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL

These are actually two separate but linked restaurants, coming from David Carter, the man behind Smokestak and Manteca. Both Greek-inspired, the downstairs Agora is more of a taverna-style walk-in-only affair with flatbreads, skewers and cocktails. Upstairs is Oma, a slightly more upmarket place with a live fire grill at the heart of it and some hugely impressive mezza, breads, and larger Greek-inspired dishes (as well as an extensive semi-alfresco area). Both come with a strong vibey feel that adds a bit of buzz to the market.

7 Paddington St, London W1U 5QE

Lita in Marylebone sees ex-Corrigan's chef Luke Ahearne taking the helm at this luxe live-fire restaurant in Marylebone. With a vibe that harkens back to nearby Chiltern Firehouse, this mixes a bit of laid-back glamour with an excellent menu that has a focus on southern European/Mediterranean dishes. The cocktails are notably on-point too.

Old Barrack Yard, Belgravia, London SW1X 7NP

Right next door to The Berkeley is The Maybourne Group's all-suite hotel, The Emory. Their signature restaurant is another team-up with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (who's also at The Connaught) for a restaurant that combines the best of his ABC restaurants in America, including his renowned pea hummus.

Five Park Drive, Wood Wharf, London E14 9GG

After success in St James, the Fallow team have gone much bigger with this huge restaurant in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf. It sticks to the seasonal, local and no-waste ethos that they started with Fallow, which adding completely different dishes to the menu. Here, skewers and mixed grills are the signatures and there's a much larger outdoor space as well as multiple private hire spaces.

221 Well St, London E9 6RG

Shankey's is a great neighbourhood restaurant serving up a particularly interesting mix of Irish and Indian-influenced dishes and drinks. Irish-born Eoghan is the cocktail genius behind the Celtic-infused cocktail list while chef Sacha Henry is responsible for a mix of small and sharing plates of Indian food.

177 Morning Ln, London E9 6LH

Head to Morning Lane if you want to see what the lovechild of a Japanese izakaya and British seasonal restaurant looks like. With a charcoal grill being the focus of the kitchen here, there's plenty of great produce being served on sticks. Tables are communal so you'll probably leave having made new friends.

Grand Union Canal, Sheldon Square, Central W2 6DS

Moored beside each other, this pair of barges on the canal at Paddington are hard to miss with their exterior painted by Sir Peter Blake. Their bottomless weekend brunches are particularly popular. For the menu, think Aussie-inspired dishes like tiramisu lamingtons and sweetcorn fritters with mashed avo. The nearby Bondi Green is also a good option from the same people.

13 Norfolk Pl, Tyburnia, London W2 1QJ

As the name suggests, this is the open-to-all all canteen for the private members club catering to journalists working in international affairs and particularly in conflicts. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner during the week serving up an international menu in a dining room filled with amazing Magnum photographs.

50 Connaught St, Tyburnia, London W2 2AA

If you’re after a traditional Indian meal in comfortable surroundings, then this elegant West London spot is just the ticket. From an extensive menu, the tandoor section is probably the best area to spend time on and it’s a particularly good spot to go if there’s a vegan or vegetarian in your group.

13 Sale Pl, Tyburnia, London W2 1PX

Any restaurant that’s managed to survive more than five decades in the frenetic London restaurant scene must be doing something right. Royalty and celebrities alike have been flocking to this Malaysian restaurant since the 1970s for dishes like the titular satay and laksa too. If you’ve managed to save room for dessert, the deep-fried banana is a must.

9 Sheldon Square, London W2 6HY

This modern Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Paddington is handy for commuters and office workers alike. If you’re here with a group, the set mezze menus are the easiest way to go, but they also do a line of what they term ‘massguettes’ - baguettes stuffed with lamb or chicken shawarma or falafel. You’ll find a decent selection of Lebanese wines on the wine list here.

153 Praed St, Tyburnia, London W2 1RL

Open all day from breakfast through to the early evening, the menu at Mihbaj focuses on dishes from Jordan and Palestine. It also boasts a hidden terrace which is a perfect little oasis from the hustle and bustle of Paddington. Start the day with shakshuka or French toast with rose and vanilla ice cream. If you’re here later in the day their upside-down maqluba dish of aubergines, tomatoes and lamb is unmissable.

12 Connaught St, St George's Fields, London W2 2AF

Spotting this bakery and cafe is easy - just look for the queue snaking its way down Connaught Street. A viral sensation, everyone is going crazy for La Maritxu’s burnt baked Basque cheesecake. Order a slice to have in, with a cup of coffee or get a full cheesecake to go.