London Restaurants - Soho, Fitzrovia, Covent Garden

70 Charlotte St, London W1T 4QG

Kitchen Table is the high-end counter dining restaurant from James Knappett and Sandia Chang. It's in a setting that sees you seated around the open kitchen watching and interacting with the chefs while they create a spectacular tasting menu for you.

21 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LP

Akoko is centred around West African cuisine and they say their aim is to "pay homage to the country's culinary heritage by using recipes passed down through generations and traditional cooking techniques of smoking, curing and fermenting".

22 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NB

Jun Tanaka's Fitzrovia venture is a French/Mediterranean neighbourhood-style restaurant which uses fine dining cheffing techniques but with a more casual feel. The Pain Perdu with ice cream is an absolute must.

64 Goodge St, London W1T 4NF

64 Goodge Street is a French bistro in Fitzrovia that comes from the same people behind nearby Clipston and Portland. Here they're approaching the French menu from "an outsider's perspective" so you can expect some twists on classically french dishes in a compact but friendly space.

40-41 Rathbone Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HX

The Big Mamma Group's second opening in London saw them hit up Fitzrovia with a massively OTT slice of Mediterranean charm and flavour. It's extremely popular with a stunning looking room.

113 Great Portland Street, London W1W 6QQ

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

5 Clipstone St, London W1W 6BB

This was the third opening from the team behind Quality Chop House and Portland. The corner site has loads of natural light and serves up dishes influenced by seasonal UK produce.

30 Brewer St, London W1F 0SS

This counter-dining sushi spot in the heart of Soho is the second restaurant from the well-respected Cubé in Mayfair but it's all concentrated around sushi. As such, it represents one of the best places in Soho for truly great sushi and the omakase menu in particular is great value.

Lower Ground, 20 Broadwick St, London W1F 9NE

This opulently decorated lower-ground restaurant is part of the eequally lavishly decorated Broadwick hotel in Soho. If you're after a place with plenty of atmosphere and very flattering lighting in Soho, this is the place to come. The food is a high-end Italian affair and the restaurant has been known to be quite a magnet for A-list celebs.

13-15 Tavistock Street, London WC2E 7PS

This is the third opening from the Delamina restaurant group, serving up Eastern Mediterranean dishes in a gorgeous old Georgian building just off the Covent Garden piazza. What you can be sure of is that everything tastes amazing with the plant-led options being particularly creative and delicious.

National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Pl, London WC2H 0HE

Right at the top of the revamped National Portrait Gallery, this is the main restaurant with excellent views across London. In charge of the food is top Irish chef Richard Corrigan (Bentley's) who has brought with him a modern approach to European cooking with plenty of seafood on offer too.

37 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9EN

Thirty7 comes from the Oystermen (Matt Lovell & Rob Hampton), and is just around the corner from their first Covent Garden restaurant. They describe the restaurant as a neighbourhood restaurant and bar which goes beyond the seafood focus of before (although you will find oysters on the menu). Make sure to have the cheddar beignets and also pop down to the excellent bar downstairs.

16A Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP

This is, simply put, a mini version of The Barbary, right next door to the original. The Barbary (which in turn is from the same people as The Palomar). Expect a small plates menu, with a similar Mediterranean/African focus all served up on a mini counter space.

39 Endell St, London WC2H 9BA

The people behind the 10 Cases wine bar opened this, their second restaurant, just across the road from the first. The focus is on seafood, with daily catches on the board every day. Being related to the 10 Cases (and with access to their cellar) the wine list is also excellent.

20 Endell St, London WC2H 9BD

This Covent Garden cafe and bar comes from the 10 Cases/Parsons team (and is on the same road). Here, they've opened a European cafe with what they describe as "a European accent". An all-day affair, you can get bacon sandwiches in the morning (including through a hatch on the side), sandwiches and lunch and small plates and amazing cakes and cocktails in the evening.

14-15 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8QH

This gorgeous Parisian-inspired bistro in the heart of Covent Garden comes from chef Jackson Boxer (Brunswick House). Set inside the Henrietta hotel, it's a notably reasonably-priced restaurant for Covent Garden with some unique takes on French cuisine. The seaweed canelés with trout roe are a must-have and make sure to order an enormous bowl of duck fat chips too.

49 Old Compton St, London W1D 6HL

London's obsession with smash burgers sees this French outfit opening their first UK restaurant in Soho. Smash burgers are at the centre of the menu and you can add up to five patties on a single burger if you're up to it. They also have their own brand of huge chewy cookies for dessert.

4-6 Old Compton St, London W1D 4TA

Created by restaurateur Alex Xu, also known for Kung-Fu Noodle, this restaurant makes a big deal of the open kitchen where chefs make noodles on-site. Specializing in dishes from Gansu province, they have a wide variety of pan-fried, and cold noodles, along with crispy dumplings. Xu emphasizes authenticity in Noodle Inn, having returned to China to capture traditional flavours and techniques for the opening.

1 Green's Ct, London W1F 0HA

CDMX Tacos is a Mexico City-style hole-in-the-wall taqueria in the middle of Soho. It's specialising in tacos and quesadillas to grab and go with options including al pastor (marinated pork) and chicharron (crispy pork belly), paired with Mexican beers. An ideal spot for a snack while on the go in Soho.

3 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 8AX

After initial success in Brixton, Adejoké Bakare moved Chishuru to a bigger space in central London. In this two-floored space you'll find the same modern West African cuisine that proved such a hit at the original opening. Expect a regularly changing set menu with some truly innovative touches to West African dishes.

216 Great Portland St, London W1W 5QW

This Middle Eastern grill restaurant is from the award-winning team behind the nearby Honey & Co. Expect dishes like lamb kofta and chops, whole fish and slow-cooked octopus, charred cauliflower and aubergine.

10 Berners Street, London W1T 3NP

This is the main restaurant at the London Edition and Jason Atherton is in charge of things. Expect a more upmarket affair to some of Atherton's other spots and a frankly jaw-dropping room.

34 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NH

Since it opened in 1991, Pied a Terre has launched the careers of Richard Neat, Tom Aikens and Shane Osborn. Dishes comprise exquisitely sourced and prepared ingredients from this Michelin-starred kitchen where Asimakis Chaniotis is running the show.

Treehouse London, 14-15 Langham Pl, London W1B 2QS

Nancy Silverton is a big name back in the States where the LA Pizzeria Mozza is extremely popular. This is her London outpost, a pizzeria which really does turn out excellent pizzas (and with a menu that's a good deal different from the norm) as well as huge desserts.

31 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1JH

This Peruvian restaurant is from Virgilio Martinez, former Executive Chef at Astrid y Gaston, listed on the San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list. It aims to "integrate Peruvian traditional cuisine with a modern and contemporary twist."

37 Charlotte Street, London W1T 1RR

At Roka it's all about the robata grill. Start with sushi or sashimi and work your way up through dishes like black cod to various yakitori sticks.

Fifth floor, 240 Regent Street, London W1B 3BR

This is the Japanese part of the Aqua complex at Regent Street, featuring a sushi bar and sumibiyaki charcoal grill as well as a terrace that looks down over Regent Street.

12 Upper St Martins Lane, London WC2H 9FB

This is the original Dishoom, the self-styled Bombay cafe that propelled them to success (albeit now twice the size it was when it originally opened). Like all Dishoom restaurants, you'll find their excellent small plates, inspired by Indian street food, with certain specials like the bacon naans and the house black daal not to be missed. Also note that this Dishoom has one of their longest queues in the evening.

4 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9FA

This is from the same people as the original Le Bab - but it's a restaurant of two halves. Upstairs you'll find their next-level kebabs which are inspired by and are paying homage to great kebab houses. And downstairs is the hidden counter dining restaurant Kebab queen. This is a different beast altogether, offering a kebab tasting menu like no other.

15 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8QG

Ave Mario is from the people behind Gloria and Circolo Poplare, and once again it's another hit for them. Expect no holds barred on the design and BIG food, like the enormous ice cream cake that they wheel about the room. Specialities here include a caviar section, massive cocktails and a veal milanese that's twice as big as your head.