Modern European

43 Upper Brook Street, London W1K 7QR

Previously head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Matt Abé has taken over the space that once was home to Le Gavroche. Thoroughly updating it for the 21st Century, he's offering a refined series of tasting menus here, with a great attention to detail in all the dishes on offer.

344a Essex Rd, London N1 3PD

Stable Wines comes from the same team as Goodbye Horses. It's a wine shop upstairs, but head through the shop and you'll find the most beautiful wine bar downstairs. That's much larger than the shop with an almost gothic look. The same focus on natural wine can be found down here as well as a menu of small plates.

4 Ganton Street, London W1F 7QL

The Shaston Arms is the latest project from Patty & Bun founder Joe Grossmann, following the success of The Watermans Arms in Barnes. This new Soho pub takes over the former Shaston Arms site on Ganton Street, keeping the spirit of a classic boozer while adding a stronger dining focus. Chef Sam Andrews (ex-Ducksoup) from The Watermans Arms leads the kitchen once again, creating a menu that blends comforting pub classics with a few refined touches.

7 Moxon Street, London W1U 4EP

After eight years shaping Peckham’s dining scene with Kudu, Kudu Grill and Curious Kudu, Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams moved their whole operation to Marylebone. The new Kudu unites all three restaurants under one roof. With the sama approach of mixing in European and South African influences, expect brand-new dishes alongside favourites from Kudu and Kudu Grill, plus a private dining room and bar area.

52 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG

Once home to Pidgin, Sesta is a Neighbourhood-focused restaurant in Hackney from an ex-Pidgin duo - chef Drew Snaith and GM Hannah Kowalski. Here, the emphasis is on a seasonal menu but one that has a focus on comfort food that should attract both locals and people who loved Pidgin. Expect a strong natural wine list here too.

Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP

Acme Food Cult is from chef Andrew Clarke and, as the name suggests, it's all about cooking over fire on an impressive grill with a big, but not sole, focus on vegetables. You'll find it right next to 40FT Brewery, be sure to have some of their beer along with the food. It's also an excellent space for alfresco dining, with a space on the fully-covered terrace much sought after, particularly at weekends, when they do a great Sunday lunch.

Canal Place, 32 Andrews Rd, London E8 4RL

This is Max Rocha's solo restaurant by the canal in Hackney. The chef came from The River Cafe and like many of London's best chefs has also spent time at St John Bread & Wine. The bright dining room overlooking the canal is a great place to sit and try some of their weekly specials alongside what are now signature dishes like the deep-fried bread and butter pudding.

322-324 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA

Taking two railway arches in Haggerston, Planque is a wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store, with a key focus on natural and low-intervention wines. And most importantly it has Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) running the kitchen and serving up a modern take on French food. Small-medium plates are the order of the day, although there's a great set lunch deal here on Saturdays.

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.

73 Highbury Park, London N5 1UA

Lupa is a team-up of two locals: Ed Templeton, who is one of the founders of Carousel, and actor Theo James. Bringing in an ex-Pidgin chef to lead things, the menu takes its inspiration from Italy and in particular, Roman cuisine. Snacks, small plates and great wine are the order of the day in this compact restaurant where you might run into the odd celeb or two among the Highbury locals.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR

Victor Garvey, the man behind Michelin-starred SOLA, in now in charge of The Midland Grand in King's Cross. The menu concentrates on French-inspired haute cuisine, with more than a little tableside theatre thrown in. The dining room itself is one of the most impressive in London and it's also well worth making time to have a drink in the excellent Gothic Bar (which also has snacks from Garvey).

28-34 St. Martin's Court, London WC2N 4AL

Often seen as both the theatregoers and the actors' port of call post-theatre, Sheekeys is a London institution. It remains best known for its seafood, including an incredible fish pie which is still one of the best in London. A must-visit for every Londoner and notably great for counter dining, as well as its extensive, covered terrace.

16 Endell Street, London WC2H 9BD

This bistro offers a "small but ever-changing wine list" and a menu that changes every day to match the list. It's an excellent place to either settle down for dinner or to pop by for some really great wine and snacks, particularly if you can snag a seat on the terrace.

17 Neal's Yard, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9DP

Story Cellar is a spin-off from Tom Sellers' Story restaurant. It's a smaller-scale affair, billed as a "Parisienne-influenced" restaurant. Food-wise, the rotisserie chicken is a centrepiece alongside plenty of riffs on French cuisine (like snail bolognese) and a strong wine list.

34-35 Southampton St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7HG

This is Adam Handling's main restaurant where you'll be able to get some of his signature dishes (not to mention the amazing chicken butter). It's worth also heading to the Eve Bar here for some world class cocktails.

28 Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7AT

Once a boutique hotel group, this is now the only NoMad hotel, but it retains its style and combines a world-class bar in Side Hustle (the cocktails are truly excellent) with one of the best-looking restaurants in London. That's been reinvented as Twenty8 NoMad, a take on a New York-style brasserie with notably excellent steaks, while also retaining its signature truffle chicken meal.

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.

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.

84-86 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4Q

Morchella comes from the same team behind Perilla in Stoke Newington, but this is quite a different beast. Taking Mediterranean influences as its starting point, it's a laid-back affair in a bright dining room just off Exmouth Market. Expect small to medium sharing plates, a strong European wine list and there's also a separate bar too.

16 Grove Lane, London SE5 8SY

This pub comes from the team who also run the very well-reviewed (and award-winning) The Baring in Islington. This pub has a seasonal, sustainable approach to the regularly changing menu, but keep an eye out for the fantastic pizza dough bites with taramasalata. There's a separate bar area if you're dropping in for a drink so it's still very much in "proper pub" territory.

1 Club Row, London E1 6JX

This is the restaurant above The Knave of Clubs pub and while it's run by the same people, it's a very different beast. Trying to bring over a bit of NYC vibe to London, it's also been referred to as The Devonshire of East London. Vibe-wise, it's certainly similar (getting a table can be tricky) while the food from Patrick Powell features some excellent dishes like his moules frites and schitzel with gorgonzola. Very usefully, there's a "walk-in places available" light if you're passing by and fancy some snacks and one of their excellent martinis.

72 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY

Bône arrived with little fanfare to become one of the most popular restaurants in Shoreditch. Run by chef Nas Sharif, the restaurant runs a tight menu (that's also halal) with just two choices (at the time of writing, that's short rib or Atlantic salmon) and deserts like brown butter French toast with custard. That focus has made the restaurant one of Shoreditch's hot tickets.

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL

Chef Tomos Parry's restaurant remains one of the hottest in the area and still manages to attract a celeb or two to the upstairs room that's a little removed from the Shoreditch masses. Up here, you'll find a menu that features a mix of cooking on fire, Welsh and Basque cuisine, and a big focus on wine. It doesn't hurt that the dining room is quite lovely.

9 Chance St, London E2 7JB

Cycene is the restaurant inside Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch, with chef Taz Sarhane (ex Brooklands and Claude Bosi at Bibendum) in charge. Here you can expect a tasting menu-only experience, with a big focus on British produce and suppliers.The meal takes place throughout the building - from the bar to the kitchen and the dining room.

23A Englefield Rd, London N1 4JX

A couple of interesting chefs (ex-Big Jo and Noble Rot) are behind this self-styled cafe with 'quite good grub' on the Dalston/De Beauvoir borders. It may look like a cafe from the outside but the quality of the food and wine offering here is definitely a cut above the usual neighbourhood space. Expect a tight menu, singing from the season's songsheet.

70-74 City Rd, Old Street, London EC1Y 2BJ

This is the Old Street restaurant for Richard Corrigan, the top Irish chef who's also behind Bentley's in Mayfair. Expect a menu that has a modern European base mixed in with various Irish influences. There's an excellent pub downstairs too, in the shape of Gibney's.

97 St. John’s Road Battersea Rise, London SW11 1QY

Ploussard comes from the same team behind Other Side Fried but this is a very different affair. It's a neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant in Battersea with a seasonal small plates menu and a focus on natural wines. Tables are also kept back for walk-ins at the bar if you fancy popping in for wine and snacks.

16-18 Beak St, London W1F 9RD

Tomos Parry is the man behind the uber-successful Brat and this is his just-as-successful Soho restaurant. Here Parry takes his influences from both Spain and Wales, with a big eye on local sourcing and both cheese and bread made in-house. Expect top sharing plates like lobster caldereta and if the spider-crab omelette is on, it's a must-order.

10-14 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6RD

This Queen's Park restaurant (on the very foodie Lonsdale Street) comes from one of the founders of Coco du Mama and here he's launched a combo bakery and neighbourhood restaurant. The bakery has proven hugely popular and that leads through to a vibey restaurant with a prominent open kitchen serving up warming cassoulets and more.

64 Dean Street, London W1D 4QQ

Victor Garvey's Soho restaurant looks towards Californian fine-dining restaurants for its inspiration. So there's a West Coast USA vibe to the restaurant, fitted into its Soho location.