London White City Restaurant Guide

“Clever, subtly infused curries a wonderful step up from your local Indian” (“the flavours of every option are incredible with each dish spiced to perfection”) have catapulted this project by university friends Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell from a Brixton pop-up to three thriving tapas-style restaurants, including a Soho flagship with cocktail bar, in less than 10 years.

This “hectic but enjoyable” trio of pizzerias from Alan & Mark Wogan (the late Sir Terry’s sons) – in “lovely Neal’s Yard”, Marylebone and the City – specialises in large 20-inch pizzas (enough for 2 or 3), with “not the usual toppings” – air-dried wagyu beef with truffle creme fraiche, curried minced lamb with smoked burrata – “served alongside the usual ones”. Top Tip – “you can have a half-and-half if you can’t decide”.

“A total one off” – Endo Kazutoshi’s “zen-like” venue occupies a unique site, on the top of the old BBC Television Centre, and is “spectacular in all respects”. “Chef Endo has ruined all other sushi restaurants for me… watching Endo and his team preparing individual pieces of sushi… the rice perfect and still slightly warm, the seafood surely all the best money can buy and prepared with utmost respect. It could be pretentious, but Chef Endo is such a warm and welcoming presence that it never feels like it”. Despite the ruinous expense, all reports say it’s “worth every penny”: “The best meal ever… until you go back!”

“The best whistle-stop pizza in London” for its army of fans – the Elliot brothers’ successful chain continues to grow, with their latest opening in Queen’s Park in June 2023. But even if “you can’t knock the food” or the “realistic prices”, the rest of the experience is somewhere between “pleasant” and “a bit underwhelming”.

“Still the best burger in town in my opinion” is a widely shared view of this independent chain with four sit-down and three delivery-only kitchens. “No matter how many burgers I try in London, I can’t beat Bleecker” – “they get the simple stuff right: quality of meat, how the patty is made, doneness, ratio of meat to bread, and it adds up to a serious burger”. Zan Kaufman, a former New York corporate lawyer, launched her brand from the back of a truck 12 years ago, naming it after a Greenwich Village street.

2022 Review: After winning a mentorship in a pop-up competition at Westfield White City Shopping Centre in 2018, Mehak Kansal brought this bricks-and-mortar operation to Mayfair in October 2020. ‘Bindas’ – Punjabi for without limitations and inhibitions – here translates into eclectic decor and a varied selection of street food. No feedback as yet, but they must be doing something right, as a second site is on the cards.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

2022 Review: An evocative tiled interior adds to a visit to this cheap ’n’ cheerful Syrian café, near the north end of Shepherd’s Bush Market – a handy place for a fresh fruit juice and affordable mezze meal.

2023 Review: “A great addition to White City”, this vast new all-day operation caters for everything from big parties – it can accommodate 350 guests, feeding them “fabulous small plates and lovely wine” – to weekday working lunches (£15 for any large plate and a drink). On the site of the former Wellbourne brasserie, it’s from the team behind Lost in Brixton and the Pergolas at Paddington and Olympia. Feedback is too limited for rating, but early reports are very positive.

2023 Review: Near the entrance to the former TV Centre (and Westfield’s John Lewis), this striking-looking modern pub opened in October 2021, followed the following summer by its good-looking ‘Aerial Roof Top’ bar. It’s not dissimilar to King’s Cross’s well-known Lighterman (same owners) and well-rated for its food – a contemporary brasserie menu that makes something of a feature of its selection of flatbreads.

“Expensive, but high-quality yakitori skewers and sushi” are a “delicious and original offering that suit all ages”, and win little but praise for this “very consistent” chain, whose minimalist Scandi style reflects its origins in Copenhagen. Success continues to bring fast expansion, with recent openings in Westfield W12 (in December 2022) and Shoreditch (in March 2023) and more soon to follow in Richmond (October 2023) and Kingston (early 2024). Phew! Top Menu Tip – “truffle paste cauliflower side dish to die for (who knew?)”.

“The original Salt Yard in W1 used to be one of London’s best new tapas restaurants” – but it opened over 15 years ago and “the subsequent roll-out of the brand as multiple branches” under Urban Pubs & Bars “has seen quality drop quite a lot”. As “a pleasant option for well-produced Med-inspired dishes”, they maintain a fair number of fans, if without the pizzazz once conjured by the name. The year-old branch near the entrance to Westfield is the highest rated, and the newest near Borough Market is also seen as “a handy addition to the group”.

“The best falafel in town!” is a claim regularly made for this family-run gaff, to be found amongst the mêlée of Shepherd’s Bush Market. Motto: ‘We Speak Falafel Fluently’ – you can order the dish in the style of Syria, Iran, Lebanon or the owners’ native Palestine.