Bankside, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

The “unforgettable setting” of this pub and restaurant adjoining Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, “with a lovely view over the river” to St Paul’s, provides much of the draw, although its food and service are (just about) up to scratch too. The wide range of menus makes it a “flexible option”, providing afternoon teas, brunches, drinks and meals before and after performances.

2021 Review: “A firm favourite for breakfast and brunch in Southwark” – this café-style fixture a short stroll from Tate Modern serves “a great menu to suit all tastes”, and fans say it’s “unbeatable”.

2022 Review: The name says it all about this new ‘Britisserie’ (an ‘authentic British patisserie’), which opened on a corner site near St Paul’s in December 2019. Owners Daniel Jobsz and his mum honed their classic pie-making skills at markets, festivals and pop-ups from 2015 before they found the site, which incorporates a small courtyard. Full English breakfasts (in a tart, of course), plus epic mash and a good list of beers and other drinks complete the formula.

“A table right by the windows here – overlooking the river – is frankly still one of the best restaurant views to be had in London”; and some diners feel that the brasserie at this long-established Art Deco landmark provides a good all-round experience. It still gives rise to more than its fair share of disappointments, though, and the perennial complaint that “you get a wonderful vista but a very disappointing experience”.

“It’s as though time was paused 100 years ago” at this Square Mile legend, founded in the 1830s and on its current site since the 1920s. Arrive early if you want to beat the City pinstripes to a table or a spot at the counter, although “it’s worth the wait for a seat while sipping a tankard of Black Velvet”. “Traditional, hearty British fish is served in a manner unchanged by time” – oysters, smoked eel, whitebait – and “the fish pie is still good and not too expensive”. “Longstanding staff add to its stalwart appeal”.

2022 Review: “A stalwart for lunches in the City”, this “unpretentious” venue in “lovely Bow Lane by the famous church” has “kept its standards up” for 35 years. The outdoor seating was a major attraction during the pandemic restrictions, and prices are “very reasonable” for the area, while “the boisterous tables make it easy to have confidential chats without being overheard”.

Punters are often drawn to this D&D London operation because of its association with TV show ‘First Dates’, for which it was famously the location. Originally it was conceived by the group as a classic City steakhouse kind of place, but has never really made waves in that department. Still, the odd report says it’s a “useful” option in the area (although, note, if you haven’t visited for a little while, it’s moved – it’s no longer overlooking St Paul’s from Paternoster Square and is now on Ludgate Hill).

The dramatic setting of a wrought-iron and glass portico – originally part of Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House and now overlooking Borough Market – makes this “a great place for breakfasts or business lunches”. More generally, though, its retro-British cuisine generates limited enthusiasm (the main problem is “it costs too much!”).