Bankside, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Decent food with a stunning view – if you’re lucky enough to get a window table” overlooking the Thames and City rooftops, is the uncontested verdict on the ‘Kitchen and Bar’ in the Boiler House part of the gallery.

2018 Review: Limited but positive feedback on Tate Modern’s 9th-floor restaurant in the swish new Blavatnik Building (fka the Switch House). It is now the gallery’s main eatery, having somewhat supplanted the operation on Level 6 of the main building (Boiler House, now re-christened a ‘kitchen & bar’). NB no river views here – just skyline – and they’re best from the non-window tables (as the genius architects put the windows at shoulder height).

“Fab food, awesome views and ambience” make this modern recreation of an Elizabethan tavern – part of the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre complex on the South Bank – a “real delight”, far superior to most tourist-site pit stops. The restaurant features contemporary British cooking, while the bar serves “great high-end pub fare, beautifully presented and in a stunning room overlooking the river”. It’s perfect for pre-theatre dining, naturally, but also works for full meals – thinning out when the audience is called in for the show.

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”.

Hidden away by the Wobbly Bridge directly opposite Tate Modern, this 12-year-old venture is “the place to go if you want to explore South African wine alongside some of the best steaks in the City”. It’s also a place were “lunchtimes can – and often do – stretch into dinner”, under the expert guidance of “host and owner Neleen Strauss, who’s bonkers, in a great way” (she personally presented Boris Johnson as mayor of London with a bill for £80,000 to cover her losses during the London Olympics!).

“OK I guess, but could be so much better” is an increasingly common view on this once-groundbreaking chain, where the feeling that “it seems to have gone off a bit” is most prevalent at the well-known Granary Square branch, which risks becoming “a cheerless, so-so, fast-turnaround experience”. At its best, though – mostly to be found at the EC1 original, with its “great outside seating area and very relaxed atmosphere” – the group remains popular for its “innovative and delicious breakfasts”: “great sharing plates” and “something for everyone” (which includes “a good set of vegan and vegetarian alternatives”).

2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “Italian-leaning” warehouse conversion in Southwark, with an indoor ‘olive grove’ complete with trees, pleases some with its “giant portions of great food” and “fantastic cocktails”. Far too many reporters this year, though, complain of a “sterile” aspect to its “industrial” decor, and dismiss the fare as mightily “uninspired”.

“It’s such a treat to sit next to the Thames, with a great view” at this “sleek” hotel dining room near Blackfriars Bridge, designed by Tom Dixon. Its range of eating possibilities – bottomless Bloody Mary or Prosecco brunch, especially – were rated well this year. Even fans, though, say “it is pricey – so come prepared to spend!”

This modern take on the wine bar “sets the benchmark for an imaginative, indeed educational, wine list” – with “constantly surprising selections from far-flung places alongside the old-world classics”. There are “good choices by the glass, though prices can start quickly to move upwards”, and the “food is generally surprisingly good, with good-value set-lunch options”. The ultra-handily situated King’s Cross branch draws some flak for being “just too popular”, while branches in the City, Faringdon, Marylebone and Chiswick all have their fans. A new branch is scheduled to open by Borough Market in late 2021.

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 bit of a let-down…”, “still not worth it…”, “so disappointing…”, “far too expensive for the view” – few restaurants are as consistent as this South Bank rooftop, which has topped our list of London disappointments for as long as we can remember.

“Splendid views, especially from the balcony” are the saving grace of this brasserie, in the well-known Art Deco landmark building on the South Bank. Food and service have been so-so more or less since day one, but that hardly seems to matter – it still gets “very busy”.

2021 Review: Stick to the good-value, meal-with-ticket deals at the theatre restaurant of this converted Victorian chocolate factory, whose food is “honest” but rather “hit and miss”, hence “not good enough to pay full stand-alone prices” – especially with foodie Borough Market just across the road.

The “fabulous Anglicised tapas” at this “hidden gem next to the Omeara music venue” have made a hit of Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke’s four-year-old venture. It’s “tiny and unpromising on the outside, but has a really lovely menu of superb small plates, generally modern British with an Iberian inflection”. There’s now a spinoff, Pomelo, at the new Goods Way food market in King’s Cross.

If it were not for Gordon Ramsay’s involvement, we would likely ignore this big warehousey venue, in a large mall next to St Paul’s. If you work in one of the local money factories and are fairly cost-insensitive, its interior is agreeable and it suits less formal business entertaining (or even a family meal); but as ever, it achieves very limited and mixed feedback overall. Still, the GR Holdings crew must think the idea’s got legs, as they have created a sub-brand – Bread Street Café – first opening Ealing in late 2021 and aimed at relaxed, all-day family dining.

This ten-year-old Borough Market favourite has a “lovely lively ambience” and makes good use of its location to source “excellent, fresh” ingredients for its “delicious Italian-accented small plates” and “tasty seafood”. A pioneer purveyor of natural wines in London, it also champions cooking with wood, both on the grill and in the oven that produces “top-class sourdough pizzas”. A sibling opened in Mare Street, Hackney, in July 2021.

2018 Review: “Sandwiches above the usual cut” and “especially good salads and tarts (savoury as well as sweet)” meet the brief at this “well executed” coffeehouse, ensuring it is always “full of lawyers from the local legal scene”.

James Dawson’s 12-year-old wine shop/bar/kitchen operation has gathered momentum in recent years, expanding from its Battersea base to branches in a Fleet Street crypt, Islington, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. The “great wine list” from sustainable, small-scale producers is the focus, with “lots by the glass” and at “good value”. It’s backed up by “consistently good” small plates, cheese and charcuterie.

“The ultimate gastropub” – this Southwark “pioneer of quality pub dining” missed out this year, by the narrowest whisker, on re-taking the crown as being London’s No.1 favourite hostelry in our annual diner survey. The gutsy, honest food is “top-notch every time” and – even though no longer viewed as achingly cutting edge – comes “at sensible prices, and with good beer and wine to go with it”. Service is “super-nice”, and all-in-all it’s just “a great, laid-back place to relax”. Best of all for some folks, they “now accept reservations!”

In late 2019, the team from well-known café, 26 Grains of Neal’s Yard, opened a big sister over the road from Borough Market. It’s a casual, tastefully decorated haunt serving simple food; and where at night, the vibe is less café, more wine bar. In late 2020, Tom Cenci (the ex Duck & Waffle head chef, whose own Loyal Tavern venture did not survive the pandemic) took over what has become an extended residency. The cooking (by him and one other chef) centres on sustainability, and less-used cuts of meat (particularly Irish beef).