Bankside, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

The “amazing setting” – part of Shakespeare’s Globe with “spectacular views” over the Thames – is the USP of this venue. There’s an “excellent range of cakes, sandwiches and teas” (including the oddly named ‘Mr Falstaff’s’ savoury afternoon tea… forgetting Sir John’s knighthood). But more generally, while the food’s fine, “it’s not a serious challenger for the title of restaurant rather than gastropub”.

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.

Some do tip it as “a great place for a special occasion”, but the slightly cheaper section of this Art Deco landmark is rated almost as poorly as the (more expensive) main dining room. Here, “very average food” is served in a space that’s “incredibly noisy and crammed”, leading to an experience that can seem “stale and poor”; and with a hefty price tag too.

“Sitting cheek by jowl at a counter that dates from the 19th century… bliss!” – this “City legend amongst fish restaurants” is “such a haven of bygone days, which gives it its special ambience and devoted following”. Founded in the 1830s, and on its current site since the 1920s, it’s “still serving sensational oysters (washed down with a pewter tankard of Black Velvet) after all these years” alongside “very traditional fish cooked simply and well” (e.g. “divine whitebait”). “It’s a bit pricey and you can’t book but otherwise excellent.”

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”.

A dependable steak remains the menu highlight at this D&D London grill, but some regulars are “disappointed that it has moved location (from Paternoster Square to Ludgate Hill) and is no longer overlooking St Paul’s”. Oddly for a restaurant catering to City business diners, the previous venue became famous for hosting reality TV show ‘First Dates’.

Occupying in part a glazed portico that was originally part of the Royal Opera House, the “bright, airy location overlooking Borough Market” and “adorable room” make this restaurant “a great place to take colleagues or clients”. There’s generally more muted enthusiasm for the “overpriced” retro-British menu – prawn cocktail, beef Wellington, knickerbocker glory.