Bloomsbury, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

“A hidden gem in the back streets of Bloomsbury” – this traditional chippie has been owned and run by the Beauchamp family for the best part of 50 years, and excels for its “exceptionally good grilled fish” and “super-generous portions” of “normal fish ’n’ chips”.

“By no means a flashy restaurant and fairly cramped, but some of the very best fish that you will find in London” – this immensely popular Covent Garden fixture is a “premier choice” despite its humble looks thanks to a “daily changing menu dependent on the morning’s catch” that’s “accurately and sometimes interestingly, sometimes classically cooked” and delivered at a “really good-value” price. “The inside space is tiny, but they have managed to expand into an outside area which they heat on the pavement”.

Few openings are as long anticipated as this resurrection of a long-defunct, once-famous seafood destination. Conceived when its owning company was still run by Jeremy King and Christopher Corbin, the final debut is the first major test of the ability of its successor, The Wolseley Group, to launch a new site. The business that forms the inspiration for this debut was in Chinatown, just off Leicester Square, and shuttered in the early 1990s. This revivified version is in ‘Bateman’s Buildings’, tucked between Soho’s Greek and Frith Streets. Set over two floors, it’s an all-day operation with a large outdoor terrace. Dishes encompass everything from moules marinière to a wide range of crustacea, a ‘catch of the day’ and a classic Dover sole.