International Restaurants in City
1. Roof Garden at Pantechnicon
British, Modern restaurant in Belgravia
19 Motcomb St - SW1X
“Come rain or shine the rooftop is always buzzing” at this “simply super space” – a gorgeously decorated, 130-seat terrace on top of Belgravia’s landmark Pantechnicon building, complete with retractable glass roof for rainy weather. Although some reporters say you only go for the great location, most accounts give it a thumbs-up all round, and “presenting something ’Nordic’ and different” as its cuisine (from the kitchen at downstairs Eldr) goes down well (as do the “fab cocktails”…).
2. Bolton’s
Italian restaurant in
13 Cullum St - EC3
At Bolton's restaurant our philosophy is simple, we are inspired by the finest, freshest ingredients and the most authentic vibrant flavours. In Italian our culinary style is called alla Casalinga which means home-style cookery or as we like to say, "like mamma used to make."
It...
3. PLU
French restaurant in St John's Wood
12 Blenheim Terrace - NW8
“It is a complete mystery how the Michelin guide has failed to recognise Elliot Moss’s wonderful food creations”, say followers of his tiny but “opulent” three-year-old in St John’s Wood, where the only option is an extended tasting menu. “The chef is a true artist who does everything himself: each phenomenal and fun dish looks too good to eat but the visuals are actually secondary to the insanely addictive deliciousness of the flavours” (“his foie gras dish leaves you desperate for ‘just one more mouthful’… and I don’t even like foie gras!”) Fooderati insiders, Koffmann & Vines, also waxed lyrical over their meal here this year, proclaiming it ‘a true gastronomic experience’. “May he go from strength to strength.”
4. Motcombs
International restaurant in Belgravia
26 Motcomb St - SW1
All agree on the attractive style of this long-established (since 1982) and rather old-fashioned Belgravia stalwart, with nice pavement tables. Not everyone agrees on the value provided by its eclectic international menu (shepherds pie, seared tiger prawns, Dover sole, Belgravia burger…) but it is sometimes tipped for business.
5. Les 110 de Taillevent
French restaurant in Marylebone
16 Cavendish Square - W1
Named for its “phenomenal wine list” – featuring 110 wines available by the glass using the Coravin wine storage system – this London outpost of a famous Parisian group offers a professional all-round formula, which also incorporates high-quality, modern French cuisine and “excellent service” (with particularly “superb sommelier knowledge”); all served in the “well-lit and welcoming” setting of a stylish dining room, looking onto Cavendish Square. On the downside, it can seem expensive; and “on a quiet night, atmosphere is lacking”.
6. Cecconi's, The Ned
International restaurant in City
27 Poultry - EC2R
“The original location is by far the best” – “almost Continental in feel, and opposite the back entrance of the Royal Academy in Burlington Arcade”: “a regular haunt” for Mayfair types where “a seat at the bar is the best possible place in the world”. “Always buzzy and with exceptional Bellinis, it’s best for breakfast or brunch”. On the downside, “the high prices of the food reflect the area and locale”. Its simpler spin-offs (most notably pizza joints in Soho and Shoreditch) capture a fragment of this “fun and upmarket” style.
7. Turnips with Tomas Lidakevicius
British, Modern restaurant in Southwark
43 Borough Market, Off Bedale Street - SE1
Tomas Lidakevicius produces “very innovative dishes using seasonal produce” at this zeitgeisty venture, attached to a greengrocer’s stall in Borough Market, where a pop-up quickly went permanent in 2021. You book either for the sharing plates or full (£90) tasting menu experience – in either case “the place feels like being in a market stall to create an evening to remember; and it’s close to the Thames for a nice walk home”.
8. Arthur Hooper's
International restaurant in London Bridge
8 Stoney St - SE1
2021 Review: “Brilliant value… market bustle… great modern menu – we love it”, declare fans of this “upmarket” wine bar with (mainly Italian) small plates – “another good option for a great tapas meal in Borough Market”. It took the name of the greengrocer who previously occupied the site.
9. Vivat Bacchus
International restaurant in Southwark
4 Hay’s Lane - SE1
This duo of venues in Farringdon and London Bridge have some of the capital’s best collections of South African wine, alongside a selection of ‘Old World’ vintages. To soak them up, there’s a miscellaneous assortment of dishes majoring in steaks, with some Saffa-inspired garnishes, and SA-style dried meats providing the most exotic options. Save space for the cheese, chosen in a walk-in room.
10. Bowling Bird
International restaurant in City
44 Cloth Fair - EC1A
2021 Review: “Ranks with the best beef I’ve ever had in London” is typical of the high praise earned by this smart three-year-old. “Mind you, it is right next to Smithfield” – a fact reflected in its straight-to-the-point menu – “and the maître d’ knows just the right wine to wash it down with”. It occupies an architectural gem of a townhouse once home to Sir John Betjeman.
11. The Wine Library
International restaurant in City
43 Trinity Sq - EC3
This 19th-century vaulted wine cellar near Tower Hill offers “an amazing and enjoyable selection of wines to buy and then open and drink right there” (at off-licence prices plus £9.50 corkage). “Service is ‘fetch your own’”, and platters of buffet-style “finger food” – charcuterie, French cheeses, and more – contribute to an “always agreeable visit”.
12. Vivat Bacchus
International restaurant in City
47 Farringdon Street - EC4
This duo of venues in Farringdon and London Bridge have some of the capital’s best collections of South African wine, alongside a selection of ‘Old World’ vintages. To soak them up, there’s a miscellaneous assortment of dishes majoring in steaks, with some Saffa-inspired garnishes, and SA-style dried meats providing the most exotic options. Save space for the cheese, chosen in a walk-in room.
13. Genesis
Vegan restaurant in Tower Hamlets
144 Commercial Street - E1
2019 Review: When you turn your back on the family firm, you have to do it in style – in this case, the Santoro brothers moved on from their century-old family meat business and have opened this Shoreditch newcomer: a 100% plant-based restaurant with a globetrotting menu – what they call ‘vegan alchemy’... It’s GMO-free and organic, too (with Soil Association certification).
14. Dokke
International restaurant in St Katharine Docks
Ivory House, 50 St Katharine's Way - E1W
2021 Review: “Sensational Asian-fusion cooking, with the freshest of ingredients” creates an “exciting” culinary experience at this small waterside café, in St Katharine Docks. “The team is friendly and you can chat to the chef – who is a real artist – as he works in the open plan kitchen area, adjacent to your table”.
15. Sticky Mango
Pan-Asian restaurant in Waterloo
33 Coin Street - SE1
“Not out of the ordinary, but what it does it does well” – chef Peter Lloyd’s transformation of the revered South Bank French restaurant RSJ (RIP) into a “Malaysian-style” venue over three storeys disappointed former regulars, but has become a “firm favourite” with a new crowd for its “imaginative food, friendly service and a buzzy celebratory atmosphere”.
16. Ikoyi
International restaurant in St James's
180 The Strand - WC2C
“Flavours not experienced before” – “inventive haute cuisine takes on West African dishes using ingredients like plantain and sorghum” – continue to propel Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan’s St James’s trail-blazer to ever-greater heights of fame, as confirmed by the restaurant’s further promotion by Michelin in January 2022. “With the second star comes the elevated price tag” however, and formerly stellar ratings here have sagged under the heightened expectations. Many “masterpieces” are still reported amongst meals, but a worrying new vein of bitter disappointments has also crept into diner commentary (“I was excited to try Ikoyi and discover its new approach, but hand on heart it was not worth the money…”; “we were angry and so disappointed, the food was really average, massively over-spiced and too hot”). Perhaps it’s no coincidence that shortly after our diners’ poll ended, Chan and Hassan-Odukale announced they were putting the original St James’s Market site on the market with a view to moving to an upgraded site (with options mooted including a move to the 180 Strand building).
17. Boulevard
International restaurant in Covent Garden
40 Wellington St - WC2
This “old-fashioned” Gallic brasserie has served “wonderfully consistent French fayre” “right in the middle of Covent Garden” for more than 30 years. It’s “great fun with very decent food for the price given the area”, with a “cheap, cheerful and reliable” prix-fixe menu for pre- or post-theatre dining.
18. The Savoy Hotel, Thames Foyer
Afternoon tea restaurant in Covent Garden
The Savoy, The Strand - WC2R
The “typically English afternoon tea”, “beautifully presented by polished staff” in the elegant foyer of this landmark hotel, is “everything you want it to be” – “and the little extras, such as the pianist, make it a real treat”. “I’ve had a lot of afternoon teas and this one is second to none!”
19. La Fromagerie Bloomsbury
International restaurant in Bloomsbury
52 Lamb's Conduit St - WC1N
“Lots of lovely cheese” is on the menu at this specialist trio in Bloomsbury, Marylebone and Highbury, complemented by a “truly interesting and well-curated wine list”. The “delicious fondue and raclette go down well on a winter’s day”.
20. Niche
International restaurant in Clerkenwell
197-199 Rosebery Avenue - EC1R
2021 Review: ‘Gluten free but you wouldn’t know it!’ is the motto at this modern bistro “very handy for the Sadlers Wells theatre”: “a charming and slightly eclectic restaurant with enthusiastic staff” and “a varied menu to suit all tastes”. “My gluten-free friend was delighted to find he could eat anything on the menu, and happily tucked into pie and mash, saying that you wouldn’t know it was gluten-free (a point echoed by the non-gluten-free among us)”.
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