City, International Restaurant Guide

“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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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).

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”.

“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”.

“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).

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.

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!”

“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”.

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)”.