LONDON, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: A handy location, near the Guildhall, “buzzy” large interior and versatile menu of “decent (if unspectacular) food” mean it’s worth remembering this “reliable option in the City”, although it “can be incredibly busy”.

2021 Review: “Escape the feel of the City for very reasonable home cooked-food” in the ancient crypt of Bow Bells church. “There are no better dining establishments in the Square Mile: affordable, great service, good food with delicious daily changing salads” including “excellent veggie and vegan options”. Depending on when you go, it’s either a “quiet” space or quite a “noisy” one.

2022 Review: Yet another option for eating at The Ned! This time, the colossal hipster hotel near Bank has added a new basement bar and entertainment space, complete with regular live music. The food is more than just bar bites though – Lobster Thermidor anyone?

“For a dependable City business breakfast or lunch venue”, Soren Jessen’s stalwart brasserie, in the beating heart of the Square Mile, is the epitome of a useful amenity for dealmakers, even if “the large, cavernous space remains a little tricky” (“the room is bright and airy, but depending on your table can feel cramped and noisy”). “Its modern European menu covers all the bases reliably. It does what it’s meant to, but you are never coming away with a knockout meal. BTW, that’s an observation not a criticism”.

“Well-located in the power station”, the new Battersea branch of Gordon Ramsay’s upscale brasserie chain has inspired more interest than some others in this expanding group (which also now incorporates the Limehouse riverside pub GR has owned for ages, fka The Narrow). With their generously spaced, comfortable and quite stylish interiors they can be a versatile choice – especially on business – but their resolutely MOR standards mean they hardly set the pulse racing.

“The most original brunches” – with “a good selection of super-tasty, tapas-style dishes” fusing eclectic flavours from the Middle East to the Pacific – are the top feature of these “nicely vibey” haunts, which also boast “great coffee and pastries, plus interesting non-alcoholic drinks (like sodas and kombuchas)”. And they serve “lots for vegans and veggies too”. On the downside, they become “noisy”; staff can be “overstretched” and ratings are dragged down by those who find them “a convenient option, but, in truth, a slightly disappointing one”. Expansion is still on the cards, though, with 2023 seeing a big new opening in Covent Garden, in a workspace on Drury Lane, complete with outside terrace.

“An exceptional list of wine with so many to choose by the glass that it’s always possible to try something a bit different” is the key selling point of this popular modern wine bar chain. Its culinary attractions are less reliable – the food can be “surprisingly good” but is too often “essentially average”; service can be “accommodating” or “rushed”; and the ambience can be “better if you can sit outside”. But its “excellent value” drinking and “lively” style carry the day. In particular, the “conveniently placed” King’s Cross branch has a “great location, which makes it a winner”. Top Tip – “creditable set lunch at a pretty restrained price”.

2022 Review: Fortnum’s hold the catering and bar concession for the spectacular City courtyard of the Royal Exchange, where they provide luxury all-day snacking, sipping and dining (start the day with “the best-ever porridge with whisky and cream!”). It must be the just about the only restaurant in London to provide ‘personal shopping advice’ to diners, guiding them round the glossy shops that have replaced traders in the surrounding exchange.

This solid English brasserie in a converted banking hall not far from the Bank of England continues to win a general thumbs-up as an “excellent business lunch venue” – although “it could do with tables further apart”.

“Hidden away on the north bank of the Thames” by the ‘Wobbly Bridge’, directly opposite Tate Modern, you’ll find Neleen Strauss’s “well-executed Western Cape restaurant”, which is “big on steaks” but arguably most notable for its “very good and well structured” South African wine list. Top Tip – “I bring all my City contacts here”.

“Beautiful views from the old NatWest Tower” help seal the deal at Jason Atherton’s City outpost. “It feels quite corporate but is a good place for business”, and wins many recommendations from expense-accounters as their top venue for wining and dining. “The food is always very good with a good seasonal choice on the menu. Staff are well trained and happy to spend time chatting to guests even when they’re busy. The setting is unique overlooking the Square Mile and the ambience is special”.

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.

Limited feedback in this year’s annual diners’ poll on the 37th floor of the City’s ‘Walkie Talkie’ – perhaps many Londoners regard it as touristy. Such accounts as we have, though, on the cooking under chef Kerth Gumbs is upbeat: you can have an eight-course tasting menu for £115 or eat à la carte (although the latter is not much less inexpensive with main dishes circa £50). Incredible views, of course.

“The view from the gallery over the city is great” at this sky-high brasserie, on the 36th floor of the ‘Walkie Talkie’. Reports this year were limited and rather uneven, so we’ve taken ratings down a peg. It won particular praise, though, as a glam breakfasting destination.

With the “lovely decor” replicated from the Theatreland icon for which they are branded, Richard Caring’s “always buzzy” spin-offs have found a gigantic audience nationally. But “these places live off the name for sure” and “it’s the ambience that keeps them going” – while fans say the food is “reliable”, more sceptical types dismiss it as “conveyor-belt cooking”; and say service is merely so-so. Some branches are better than others: best in London is ‘Chelsea Garden’, which has the same “distinctly average” standards as the others, but reliably offers an “uplifting” atmosphere and “great people watching” (and “on a sunny afternoon there is literally NO WHERE ELSE TO BE but its large garden. HEAVEN!!”). Also worth mentioning is the outlet by The Thames in SE1: “excellent views of Tower Bridge”, “even better if outside in summer and convenient for The Bridge Theatre”.

The “excellent meat-driven menu” at this “busy bar opposite the Barbican” is led by British game in season, backed up by prime cuts of beef and such treats as Herefordshire snails. “It’s not simple pub grub, and you do pay for it, but it’s worth it”, say fans. It’s also “particularly useful pre- or post-events in the nearby arts centre”.

The “unforgettable setting” of this pub and restaurant adjoining Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, “with a lovely view over the river” to St Paul’s, provides much of the draw, although its food and service are (just about) up to scratch too. The wide range of menus makes it a “flexible option”, providing afternoon teas, brunches, drinks and meals before and after performances.

2021 Review: This pair of “casual”, well-located all-day brasseries serve an “eclectic menu” from breakfast on, but it’s the “friendly ambience that’s a real winner”. The Sloane Square branch is “very Chelsea” – “great for lunch” and “wonderfully convenient pre- and post-show for Cadogan Hall or Royal Court”.

Open 24/7 on top of the City’s 40-storey Heron Tower, this elevated posh diner comes particularly recommended for a “great breakfast” or a chilled date (“when you get tired of looking into each other’s eyes, the views over London are pretty impressive”). The food, including the signature duck, is mostly up to scratch, but “you just feel it could be better”.

2023 Review: “This low-key wine bar is an absolute gem”, “hiding” in the new waterside Westin Hotel, “with a huge window looking across the Thames” to Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre (“spending the evening watching the river drift by with a glass in hand is a really great way to end a tough week”). The interior has a contemporary Scandi look and the menu is put together by Jorge Colazo, ex-head chef at Aquavit. Feedback is too limited for a rating, but initial reports are upbeat, talking of “interesting wine and imaginative small plates”.