London Restaurant Guide

“Fantastic pizza that’s good value” continues to win praise for Alan & Mark Wogan’s (the sons of the late Sir Terry) three-strong chain in Neal’s Yard (the original), Marylebone and the City. The 20-inch pizzas are enough to feed 2-3 people and flavours can be split 50/50.

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”.

“With its splendid traditional surroundings, decor and setting”, this Rolls-Royce of a restaurant – inside the Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed former Midland Bank HQ (now a Soho House hotel) adjacent to the Bank of England – “would impress anyone”, making it “perfect for any business meeting”. Dark wood panelling and green leather upholstery are conspicuous, and the meat-heavy menu is headed by a 1.3-kilo ‘El Capricho’ ox chop from Spain, aged for 100 days and costing £250, while “the Dover sole is to die for”.

“A buzzy, fashionable Italian that’s thoroughly enjoyable for a casual but high-quality meal” – this smart, all-day bar/brasserie behind the RA in the heart of Mayfair is fast approaching its half-century, and remains a favourite for a loyal clientele of glam local professionals for less formal business occasions; post-work meet-ups; or a “refined brunch”. The sceptical view of it is that it’s “all good, but very pricey for simple food”. Part of the Soho House group for the past 20 years, it now has branches at the Ned in the City, in Shoreditch, and in international cities from West Hollywood to Mumbai.

“Consistently a top steak restaurant for business across London – and still retaining that title”, say fans of the NYC-style steakhouses founded by Misha Zelman, Ilya Demichev & George Bukhov-Weinstein in 2008. The outfit has moved with the times, replacing their famous Josper grills with more sustainable Mibrasas from Spain, which they reckon get even better results from their 30-day dry-aged beef from the Lake District and Nebraska. There’s also a “really great wine selection, if a little expensive”. That they are “pricey” has always been a concern here, though, and ratings continue to decline, no longer giving Hawksmoor a run for their money as once they did (and the Canary Wharf branch closed down after 11 years in June 2025).

“Best steakhouse in London? Yes. Best in the world? Could be!” – Childhood mates Will Beckett & Huw Gott have successfully surfed the zeitgeist for twenty years, since they opened their first venue near Spitalfields in 2006. Now they have 13 as far afield as Chicago, and a still significant stake in a private equity-backed steak empire valued as high as £100m (a price bandied around when it seems they were looking for buyers in late 2024). The group is a particular favourite for a generation of thirtysomething or fortysomething Londoners for whom it’s been a treasured part of their culinary journey. Its City, West End and (floating!) Canary Wharf outlets are also a big and enduring hit for business wining and dining. “Prime cuts of matured beef” are “perfectly cooked” and “served in striking surroundings with a carefully curated wine list”. Amongst the huge volume of feedback the brand inspires, there are inevitably some dud reports, but more eyecatching is the consistency of praise it still achieves. There is a widespread feeling, though – has been for years – that even if “the quality is up to scratch”, “sheesh it’s expensive”, with prices verging on “silly” (“although the excellent cocktails help numb the pain when the bill comes!”). Top Tip – “Set lunch on a Monday when you can BYO wine for £5 represents excellent value”; dip your toe in the water with an “unbeatable breakfast” (“although you have to have a big appetite to handle the full version”).

With “stunning summer views from its large terrace towards the Royal Exchange, Mansion House and back to St Paul’s Cathedral” – this modern French restaurant atop No 1 Poultry from Evolv (fka D&D London) is currently riding high under executive chef Damien Rogollet and fulfilling its central mission as “a good upmarket City choice”. Staff are “really helpful and friendly despite the restaurant being busy inside and out” and if “a la carte is on the expensive side”, the “very good value set lunch menu” compensates; and while the “wine list is mainly aimed at high-spending corporate accounts, there’s plenty to be had for the layman without breaking the bank”. Top Menu Tip – “Rabbit terrine starter, stuffed with pistachio nuts, and with a little mustard… excellent!”

2022 Review: This 55-year-old City trattoria is a popular, lunchtime rendezvous spot on account of its “huge” helpings of classic dishes; its terrace by Bow churchyard for al fresco eating; and its good regional list of Italian wines.

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”.

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?

“Old school is sometimes the best school” and that’s certainly still the view on this “City landmark”: a “charming and unique institution” by Mansion House tube that’s seemingly “unchanged by time or fashion” (it’s been on its current site since the 1920s and can trace its origins back to 1830). About 99% of its audience are suited City brokers, who come for simple if pricey British fish and seafood that’s “nothing fancy or pretentious but who cares?”; and for whom the “austere, old-fashioned ambience” is a treasured part of Square Mile culture. “Lunch only: it’s always busy, so best to arrive early or late”. Top Menu Tips – “Don’t be in a hurry...enjoy the black velvet, oysters and super fish pie...”; alternatively “start with the whitebait, then take whatever comes washed down with a bottle of Sancerre and what’s not to like?”

“Up-market Italian” pair, whose City branch has a “pretty good location near St Paul’s” and is “a reliable business lunch staple”, while the Chelsea branch next door to the Saatchi Gallery boasts “arguably one of the best outside patios in London”. “Prices are high, however, while the food is fine but nothing to write home about” (“I tend to use Manicomio City for entertaining lunches where we have a compliance-monitored expenditure limit, so trips to top-end eateries are, sadly, out – this fills the gap nicely”). BREAKING NEWS: In July 2025, the group launched a big and impressive-looking, new all-day City restaurant – Campanelle – in the former London Shipping Exchange at 19-21 Billiter Street, London EC3.

“The most established and best located City institution” – this “big, busy and sophisticated” stalwart, from former banker Soren Jessen near the Bank of England, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and is “the perfect place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or just a cocktail at the end of the day” – it “always delivers professional, personal and individual service” along with “food that is reliably good without dazzling”. “Ask for a booth if you want privacy” – “a private room (there are three) is good for work events”. Top Tip – unlike most City restaurants, open for brunch/lunch at the weekend.

The Bread Street venue near St Paul’s is the most popular of Gordon Ramsay’s pretty “average” chain which has six London branches (plus Liverpool and Edinburgh). With striking views over the cathedral from an atmospheric unit in the mall, the “ambience is good” and it “feels sufficiently special without being intimidating”, winning it nominations for both client-account and personal-account dinners. Actually, it’s a pretty nice experience all round, just one dragged down by “excessive pricing”.

“A really fun concept” – these “OTT” spin-offs from the core Ivy brand do have “real pizzazz” and are, ironically, “better than the original non-Asia versions”. In particular, they make a “super place for a celebration” thanks most especially to their “stunning” immersive interiors, complete with glowing, emerald-green floors, cherry blossom trees, Disney-esque pagodas, lavish lighting and gratuitous statuettes (and “the St Paul’s one has amazing view of the floodlit cathedral” to boot). And, on most accounts, the Pan-Asian menu is “delicious” too and provides “a great opportunity to mix and match dishes originating throughout the continent”. Even fans, though, can caution that it’s a case of “all good… until the bill arrives”. And then there is also a large minority of purists, who plain loath them: they find the decor “ridiculous” (“it doesn’t feel fun it feels fake!…”, “bling of the worst sort” and “very ‘Bridge & Tunnel’”); and they feel that the menu is “an overpriced mess – fine in itself but overall very definitely meh? (There are far better examples of Japanese, Chinese or fusion available without the look-at-me nonsense!!)”