London Bankside Restaurant Guide

The “amazing setting” – part of Shakespeare’s Globe with “spectacular views” over the Thames – is the USP of this venue. There’s an “excellent range of cakes, sandwiches and teas” (including the oddly named ‘Mr Falstaff’s’ savoury afternoon tea… forgetting Sir John’s knighthood). But more generally, while the food’s fine, “it’s not a serious challenger for the title of restaurant rather than gastropub”.

This “slurpy Japanese noodles” outfit has grown from a 2011 pop-up to a fledgling national chain (14 branches in London, plus Brighton and Brum). These days it “feels formulaic, but the ramen does the business – the tonkotsu (pork broth, from which the place gets its name) is satisfyingly porky and the chilli chicken has a spicy hum”. Critics are not so sure, pointing to “very disappointing noodles” and “drab stock”.

“Pizza with imported sea water from Naples! What’s not to like...?” ask fans of this studiedly authentic Neapolitan duo on Borough’s main drag and in St James’s Market. Portions are “generous”, too.

This “high-grade hidden gem, just below the Millennium Bridge” – aka the Wobbly pedestrian bridge, directly opposite Tate Modern – is owned by a South African wine producer and “focuses on high-quality steaks and a Saffer-heavy wine list”. If you’re really interested, it’s worth seeking out the “great off-menu wines”. Top Tip – “the house biltong is delicious”.

“Fabulous views”, “delicious seafood”… “it ticks every box” according to fans of this 14th-floor rooftop: part of a Southwark hotel, which sets a glam tone. Ratings have softened a little since it opened a couple of years ago, however, with mounting concern that the height of the prices is starting to match that of the venue!

“Delicious shakshuka with maxing smoky flavours” is typical of the “colourful and flavoursome” brunch-friendly dishes at this “very buzzy if not loud” chain, known for its “top coffee” (which they roast themselves), and whose best-known sites are the Exmouth Market original and large Granary Square branch. Recently, they also added an opening in Canary Wharf and a brew bar at their Caledonian Road roastery (not listed), with further ‘measured expansion’ planned. For the most part, they are still mostly seen as a “reliable” choice for an “interesting and healthy” breakfast: “not everything is a hit but for a casual lunch I am pretty happy”. Top Tip – “when the sun is shining, it’s worth waiting for an outside table” in N1.

“Very good-quality” tapas and a “nice, buzzy” atmosphere greet guests at this converted small backstreet pub near the South Bank, one of the longer-established Hispanic specialists in town. It’s a “favourite for a casual night out” and “conveniently located for the NT, Young Vic, Tate Mod and so on”.

“Just the place to stuff yourself silly with beef!”, say loyal fans of Roberto Costa’s successful chain, where you choose your cut from “amazing meat displays to get the juices flowing”: a formula that’s brought expansion over the years to six locations across the capital, including on Shaftesbury Avenue (where it’s branded ‘Teatro del Carne’). Ratings sank this year, though, on a number of “disappointing” reports, with recurring themes including “quality meat undermined by poor cooking” and “high prices for wines considering their middling status”.

“It feels like a place to see and be seen, which can account for the expense, but fun and with good river views…” – not a bad overview of this “buzzy” dining room, designed by Tom Dixon, near Blackfriars Bridge. (A harsher view is that it’s “a typically over-priced hotel joint, trying to be smarter than it really is”.) Top Tip – “super weekend brunch, lots of choice, and the bar is good too”.

“Really enjoyable Portuguese tapas” is served in this “lovely, light and airy space”, tucked under a railway arch, near London Bridge. Founded by Max Graham, from the Churchills port dynasty, fans even say it’s “reminiscent of early-years Barrafina”. Top Tip – “the tiny clams”. (Note: don’t be put off by the queue outside – it may be for the pancake shop in front!).

“One of the sheer tastiest places to eat in town” – JKS Restaurants’ highly popular outpost in Bloomberg Arcade continues to inspire raves for its “delicious and different” Indian cuisine (very much “not your traditional curry house”). The large interior, with its many bars and TV screens, is more divisive: it’s “awesome” for its core clientele, but “the ambience screams ‘City Boys’ (especially when there’s sport on)”. Top Menu Tip – “Indo-Chinese chilli paneer lettuce cups… so many tastes at the same time!”

“The best burgers in town” – “the juiciest, the most flavourful” – are a credible claim for this quartet in Spitalfields, Victoria, the City’s Bloomberg Arcade and Westfield White City, the highest-rated of the non-mainstream burger chains in our survey this year. New Yorker Zan Kaufman named them after the Greenwich Village street where she ate the burger that inspired her to quit her job as a corporate lawyer and start flipping patties on the back of a London truck, 11 years ago.

“It’s wonderful being able to choose so many wines by the glass” from the “eclectic list” at these popular modern wine bars, liked for their approachable contemporary style. “Obviously the liquid refreshment is the main point here”, but the “simple” cooking can be “more assured than you might expect”, if from a “limited menu”. A new branch opened in late 2021 at Borough Yards in SE1, while in late 2022 its oldest site, on Seymour Place in Marylebone, shut up shop. Other particularly notable branches include the one right by King’s Cross station (with a convenient and excellent terrace) and Chiswick.

“Portions are perfect for the price and they don’t ‘cheap out’ on the protein” at these “solid udon places” in Soho (est. 2010), a newer offshoot in the City’s Bloomberg Arcade and now also with the opening of ‘Koya Ko’ in Hackney’s Broadway Market (this last with a slightly different menu). “Very Japanese-chic, super-cosy and cute”, their “staff are kind and helpful with answering questions about ingredients”. Udon are more traditional and subtler than ubiquitous ramen, and arrive in Japan’s famous light dashi stock.

This “Nordic restaurant with classic and well-executed dishes from the region” is a more casual offering in the Bloomberg Arcade from Danish veteran City restaurateur Soren Jessen, of smart No 1 Lombard Street. There’s a good choice of Danish smørrebrød – slices of rye bread with tasty toppings – and a matching selection of aquavit and Scandi gins. Although the odd reporter feels it’s “rather let down by the austere ambience”, it is “excellent for a quick work lunch”.

“Does what it says on the tin”, with “no delay making choices”. This “simple, good and easy” surf-and-turf chain has grown to nine sites in the capital in 11 years – most with “sufficient space to eat and talk” (rare enough in fast-food joints). The formula is working around the world, too, with openings from New York to the Genting Highlands in Malaysia. “Love the way they give you plastic sheets to cover yourself from flying bits of lobster!”

“The really tasty and innovative modern Israeli cuisine never fails to impress” at former Ottolenghi chef Eran Tibi’s all-day venue in the “very hip setting” of a Southwark railway arch. “Every wine is from Israel – and ours were very good”.

“Great view… shame about the restaurant”. This South Bank landmark provides “stunning views over the Thames to the lights of the City of London, bound to impress your date”. But it remains “a pity that such an iconic location serves canteen-standard grub” that’s “waayyyyyyy overpriced” (“the night would have been too expensive if it was free! But as it was we paid a hefty sum for a crushing disappointment”).

Some do tip it as “a great place for a special occasion”, but the slightly cheaper section of this Art Deco landmark is rated almost as poorly as the (more expensive) main dining room. Here, “very average food” is served in a space that’s “incredibly noisy and crammed”, leading to an experience that can seem “stale and poor”; and with a hefty price tag too.