London Belsize Park Restaurant Guide

“Front-of-house / owner Giuseppe Gullo is charm personified at this proper local Italian” just before the railway foot-bridge in Primrose Hill, “serving Sardinian and Sicilian cuisine” (and he works closely with a Sardinian-based wine exporter to source biodynamic wines from small producers throughout Italy). The menu is concise, with a focus on regional dishes from the two islands: “decent food” if perhaps on the pricey side.

“Almost like being in Greece!” – this huge and “endearing” Primrose Hill taverna has never been a foodie hotspot, and though it might be fair to say that the food is “like your Greek Mum makes”, that’s only if your Ma’s cooking is “unexciting but reliable”. Tony Evangelou founded the business on Regent’s Park Road in 1979 and shifted to its current large site (a former pub) in 1992. “People love the atmosphere”, “it’s always packed” and it helps that “the waiting staff have been working here for years and years”. Even those who say “I feel the food is bumping along the bottom” reckon “the business will probably outlive me!” – “not cheap but people still keep going back”. Top Menu Tips – “the Grilled Halibut is always good and the Chicken Shashlik is great with rice or a delicious salad! Crème Carmel as a dessert is a winner. The Wine list – purchased from Enotria, Bibendum and Hallgarten – is well constructed”.

“You are welcomed warmly” at this attractive and easygoing Primrose Hill brunch-friendly haunt, which – say fans – is “the sort of place you always come out of in a good mood”. But while most reports affirm it’s “a lovely place for simple but delicious meals at any time of the day”, there is also a view that “the food’s perfectly pleasant, it’s a useful local, but nothing to get too excited about”.

This “classy” brasserie in Belsize Park serves a kosher menu combining contemporary dishes with Jewish classics – and some Hungarian-Jewish family recipes handed down by founder David Lewin’s mother and grandmother. It’s “beautifully decorated” with “great presentation”, and features a year-round covered terrace with a retractable roof. Unusually for a kosher restaurant, it is able to host private gatherings during Shabbat.

This “underrated” fixture near Swiss Cottage has long been a “the best place to eat before a show at the Hampstead Theatre”, and is perhaps greater than the sum of its parts. It has won a big fan club over the years, who say it’s also “good enough to return to away from a show for other celebrations” – “the fish always makes people happy and the set menu is a good deal: what’s not to like?”. Simon Bradley (who runs it with his wife Jacinta) has been cooking here for 33 years and even those who feel the food is “not spectacular” – and who keep the ratings in check – still acknowledge that it’s “so much better than any of the alternatives locally”.

“Buzzy” north London flame-grilled specialist with outlets in Belsize Village and St John’s Wood, the brainchild of former LPM and The Ritz chef Jake Finn. “Deservedly very busy”, they’re “both lovely places that are worth a visit”, with “friendly staff” and “delicious food” from a “changing menu” based around a “lovely, small-sharing-plate concept”.

‘A taste of Italy’ reimagined is the prospect at this Belsize Park fixture (the brainchild of coffee entrepreneur Jeffrey Young) which promises ‘the vibrant flavours of Australia, whilst serving homemade, authentic dishes which reflect our head chef’s Italian heritage’. The result is “a great local” in this under-served corner of town.

“Surprisingly good, and good-value, pizza (for an upscale locale)” – and “with the fluffiest crust” – are found at this six-year-old Chelsea hangout with a spinoff in Soho. Branches in Portobello Road and Haverstock Hill closed down last year.

“Breakfast of champions” and a contender for the title of “best bagels in London” – a labour of love from photographer and self-taught baker Dan Martensen, who teamed up with Caravan head baker Jack Ponting to perfect the ultimate New York-style bagel, opening their Primrose Hill shop in 2023. Outlets in Notting Hill and Soho followed in short order. Take-out and delivery, with a couple of tables if you want to eat in.

Billing itself as: ‘A world-first restaurant employing, training and empowering people who have experienced homelessness’ – this charitable venture opened in late 2024 in cute Primrose Hill, on the site that was for decades the late lamented Odette’s (RIP). Its simple menus – brunches, breakfasts, dinners of steak, cod and chicken – aren’t aiming for foodie fireworks but scored well in our survey. (And in his November 2024 review, although The Telegraph’s William Sitwell wanted “a little more oomph, more zest, more thrills and spills”, he still found it “sweet, sensible and conformist with buckets of warm conviviality”, and serving “safe and respectable brasserie fare”).

2023 Review: This three-year-old neighbourhood Italian wins solid ratings for its modern cuisine and is a bright spark in Belsize Park’s fairly dim culinary constellation.

“Beautifully restored pub” in Gospel Oak – a fine Georgian (1752) pub rescued from oblivion by new owners Phil and Aimee and reopened at the end of 2024, complete with attractive decor and candlelight. Early feedback is limited but suggests it’s worth a visit for its “friendly welcome and sensibly sized portions”: in particular “excellent Sunday lunches with children’s portions on offer and perfectly cooked meat and veg”.

A second location of the Chelsea restaurant in Belsize Village, offering dishes inspired by Chinese and Southeast Asian flavours. The menu includes a wide range of small plates, seafood, salads and classics. The space, designed with Jonathan Clark Architects, features natural materials, whitewashed wood, earthy tones and a dedicated bar area serving cocktails, sake and Japanese whisky. The restaurant includes multiple seating areas, a private dining room and an outdoor terrace.