London City Restaurant Guide

The Square Mile continues to up its foodie credentials with the arrival of an Italian 'foodie theme park' from Eataly in April 2021 boasting stores, restaurants, market stalls and coffee shops. Eataly was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Oscar Farinetti and now has 35 megastores worldwide, including in Tokyo and New York. A London location has been touted in the past but has not materialised until now. Separate restaurants within the complex include La Terrazza, Pasta e Pizza and Cucine del Mercato.

“Mindblowing!” – this “colonially-themed” yearling in the City’s Bloomberg Arcade is “another smash hit from JKS” and “probably the best place to eat in the Square Mile” right now. Occupying a “comfortable (slightly macho) sequence of little rooms”, staff are notably “patient and helpful”, while foodwise “the focus is on Indian sharing plates” with “insanely good” grilled meats (lamb chops in particular), plus “all your local curry favourites, dressed up with wonderful, perfumed aromatics and dazzling dips”. “They don’t pull any punches when it comes to heat in dishes either”, and “there’s a strong drinks menu too” – you can see “thought has gone into the beer selection”. With numerous TV screens, “it’s a great place to watch sports” (“they even have a pool table!”)

“Some of the best Indian food in town” – “Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala are delightful hosts” and the “dated outside” of their former City-fringe HQ “gave no clue that a meal would be so delicious”. The cuisine offers “a different take on traditional Indian” (mixing Parsi and Goan dishes with more pan-Indian inspirations) and its longstanding “authenticity” and “creativity” is a continued joy, as is the “genuinely friendly way that TV-chef Cyrus T, OBE comes out to chat with guests”. “As good as you’ll get in Mumbai… and the traffic isn’t as bad!” Now relocated to Docklands – and with a new cookery school – we're looking forward to reports on the new location.

“It is rare to encounter a five-star ambience, as well as welcoming service, and a high standard of food, all at once in the City” and, on pretty much all accounts, there’s “no better place if you’re looking for an exceptional evening location” than the 37th floor of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ (“go for a walk in the garden... with a drink... take in the amazing view…”). As the survey was concluding in June 2019, chef Dan Fletcher left for Somerset, and a new chef, George Farrugia (ex-Bob Bob Ricard) joined this operation run by caterers ‘rhubarb’ – hopefully the good all-round performance will survive the upheaval.

“Oh my! A meat-lovers’ feast awaits!” at these “carnivorous havens”, where “evidently very well-sourced produce is expertly cooked and served in great platters of meaty delight!” (“go when you are hungry!”). There are “superb-value steaks”, but it’s the “mouthwateringly scrumptious” chops that inspire more feedback. Soho and the City occupy “urban-chic” basements, whereas Shoreditch is above-ground and more “warehouse-y”. Top Menu Tip – “bargain basement prices on Butchers Block Monday, with £10 corkage if you bring your own wine!”

“A truly world-class representative of London dining” – the Pic family’s “plush” three-year-old, within a monumental five-star hotel (the Port of London Authority’s former HQ), provides a “stunning-if-pricey” destination that nowadays ranks in London’s culinary top tier; and its heart-of-the-city location by Tower Hill makes it a natural for wining and dining particularly important prospects. The “calm, white-walled dining room” provides a “chic” and “beautiful” setting for a meal, service is “attentive but un-pushy”, but its highest rated feature is its “sensational”, “superbly refined” modern French cuisine.

“A real culinary tour of the best of Peru, with mouthwatering ceviche, smoky grilled meats and show-stopping desserts” (“we were blown away by the freshness and amazing flavour combinations”), “… all washed down with a pisco sour or two”, helped inspire rave reviews in the last survey for this Latino duo – an “impressive-looking subterranean bar/restaurant in Mayfair”, and a similarly “buzzy and relaxed” set-up in the City, tucked away behind the Bank of England. “It’s best if someone else is paying” of course, but past flak about whopping prices was absent this year.