London Ealing Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

The “mix of Asian food slightly adapted for all tastes” and offered at “really reasonable prices” makes this long-running chain “a family favourite”. Founded at the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury 26 years ago, it now has branches in Ealing, Putney, Kensington and Chiswick, along with two delivery-only kitchens. Top Tip – “you can’t beat the curry laksa”.

2021 Review: From its Finsbury Park base (next to the Park Theatre), this “cheerful” group of “good neighbourhood pasta-stops” subsequently expanded to Ealing and then onto Wembley branch (there’s also an outlet in Westfield Stratford); all deliver “well-cooked”, affordable pasta.

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”.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“Pizza of similar quality to those you’d find in a Naples basement” (with “authentic slow fermentation of the dough”) inspire followers of this growing, twelve-year-old group, which they say is “second-to-none for texture and flavour”. But the relocated original site in Ealing is “cramped” and seems “really dull” compared to the old one: “the pizza remains good, but it’s lost the sense that you were part of something special and secret”. (In recent times, they’ve also added an Islington branch and one in Brentford – not listed – that’s part of a car showroom!)

“Delhi-style street food” from an “extensive menu with different descriptions” has won a fan club for these “fun”, “small” and basic cantinas in Ealing (x2) and on gracious Hammersmith Grove. Reviews this year however weren’t quite as enthusiastic as in times past.

The “very rich and extremely meaty pork broth” wins plenty of admirers for what some consider “London’s top ramen”. Founded by former cycle racer Kazuhiro Kanada in Kyushu 14 years ago, the small group now has four branches in the capital – Angel, Piccadilly, Covent Garden and Carnaby – and provide “food to savour on a chilly winter day”.

2022 Review: “A great setting in Walpole Park with an amazing terrace” is a highpoint at this all-day café in the walled garden of Ealing’s fine Pitzhanger Manor (designed by Sir John Soane). It’s been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent times, closing, changing operators, re-opening, and then with another change of chef in August 2021 (Andre Rhone from Richmond’s Bingham). Most recommended for breakfast, so that seems a good way of dipping your toe in the water here.

2022 Review: From the Santa Maria team – and on the characterful original site of the smash hit Ealing branch (which has since shifted to Bond Street in W5) – a new vegan pizzeria concept, which is set to open in October 2021.