London Fitzrovia Restaurant Guide

It’s “always a pleasure to eat the tasty, well-spiced and reliably classy Keralan food” at this “very good value” veteran in a basement near the Telecom Tower. There’s “friendly service in the compact dining area”, although the interior is not going to win design awards any time soon. Top Menu Tips – “love the fritters!”; dosas here are a perennial favourite too.

“An exceptional meal all round, with fantastic, seasonal cuisine” is how all the numerous reports we receive describe James Knappett & Sandia Chang’s 18-seat chef’s table experience in Fitzrovia, which has one of the best reputations amongst the capital’s most renowned tasting experiences. Even so, its “eye-watering prices” are of concern to both fans and foes alike. A rare critic says that “everything about the place misses the mark for me, apart from the food. I am in a minority, but just not a fan”. More representative is the following enthusiasm: “somehow I have managed to justify to myself spending this much on a meal four times now. That’s how good I think it is!”

“The pizza is second to none”, combining “top-quality ingredients and fabulous bases” at this quartet of “bustling” pizzerias founded 15 years ago by Neapolitan-born Angelo and Pasquale. Since launching in Ealing, they have expanded slowly to Fulham, Islington and Fitzrovia – and the extent to which they’ve maintained their ratings is an achievement for an expanding group.

Under the ownership of film director Guy Ritchie (pals David and Cruz Beckham have been spotted here), this “first-class” pre-Victorian Fitzrovia boozer is thriving. Everything is “done well”: and at heart, the food is “simple, and well-sourced” (although this description possibly under-sells a menu featuring such dishes as Wiltshire Venison Tartare with Togarashi Mayonnaise and South Coast Brown Crab Risotto with Coriander and Cherry Harissa dressing).

“Brilliantly-executed-but-unfussy food paired with exceptional-and-well-priced wines” is winning ever-higher acclaim for master-sommelier Mathieu Germond’s low-key Fitzrovian… and people already thought it was pretty cracking to start off with. Founded in 2017 after Mathieu quit Pied a Terre, it’s named for the village in the Loire Valley where his grandparents ran a farm and “for the true Francophile, it’s a real find”. “Mathieu is the don when it comes to affordable vintages: he will often recommend a cheaper bottle than a ‘known’ producer: the mark of a great somm’”; and service generally is exceptional: “delightful, knowledgeable and gracious”, which contributes to the “delightfully buzzy” atmosphere. Chef George Farrugia (installed in 2021) is “cooking up a storm” at present, and numerous dishes are enthusiastically mentioned in reports: “the ‘Sole Fritter’ snack is probably the finest two-bite snack ever”; “the duck meatball starter which sounds a bit ordinary, is unbelievable”; “the Muscat broth will almost have you licking the bowl”. “Ask Mathiew to choose a glass to go with your choices: you’ll appreciate the incredible knowledge as you get a description of each one with terroir, flavours and why it matches your food. You learn so much… and get fabulous glasses of wine!”

“A jolly pan-Asian mish-mash that’s good value for the West End” inspires ongoing interest in this Fitzrovia venue. Most of the action is on the ground floor, but there’s also an outdoor bar and basement chef’s counter.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, this traditional Italian in Fitzrovia is “chaotic and very small”, so you’re “packed like sardines” – but that’s part of the appeal to fans, who reckon it’s “great fun” and “worth returning to”.

More than the sum of its parts, Will Lander & Daniel Morgenthau’s highly regarded Fitzrovia corner-site looks uneventful but achieves a “convivial and relaxed atmosphere” (“similar in feel to a neighbourhood restaurant in New England”) thanks to its “charming” staff. On the menu – “extremely well-constructed, flavoursome and unfussy food” from a “changing menu” matched by an “accessible wine list” (“very good by the glass”); and all at a “fair price”.

“I keep going back to Roka, and have never had a bad meal there” – so say fans of Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s slick Japanese-inspired venues, which are celebrating their 20th year in 2024. “Despite increasing competition, it remains a good choice, with sound cooking and good-value sushi, sashimi and robata dishes”; and despite perennial complaints that they are “way overpriced for tiny portions”, quality has held up well. All that said, service is more often “amateurish” and “erratic” than it once was; and long-term fans have a point when they say the general performance is “not as good as it used to be” – the 2024 openings will be in Bahrain, Germany and Greece and there is growing impression of ‘the same old, same old’ in its original home market.

The food of Emilia-Romagna is the inspiration for this Italian duo in Shoreditch and Fitzrovia. They major in pasta, with sliced meats, cheeses and wines from the region as back-up, and all reports say the food is of a good standard.

“A six-course themed taster menu, that changes every six weeks!” is the “playful idea” at Nico Simeone’s national chain, whose two London branches (in Fitzrovia and Canary Wharf) are “great for special occasions, but also affordable for a regular monthly meal out to experience the different cuisines”. At such keen prices, it’s unreasonable to expect perfection and most diners acknowledge this: it’s “a clever, and obviously very popular, concept, albeit one where the experience can seem a bit manufactured”; “although it doesn’t always live up to expectations, when you get the right menu everything clicks into place”; so while inevitably it’s “hit and miss, it’s also great value”, and “for a fun evening it does the job well”.

“Fun, vibey atmosphere and slick service” are key to the success of this upscale Greek outfit in Fitzrovia (with sister venues in Mykonos and Riyadh), which gets “loud” at busy times – perhaps “too loud”. Owned by Peter Waney, brother of Arjun (Zuma, Roka), it’s “not cheap, but the food is better than you’d think” – “fresh, light and modern”, with “imaginative twists on every dish”.

Noisy izakayas in Fitzrovia and Covent Garden from the Bone Daddies group, “serving a good range from the stickier and more crowd-pleasing end of Japanese cuisine”, along with “tasty pan-Asian small plates including their signature bao buns”. Top Menu Tips – “great yakitori, lovely beef-fat chips”.

“Lovely combinations of flavours are expertly executed” at Jun Tanaka’s inviting and “buzzy” Fitzrovia restaurant, where his cuisine is consistently praised by a big fan club as “really fresh and seasonal, and very satisfying”. And, especially given the high quality, a visit “doesn’t break the bank” either. Top Tip – “the incredible value set lunch is a joy for a Michelin star restaurant – please go!”