London Holborn Restaurant Guide

Eating the “lovely fresh Provençal food in this attractive airy room on Chancery Lane” is “a very satisfying experience”. Housed in a light-filled former book auction room with a huge glass rooflight, it has the “trademark quirks and innovation of the Club Gascon team” that is behind it, and “the prices are fair”.

Executive Pastry Chef, Mark Perkins, has created an artful afternoon tea with a colourful collection of pastries, inspired by the works of the famous painter, Vincent Van Gogh, the “exceptional cakes and pastries are truly a work of art… and taste great too!”.

“Pies to die for” are the ace in the Brit-food pack at this “huge dining room” of a business-friendly hotel on the edge of the City. Chef Calum Franklin is the “wizard” behind this “savoury pastry mecca”, which has its own Pie Room with a dedicated take-away hatch, along with pie and Wellington masterclasses. Top Tip: “excellent choice for breakfast, too”.

“A very cool place, at its best at breakfast and late at night” – this chilled hang-out in a chichi Soho House hotel (actually in Holborn, despite the name) serves superior burgers, and other “good, down-to-earth dishes”.

“The restaurant’s regulars are a mix of LSE professors and barristers from Lincoln’s Inn, resulting in a lively, argumentative atmosphere!” at this legal-land staple, which “hardly has any competition nearby” and which some regulars feel “could benefit from more inspiration”. That said, “it’s a really reliable spot where service is always welcoming and the staff attentive and helpful; and meat, sourced each day from Smithfield, is always a good choice”.

“A go-to place for an affordable and tasty Japanese ‘hit’” – this superbly consistent, “authentic” (slightly “dingy” looking) chain is “always full of Japanese diners so you know you’re onto a good thing”. “Prices are not the cheapest-of-the-cheap, but great value for the quality of Japanese food served” including the “real sushi, which bears no resemblance to the factory-produced, over-cooled and formulaic conveyor-belt muck you get elsewhere”. “Daily specials and a wide range of lunch Bento boxes mean they’re always bustling.”

These “busy” Korean BBQ joints – a Holborn original and in the new Pancras Square development (tel 020 3907 8474) – offer a range of grilled dishes, signature hot pickles and Korean cocktails in modern settings. Reports are “slightly variable” but most feel the food is “enjoyable”.

As part of the renovation of the Centre Point complex, caterers rhubarb (Sky Garden, Saatchi Gallery, Royal Albert Hall) are poised to open this new venue in autumn 2018 on the bridge link overlooking the square, featuring four separate dining areas, and with a comforting British menu: from chicken Kiev and fries to VIVI arctic roll.

Occupying a once derelict Grade II-listed building by Holborn station (a former HQ of the Baptist Church), this new 39-bedroom luxury hotel opened in mid-summer 2018 and also boasts a mezzanine restaurant & bar (Baptist Bar); and cafe (Café Oscar). The main restaurant, overseen by former Angler chef Tony Fleming, aims for ‘a contemporary approach to the traditional grill room’.