London Holborn Restaurant Guide

2019 Review: This Japanese tabletop BBQ is a “great place for a fun night out” in Holborn (there’s also a new branch at Oxford Circus), cooking your own meat from a “good, reasonably priced set dinner selection”. It is part of a Tokyo-based group with branches in eight countries.

2021 Review: “Good value” sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes trundle past your seat at these two ‘kaiten’ (conveyor-belt) operations in the City, tempting you to help yourself. It makes a fun, fast and efficient way to grab lunch. The chain also has takeaway and delivery options for evenings.

2019 Review: 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”.

The sun-drenched flavours of Provence – both food and wine – are brought into focus at this Chancery Lane outpost of Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon group, which occupies an engaging glass-ceilinged room, originally built as an auction house. The downstairs cocktail bar, Baranis, also boasts the UK’s only indoor petanque pitch. The worst comment? “OK but not inspiring”.

2019 Review: 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!”.

It’s not been a vintage year for this grand British brasserie, known for its Pie Room, grills and charcuterie. Feedback has been very unsettled, with poor ratings across the board and reports of “stodgy and tasteless dishes”, “breathtaking mark-ups”, and “famous pies that were poorly cooked and really not worth the hype or the money”. In June 2022, after the conclusion of our survey, the executive chef for the last eight years, Calum Franklin, moved on. Given that change seems to be afoot, we have left it unrated.

2022 Review: This independent fixture in legal-land (near the LSE) is a long-running staple of the area – welcoming, “always good value”, and with some interesting picks and bin-end deals on the wine list.

2021 Review: “Could this be the best coffee in London?” – this speciality chain has grown from this Leather Lane site to 15 around the capital in 10 years, and is, by all accounts, “exceptional” – “definitely worth going out of the way for a brew”. “Staff are friendly”, and sandwiches, salads and cakes are prepared fresh every day at a central in-house kitchen and bakery.

“Great coffee” (and also stone-rolled and limited-edition tea) wins praise for this well-known brew stop near Hatton Garden, which also offers pastries, sarnies and other light bites.

“A tiny spot with just over 20 covers and food to die for” – the focus is very much on the “very clever cooking at an affordable price point” at this “personal” Farringdon address, run by head chef Anthony Raffo and manager Marie Danzanvilliers. The food is “super-seasonal” (“sometimes foraged within a stone’s throw of the restaurant”), “traditional techniques are revived with pickles and ferments” and the resulting dishes have “exceptional flavour combinations and contrasts”.

“Nailing it every time” – Arjun Waney and Rainer Becker’s upscale Japanese-inspired operations endure on a deceptively simple formula of “great buzz… awesome food”. Centre stage are the “expertly prepared” small plates – “a lovely combination of hot and cold Japanese-fusion dishes” featuring “gorgeous sushi, sashimi and robata” (from the centrally placed grill) – that are “pricey yet exceptional”. As an offering, you could quibble that “it hasn’t really evolved” in recent years, or you could say ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it?’

“Doing what they do very well” – “top burgers” are presented with a veneer of Parisian sophistication at this seven-strong chain, popular not just for their value but their “lovely” styling too.

2021 Review: “Surprisingly good food and charming service” make it worth remembering this historic hostelry (refurbed in recent times), near the Royal Courts of Justice. You can eat in the ground floor bar, or in the upstairs ‘Pig and Goose’ restaurant.

“Spartan surroundings…”, “efficient service but can be stilted and without a smile…” yet “all is ultimately forgiven” at these “always busy” and “always reliable” Japanese canteens. “Given the price, you’d expect real mediocrity” and yet meals are almost invariably “acceptable and good quality (if somewhat formulaic)”. Top Tip – “lovely bento boxes”. (The ‘G2’ Golders Green branch specialises in Shabu Shabu – a variety of broths).

“Still The Daddy!… I was glad to return to the office and find it was still trading!” – “Leather Lane Market may not be the most relaxing venue for al fresco dining” but this busy takeaway draws fans with its “great burritos, plus a wide variety of toppings”.

2019 Review: “Pittas of pleasure” – “Mediterranean/Israeli street food of the best type (vegetarian, fresh and bursting with taste)” – keep office workers healthy and happy at these City-based “pitstops”. “No wonder there’s always a queue at lunchtime.”