London Marylebone Restaurant Guide

“Just a delight” – this long-running Italian in a “nice location” on a Marylebone corner has spun out into a cookery school and a string of cookbooks from Tuscan-born chef Giancarlo Caldesi. But praise for its cooking was more reserved this year, with some feeling it is rather “standard and underwhelming” – maybe it’s simply just too pricey.

“If you like steak-frites, Relais de Venise can’t be beaten”, say fans of this vieille école French steakhouse chain, where a set menu (including second helpings) of walnut salad, frites, and sliced entrecôte beef with a ‘secret’ sauce has been served in Paris since 1959. “Still a good place to eat, and I’ve been going to their restaurants for over 40 years.” A London branch opened in Marylebone 15 years ago, followed by Soho and the City. There’s a choice of desserts, with sticky toffee pudding added as a concession to les Rosbifs.

“Consistently good traditional fish ’n’ chips” make this century-old fixture (est. 1914) a “local favourite” in Marylebone. These days there are Mediterranean touches – fish steamed with olive oil or grilled with olive oil and lemon – as well as such throw-back Anglo treats as spotted dick, treacle syrup sponge or bread-and-butter pudding. But “you go to this lovely place for the well-priced fish and chips, not the ambience” – or the “outdoor tables, which face north!”

“A bit clichéd, but never lets us down”, say fans of the sub-sub brand of this famous brasserie chain, who “have no idea why its reviews are so bad”. For too many reporters, though, these outlets represent “a failing imitation of a classic that is itself rather variable”, with a “disappointing. expensive, mundane menu and inattentive service”. The best bet? “Stick to breakfast and enjoy the surroundings”.

With the demise of the original Mayfair Taka, this October 2020 spin-off – on the Marylebone site of Providores (RIP) – is now the sole survivor of the duo. Amidst a scene set by low-key woody decor, it serves a more-than-just-sushi menu also incorporating Japanese-style tapas, robata dishes and mochi flatbreads.

“Mouthwatering salads” which look as dazzlingly good as they taste set the tone at Yotam Ottolenghi’s deli-restaurants, where “the food is always outstanding” and “you always discover new ingredients and different takes on traditional dishes”. It’s now 20 years since the Israeli-born writer and TV chef opened his original Notting Hill venue, sparking a new interest in Levantine cuisine; in summer 2021 he opened a fifth branch, near the Wallace Collection in Marylebone.

2018 Review: No fireworks at this “favourite” Mayfair Lebanese – just solidly rated and affordable mezze, plus more substantial fare.

Tómas Tómasson, creator of two burger chains in his native Iceland, can now celebrate 10 years at his “straightforward and affordable” Marylebone venue, which these days has “nice outdoor seating”. He also has outlets in Soho and Oxford.

The four London farm shop/cafés – in Brompton Cross, Notting Hill, Pimlico and Marylebone – supplied by Lady Bamford’s organic farm offer a reassuring taste of life in the Cotswolds. They serve “pleasant café food, but some of the prices are too much”.

“Wonderful wines” – from an “amazing list, especially for Rhône Valley”, with many “excellent vintages by the glass” – top the billing at this “classy” (if “slightly cramped”) five-year-old Marylebone wine bar from Xavier Rousset, once the youngest-ever Sommelier of the Year. It’s backed up by “well-produced food with French influences and a modern twist”.

You can book any time for the cafés at the Bloomsbury store and for certain sittings in Marylebone if you visit these well-known cheese emporia. Obviously the cheese is an attraction in itself, but there are other high-quality options.

“Thoroughly reliable, good fresh fish at sensible prices for London” justifies a trip to this trio of seafood bistros in some of the capital’s most expensive areas – Covent Garden, Marylebone and Swallow Street (just a step from Piccadilly Circus). The cooking may not be hugely exciting, but “they do pretty standard fish dishes very well” – “including excellent cod and chips”. Each branch has an in-store fishmonger, so you can pick up something extra to cook at home.

“Simply brilliant food that just blows your socks off” – “posh curry, but not too mucked about with” – continues to wow at JKS restaurant’s original Marylebone venture, which remains one of London’s top destinations for “top notch” Indian cuisine. (“Excellent home delivery meal boxes” are also a feature.) Its modestly sized, U-shaped premises are slightly constrained by their layout, but for most reporters the effect is “lovely and intimate”.

This “sassy Peruvian” duo in Marylebone and Shoreditch are “spaciously set out, very atmospheric and pleasing to the eye”. But while the vibey locations are a big draw, they also offer “a multiplicity of delicious options”, making them “perfect for a mixed party of meat/fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans”.

“Chef Ravinder Bhogal maintains very high standards with the delicious and inventive dishes” served at her “welcoming” Marylebone venue. She conjures up a “lovely mixture of East African and Indian cuisine” that “celebrates food memories – abundant with poetry, romance and nostalgia”. On a more earth-bound level, the restaurant is also certified as Climate Neutral.