London Shepherd's Bush Restaurant Guide

Set a little back from the busy Uxbridge Road, this large Victorian gin palace (est. 1829) retains much of its period grandeur and celebrates its history nowadays by offering over 100 artisan and big-name gins at the bar. Part of the Three Cheers Pub Co, it wins all-round solid ratings, including for its gastropub menu and pizzas (also available to take away).

An evocative tiled interior adds to a visit to this cheap ’n’ cheerful Syrian café, near the north end of Shepherd’s Bush Market – a handy place for a fresh fruit juice and affordable mezze meal.

These “trendy pizza joints with a modern twist and clean, industrial interiors” serve “generously portioned and always-fresh” thin-crust pizza, attracting a good fan club for this 10-year-old group run by the late Terry Wogan’s sons, Mark and Alan. They make no claim to authenticity and are more influenced by New York than Naples – but the “bizarre combinations on the blackboard always turn out to be unexpectedly delicious. Believe in them!”.

“A gastronomic triumph teamed with great theatre makes for an unforgettable night out”, at Endo Kazutoshi’s “educational, luxurious, cosseting and extremely fun” experience: a 10-seater on the rooftop of the former BBC TV Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. “Endo is a huge character and his sushi is the best in London”. “To see the food prepared, learn about the ingredients and experience impeccable Japanese service is brilliant, and the added showmanship of Endo-san just makes the whole thing unforgettable”. “The eye-watering price makes this an occasional treat”, but those with sufficiently deep pockets say it’s “definitely worth the spend”: “best meal I’ve ever had… still thinking about it on a daily basis!”.

With its foliage, fairy lights and heaters, this September 2020 newcomer – where tables are predominantly outside – injects a festive spark into a quirky space, next to Shepherd’s Bush market and the Goldhawk Road tube bridge (opposite the station). Founders Will Fuller of Soho House Group and Frazer Timmerman of Incipio Group aimed, apparently, to import a bit of East London groove to this converted railway arch and adjoining large yard, and judging by it being permanently packed they’ve succeeded! Pizza is the menu mainstay and staff try hard. A 120-seater, it’s also available for events.

“The freshly made dumplings are almost perfect” at this smart, modern hotel restaurant overlooking gentrifying Shepherd’s Bush Green. Since opening in 2014, it has been the unlikely venue for “some of the best dim sum in London”. “This standard of Chinese food is hard to find here – it’s where I take friends from Singapore when they visit – and they’re impressed.”

“Quality pizzas served by nice people in a bustling, energetic atmosphere. What’s not to like?” It’s a formula that’s winning massive, post-pandemic expansion for the Elliot brothers’ chain, which is adding eight London sites this year. Perhaps inevitably with such fast growth, it no longer enjoys the stellar ratings of yesteryear, but to an impressive degree also evades criticism: “always decent…”, “I can’t speak for the authenticity, but they’re tasty as hell”. Top Tip: “their pizza home delivery kit is great fun”.

Review: The “succulent, juicy burgers” at Joe Grossman’s indie burger chain are “a sloppy-ish mess… and all the better for it” – “and the food can be washed down with a decent glass of wine or a good margarita”. Having started out with pub-based pop-ups, Grossman opened his first branch in James Street, Fitzrovia, 10 years ago, and now has a further eight in London and one in Brighton.

We were expecting the latest news from Salt Yard to be about their Borough opening, but this popped up instead! Opened July 2022.