London South Hampstead Restaurant Guide

“So consistent after all these years” – this “old-school local Malaysian-Chinese” in Swiss Cottage has “been going for ages”, but “you never tire of dining here” because “you know what you’re going to get and you enjoy it immensely”. Giles Coren, restaurant critic for The Times, was born in the next street and is a long-term regular, returning again and again for the “superb Singaporean laksa”. But while it’s “a cut above” and one of north London’s most popular destinations, don’t go expecting the earth (“everything is done well but it’s not amazing”).

A Swiss Cottage institution for more than half a century, this local Chinese venue (est. 1972) is in the classic (for London) Cantonese mould and still dependably well-rated on the food front.

Simon & Jacinta Bradley’s “reliable neighbourhood restaurant” near Swiss Cottage station is one of the capital’s stalwart local champions, offering an unfailing combination of “well-presented dishes, friendly service and well chosen wines” for 32 years and counting. “Rarely busy at lunchtime”, it’s also a “very useful pre-theatre restaurant” for those heading to the Hampstead Theatre around the corner. Ratings, though, remain capped by those who view it as “a venue that’s convenient but dull”.

In the underserved environs of Abbey Road, this modern Italian bar/café is worth remembering for its “really tasty Italian tapas-type dishes and some excellent Grappa!”