London West Brompton Restaurant Guide

“A quirky steampunk theme combined with an emphasis on cocktails and craft beers accompanies very sound modern Indian cooking” at this Earl’s Court venture, whose name pays tribute to the 19th-century Scottish botanists who classified the subcontinent’s plants. “After a few false starts on the site, this restaurant has found its forte under the same ownership as its predecessor Mr Wing (RIP)”.

2021 Review: Hit and miss feedback on this Italian three-year-old, in a posh side street opposite the entrance to the Chelsea & Westminster hospital. On the plus side, all reports rate the cooking as good or better. But it can also seem pricey for what it is, and meals don’t always run like clockwork: “the management and the regular clientele were treating the place as the most remarkable restaurant in this part of the world, but our service was very up and down, to the extent they gave us free puddings”.

For its Sloane Ranger crowd, wine merchant John Brinkley’s long-established brasserie is a “still-buzzing Chelsea legend where you can drink well at almost-retail prices”. But, while most fans feel the food is “decent” too, others say “you pay too much for what you get and folks are starting to vote with their feet”. There are spin-offs in Wandsworth Bridge Road and beside Wandsworth Common (see Brinkley’s Kitchen).

This “traditional backstreet pub – wood-panelled and with a walled garden” – is a good find in the thin area surrounding West Brompton tube and makes a cosy winter destination or – in summer – “the terrace is a great sun trap in the afternoon”. Its Med-inspired cuisine is a cut-above typical gastropub standards.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“You leave feeling everything is good in the world” according to fans of Abel Lusa’s accomplished stalwart (est. 1995) on the borders of South Ken and Earl’s Court: one of London’s original Spanish restaurants of quality and still at the cutting edge, with its “luxurious tapas”, “excellent Iberian wines” and “wonderfully fun and atmospheric” style. A slip in ratings, though, accompanies one or two concerns that “it should offer better value”; or that “it risks slipping from a smart and exciting place to being lower-energy”. But that didn’t stop Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz from eating here with his family five times during the Championships this year – and on the days he didn’t go, he ordered deliveries to be sent to his accommodation. Apparently, his favourite dish is the crispy salmon nigiri (a Spanish version of sushi with sweet soy sauce, Spanish vinegar and chipotle mayonnaise).

2021 Review: “Neapolitan influences are evident in the choice of ingredients, and the wood-burning oven makes for good, chewy, charred crusts, unlike most high-street pizzas” – so say fans of this global chain, whose HQ is indeed in Naples. Not everyone is impressed, though, and ratings are dragged down by those who feel it’s merely an “everyday” choice: “OK for a bog-standard group, but not great”.

“Every dish is good” at this long-running tapas bar in South Kensington. Regulars, though, reckon it’s “not quite up to the experience” of its sibling opposite, Cambio de Tercio, with which it shares a list of “excellent” Spanish wines (“it’s clearly tapas from a chef more familiar with fine dining, leaning towards the elegant rather than a solid punch of flavour”).

With its “good North Indian cooking” from family recipes, this well-established venue with Bollywood posters lining the walls is these days a rival to veteran Noor Jahan for bragging rights on Earl’s Court’s “curry corner”.

“Spot-on pasta” is a key draw at this “excellent local Italian” near Chelsea & Westminster Hospital “that welcomes kids” and “always delivers with charming service”. It’s the sort of place regulars “go to at least once a month, love it!” – which means it’s typically rammed.

This family-run “stalwart” of the Earl’s Court-South Ken dining scene (and its ‘Noor Jahan II’ Bayswater offshoot) has built a strong following for its “consistently good” Indian dishes over the past 60 years – and the smattering of celebs and royals among its guests (Angelina Jolie, Prince William…) has not gone to its head: “after all this time it remains your typical curry house”.

“Always reliable and first-class French cooking” is complemented by a serious wine list, including nine from Margaux, at this upmarket neighbourhood spot over two storeys at the Earl’s Court end of South Kensington.

2022 Review: This Fulham Road newcomer on ‘The Beach’ opened mid-lockdowns with a contemporary Italian offering. It’s the brainchild of Leandro Longo (La Caricatura) and chef Ignacio Fuggiero (The Met). You can opt for an eight-course tasting menu (as well as two-course, three-course and à la carte options) but the approach has strong, traditional Italian roots.

“Open 24 hours, with flexible options for breakfast” – these round-the-clock cafés are worth remembering if you’re out on the town and need to refuel. Only the SW10 original generates much in the way of feedback – “the cuisine is not fine food, but it’s a convenient option that’s good value” and “reliable”. (Aldgate also has a standalone bar with a 24-hour alcohol licence).

“Fab burgers with a posh turn” – including “awesome sweet potato fries” – still lead the charge at these Frenchified fast-food outfits, but they are transitioning into a brasserie group under the ownership of Hush Mayfair’s Jamie Barber. The 20-year-old original – a “great, cosy little spot in Camden” – and its Balham offshoot are all that remain as pure burger bars, while Kingston, High Holborn and Chelsea are now branded as brasseries with an extended menu to match.

2023 Review: This “treasured Chelsea local, tucked away in a cosy basement off the Fulham Road ‘beach’”, inspires a devoted following from its regulars, looking after them with “classy and delicious” Italian dishes and an impressive wine list. Tourists and casual passers-by are unlikely even to notice the all-but-hidden entrance, adding to the clubbish appeal.

2022 Review: ‘A taste of rural France on the Fulham Road’ is the promise at this ‘gourmet traiteur’ in Chelsea: an early 2020 newcomer where dishes (to go or for delivery within 4 miles) are designed for reheating at home and prepared by Chris Hill, who most recently worked as a senior sous chef at The Ritz. It’s owned by Dimitri and Mira Plaquet, of a high-quality Belgian food group called La Villa Lorraine. They must be doing something right, as in mid 2021 they launched a second store in Wimbledon.

2021 Review: “Decent burgers and reliable steaks” are highlights of the menu at this pair of “family- and group-friendly” steakhouses in the Fulham Road and Soho – useful ports of call before a match at Stamford Bridge or a night out in the West End. Overall, the level culinary performance is rated somewhere between “solid” and “pretty average”.

2021 Review: Over 1,000 people queued for its opening, but if you’re not Filipino, chances are you won’t ‘get’ this Earl’s Court fast-food diner, which has introduced the capital to the delights of authentic ‘chickenjoy’, yumburger and Jolly Spaghetti (with sweet tomato and hot dog sauce) – “really not special!”

This offbeat, “really high-quality Japanese” outfit in a Kensington backstreet from Yasuhiro Minemo and Shinya Ikeda has carved out a niche for itself over the last 13 years with its “delicious sushi” and “extremely attentive staff”. It’s pricey, but “the lunch menu is great value”. Its offshoot Ocean House is in the former Brompton Library, while the latest addition from 2022, Sushi Kamon in Arcade Food Hall on Oxford Street, offers a cut-price 45-minute omakase experience.