London, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This large bar-restaurant, near the Guildhall, isn’t going to win any culinary awards, but is a very versatile venue that’s conveniently located: “a good fallback in the City for decent if unspectacular food and a nice atmosphere. The staff are friendly and it’s turned into our office standby”.

2021 Review: “Escape the feel of the City for very reasonable home cooked-food” in the ancient crypt of Bow Bells church. “There are no better dining establishments in the Square Mile: affordable, great service, good food with delicious daily changing salads” including “excellent veggie and vegan options”. Depending on when you go, it’s either a “quiet” space or quite a “noisy” one.

Yet another option for eating at The Ned! This time, the colossal hipster hotel near Bank has added a new basement bar and entertainment space, complete with regular live music. The food is more than just bar bites though – Lobster Thermidor anyone?

“Very useful for City business lunches” – former financier, Soren Jessen’s “buzzy, well-spaced” converted banking hall, near Bank station, has been a well-known linchpin of expense accounter life in the Square Mile for the last two decades (“you see everyone if you lunch here”), with the option of eating in the less formal brasserie or more formal restaurant, depending on how overtly you are wooing the client. The “reliable” menu “is a mix of classics, holding something for everyone. They understand that business is business and staff know how to handle service to accommodate that”.

If it were not for Gordon Ramsay’s involvement, we would likely ignore this big warehousey venue, in a large mall next to St Paul’s. If you work in one of the local money factories and are fairly cost-insensitive, its interior is agreeable and it suits less formal business entertaining (or even a family meal); but as ever, it achieves very limited and mixed feedback overall. Still, the GR Holdings crew must think the idea’s got legs, as they have created a sub-brand – Bread Street Café – first opening Ealing in late 2021 and aimed at relaxed, all-day family dining.

“OK I guess, but could be so much better” is an increasingly common view on this once-groundbreaking chain, where the feeling that “it seems to have gone off a bit” is most prevalent at the well-known Granary Square branch, which risks becoming “a cheerless, so-so, fast-turnaround experience”. At its best, though – mostly to be found at the EC1 original, with its “great outside seating area and very relaxed atmosphere” – the group remains popular for its “innovative and delicious breakfasts”: “great sharing plates” and “something for everyone” (which includes “a good set of vegan and vegetarian alternatives”).

This modern take on the wine bar “sets the benchmark for an imaginative, indeed educational, wine list” – with “constantly surprising selections from far-flung places alongside the old-world classics”. There are “good choices by the glass, though prices can start quickly to move upwards”, and the “food is generally surprisingly good, with good-value set-lunch options”. The ultra-handily situated King’s Cross branch draws some flak for being “just too popular”, while branches in the City, Faringdon, Marylebone and Chiswick all have their fans. A new branch is scheduled to open by Borough Market in late 2021.

Fortnum’s hold the catering and bar concession for the spectacular City courtyard of the Royal Exchange, where they provide luxury all-day snacking, sipping and dining (start the day with “the best-ever porridge with whisky and cream!”). It must be the just about the only restaurant in London to provide ‘personal shopping advice’ to diners, guiding them round the glossy shops that have replaced traders in the surrounding exchange.

Moments from the Bank of England, this converted banking hall is nowadays a well-established City amenity, known for its “consistently good food”, which is served from breakfast on.

Hidden away by the Wobbly Bridge directly opposite Tate Modern, this 12-year-old venture is “the place to go if you want to explore South African wine alongside some of the best steaks in the City”. It’s also a place were “lunchtimes can – and often do – stretch into dinner”, under the expert guidance of “host and owner Neleen Strauss, who’s bonkers, in a great way” (she personally presented Boris Johnson as mayor of London with a bill for £80,000 to cover her losses during the London Olympics!).

“The views of London from Tower 42 are spectacular”, and there’s plenty more to please visitors to Jason Atherton’s 24th-floor City venue – not least “a great menu of outstanding food, knowledgeable staff and consistency in delivery”. Given the location, a large slice of the clientele is inevitably engaged in business entertaining – but that does not mean it’s inferior to stablemates further west. Says one fan: “We think this is better than Pollen Street, JA’s flagship restaurant in Mayfair”.

The name says it all about this new ‘Britisserie’ (an ‘authentic British patisserie’), which opened on a corner site near St Paul’s in December 2019. Owners Daniel Jobsz and his mum honed their classic pie-making skills at markets, festivals and pop-ups from 2015 before they found the site, which incorporates a small courtyard. Full English breakfasts (in a tart, of course), plus epic mash and a good list of beers and other drinks complete the formula.

2019 Review: As “a nice option for a mid-shopping break”, Gordon Ramsay’s West End outfit off Regent Street improved its previously dire ratings this year, although the experience can still seem “beige”. It’s best with kids in tow, as under-12s eat free at any time from the menu of Tilly’s Treats, designed by junior TV chef Matilda Ramsay (“and the kids love the ice cream parlour too”).

“Amazing views” from the 37th floor of the Walkie Talkie Tower are backed up by “delicious and beautiful food” from chef Michael Carr at this “well-presented” City destination. Upmarket caterers Rhubarb have worked commendably hard to ensure the venue offers more than just a “great location”.

“The excitement of the view before and after the meal” is clearly the main draw to this all-day brasserie at the top of the City’s Walkie-Talkie Tower – so “the very good food and service” are “a pleasant surprise: I was expecting corporate fare”.

“Always ambient and fun” – Richard Caring’s stretching (twisting?) of the Ivy brand is easy to snipe at but has so far avoided degenerating into farce. For sure, “the food is certainly nothing superior”: fans may claim it’s “more than adequate”, but its overall ratings nowadays are only just the right side of poor. That said, even critics of the cooking often feel that the “lovely” interiors and “welcoming service” provide compensation, and fit the bill for making an occasion of a meal. In the capital, the most mentioned outlets are The Ivy Chelsea Garden (“delightful garden tables and ideal for a noisy girls’ night out”); and The Ivy Kensington Brasserie (“huge fun, loads of buzz” and “always a treat”). The Ivy City Garden and Canary Wharf’s Ivy in the Park follow along in terms of volume of feedback. The newest member of the spin-off family is The Ivy Victoria – a vast space with 300 guests over two floors.

2018 Review: “Usefully placed for City meetings”, this outfit near the Barbican is consistently well-rated “reasonably priced” and fairly “convivial”, “if perhaps with tables a little close together”.

“Amazing” British game in season is the USP at this City boozer next to the Barbican, which makes for some “great gastro evenings”. This is supplemented in the off-season (so March to July) by spit-roasted whole suckling pig, rare-breed meat and wild fish and seafood. It’s also a useful pre- and post-show dining option for concert- and theatre-goers at the Barbican Centre, five minutes’ walk away.

2018 Review: A shipping container by Liverpool Street is the pop-up to more permanent home of this street food venture, where they know their way around an egg.

“Fab food, awesome views and ambience” make this modern recreation of an Elizabethan tavern – part of the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre complex on the South Bank – a “real delight”, far superior to most tourist-site pit stops. The restaurant features contemporary British cooking, while the bar serves “great high-end pub fare, beautifully presented and in a stunning room overlooking the river”. It’s perfect for pre-theatre dining, naturally, but also works for full meals – thinning out when the audience is called in for the show.