Southbank, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

We’re here for quality cuts, big flames and good times.With respect for these things, we serve up joyful food and drink, day and night.Bring a hungry belly – leave the rest to us....

“Perfectly executed fish” from a “varied and delicate” menu adds to the elevation of this 7th-floor D&D London perch, at the top of a hotel near Broadgate, where the “nice verandah” comes into its own in the summer months. Cooking of this quality is rare in the City, and even non expense-accounters will seek it out. This year’s most critical report? – “probably worth its Michelin star, but pricey and the chef didn’t take any gambles”.

“A choice of four 8-course tasting menus and a fantastic selection of wines” greets visitors to this 1930s-style, oak-panelled chamber in Mayfair, which scored uniformly high marks this year for Sofian Msetfi’s accomplished, seasonal British cuisine. There are also vegetarian and vegan alternative menus (the latter of which requires 48 hours notice).

“A classic for oyster lovers!” – acclaimed Irish chef, Richard Corrigan, continues to be a superb steward of this 106-year-old veteran (established in 1916), cutely tucked away in a side street near Piccadilly Circus, which he has rebuilt over the years into one of the Top 40 destinations in our annual diners’ poll. “For outstanding oysters or fish, you can’t go wrong”, with tips including “cracking fruits de mer” and “simply delicious fish stew”. His “fabulous” and “professional” staff help create a “lovely” atmosphere, although the top ‘craic’ in the ground-floor bar is often tipped over the grander but more sedate upstairs restaurant. (Another excellent option, particularly in summer, is the superb heated outdoor terrace). On the downside, the pricing is somewhat “prohibitive of a frequent visit”, but fans say “despite the expense, a meal here is an all-round package that is predictable in a good way”. Top Menu Tips – “oh-so-tasty options from the specials board” and “ask for more soda bread!!”

“A cruise through Regent’s Park to Camden Lock on the Grand Union canal is the perfect complement to five flavoursome fishy dishes, sluiced down with sommelier-advised wines” aboard the Prince Regent. Sister barge the Grand Duchess offers a similar seafood menu, permanently docked by Paddington station.

“Like a London club but with infinitely better food” – this “very civilised” St James’s veteran (London’s oldest restaurant, established in 1742, but not on this site) is “a real throwback to another era” (“it’s probably not the place to attract ‘influencers’, whoever or whatever they are!”). The menu (which majors in fish and seafood) is “as traditional as one can expect (as is the clientele)” – you are served “classic food, classically executed and classically served” and at its best results are “simply exceptional”. “Service is old-school professional” although, perhaps due to the strains of Covid, did not enjoy its customary 5/5 rating this year. Even so, Wiltons remains “a great place for meeting on business” and its pricing is such that it’s best to let the corporate credit card take the strain whenever possible. Top Menu Tips – “the Dover sole is still the best in the capital” and “their lobster thermidor is rich and everything you want in an indulgent food item”. Game is excellent in season and they do a “magnificent bone-in rib served from the trolley”.

A permanently-moored big sister boat for the London Shell Co's moving vessel, with room for 40 covers plus some al fresco tables in summer and a private Captain's Table (expect lots of fishy / nautical jokes - their strapline is "have your hake and eat it") and a focus on British cooking, especially Cornish fish and seafood.

“Small and perfectly formed” two-year-old with a “wonderful waterside setting” in St Katharine Dock that serves “seafood that should appear on the end of Paul Whitehouse’s rod – it’s that fresh!”. “On a sunny day with an outdoor table, it’s the best” – the “fantastic shellfish” includes “the best langoustines ever and stellar scallops”. Theodore Kyriakou, who set up both Livebait and The Real Greek back in the 1990s, is part of the founding team.

“With its quietly thrumming ambience, well-spaced tables and unobtrusive service from staff used to looking after royalty”, this “eternally discreet” brasserie hidden in a cute Mayfair mews is a long-established favourite for a blue-blooded, establishment crowd (and “perfect for doing business in”). Elegantly suited owner, Gavin Rankin, smoothly commands the space – “his team are wonderfully welcoming” and “all this is supported by classic French food, an excellent and keenly priced wine list, and a set lunch menu that’s a bargain (ideal for when Finance put a cap on your entertaining budget)”. Top Menu Tips – “Martinis, oysters and staples like steak tartare are prominent”.