Spitalfields, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“A perennial favourite” – this engagingly stark Spitalfields canteen provides a “more accessible entry point to the great St John” cuisine of Fergus Henderson, and “always has something original to tempt you on its classic menu” of simple punchy British dishes twinned with interesting wines. Top Menu Tips – “tasty brown shrimp with capers and smoked eel; devilled kidneys (always superb)”; “ox tongue and pigeon pie” – “leave room for pudding” (“Eccles cakes are probably best shared although they are the best you’ll ever eat”).

This “beautiful, restored Victorian pub” on a corner in Spitalfields is a useful meeting place for a meal, especially in summer when the “fabulous rooftop bar” comes into its own. The food in the first-floor restaurant is a step up from gastropub fare, and there’s a private dining space in the rooftop greenhouse seating 10 guests.

2022 Review: We have Tracey Emin and Madness front-man Suggs to thank, along with the rest of the OPEN campaign, for saving this iconic (for once the word is merited) Shoreditch landmark north of Liverpool Street, which – after its original launch in 2000 – became a seminal venue for emerging hipster East London. It closed in 2014 when it was about to be flattened for a skyscraper, but this 5,000 sq ft former rail power station (built in 1893) reopened in April 2021, initially with its terrace in operation. This was followed in May and June by its ground-floor ‘Engine Hall’ bar and restaurant and first-floor ‘Timber Loft’. Survey feedback was too limited for a rating, but all-round extremely positive.

“It’s a little crowded and cramped but the food is phenomenal” at Tomos Parry’s “lively, totally welcoming and unstuffy” operation – the clever conversion of the first floor of a Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat) with its own separate entrance. When it opened in 2018, Tomos helped lead the vogue for cooking over fire in the capital and the “fabulous” results here remain “worthy of applause for their creativity, presentation, taste and good value”. “Passionate staff add to the atmosphere as does the open grill and it’s an absolute must-do, especially for a group of foodie friends looking for a fun night”. “From the bread through to the superbly done fish and vegetable-based dishes and a memorable wine list, it’s memorable all round, every time”. Top Menu Tip – “exquisite Turbot” (for which the venue is named… in Welsh!).

James Dawson’s half-dozen wine bars are “super venues to try interesting new wines in”, with “informative service” – “food is something of an after-thought, but pretty good for all that”, and comes into its own with a “fantastic Sunday roast menu: lamb and beef are high-quality and cooked perfectly”. Top Tip – “great deals on a Monday when most others are closed”.

“Superb modern British cooking in a sexily stark but verdant setting” thrills the crowd at this Shoreditch institution now in its 22nd year, from Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson (wife of St John’s Fergus – their son Hector is now head chef while daughter Frances works FoH). “Lovely both in the garden tent in summer and the more intimate indoor restaurant in winter; the fact that it’s hard to find just adds to the romance” (the premises were originally built as school bike sheds). First-time visitors say it’s “everything I had hoped it would be”, with a “very interesting menu”. Top Tip – “sublime monkfish liver pâté with pickles”.

“24-hour food with a view” is a formula that has worked wonders for this brand since it launched 14 years ago on the 40th floor of the City’s Heron Tower, leading to spinoffs in Edinburgh and Dubai. “The room is well designed to ensure the maximum number of people can take in the view” – “you don’t go for the food, which is just acceptable”, but once you’re there, “the duck confit waffle is a must-have”: they sailed past the 2 million sales mark a couple of years ago.

2022 Review: Near Aldgate, a new hotel – a ‘with-it’ extension of the Hilton brand – opened in April 2021. Later in the year, this large new rooftop terrace and restaurant opens to help it live up to the hotel’s name. Attractions will include an all-day menu from breakfast.

“So delicious, meat is not missed” – this ‘vegetable forward’ yearling on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road inspires nothing but praise for ‘unfailingly good food that’s so healthy’. Indeed, owners Irina Linovich and ACME Fire Cult’s Daniel Watkins have already lined up site No. 2 with a late 2025 opening in Old Spitalfields Market. In both spots seasonal produce is cooked over fire with fermentation to boost flavour and ‘celebrate vegetables in unique and innovative ways’.

Upstairs from the relaunched Knave of Clubs pub in Shoreditch (with its own entrance), a venture open in Spring 2025 aiming to inject a shot of Manhattan-style glamour into the area. In an April 2025 review, the Standard’s David Ellis hailed it as “E1’s answer to The Dover, Mayfair’s wood-panelled, come-hither martini den” serving up “Paris spied through a New Yorker’s telescope”. In early May 2025, The Guardian’s Grace Dent found a shabby-chic upstairs dining room with a “heady, tipsy, twinkly atmosphere” giving a “thrilling, retro glimpse of mindlessness” in our era of health-conscious mindfulness. Chef Patrick Powell’s cooking is heartier, less “fine dining” here than at his former employer, Allegra in Stratford (“croquettes filled with lobster and ham, roast scallops in confit garlic butter and thick French onion soup topped with comté and gruyere”).

“A great reimagining of a local East End boozer” – this February 2025 newcomer from the team behind the Camberwell Arms occupies a restored classic late Victorian pub in Shoreditch. Upstairs there’s a stand-alone restaurant called Club Row (see also) from chef Patrick Powell, formerly of the Midland Grand and Allegra. The pub proper is “atmospheric with friendly service” and good grub: “the chicken platter is superb value; super bar snacks too”.