Spitalfields, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Wearing the ‘nose-to-tail’ mantle a little more lightly” than the Smithfield original, Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s Spitalfields canteen hits the nail on the head for many diners. Its robust British small plates are “seriously good – different, and utterly delicious with plenty of offal” – and “the wine list with lesser known bottles is also interesting”. “The room may be clinical” but “its basic style is attractive… if you like that sort of thing”. Top Menu Tip – “the best bacon butty in London!”, plus “mega Eccles cakes with Lancashire cheese to fill you up”.

2021 Review: From the team behind the nearby Culpeper, this new (June 2019) gastroboozer occupies a cleverly rebuilt seven-storey site near the foot of Brick Lane, whose redevelopment has allowed the addition of 15 bedrooms. It opened too late for survey feedback: The Standard’s David Sexton found the ground floor bar a little “cramped” and “not for lingering”, but a good value, if “lonely pioneer of bourgeois taste” in this grungy ’hood.

“Buzzing” old boozer on a Spitalfields corner site, which was very stylishly upgraded nine years ago and nowadays boasts an airy upstairs dining room with an “always interesting, always reliable” British bistro menu. “The roof terrace is a great bonus”, too.

One of London’s most appealing museum or art gallery dining rooms – this “cheerful operation with a small but delightful menu” presents chef Nick Gilkinson’s “well sourced, flavoursome dishes”, distinguished by the way the “clean, simple flavours of the ingredients come though”. Named in celebration of the turn-of-the-century building’s architect, Charles Harrison Townsend, “the room is lined with light wood and mirrors (which some may think a bit stark)”.

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.

“Never wavering in its excellence” – James Lowe’s acclaimed canteen sits at the foot of Shoreditch’s ‘Tea Building’ and his seasonal modern British cooking is nowadays something of a benchmark (having achieved a listing for numerous years on the World’s 50 Best). At lunch, small plates can be ordered tapas-style, whereas in the evenings there’s just a single tasting option. “Individual dishes look simple: actually this belies a great deal of underlying complexity, and fantastic tastes”. Service is informed and passionate too: “you do not think they are temps!” The post-industrial space it inhabits is “hard-surfaced, buzzy, and hence can be very noisy” (and there were a few more reservations this year that the overall effect can end up “slightly cold and soulless”).

“Simple things are done very, very well on a smoking fire and every dish is a wow!” at Tomos Parry’s Shoreditch superstar, which – now five years old – has proved “a superb addition to the London dining scene” .“It’s casual in style, but the truly original cooking” and “enthusiastic and informed staff” generate “a real buzz about the place” and create a “cosy” atmosphere in what might otherwise might seem a “somewhat lacklustre” and tightly packed space (on the first floor, above Smoking Goat downstairs). As well as the signature turbot for which the restaurant is named, many dishes here are praised in reports (“spider crab toast to die for…”; “clever duck rice, like paella…”; “beautifully flavoursome and light Basque cheesecake”).

James Dawson’s wine shops/clubs/bars are “great places to catch up with friends over a bottle you might never ordinarily have tried”. “The staff are super-helpful, with lots of suggestions” of bottles from independent and sustainable producers. The food is “OK if a little uninspiring”, but “who cares when there’s one evening a week when you can drink wine at retail prices”.

Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson’s (wife of St John’s Fergus) not-so-secret venue near Spitalfields was converted in 2006 from the bike sheds of a former school. Aided by its hipster credentials, it has long been a regular inclusion on top-10 round-ups by food journalists. Feedback this year, however, invariably came with a catch: “good, but not quite as good as expected…”, “food went downhill after the scrummy starters…”, “overhyped and too cool for school…”.

“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).

Open 24/7 on top of the City’s 40-storey Heron Tower, this elevated posh diner comes particularly recommended for a “great breakfast” or a chilled date (“when you get tired of looking into each other’s eyes, the views over London are pretty impressive”). The food, including the signature duck, is mostly up to scratch, but “you just feel it could be better”.

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.