St James's, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Whether for a cocktail or caviar at the bar or sequestered in one of the red leather booths”, this 10-year-old venue in Fortnum & Mason’s (with its own street entrance) “is made for romance” (“I can’t imagine anyone not being seduced by a shared plate of lobster spaghetti, flambéed dramatically tableside”); and also has fans for business entertaining thanks to “staff who can’t do enough for you”. For many reporters, though, its top feature is the “brilliant breakfast” – “there’s a reason this place is always busy in the mornings”. (The food rating has recovered after a “terrible dive in 2023”, with “the kitchen much improved from January 2024”).

Like a submarine, this famous St James’s basement – a colossal 1929 ballroom rescued and revamped by the late Sir Terence Conran in 1993 – now lurks out of sight and out of mind for most savvy Londoner diners: remarkably, it inspired zero feedback in our annual diners’ poll this year, a sure sign that the smart crowd moved on from its Q-bar, ‘grand-entrance’ staircase and designer-interior well over a decade ago. But, for a glam (if very pricey) night out, tourists and out-of-towners still keep it buoyant, attracted by its regular programme of entertainment fueled by posh brasserie nosh. Top Tip – especially if you hit the steak or caviar sections, à la carte prices here are pretty splashy. Maybe visit for brunch, Sunday Lunch or Mon-Thu pre-theatre, where there are prix-fixe menus for £40-£50 per head.

“A people-watching heaven” – this epic Grand Café near the Ritz is renowned for the “busy” and “buzzy” clatter of its “beautiful”, “high ceilinged” dining room and remains many a sophisticated Londoner’s “gold standard for business”; particularly early morning over one of its “legendary breakfasts” (it’s “a perfect way to start the day, with a client, a friend, or quietly in the corner with a newspaper”). However, its gigantic popularity has been won despite it being “nothing fancy in the food department”; and its broad menu of “traditional comfort food” has always been “tasty and well-presented… but formulaic”. Drama ensued in 2022, when its founders Corbin & King were ousted in a boardroom battle. But even those who feel the place has perhaps “lost a little bit of sparkle since the management shake-up” acknowledge that “on the ground, very little has changed”. Top Tip – also good for “a classic afternoon tea. Delicious finger sandwiches and plain and sultana scones and a selection of macarons and small cakes. It’s not a fancy themed afternoon tea as is all the rage, but all the better for that. You can order more sandwiches!”

“Gorgeous room… beautiful menu… classy crowd” – this “spacious and finely decorated” wood-panelled dining room is one of London’s better traditional eating options, and sits at the heart of a Mayfair hotel originally founded in 1837 and nowadays owned by Rocco Forte (it is named for his father). Adam Byatt (of Trinity in Clapham, see also) oversees a “very well-executed safe menu of classic tasty dishes such as Chicken Milanese, Calves’ liver with mash, or delicious Sirloin with chips and salad”. And service remains “exceptional” even after the departure last year of star maître d’, Jesus Adorno.

“Helping reclaim the West End with proper food!” – Jack Croft, Will Murray & James Robson’s four-year-old venture progressed via pop-ups (including a year on Heddon Street) to occupy this big site with an open kitchen at the south of the Haymarket. “It’s a lovely, buzzing environment” in which to enjoy some “beautiful” modern British food: a mix of bold small plates and larger dishes with a focus on sustainability. “They’ve hit on a winning formula for breakfast” too. Top Menu Tip – “Braised Dairy Ribs are massive chunks of love and the crab with ponzu snapped crackled and popped as much as anything ever eaten”.

“Stylish, friendly and with inspired cooking” – that’s the most favourable take on Anthony Demetre’s rather grand hotel dining room off Trafalgar Square, with its parquet floor and banquettes running down each wall. (It’s not to be confused with the ‘Wild Honey’ he ran in Mayfair for many years). The cooking is modern British in style and even more reserved reports acknowledge it’s “perfectly sound”. It’s also to be found in an area where value is thin on the ground: “in fairness, where else are you going to get such a good meal at this price in SW1 for goodness sake?”

This large and famous “Mayfair institution” – site of 1970s and ’80s revels under late founder Peter Langan and once co-owned by actor Michael Caine – fell from fashion decades ago, but was significantly relaunched in late 2021. “The food was never that special even when Langan was in charge so that hasn’t changed, but the price has moved up substantially” since its rebirth, making it more than ever a case of “average everything, dressed up as chic”. There’s still the occasional report of “a great time over a long lunch” from its loyal band of client entertainers, but the majority view is that even its bubby conviviality is increasingly called into question: “this is nothing like the original: it’s Langan’s gone hedge fund”.

“Hidden away in Soho”, this surprisingly “calm” hotel restaurant in a quiet courtyard just minutes from Piccadilly Circus is “a great place to take a visitor” to escape the hustle of the surrounding streets. “Efficient service” and a “high-ceilinged dining room” make it a decent option for a working lunch, pre-theatre dining or post-work drinks, although foodwise it’s a question of “pleasant comfort food”. Top Tip – recommended for afternoon tea.

A striking location on Piccadilly overlooking Green Park – particularly from the elegant first-floor – makes this luxurious two-floor operation something of a Mayfair landmark (old-timers may remember the site as Fakhreldine, long RIP). Entirely relaunched in 2018 after a super-luxurious, multi-gazillion pound makeover, its nowadays under the same ownership as Hedonism Wines and not only boasts a “huge and superbly crafted wine list” but with notice you can order any of the 9,000 vintages stocked by HW. Originally launched as two restaurants – ‘Hide Above’ and ‘Hide Below’ – the culinary operations merged in 2022 and on either of its elegant two floors you can now choose either the luxurious à la carte (with caviar, wood-grilled fish, steaks and seafood) or the nine-course menu conceived by acclaimed chef Ollie Dabbous for £160 per person. “The food is actually better than the smart location would indicate, if not cheap”; and if you go the whole hog with the nine-courser you get “exquisite taste combinations, with beautiful preparation” that – for some diners – is “a highlight of the year” (“so much so I took out another mortgage and visited again!”). Caveats? “Notwithstanding some amazing dishes, they don’t always hit the top notes you expect at the price”. And, despite the luxurious glamour of the setting, the odd reporter “doesn’t love the atmosphere”, which can seem “a bit sterile”. Harsh critiques, though, are notable by their absence. Top Tip – “breakfast is a work of art, with a warm welcome and very Mayfair clientele (a mix of hedge funders and Arabs!)”

“A good spot in the West End if you want to guarantee a table in nice surroundings” – this all-day dining room in a boutique hotel has an “unassuming entrance on Haymarket but once inside, the unique decor, colourful artworks and African mud-cloth screens make quite an impact”. It’s not a foodie choice, but “the set menu is perfect for pre-theatre dining, with a good range of choices”, while the “smart but relaxed” atmosphere also makes it “good for business lunches”.

“A really special experience for serious foodies” – Layo & Zoë Paskin’s (also of Barbary and Palomar fame) intimate 12-seater is part of a period Chinatown pub, where they have created different venues on each level. Here in the former beer cellar, “the only option is the kitchen counter, so you are right in on the action” and the creation of “superbly executed cuisine” from a small team, which is now headed by Seamus Sam, former head chef at Tom Aiken’s Muse, whose August 2024 arrival post-dated our diners’ poll. Feedback volume and ratings have slipped marginally since Luke Selby left for Le Manoir at the end of 2022. The most critical report? “A perfectly competent meal, served in an appropriately reverential atmosphere, albeit a cramped and uncomfortable setting (but then places of worship often are) by suitably devout believers and not cheap”. But perhaps there will now be an uptick under the new chef? Top Tip – a variety of drink pairings range from ‘Firm Favourites’ to ‘No & Low’ (a mixture of alcohol-free and low ABV wines).

This “great little bistro” in Mayfair no longer excites as it did at launch 10 years ago (when former prime minister David Cameron and his wife Sam Cam were regulars). Fans reckon it’s “still a top dining option in Shepherd Market” thanks to its menu of sophisticated “comfort food”; but increasingly it “doesn’t quite live up to expectations” (“all a bit crowded and the food was just about OK”).

“The perfect place to eavesdrop and/or bring a lover… it just screams (murmurs?) romantique!” – this “legendary Soho institution” has navigated the sad loss of its owner and founder in September 2022, and remains one of the Top-20 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. Set in a “super-cosy”, Dickensian townhouse, its effortless charm bewitches all of the many who comment on it; and “long may its handwritten menus, its candles in bottles on the table, its tiny tables in the wood-panelled room and charming service continue”. “The range and quality of their legendary wine list at exceptional prices for London is the main gastronomic attraction, but their modern British food is pretty good too”: “never fussy, but always very well done and incredibly tasty”. “The church pew seating can get uncomfortable over a long sitting… nothing that another bottle of wine won’t solve!”. “I was worried it would decline after Andrew passed away, but the staff are doing his memory true service, continuing the Edmunds tradition of real hospitality: it is better than ever!”

With the closure of Pollen Street Social opposite (as Mary’s, see also), Jason Atherton’s elegant small Mayfair venue is now one of his two remaining ‘Socials’. It still wins praise for its “delicious, bistro-style offer” (e.g. “superb succulent pork chop with mash”) and “lovely booths and dining at the bar”. But its ratings slipped this year: service has seemed more up-and-down of late; and there is a view that it’s “a competent bistro with sound cooking but otherwise unexciting”. Perhaps as the dust settles on the reshaping of the Atherton empire, it will regain its va-va-voom?

Irish Wexford Tomahawk… Hereford Fillet Chateaubriand… Argentinian Ribeye… USDA prime fillet – the high quality of the steaks are a point of pride for Simon Thomas who owns London’s biggest and busiest casino, where the restaurant occupies an interesting space converted from the old circle of the former Hippodrome Theatre. NB under 25s must have ID. Top Tip – superb pre-theatre deal at £24 for two courses.

“Tiny, but perfect in every other way” – “you couldn’t ask for better bistro food” than that produced by Neil Borthwick (Angela Hartnett’s husband) at this quirky dining room, where “simple dishes are realised with flair” and with “big, big flavours”. “Downstairs is a throwback to Soho boozers of yesteryear, you head upstairs to eat” – the room where General de Gaulle composed some of his speeches during WWII. “With six or seven small tables, it’s a rustic and cosy room, complete with very friendly and entertaining service, a humble and charming chef, and a feel of spit-and-sawdust, it’s the perfect spot for a cosy Soho supper”. Top Menu Tip – “the crisp bacon jowl will live long in the memory… and even longer on the hips!”