Whitechapel, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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.

“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”).

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.

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”.

“The most amazing views of London” from the 40th floor of Norman Foster’s ‘Gherkin’ are the big draw to this brasserie run by catering company Searcy’s. Set-price menus are served at lunch and dinner, but a “fantastic afternoon tea” is the meal of choice here – and “the team are very generous with the food and drink”.

“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’.