Whitechapel, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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)”.

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.

“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”.

“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).

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 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”.

Originally closed to the public when it opened 20 years ago, Norman Foster’s ‘Gherkin’ – arguably the most iconic of the City’s modern towers – now has a dining room run by catering company Searcy’s on its 40th floor, which is “just so wonderful, with a glass-roofed bar and wall-to-wall windows in both bar and restaurant” – “it’s my ‘go-to’ when l visit London for an excellent meal, first-class presentation, attentive staff, and all at a reasonable price. Win, win, win all round”.