Borehamwood Restaurant Guide

With its “lovely Italian vibe in Charlotte Street”, this Fitzrovia townhouse provides a high-quality, under-the-radar experience. Launched in 2019, it’s a slightly offbeat part of hotel group The Stafford Collection, although aside from its smart interior that’s the only hint of a wider group connection. The cooking is inspired by the crossover of southern Italian and Moorish cuisine (“I fell in love with Sicily a year or two ago and this is what I’ve been looking for!”) and the culinary offering is “delightful (albeit not cheap)”. Top Menu Tips – “the spaghetti fritters are more addictive than crack!”; and “the set lunch is an absolute steal”.

“Perfect for a romantic celebration” – this rather “grown-up restaurant” in a five-star property overlooking Kensington Gardens comes complete with dark wood panelling, leaded glass windows and candle-light and provides a comfortable and “very cosy” backdrop for a meal. Chef Daniel Putz’s modern European dishes are essentially traditional (Dover sole, Barnsley lamb chop) but are thoughtfully updated. Top Menu Tip – “excellent low-key afternoon tea”.

“It’s not culinary fireworks but what they do works well” at this “competent brasserie in Marylebone”: “a comfortable, good-looking dining room with friendly and attentive service”. “Even if the food is not particularly memorable” (“a menu of classic dishes” that “appeals to all tastes”), practically all reports agree that “it is well made, presented and tasty”; so “an ideal place to catch up with friends rather than to come and be wowed by the (albeit perfectly good) cooking”. Top Tip – with its outside terrace “on a hot summer night this is a delight and it gets correspondingly busy”.

It’s hard to keep up with this “lovely Soho old-timer” which was founded in 1971 but has shifted location twice since it first opened its doors (most recently in 2021 from Poland Street). First timers say “what a surprise, it’s really good!” and those in-the-know (who include former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who had his engagement party at the former site) appreciate it as “a very friendly family-run ‘real’ Italian restaurant in the heart of the West End”. “Delicious seafood and fish dishes” in particular are a highlight of the Umbria-inspired menu; and owner Paul Matteucci (son of Vasco) is “an exceptional host” (particularly once you are known as a regular). Top Menu Tip – “the carpaccio di tonno is outstanding”; and “the range, quality and value of wine is immense and very difficult to find in these inflation-hit days”.

Run by Markos Tsimikalis and his family (who also run Spitalfields’ Hungry Donkey), this modern taverna near Holland Park station is hailed by its fans as an “excellent, innovative Greek restaurant”. Prices are far from bargain basement, but you are investing in top-quality supplies (meat from nearby Lidgates, for instance) and the cuisine is matched with “a fantastic wine list” – incorporating some hard-to-find vintages from Macedonia and islands such as Santorini; and with rarer vintages made more approachable by their new and novel policy of fixed rather than percentage wine mark-ups. Top Tip – Mezedes sharing menu, including a glass of Tsipuro, for £30 per person.

Oui Madame is an evenings-only modern European restaurant in Highbury and Islington, serving seasonal sharing plates and a thoughtful wine list in a cosy, intimate setting. Expect warm hospitality, confident flavours and an easy rhythm that suits everything from date night to ...

“Twenty years old and still a reasonable choice” – this duo serving Spanish/Italian tapas “remains a cut above the average”, at both the original Fitzrovia original venue and a newer site in Borough Market (an outpost at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush was short-lived). However, “there are now many more similar places available” than when quality tapas seemed a rarity in the capital, and some long-term fans dwell on the fact that they’ve “gone downhill” over the decades, now feeling “slightly more expensive than they should be”.

“A great range of fish dishes cooked to perfection” is the type of “excellent seasonal British cooking” that’s done best at star Irish chef, Richard Corrigan’s Mayfair flagship, just off Park Lane (whose stated focus is on ‘all that is wild, from the land, air and sea’). The experience is helped by “welcoming and involved staff” and in particular, it’s “spot-on for smart business lunches”. That it can seem “very expensive” was a more common complaint this year, although “the lunchtime set menu makes it just possible for retired folk”.

“The odd 70s decor will not be to everyone’s taste” (“hello, what looks like Meccano and some random ornaments”), but many diners are pleasantly surprised by this offbeat Italian (“in looks, somewhat like an American diner”) which sits “inside the multi-coloured Megaro Hotel, bang opposite St Pancras station”. The Italian food is “surprisingly good”, staff are “super-helpful” and “on-point” and – despite the quirks of the “unprepossessing location” – the kind pricing helps lead to an experience that fans say is an “all-round hit”. Top Menu Tip – “the pasta dishes in particular are very good (proper Italian)”; “beef shin risotto, arrancini and the black pudding croquettes are excellent”.

“You name it, they’ve got it!” – a “stunning wine list” is the main event at this Marylebone spinoff from Parisian institution Taillevent (est. 1946), and its “distinctive feature is the offer of 110 wines by the glass (70ml or 125ml)”, affording guests “the opportunity to taste some world-class wines”. These are served alongside “delicious and well presented” modern French cuisine in a “spacious dining room with high ceilings – this Georgian mansion was previously a branch of Coutts Bank”. Complaints are most notable by their absence, and this was the site of numerous best meals of the year for diners in this year’s annual poll.

Here at Lazeez Tapas we bring a sharing culture akin to that in Lebanon, serving up contemporary Lebanese cuisine with a Mediterranean twist in a great central London location right next to Selfridges department store in Oxford Street.We use the freshest of ingredients ...

Gazzab is a celebration of indian fine dining in London. our philosophy is simple: to transform authentic indian recipes inro an elegant culinary journey. Each dish is crafted with the finest ingredients, plated with precision . From delicately spiced starters to signature mai...

When it launched in Soho 10 years ago, the Salt Yard group (of which it’s part) was zeitgeistily surfing the tapas trend sweeping London: here, using the wood-fired grill to put a spin on its Spanish and Italian-inspired sharing plates. It’s still a stylish place (although the odd fan feels the decor “is a bit tired” now), and wins uniform praise for delivering “super tasty” results.

“David Moore is a most wonderful host” and has lovingly nurtured this “London stalwart” on Fitzrovia’s ‘restaurant row’ since it first opened in 1991, maintaining it all the while as “everything a fine-dining restaurant should be”. A bijou site, the space has been much improved over the years, with a “cosy and comfortable” ground floor (and glossy, glam private rooms on the upper levels). A succession of chefs have made their name here over the years, and the latest to arrive mid-survey in March 2025 is Alberto Cavaliere from Sabor (who replaces Phil Kearsey, who had to quit over a leg injury). We’ve rated it on historical feedback, though, on the judgement that under David’s watchful eye its “fabulous standard of cuisine” that’s “worth every penny” will be maintained. Top Menu Tip – “a great plant-based menu” has become a hallmark feature. (“I have been visiting here since the 1990s when I worked just around the corner in Fitzrovia. Not being a vegan, it was my daughter who introduced me to vegan options at this place and I was amazed at what had been achieved with the vegan tasting menu, well up to standard of the usual fare – fine vegan dining is not only possible, but can be exceptional!”)

Plush banquettes and wood panelling add to the experience of a meal at this Art Deco-style hotel dining room a short stroll from Selfridges (originally designed back in the days when it was run by Corbin & King). Formerly The Colony Grill Room, The Beaumont’s reformatted main dining room reopens in September 2025 with a menu reimagined by Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin-Allen. Out goes the NYC grill-style menu and in comes something more retro-British in its appeal, under the day-to-day management of executive head chef Jozef Rogulski. There is also to be an outside operation in adjacent Brown Hart Gardens. Sample dishes include chicken Diane, pork pie, blancmange and Millionaire’s Tart.

As we write this entry, we’re awaiting the summer 2025 reopening of this veteran bistro, which opened in 1961 and later adopted as its name the pseudonym used by Princess Margaret (who lived at nearby Kensington Palace). The site has been closed for over a year now due to a fire – let’s hope they will be able to preserve its romantic old-farmhouse charm, although a slight update to the 1970s Anglo-French cuisine would not go amiss.

“Excellent food” – an assortment of “very fresh and tasty” pan-Asian dishes – is delivered “under the watchful eye of owner, Michael Lim, who ensures service is as good” at this duo of upbeat locals, which inspire practically only positive reports. It was very forward-looking when it first opened in 1997 on the All Saints Road, and is now located elsewhere in Notting Hill and also – since 2023 – in Marylebone’s Seymour Place.

“Sally Clarke continues to oversee her Kensington oasis and ensures high standards are maintained” as she has since 1984 at this paragon of enduring quality, just south of Notting Hill Gate. Inspired originally by her time at Chez Panisse in California in the late 1970s, “the focus on quality ingredients pays off in the dishes and everything is deceptively simply prepared and tastes amazing”. “It’s not flash but all the better for that – not cheap but worth every penny”. “Remarkably, Sally is still working front of house every night ensuring guests feel welcomed and at home” and – especially for older romantics – “there is no music; tables are well spaced; the lighting is great; one can whisper sweet-nothings without the next table overhearing; and it slightly feels like one has taken one’s lover home to meet the family (and your mum happens to cook a good dinner). It’s a class act!”. Top Menu Tips – “all tastes are catered for and vegetables swapped round from the menu to accommodate likes and dislikes”. Highlights among starters include “super fresh crab”, “pasta with grated black truffle and an excellent white asparagus”; among mains, “superb Dover sole” and “fabulous deer, perfectly medium rare with superb accompaniments”; “excellent cheeseboard, then delicious comice pear sorbets with amazingly good pistachio wafers”.

“Traditional Mexican food” from acclaimed Mexico City chef, Adriana Cavita, is winning ever greater appreciation at this interesting, foliage-filled three-year-old in Fitzrovia walled with painted white bricks. A couple of reporters note that it’s “on the pricey side”, but it’s not a deeply held complaint and more common is appreciation of the “fabulous” dishes and “buzzy but not overwhelmingly loud atmosphere”.

There’s a Sicilian spin on the menu of Fabrizio Zafarana’s “decent old-fashioned Italian”. It’s easily missed on an unlovely section of the Grays Inn Road, but those who report on it are uniformly upbeat on its cuisine, and loyal support has sustained it for over a decade now.