Cheshunt, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

“This gorgeous neighbourhood restaurant”, just off Kingsland Road in Dalston, is “such a treat to visit” for chef-patron Oded Oren’s excellent Middle Eastern-inspired cooking, accompanied by a selection of low-intervention wines selected by Zeren Wilson. It’s a small space, so can get noisy at times.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.

“Superbly executed”, Mediterranean-inspired small plates “which change regularly” continue to win praise for this “really charming” basement spot, which is to be found in a picture-book Georgian terrace leading up to St John-in-Hampstead church. There’s also “a well-priced wine list including many options by the glass”.

Brunch in particular is “varied and delicious” at this vibey group: launched a decade ago as a pop-up in an ex-greasy spoon in Balham and progressing via supper clubs to six permanent sites open till late. “Great flatbreads with the mezze” and “the beautiful treatment of vegetables” are typical of the “simple and very good” Eastern Mediterranean dishes, wines and cocktails inspired by co-founder Tas Gaitanos’s Cretan/Cypriot heritage (the name honours owner Alex Large’s kid brother). Summer 2025’s Canary Wharf opening was the biggest yet, with an 80-seater outdoor terrace and a new dedicated ‘skewers’ menu.

“Buzzy” north London flame-grilled specialist with outlets in Belsize Village and St John’s Wood, the brainchild of former LPM and The Ritz chef Jake Finn. “Deservedly very busy”, they’re “both lovely places that are worth a visit”, with “friendly staff” and “delicious food” from a “changing menu” based around a “lovely, small-sharing-plate concept”.

“Ed Wilson seems to be spending even more time in the kitchen, so the food is better than ever” at the eternally hip East London fixture he has run near Columbia Road flower market for 15 years and counting. “The wine list is always interesting”, and helped pioneer the shift toward natural and low intervention wines that is now common currency. (Even the odd reporter who was “not blown away by the food” said “maybe we made the wrong choices or just hit a bad day” – and considered their meal “enjoyable”.)

“It just gets better and better”, say fans of this winning collaboration between Israeli chef and restaurateur Assaf Grannit and designer Tom Dixon (whose London HQ is in the adjacent space). Just off Granary Square, on the path towards Coal Drops Yard, it is a “long narrow space”, whose “attentive and friendly staff” help create a vibe that’s “always buzzy”. Foodwise, it’s a “sharing plate concept” that very “rarely disappoints”, built around a “frequently changing menu” of “clever” Middle Eastern dishes (and with “delicious breads”). Top Menu Tips – many dishes are recommended in reports including “Tuna Carpaccio with horseradish and lime; Polenta with parmesan, asparagus and mushrooms; Israeli pasta with prawns, octopus with rose harissa; Semolina cake with blueberries”.

“Sit at the kitchen counter and watch small plates of mostly Italian influence being expertly prepared for the best take on this consistently good venue” (which has no more than 30-35 seats in total). Jon Lawson will celebrate his tenth year here in 2026 and has maintained impressive standards of seasonal Italian-inspired small plates all the while. It helps that the venue has “a nice casual-and-hip but also romantic vibe too”.

“This ever-friendly cafe sibling of next door Moro is a wonderful place to eat great tapas” – “especially sitting outside in Exmouth market”. Husband-and-wife team Sam & Sam Clark’s 15-year-old spin-off provides “superb tasty food at very reasonable prices” in a “casual but professional” environment, encompassing “interesting plates” of Spanish and North African-inspired food that is “not pretentious but delivers great enjoyment”. There’s a second branch in Hackney Road.

With a bright, modern interior lit by big floor-to-ceiling windows, this flexible neighbourhood amenity near Old Street is a canteen and bar that opens all day from breakfast. It’s from the team behind well-known Hackney wine bar Sager + Wilde, hence an above-par drinks offering. But food is far from incidental: there’s a “constantly changing, seasonal menu” of southern European small plates, some larger risotti, pasta and burgers and it majors in a big range of pizza. Top Tip – it “can handle large parties with ease”.

Still “consistently knocking its many imitators out of the park” – London’s original gastropub celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, while head chef Ed Mottershaw has run the kitchen for 21 of those years, guaranteeing an “always interesting” Mediterranean-inspired menu and “reliably brilliant cooking: no fuss, no faff, no fancy flourishes. Just dedication to the palate and wholehearted devotion to flavour”.

“Excellent tapas – in a pub!” ensures that this “lively gastroboozer”, easily overlooked in the backstreets of Bloomsbury near King’s Cross, does “a roaring trade, deservedly”. There’s “a decent selection of sherries as well as wines”, and a “relaxing, peaceful atmosphere for somewhere so central”. Top Menu Tips – “loved the marinated salmon and the Valencian carrots”.

Brunch in particular is “varied and delicious” at this vibey group: launched a decade ago as a pop-up in an ex-greasy spoon in Balham and progressing via supper clubs to six permanent sites open till late. “Great flatbreads with the mezze” and “the beautiful treatment of vegetables” are typical of the “simple and very good” Eastern Mediterranean dishes, wines and cocktails inspired by co-founder Tas Gaitanos’s Cretan/Cypriot heritage (the name honours owner Alex Large’s kid brother). Summer 2025’s Canary Wharf opening was the biggest yet, with an 80-seater outdoor terrace and a new dedicated ‘skewers’ menu.

Conventional fare delivered to a good standard is the hallmark of this venue, which has served St John’s Wood for more than 20 years. “Waiting staff are attentive and helpful”, there’s “a lovely terrace” and the easygoing food is consistently well rated.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.

“A cut above your average wine bar”: this 20-year-old group remains highly popular in our annual diners’ poll thanks to its “decent wines at fair prices” in “jolly” settings. “The food can be terrific – but not always”, and the overall performance shows signs of steadying after a tricky patch when the business was sold out of administration.