Fish & Seafood Restaurants in City
1. Wiltons
British, Traditional restaurant in St James's
55 Jermyn St - SW1
“A last redoubt of traditional gastronomy” – London’s oldest restaurant in St James’s (est. 1742, but on this site since the 1980s) maintains its “quiet” and “calm” style, with “understated but excellent service” and “booths that make a superb place to do business”. Classic fish dishes – for example “very good Dover sole off the bone” – are the speciality and “ever-reliable”. A less welcome constant are its “eye-watering prices”: “everything was as I hoped it would be… apart from the bill!”
2. Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, Flemings Mayfair Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
7-12 Half Moon Street - W1
Although this luxurious Mayfair hotel dates from the 1850s, its swish basement dining room owes its looks to the 1930s. Under chef Sofian Msetfi, the “fabulous” cuisine (choose either a 5 or 7-course ‘tasting’ option) continues to achieve high ratings with a recently awarded Michelin star and even the weakest report this year awarded “full marks for presentation and service”. “A friend of mine who swears not to visit hotel dining rooms granted it high praise after our dinner there!”
3. London Shell Co.
Fish & seafood restaurant in Paddington
The Prince Regent, Sheldon Square - W2
“Stunningly fresh fish, brilliant service and a jolly super wine list” ensure that a dining cruise along the Grand Union canal aboard the barge Prince Regent is “a fabulous part of the London restaurant scene” – while “tucking into a lobster roll with a beer on the Grand Duchess, permanently docked in Paddington basin, is just as good”. The company’s third venue – its first on dry land – is a combined fishmonger and seafood bar in Swains Lane, near Parliament Hill Fields in Highgate, where late-afternoon oyster-and-wine deals are a special draw.
4. London Shell Co. (The Grand Duchess)
Fish & seafood restaurant in Westminster
Sheldon Square - W2
A permanently-moored big sister boat for the London Shell Co's moving vessel, with room for 40 covers plus some al fresco tables in summer and a private Captain's Table (expect lots of fishy / nautical jokes - their strapline is "have your hake and eat it") and a focus on British cooking, especially Cornish fish and seafood.
5. Bentley’s
Fish & seafood restaurant in Piccadilly
11-15 Swallow St - W1
“Owner Richard Corrigan is often around and the food is always good” at this “iconic” fish and seafood “classic” – 107 years old (est. 1916) – which is to be found in a side street, near Piccadilly Circus. It offers two distinct experiences: “upstairs for very elegant fine dining, or in the bar downstairs for top-notch seafood with less formality – both excellent” (although the latter gets many people’s vote, as “there is always a good buzz in the bar area with a few famous faces sometimes”). “Possibly the best oysters in town (and the best shuckers too)” number alongside “top crab” and “the notably good fish pie” as its best menu options, all in a “reassuringly good-but-expensive” mould (“comfort seafood at West End prices”). Service that’s “very attentive and kind” from long-serving staff is intrinsic to the performance.
6. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“A haven of calm in an ever-changing world”: “they cater for the most conservative of palates (and the deepest pockets)” at Gavin Rankin’s “old-school, brasserie-style restaurant in Mayfair” (which had the rare privilege of hosting the late Queen Elizabeth on a couple of occasions). Its Anglo-French fare is “super reliable, if not exciting” and service “immaculate”. “If you like the kind of place where you still need to dress up a bit, this is it”, but “the ambience is set by its older, quietly-spoken crowd: don’t visit if you are planning a loud-laughing night!”. Top Menu Tip – “good value lunch menu; and staples such as iced lobster soufflé, smoked eel mousse and steak tartare”.
7. The Melusine
Fish & seafood restaurant in St. Katharine Dock
Unit K, Ivory House, St. Katharine Dock - E1W
“Consistently delicious seafood” and a “lovely location” by St Katharine Dock have put this three-year-old securely on the map. The interesting wine list is strong on “Greek offerings” – thanks no doubt to co-founder Theodore Kyriakou, a veteran of Livebait and The Real Greek in the ’90s. Top Tip – “go on Wednesdays for the half-price wine”.
8. Sweetings
Fish & seafood restaurant in City
39 Queen Victoria St - EC4
“It’s as though time was paused 100 years ago” at this Square Mile legend, founded in the 1830s and on its current site since the 1920s. Arrive early if you want to beat the City pinstripes to a table or a spot at the counter, although “it’s worth the wait for a seat while sipping a tankard of Black Velvet”. “Traditional, hearty British fish is served in a manner unchanged by time” – oysters, smoked eel, whitebait – and “the fish pie is still good and not too expensive”. “Longstanding staff add to its stalwart appeal”.
9. Lutyens Grill, The Ned
Steaks & grills restaurant in City
27 Poultry - EC2R
“Is this what business lunching was like 50 year ago?” – this “elegant and wood-panelled” steakhouse, “hidden away in the vast opulence of the Ned” (itself the former Midland Bank HQ) “always impresses a client” with its “wonderful club-like atmosphere”, “the smell of leather and the feeling of luxury” (it’s where “old-school stockbroker dining meets Wolf of Wall Street”). “Power lunches abound within a serene ambience” – “the food leans heavily towards meat with beef Wellington a highlight”.
10. Burger & Lobster
Burgers, etc restaurant in City
Bow Bells Hs, 1 Bread St - EC4
“The lobster roll is just lovely” at this surf’n’turf-meets-burger chain, where you’ll find “plenty of very tasty grub”. “I was expecting to be disappointed, but the food was excellent”. A dozen years on from its launch, the group’s nine London venues tend to be “full of people done up for a big night out, taking lots of selfies for their Insta”.
11. fish!
Fish & seafood restaurant in Southwark
Cathedral St - SE1
This “great fish restaurant offering a range of seafood (and other) dishes” has been a fixture for more than 20 years, behind a glass frontage “in the middle of buzzing Borough Market”. The fish is “the freshest” and there are “usually some unusual specials” – although many would argue that “the most appealing thing is its location”.
12. Wright Brothers
Fish & seafood restaurant in Southwark
11 Stoney St - SE1
“Crowded… slightly crazy-busy… top oysters supported by a changing menu of fish and crustacea” – that’s the package at this trio of “busy” bistros in Borough Market, Battersea Power Station and South Kensington. “You come here for the seafood, not to be fawned over. The decor’s a little rough and ready but the food’s so fresh and delicious”.
13. Angler, South Place Hotel
Fish & seafood restaurant in City
3 South Pl - EC2
“Fine fish, delicately cooked and served” is the speciality at this “smart modern restaurant on the top floor of a hotel” near Broadgate, from D&D London. Food of this standard is rare in the City, and “not even the dullest business chat can take the edge off the outstanding cooking and wines”. It’s a discreet place, too, “and the team knows when to shoot the breeze with diners and when to withdraw to let the serious negotiations take place”.
14. Applebee’s Fish
Fish & seafood restaurant in Southwark
5 Stoney St - SE1
This “reliable” fish specialist on the edge of Borough Market has raised its game in line with the location’s emergence as a culinary mecca, and can accommodate guests year-round, either indoors or on its street terrace. The team has recently opened La Gamba tapas bar at the Southbank Centre.
15. Seabird at The Hoxton, Southwark
Fish & seafood restaurant in Southwark
The Hoxton, 40 Blackfriars Road - SE1
“Fresh fish and shellfish” – including “oysters to die for” from what is billed as ‘London’s longest oyster list’ – make this glamorous modern venue in Southwark a genuine rarity: a swish rooftop restaurant worth visiting for its food. Set on the 14th floor of a hip hotel, it has “great panoramas over the capital, and the large terrace is a top spot in good weather” – “loved the atmosphere, views and food”.
16. Sea Containers, Mondrian London
British, Modern restaurant in Bankside
20 Upper Ground - SE1
This swish and “buzzy” hotel dining room on the South Bank walkway – designed by Tom Dixon with full-height windows and a terrace overlooking the river – makes a most “enjoyable place to meet friends” – “and there’s a great bar” by Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan. On the debit side, it’s certainly “not cheap”, and the food “could be so much better”.
17. Baccala
Fish & seafood restaurant in Southwark
Unit B3, 194-204 Bermondsey Street - SE1
2022 Review: Italian seafood and wine (available by the glass) is the simple but high-quality format of this November 2019 opening – a bar, restaurant and shop next door to the area’s long-established ‘Pizarro’. Ex-Four Seasons chef Moreno Polverini presides over an offering ranging from a conventional if modernised Italian à la carte to a five-course ‘seafood feast’ for £85. It’s rated on limited early feedback, all of it positive.
18. Fish Central
Fish & seafood restaurant in Clerkenwell
149-155 Central St - EC1
This “authentic chippy” in Clerkenwell – a Greek-Cypriot family-run veteran of more than 50 years’ standing – scores well for its “excellent fish” and “warm, humorous service”.
19. One Hundred Shoreditch
Fish & seafood restaurant in Shoreditch
100 Shoreditch High Street - E1
2022 Review: Hipster haunt, Ace Hotel Shoreditch – and its restaurant Hoi Polloi (RIP) – have gone, but this new Lore Group (Sea Containers et al) opening in autumn 2021 is stepping into its boots and aiming to boost appeal with an expanded rooftop bar and terrace (panoramic views of East London), and a restaurant and wine bar specialising in sustainably sourced seafood. It being EC2, there’s even going to be a take-out hatch (that’s a sign of groovy sophistication these days, apparently…)
20. Smith's Wapping
British, Modern restaurant in Wapping
22 Wapping High St - E1
“A top selection of fish” – “simple and so fresh” – is served at this smart, white-tablecloth restaurant in a “fantastic setting, on the Thames at Wapping, with great views of Tower Bridge”. “Service is slick and the atmosphere reflects the bright, buzzy feel of the whole place”. The only drawback is that “it’s always full and difficult to get into”. The original Smith’s was founded 66 years ago in Ongar, Essex.
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