Dartford Restaurant Guide

Near the Bank of England, this Italian three-year-old occupies a particularly fine Edwardian banking hall (built in 1902). Had it not opened around the time of the pandemic, it might be better known – “it’s not too noisy for a City restaurant and with good service and a reasonably priced lunch deal”.

At the award-winning Café Nucleus Rochester a warm welcome awaits. The continental café restaurant is set in one of Rochester’s grandest buildings, it offers a unique experience unrivalled.Winners of the 2021 Hospitality Business o...

“Surprisingly decent Italian fare… proper (and huge) pizza and pasta and, if you have room, pleasing puddings” carves an ongoing niche for these smartly decorated outposts of an international Italian chain (started in 2004), where – as the name hints – many dishes feature Mozzarella di Bufala.

“Despite now being part of a rolled-out chain, they have managed to maintain good quality” at these tapas-haunts, whose original branch off Goodge Street was an early pioneer of the capital’s trend to small plates. A minor gripe is of “packed” seating, but most feedback focuses on their “delicious food and well-thought-out wine list”.

Dazzling views from the 48th-floor of a Canary Wharf tower help create a sense of occasion at this family-run, five-year-old Italian restaurant and ‘Sky Bar’. Its long menu of pasta, pizza, grills and other fare doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, but the limited amount we have is all upbeat.

“Good all-round” feedback continues to win a thumbs-up for Guy Awford’s Georgian tavern in Greenwich, where much of the menu comes from the robata grill. Summer is the best time to visit to enjoy the fab garden.

“Still our favourite local after 30+ years..” – This “delightfully olde worlde” 15th-century coaching inn has been run by the same family since 1938, with landlords Christine & John Vereker these days helped by the third generation. It remains “a lovely, vibrant old venue that trailblazed the gastropub concept back in the ’80s and is still producing wonderful food in a genuine pub atmosphere”.

“A great summer spot with friends”: this 120-year-old barge is permanently moored in Hackney Wick – near the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – and provides a “fabulous experience on the water that makes for a great fun night out”. One reporter did quibble about the prices, but still said: “I loved our meal here – the concept is brilliant, with the interior of the barge turned into a cheerful dining room, and unusual dishes based on fish and foods grown in a kitchen garden by the mooring”.

Our mission: make delicious pizza, served with care, in beautiful spaces.In the beginning we were just Matteo and Salvatore, two brothers from Calabria. We moved to Bologna to study economics, and – like all penniless students – ate a lot of...

This outpost of the all-you-can-eat, Brazilian-inspired national steakhouse group sits at the foot of the 100 Bishopsgate tower and opened in early autumn 2023. It has yet to spark a huge volume of survey feedback, but the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa gave it a mostly positive report card, particularly its cuts of meat wielded by “skewer-wielding passadors… characterised by luscious, high-grade flavour, careful seasoning, and adroitly applied char”. Veggies and desserts were equally well received, although the ‘salad bar’ and à la carte section wasn’t so successful. Overall he pronounced it “keenly run” and “occasionally fantastic”.

“If you are not planning a return to the office, the largest selection of whisky ever seen” helps round off a business lunch at this Canary Wharf branch of Ranald Macdonald’s Caledonian group. “The restaurant prides itself on good Scottish ingredients… shellfish in season… excellent fillet steak” and “tables are sufficiently spaced for private conversation”. Top Tip – “regular visitors may join a club which gives discounts on wines and they host musical events in the evenings”.

“If you’re in the mood for some delicious Indian cuisine”, this duo from Vivek Singh make a more affordable alternative to his flagship Cinnamon Club, pleasing both vegetarians (“great- tasting paneer butter masala”) and omnivores (“the chicken 65 is a particular favourite”). The cavernous City branch can get “incredibly noisy”, but the newer Battersea Power Station branch earns a lot of positive feedback, and is seen as a “viable competitor to Dishoom”, its near neighbour.

“Still top street food IMO” – this oven shaped like an old steam locomotive is an eye-catching fixture in Spitalfield Market and delivers “amazing meats that melt in the mouth”.

“Love having such a unique Indian locally” – this “culinary stalwart of South East London is still going strong after nearly 40 years”. “Staff welcome you like an old friend” and chef Jiwan Lal’s cuisine is “at least as good as that of the West End’s fine dining establishments”, in the view of many locals; and “magnificent value for this level of cooking”. Top Tip – “good value buffet on the weekends”.

“Proving you don‘t need to be central London for outstanding Indian food” – this extremely popular outpost in the SE London ’burbs is “part of Atul Kochhar’s growing empire, serving modern Indian menus of top quality”: “amazing food from an excellent tasting menu, alongside a regular à la carte offering”. None of the many reports we receive has a bad word to say about the place, also acknowledging the “really good staff” and “great choice of drinks”. Regular live music too.

This “relaxed” and “rather good” seafood specialist is “one of the best offerings in St Katharine Dock”, offering a “delightful menu” – “we had cod cheeks and ravioli, oysters, brill and octopus followed by different and interesting ice creams” – alongside a “decent selection of Greek white wine”. Co-founder Theodore Kyriakou was behind Livebait and The Real Greek in the ’90s.

Stalwart Italian local in a converted Wapping warehouse, whose pizza and pasta dishes “never disappoint”. It’s been going since the late ’90s and much of its appeal is as a lively local linchpin of the neighbourhood.