Holborn Restaurant Guide

“Is there better value in London?” query fans, than the £54.50, 5-course tasting menu at this intriguing, “discreet” converted Georgian auction house in Chancery Lane, from Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon group, where the elegant, light-filled interior with large roof-light hints at its former purpose. The “simple southern French cuisine” is “precise, cleverly flavoured and pleasantly served”, while the wine list offers equally “good value”. Top Tip – head down to the vaults for an end or two of indoor pétanque in Baranis cocktail bar.

“Good for a working lunch” in Holborn’s ‘Legal Land’ – this “nicely atmospheric, old banking hall” offers a brasserie menu with a British twist, and is best known for its savoury pies: the Pie Room doubles as a private dining room, and there are pie-making masterclasses for true aficionados of pie-craft.

2022 Review: This independent fixture in legal-land (near the LSE) is a long-running staple of the area – welcoming, “always good value”, and with some interesting picks and bin-end deals on the wine list.

Coffee aficionados have beaten a path to this Leather Lane institution since 2011 for expertly roasted, “lovingly prepared and delightfully served” drinks along with pastries and light bites. (The name is borrowed from T.S. Eliot’s J. Alfred Prufrock, who ‘measured out [his] life with coffee spoons’).

“Decent steaks served quickly in a great atmosphere” win a small but dedicated fan club for this quirky family-run steakhouse that has flown somewhat under the radar off High Holborn for the past 20 years. The meat is sourced from nearby Smithfield market, and the walls are adorned with cattle-themed movie posters.

Back in the day (in 2004), Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s successful Japanese fusion-favourite on Charlotte Street helped forge new expectations for fashionable dining out – with its slick combination of sushi, sashimi and robata-grilled items – and “it’s still a winner, even if we have now seen it all before”. Over the years four London siblings have been added, alongside another nine in the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf. A particular hit with business diners, some reporters visit several times a year, and say “it’s always an enjoyable experience, with delicious options like the black cod, crab gyoza and fillet beef”.

Burgers served à la française in a brioche bun still win a good level of support for this 20-year-old fast-food group. Having shrunk to just two branches – Balham and the Camden flagship, the latter said to be a favourite of Amy Winehouse back in the day – they are now part of Jamie Barber’s Hush Mayfair operation, with former branches in Kingston, Holborn and Chelsea upgraded into brasseries.

“A reliable option for Japanese food on a budget” – this chain’s “functional decor” “looks and feels authentic”, while the “great, light tempura is always a good indicator of quality” and the sushi and sashimi tend to be “so much better than average”. Service can be “swift”, even “rushed”, and the venues “noisy” and “crowded because of the exceptional value” – but they’re “deservedly popular to eat in or take away”. Top Menu Tip – they sometimes have sea urchin, a real delicacy.

“Authentic burritos on Leather Lane” from Mexican food veteran Joel Henderson, who celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first London street-food stand this year.

“A good staple” that’s “convenient for the City, Inns of Court and legal profession” – this convivial bistro hidden away in a courtyard near Hatton Garden is “still a safe choice if not quite what it was” (when it was part of a larger, grander concern, which closed down during Covid). Service is “engaged”; the “creditable” Gallic cuisine is “always reliable” (e.g. “sound Mediterranean fish soup; well-balanced salmon fishcake with a good Hollandaise, and a very decent crème brulée”); and the overall package remains a hit with expense accounters, who often nominate it as their favourite choice for a business lunch.

2022 Review: On the fringe of the City, this large tavern is part of the well-known eateries grouped around Bleeding Heart Yard, all under common ownership. A “decent-all-round and handy standby”, it was in particular “a perfect place to meet people for the elusive business meetings that could take place between lockdowns”. Reported by Google as ‘Temporarily closed’ in October 2021, we have rated it on the basis that – as the Square Mile picks up – its return is likely.

2024 Review: Robbie Lorraine has upped sticks from Brixton with his Del Boy-inspired pop-up – a witty, multi-course trip back in time to the cuisine of the 80s and 90s (duck-liver paté, prawn cocktail…). This new home is part of a Grade II listed pub just off the Strand: not to be confused with Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street, which is about ten minutes’ stroll away (although both claim Dickens as a former patron). No survey feedback as yet – reports please!

“The South African wine selection can’t be beaten” at these steak-and-wine-bar fixtures on the edge of the City (Faringdon and London Bridge) – each with a wine cave and ‘walk-in cheese room’ showcasing British artisan cheeses. They pull in a crowd – “we could hardly hear each other!” – but also attract the odd complaint of “average food at huge prices (£100 per head was way over the top for a very dull meal)”.

2024 Review: The timing of its debut, during Covid 19, couldn’t have been harder for this Covent Garden three-year-old, and it has yet to attract a huge volume of feedback or a settled view from diners. One fan says “you get a twist on Italian cooking, and boy do they get it right” in a “superb, light and airy space that’s ideal for a business meal”. To a critic it’s “bizarre eating in what feels like, and actually is, a hotel lobby, with some dishes very clumsily seasoned”.

2022 Review: The former HQ of the Baptist Church provides the gracious quarters for this swish Holborn hotel, converted by design guru Jacques Garcia. Since Tony Fleming left in December 2019, the main food operation (formerly known as The Baptist at L’Oscar hotel) has shifted to this all-day ground-floor operation offering a more accessible, Parisian-café-style menu from breakfast through to dinner. Allan Pickett (former head chef at Orrery, and briefly chef-patron of Piquet) is the new head chef.