London Belgravia Restaurant Guide

“The fish never disappoints” at this “true neighbourhood restaurant” from Mauro Sanna’s smart Sardinian group – although it is “a bit on the expensive side”, as might be expected from the Belgravia location. Top Tip – “book a table on the small elevated section at the back, where the acoustics are better: the late Dame Maggie Smith always sat there”.

“Upmarket Italian” – associated with a lifestyle brand originally specialising in yachtie apparel, these luxurious all-day cafés aim to recreate the retro glamour of 1950s Italy, complete with deep blue awnings, wood panelled walls and white-jacketed staff. At their best they are a “lovely dining experience”, but – especially given the aspirational pricing – they sometimes fall short of their aims with an offering that can seem “mass and carelessly produced”.

This “fashionable” Belgravia gastropub serves “good-quality pub grub” in its downstairs bar and a more formal restaurant-style menu in its “stunning upstairs dining room”. The launchpad of the upmarket Cubitt House group, it takes its name from the early 19th-century master builder responsible for much of Belgravia and Pimlico – and great-great-great grandfather of Queen Camilla. Top Menu Tip – “the grilled chicken surprises and excels”.

A well-heeled Belgravia crowd enjoys this “classic Sardinian, which continues to provide an excellent balance of food, service and ambience” under the watchful eye of founder Mauro Sanna, who has managed to “innovate while maintaining high standards” for more than 35 years. (“On a recent visit to London, I had to discover if the magic is still there – and it is!”). Top Menu Tip – “spicy Sardinian octopus with toasted crostini”.

“Consistently good Sardinian food”, a smart line-up of pizza and “Sardinian and other non-mainstream Italian wines that are always a treat” are in store at Mauro Sanna’s Belgravia spot, whose monochrome modernist interior design is undoubtedly stylish but makes for an ambience some find “perhaps a little sterile”.

2022 Review: Caffeine aficionados should truffle out this all-day dining spot and coffee house from sisters Juliana and Valentina Beleno, who import green beans from their native Colombia and roast ’em themselves. It’s a pleasant spot, too – for a snack or brunch on the likes of poke bowls and Latino-inspired salads – located in the attractive Eccleston Yards development.

Contemporary gastropub from the Lunar Pub Company (on the former site of the Ebury Wine Bar, long RIP) which has built a select but enthusiastic following, who hail it as “Belgravia’s jewel”. The kitchen aims to put a ‘twist’ on classic dishes, with a degree of success (according to one fan, “quite literally the best place for a pithivier in London”).

“What a special place The Dining Room at the Goring is” – “You can take your boss, your granny and your lawyer… all at the same time and it will be to everyone’s taste!”. Amongst London’s most blue-blooded of hotels, this proudly traditional venue between Buckingham Palace and Victoria is the only one that’s still family-owned. (Opened in 1910 by Otto Goring, it is nowadays run since 2005 by Jeremy Goring). Its comfortable period style and well-judged service help make it “a real treat that takes you back to an age of class and perfection which you will share with your partner for a wonderful occasion”. It’s particularly “excellent for business meals because the tables are adequately apart for privacy, and the service is efficient and discreet”. Rather gratuitously, Michelin gave it a star in 2016, which might suggest it’s a foodie haven: in fact its “classic” Anglo-French fare is almost the antithesis: “some dishes have barely changed for years but that builds a kind of security. The approach is rather old-fashioned and a little rich but it is not the sort of place you go often… so enjoy!” Top Tip – “Since the delightful Catherine and family used this hotel in the lead-up to her marriage to Prince William in 2011, it has become a ‘go-to’ establishment for proper English teas. The great staff are all trained to look after overseas visitors who flock to their doors for one of the best afternoon teas in London. Delicious sandwiches, homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, cakes to die for and myriad teas ensures that every taste is catered for. This is a quintessential British experience”.

Set in a stylish and roomy post-industrial space – the former coal store of a converted Pimlico power station – this buzzy operation from caterers Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison is “always a reliable place to go with girlfriends” to feast on Middle Eastern-influenced dishes, using ingredients from their family farms in Somerset and Northumberland. The space is big enough to host events seating up to 180 guests.

“Sneakily good pizza” – double-fermented Neapolitan-style – ensure that many branches are “always packed” at the Elliot brothers’ still-expanding chain, whose new summer 2025 opening at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane marked a return to the site of one of their earliest pop-ups in 2013. Nowadays, it’s one of the more commented-on multiples in our annual diners’ poll. Top Menu Tip – “pepperoni and honey!”

2022 Review: “Fairly modern in style”, this Belgravia Italian of over 20 years’ standing has a “pleasant” ambience and typically provides a civilised safe haven within striking distance of Victoria. We have rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance and the assumption that it will reopen: as we go to press in September 2021, it remains ‘temporarily closed’.

“Part of the Eccleston Yards gentrification development round Victoria coach station” (which is itself “beginning to develop a bit of a buzz”) – this useful venue provides a “great location” (complete with “a lively terrace”) and serves a “slightly unusual menu (including good steaks)”. Ratings would be higher were it not for those who find it “a little pricey”.

“Consistently superb food over many years” is regularly reported at MW Eats group’s “very stylish and interesting” Indian, next to a small arcade in the heart of picture-book Belgravia. When it opened in 2004, it was way ahead of its time in the use of an open grill to provide small ‘tapas’ style dishes and “it’s still grilling and spicing in a super and innovative way”. If it was not in a quiet corner of a posh postcode, it would be much better known.