London Bloomsbury Restaurant Guide

2019 Review: “Fabulously busy… in a good way (as it feels like you have come to the right place)” – this cute tea rooms near Holborn Library spawned a chain of the same name on the back of its inviting-looking cakes and “tasty lunches and snacks” that are “worth a little waiting for”.

Bloomsbury greasy spoon that’s been artfully transformed into a simple bar and modern bistro by the team behind 40 Maltby Street, with Anna Tobias (P Franco, Rochelle Canteen) at the stoves. It was launched in December 2020 and won a big thumbs-up from Guardian reviewer Grace Dent, who – while noting that it “looks a bit like a sandwich shop with lofty aspirations” – found “finely judged, nicely eccentric cooking with a strong undercurrent of country-house living”. Our early feedback is limited but similarly upbeat.

“Exceptional, hand-pulled biang biang noodles” are the star turn at this “no-frills diner” near Russell Square, where an “unprepossessing” exterior gains access to a menu of “subtle, interesting and authentic regional Xi’an cuisine”. “The prices are very reasonable for the West End.” Proprietor Wei Guirong also runs Xi’an Impression near Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

“Exceptionally fine beef” from the Italian Fassone breed in the valleys north of Genoa is theatrically presented – as if in a butcher’s shop – at Roberto Costa’s growing group of steakhouses, where the “superb cuts are butchered in front of you”. “I finally went to try out what looked like magnificent beef, from the haunches in the window. I wasn’t disappointed – it delivered magnificently.” The South Ken branch in Old Brompton Road remains the most popular. There are others in Fitzrovia, Exmouth Market, Union Street and Battersea. (The latest to open in summer 2021, in the West End’s Theatreland, is called Il Teatro del Carne – see also).

2021 Review: The promising, but hitherto under-exploited mix of Mediterranean and Japanese small plates is the crux of the menu offering at this August 2019 opening, which promises ‘a modern, day-to-night, neighbourhood restaurant and bar… complemented by a diverse variety of wines, sake and signature cocktails’.

A “low-key South Indian with welcoming, gracious staff”, this Bloomsbury Keralan serves “great meals full of good flavours”, from a “well-composed menu” with “a lot of vegetarian choices”.

2021 Review: “Images redolent of ‘Le Gai Paris’ (the naked bottoms went perfectly with my slow roasted pork belly!)” grace the muralled walls of this “friendly and efficient” Gallic corner bistro, near the British Museum: “a reliable and enjoyable choice”, serving affordable classic French dishes.

This “delightful” hotel terrace (with fully retractable roof) takes its name from a Virginia Woolf novel, and provides a rare peaceful haven in busy central London – “honestly, everything’s that’s been said about this beautiful place is true!”. “Service is attentive”, and the venue is perfect for a “lovely afternoon tea catching up with friends”. It can seem a little “chichi and pricey generally, although the brunch set menus are decent value”.

“Reliable, whatever the hour” – this small group of upscale diners has grown from its long-established Chelsea base, although – with closures in recent times – its only two siblings now are within midtown hotels in Aldwych and Bloomsbury. Aldwych is the only one actually open 24/7 (VQ = ‘Vingt Quatre’, i.e. 24-hour), but both its siblings are open for most of the wee hours, which is when they come into their own as a pick-me-up post clubbing. “It’s a very cosmopolitan menu, but drink may dull the senses of fussier gastronomes…”

These pan-Asian pitstops can knock up anything from “reliable Japanese” dishes to “amazing curry laksa” with great speed and efficiency. Launched in Bloomsbury, the chain has expanded slowly over 25 years and now has branches in Ealing, Putney, Kensington and Chiswick.

“Wow!! Tasty or what?” This upscale kebab group has expanded from its well-known Kingly Court base, and been busy during the pandemic with a couple of new openings. In May 2021 they opened both a new café in a funky Dalston coworking space (part of a new aparthotel from Locke) and a retro, old-school kebab shop in the heart of Old Street, open till the wee hours. “You can’t really fault the food and it’s at a very good price. It’s a nice place too, relaxed but well managed”. See also Kebab Queen.

“Quick, warm and tasty” is the verdict on Japan Centre owner Tak Tokumine’s “very busy”, “authentic ramen” noodle group, based in the West End but expanding fast via delivery-only kitchens. “The tonkotsu soup stock is a wonder” and the “side dishes are great, too”.

2021 Review: In less than 20 years, Danny Meyer has transformed his New York City hot-dog cart into a global fast-food brand giant with eight outlets in London – including a Covent Garden flagship that was revamped earlier this year. Ratings remain remarkably solid for “a chain that does what it’s supposed to do”.

2021 Review: “Like an everyday restaurant in a minor French town”, this “very busy” Bloomsbury bar/bistro is a “noisy but great fun” neighbourhood amenity: “some dishes are more successful than others” but most are délicieux.

“Glorious burgers and great music in grungy surroundings” – this punk-inspired dirty burger operation “has many imitators now – but it’s still the best” for its diehard devotees. A decade after making the transition from a food van to a permanent site, the chain now has nine venues in the capital. If the excitement of its early years has dimmed a little, its food ratings continue to shine: “Dead Hippie burger, deep-fried mac’n’cheese, salted caramel brownie – is that not a perfect (heart-stopping) indulgent meal?”

“Great-value South Indian vegetarian food at its best” is served at this long-running group with venues in Covent Garden, Fitzrovia, Hammersmith and Harrow. “Not at all your typical Indian restaurants”, they serve “food to convince that vegetarian and vegan cooking is good”, made with “fresh ingredients, lightly spiced and producing great flavours” – so “don’t let the decor put you off!”. Top Tip: “the dosas are a must”.

2021 Review: “Simply delicious south Indian cuisine” from the state of Tamil Nadu – including “the best dosas ever” – means this “justly popular independent” in Fitzrovia “is very different from your usual curry house”. “I’m slowly working my way through the menu and have yet to find something I don’t like”.

“The bao are just so good” at these “charming” and stylish Taiwanese cafés, whose eponymous steamed buns filled with “brilliant” and “magnificent” Asian flavours have been a sensation since their first opening at Netil Market in London Fields in 2013. There are now six venues, the most recent of which have branched out in new directions: Café Bao at King’s Cross, serving an East Asian take on Western classics, such as chicken XO Kiev and baked ham hock congee pie, and Bao Noodle Shop, on the former site of Andina in Shoreditch, which is inspired by old-school Taiwanese beef noodle shops.