London Hampstead Restaurant Guide

Long a beacon for “exceptional and authentic Japanese” cooking – and at “great value for Hampstead” – the ratings have dipped for this restaurant since it expanded into the premises next door a couple of years back. “It’s twice the size and quite posh now, but the service is not as great” and “the sushi, yakitori skewers and so on are good, but didn’t blow me away as they did in the past” – “maybe the standard of London sushi has risen but it all felt rather lacklustre several years on from my previous visit”.

2024 Review: This “hidden gem” – a picture-book Grade II-listed Georgian tavern down a Hampstead side street – is “a great place to take the day off work”, particularly “now the food has been improved”.

This “reliable” old stager of a restaurant in Hampstead “has hardly changed in 40 years”, during which time its fans and foes have stuck to consistent themes. The former say “you’ll always get a good Italian meal” here; the latter that “the pretty location does not make up for the below-average food!” or “dismissive” service.

“Superbly executed”, Mediterranean-inspired small plates “which change regularly” continue to win praise for this “really charming” basement spot, which is to be found in a picture-book Georgian terrace leading up to St John-in-Hampstead church. There’s also “a well-priced wine list including many options by the glass”.

“Warm and cosy, with delicious toasties” – this popular (and sometimes “cramped”) Hampstead coffee shop is run by friends Victoria & Gili, former regulars who didn’t want their favourite local to close when the founders left London. They make everything on the premises (Victoria already had form as co-founder of Lola’s Cupcakes).

“Always a long queue” (but “it’s worth it!”) for this Hampstead institution that clocks up its half-centenary next year. Edward de Mesquita’s kiosk sits outside the King William IV pub on the High Street, where it serves sweet and savoury French pancakes to locals and celebs including Harry Styles (who ticks both boxes). “The crepes are wonderful and the ambience comes from its location in London’s most beautiful neighbourhood”.

2022 Review: “A varied menu” of sharing plates and burgers sits alongside more ambitious dishes at this modern Middle Eastern restaurant in Hampstead, whose “great atmosphere, excellent food and rustic decor” create an “enjoyable” experience.

“There’s always a great atmosphere” at this “very comfortable” Georgian tavern in Hampstead, brilliantly run for more than 20 years by Beth Coventry, sister of restaurant critic Fay Maschler (“it’s a real favourite of ours, and whenever we bring friends they invariably love it”). Top Menu Tip – “best roast beef anywhere!”

“Fine Japanese cuisine” is a welcome addition to Hampstead: here it’s provided by chef Law Kwok Meng, backed by Takuya Watanabe who runs Taku in Mayfair and opened this cleanly designed, mutedly decorated venue a year ago. The main event is a 17-course omakase for £130 per person (or at lunchtime a 12-course variant for £70 per person). But – in a similar vein to last year – while all reports are positive about the standard of cooking, all reports note that it’s really “quite pricey”. If you want to suss it out before eating, drop in for a drink in the first floor lounge ‘Upstairs at INÉ’ (which also hosts regular masterclasses and exhibitions).

“Very pleasing decor” adds to the vibe of this upscale, casual neighbourhood haunt, which occupies a former pub (fka The Rosslyn Arms) as you head down the hill out of Hampstead village – brunch on smashed avocado or burgers surrounded by well-healed locals under a retractable glass ceiling.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.