London Hampstead Restaurant Guide

This “top-value Japanese for its quality, now happily doubled in size”, has drawn aficionados from across London to its Hampstead premises for decades, to sample sushi, yakitori and other delicacies. Guests can perch at sushi or grill bars where “you can watch the genuine article being prepared under your nose” – or sit at tables where “we were allowed to drink tea all afternoon when lunch just wasn’t long enough”.

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”.

2021 Review: “A Hampstead institution”, this “small” Neapolitan with a “classic, buzzy-pizzeria ambience” is “the real deal and excellent value” – so it’s “always packed, especially at weekends (when you can’t reserve)”. There’s also a range of appetizers and pasta dishes, and a spin-off branch in New Barnet.

With its starched white tablecloths, this “comfortable” stalwart Italian, down a picturesque alley, has been a feature of central Hampstead since the 1980s. It has the strengths and weaknesses that can come with such territory, which includes “a real old-school Mediterranean menu” and professional service (which “can be a bit snotty”). But by and large it’s “maintained its quality”.

“So much more than just a tapas bar” – this basement hideaway at the foot of a handsome Georgian terrace, near picturesquely located St John-in-Hampstead church, boasts a serious and eclectic wine list and a focused menu of Spanish and Italian small and sharing plates.

This “cramped and often noisy eatery” is a day-time favourite in Hampstead, serving a superior range of light bites – well-suited to brunch in particular – alongside buns, cakes and “excellent coffee and herbal teas”.

For “a more upmarket Thai experience”, head to the branches of Khun Patara Sila-On’s “very pleasant” group (which is over 30 years old, with branches from Asia to Europe). “Well-presented flavoursome dishes” from “good-quality ingredients” are provided by staff who “always seem happy to see you”.

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.

“Consistently good food and a lovely atmosphere” backed up by “intelligently engaged and well-informed service” deliver everything you could reasonably expect from this handsome Georgian tavern in Hampstead, run for more than 20 years by Beth Coventry (sister of Fay Maschler, the doyenne of London restaurant critics). “The pub’s keenness to welcome dogs (with their own menu) may divide opinion” – but also wins many friends. Top Menu Tip – “save room for dessert; it’s sometimes the star of the show”.

“A great new japanese restaurant in Hampstead” from the team behind Taku Mayfair, where patron Takuya Watanabe has installed his protégé Law Kwok Meng as head chef (‘Iné’ is Japanese for rice). “Let’s hope it survives in this notoriously difficult suburb” – all reports say the food is “very good” and “service is particularly attentive” – you either eat à la carte (prepared by chef Andrew Lim), or go for the full blow-out of a 17-course omakase served personally by chef Meng. However the “high culinary ambitions here have prices to match” and even some fans “can’t help feeling it may be overpriced for NW3”. (You can also now just drop in for a drink here too, at their newly opened ‘Upstairs at INÉ’, serving specialty sakes and showcasing emerging artists).

“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.

“Go mad for further adventures in veg” at Yotam Ottolenghi’s famous deli-cafés, whose Middle Eastern inspired menus are best known for their “creative” salads and meat-free dishes (bread and pastries are also “fabulous”) but there are also some meat and fish options. They are far from cheap, but “the spicing is interesting”, “the flavours are immense” and “the small-plates format allows you to try a number of options”. “A great spot for brunch” or “to drop in for cake and tea”. The Islington branch is most commented-on, and in December 2023 its newest sibling (also in north London) opened on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, while a branch in Richmond, in the leafy southwest, is scheduled for late 2024.