London Holborn Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “Good value” sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes trundle past your seat at these two ‘kaiten’ (conveyor-belt) operations in the City, tempting you to help yourself. It makes a fun, fast and efficient way to grab lunch. The chain also has takeaway and delivery options for evenings.

“Consistently lovely for any occasion” – this unusually attractive venue occupies a graciously converted former Georgian auction house in Chancery Lane (dating from 1807), complete with period glass ceiling. It celebrates its 15th anniversary this year as part of Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon group, and offers “good value Provence-inspired cuisine and unusual wines from South West France and Corsica”. The basement cocktail bar, Baranis, boasts London’s only indoor pétanque court.

“Stylish surroundings, well-executed classics and pies that are still amazing” win tips – especially for a business meal – for this British brasserie in a grand hotel, whose prominent ‘Midtown’ location on Holborn and in the heart of Legal Land is well served by its high-ceilinged space lined with plush leather banquettes. It continues to inspire the odd ‘off’ report though, largely relating to high prices and the occasional incident of poor service. Top Menu Tips – though pies are the main menu feature, charcuterie and seafood also feature.

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.

2021 Review: “Could this be the best coffee in London?” – this speciality chain has grown from this Leather Lane site to 15 around the capital in 10 years, and is, by all accounts, “exceptional” – “definitely worth going out of the way for a brew”. “Staff are friendly”, and sandwiches, salads and cakes are prepared fresh every day at a central in-house kitchen and bakery.

Caffeine aficionados beat a path to the Leather Lane premises of “one of the early champions of speciality coffee”, where they imbibe information from the “friendly and knowledgeable staff” along with their brews. It’s a “comfortable refurbished space”, and there are “great pastries” and breakfast/brunch options to munch on.

“I keep going back to Roka, and have never had a bad meal there” – so say fans of Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s slick Japanese-inspired venues, which are celebrating their 20th year in 2024. “Despite increasing competition, it remains a good choice, with sound cooking and good-value sushi, sashimi and robata dishes”; and despite perennial complaints that they are “way overpriced for tiny portions”, quality has held up well. All that said, service is more often “amateurish” and “erratic” than it once was; and long-term fans have a point when they say the general performance is “not as good as it used to be” – the 2024 openings will be in Bahrain, Germany and Greece and there is growing impression of ‘the same old, same old’ in its original home market.

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.

2021 Review: “Surprisingly good food and charming service” make it worth remembering this historic hostelry (refurbed in recent times), near the Royal Courts of Justice. You can eat in the ground floor bar, or in the upstairs ‘Pig and Goose’ restaurant.

“A wide range of typical Japanese dishes that have not been anglicised, including sushi that’s always fresh and well-prepared (with true tastes, unlike at the ubiquitous chains)”, helps inspire a big fan club for this “homely” chain. They are “not the grandest of places” – with service that’s “quick and efficient” rather than particularly charming – but it “always feels like you are eating in Japan” here; and “they get the job done with decent value for money”. They must be doing something right as they are “always packed” and there are “often queues out the door”. Top Tip – “the bento boxes are particularly good and with generous portions”.

“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.

“It was very sad when the Bleeding Heart restaurant never reopened” – a victim of Covid-19 – “but the adjoining bistro” in a Dickensian yard “hidden around the back of Hatton Garden” is “still going strong” under its long-term owners Robert & Robyn Wilson (who established the business in 1983). “In a convenient location between the City and the West End”, the venue has always been popular amongst expense-accounters and “minimal intervention from the efficient service means it’s a great choice for a business lunch” and always feels “busy and buzzy”. The “reliable, classic French bistro cuisine provides something on the menu for all tastes” and “is consistently of a high standard”; and while the cellar is not quite as deep as when the restaurant was in full swing, there remains “a fairly comprehensive wine list”. Top Tip – in summer, “the really lovely terrace is an oasis in this busy part of London”.

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.

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!

‘A taste of South Africa’ is the promise of this City-fringe duo in Farringdon and London Bridge, which combine “an excellent choice of steaks” and dishes from the braai with a wide selection of South African wines. There’s also the prospect of a trip to the (very un-African) walk-in cheese room to end off a meal. But even those who acknowledge “decent Saffa-inspired grills” can say “the overall feel of the place is a little tired” or “functional”. And that it’s “not cheap for what it is” was also a repeat-complaint this year.