London Knightsbridge Restaurant Guide

“Stylish, high-ceilinged and opulent” – the marvellous period dining room of the Polish Hearth Club (an émigré haunt in South Kensington) serves “well-cooked Polish specialities” alongside a selection of “extraordinary vodka”, all overseen by Jan Woroniecki. It’s just “a stone’s throw from the Royal Albert Hall” and the museums, “so perfect for a relaxing meal in sumptuous surroundings” during cultural outings, all at a very surprisingly reasonable price. The “peaceful terrace” is particularly recommended in this bit of town – and is now covered and heated in chilly weather.

2018 Review: This Zaha Hadid-designed gallery restaurant in Hyde Park “deserves more recognition” according to reporters, who think it “a great space”, with “interesting food” (maybe only being open for lunch and afternoon tea is what keeps it under the radar). Perhaps a new team, scheduled to take over its management in late 2017, will finally put it properly on the map?

The famous Parisian ‘hamburgé’ brand with over 55 branches in France and the Middle East quietly opened a London site at the start of 2020: a return to the capital after a failed attempt at colonisation which ended in 2014. A civilised venue in Francophile South Kensington (north of the tube), it serves nine types of burger along with excellent frites and looks set to carve a niche in the capital’s crowded marketplace for burger joints.

Fans of this “very popular, consistently above-average” family group – with venues in Knightsbridge, Mill Hill, Wandsworth Common and Esher – say it’s “on another level to most Chinese restaurants”, with “the best cuts of meat and fresh-as-you-like fish and vegetables”. Even fans, though, perennially complain about the prices: “still the best Chinese around, still the most expensive”. These days, a more affordable option might be the delivery/takeaway-only sites in Swiss Cottage, Battersea, Richmond and Wimbledon.

2019 Review: A small group of “appealing no-frills cafés with a rustic feel” in sought-after locations, including South Kensington and Somerset House. Already “stalwarts” on the London scene, they are “intimate” places providing “simple tapas with the best ingredients”, plus “coffee or a glass of interesting wine”; and there’s “no music, which aids conversation”.

Providing “tasty tapas on the well-trodden path between South Ken tube and the museums” means the well-known Spanish food importers can hardly go wrong with this “cheap and cheerful” fixture. There’s plenty of pavement seating to go with the “friendly staff and a really nice tapas menu with all the faves” – plus “great Spanish wines”.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

“The antidote to noisy, sterile London eating”, this “wonderfully different” old-world Polish institution near South Ken tube “feels like it has been here forever, because it has”. Since 1947, to be precise, but it’s certainly a “lovely time-warp – you can imagine it’s still 1962”, in the Cold War era when Christine Keeler and Roman Polanski had assignations here. More recent regulars have included the late restaurant critic AA Gill, and they’re all drawn back by the “never-changing menu” of robust Polski classics.

This “bustling and busy Italian very close to the Albert Hall” is a “fantastic little place”, where “children are always very welcome and well looked after” and the “food is good, especially the pasta dishes”. “It makes the most of its connection with Princess Diana”, who would bring Princes Wills and Harry here to lunch on pizza.

“Perfectly aged, hung and cooked – this place is steak-heaven”. Huw Gott and Will Beckett absolutely nailed it with this zeitgeisty 15-year-old chain of steakhouses, which they still part-own (and which – in July 2021 – announced the possibility, later cancelled, of floating on the London Stock Exchange to fuel future growth). For a generation of London restaurant-goers, “Hawksmoor hits it every single time” and the increasing introduction of fish from a dedicated buyer at Brixham market is a popular (and wise) innovation. Is it finally becoming a victim of its own success though? Ratings slipped notably this year due to an assortment of non-pandemic-related gripes (“beginning to feel formulaic…”; “just not tasty enough for such high prices…”; “still knocks out a succulent ribeye, but not what it was…”). Still, in late 2021 they’re gearing up for the biggest and most ambitious space yet, and their first branch amidst the scrapers of Canary Wharf. Spread over three levels, it will be housed in an eco-friendly floating pavilion made from sustainably sourced timber decking, aluminium extracted from hydro sources, and with a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses! [Instead of the wildflowers and grasses and aluminium extracted from hydro sources, should we all maybe just eat less meat!? Ed]

“Thai food with a modern twist that’s miles away from the standard Siamese” is the hallmark of this long-established group whose half-dozen venues are “just the kind of local reliable Thai that everyone needs”. Having launched in South Ken in 1990, more recent expansion has seen branches opening in the affluent suburbs of Hampstead and Wimbledon.

“Innovative and delicious Lebanese/Middle-Eastern cooking” has firmly established Barry and Patricia Hilton’s nattily decorated modern bistro in the ‘Petit France’ enclave close to South Kensington’s museums. “It’s great to see them back in action – they’ve tweaked the menu and the food is even more delicious”. “Fabulous service, too”. The venture started out with a series of pop-ups, and a second bistro that started off in Soho transferred to Queensway in summer 2021.

“Discreet and off the beaten track” – this supremely “cosy and classy neighbourhood restaurant” is “tucked away in an attractive street in Kensington and well worth a visit”. “Ben Murphy’s cuisine is fun and playful”, providing “absolutely sensational” dishes that are “packed with flavour”. In the last year he has rightly been elevated to being chef/patron here and – in terms of quality, if not perhaps fame – this is “definitely the jewel in the crown of the D&D empire”.

“Absolutely spot-on sushi” tops the bill at this “upmarket, though friendly” pair in Mayfair and Knightsbridge, where “the food is absolutely at a level you would expect in Japan”. “Perfectly fresh raw fish, light and crunchy tempura, great wine with attentive and flexible service” make the Mayfair original “a reliable choice just off the fray of Oxford Street”.

“The garlic sauce is a symphony on your tongue when you have shish taouk or a mixed shawarma at 3am on the way home” from the café sections of this “long-standing favourite Lebanese chain” (you may need to ask for the wrap menu at the posh Beauchamp Place branch). When it comes to the main menu, “expect the usual staples” of Lebanese cuisine. Opened 40 years ago by Marouf and Houda Abouzaki, sites have come and gone over the years, especially over the pandemic. The original ‘Maroush I’ at 21 Edgware Road is closed as of September 2021, and its return seems very uncertain at this point, so we’ve marked it as closed, RIP. That leaves four in the stable currently open – the well-known Knightsbridge branch, a smaller Earl’s Court Café, and a very dramatic, vast new-build restaurant, wine bar and market that opened in the boonies of Park Royal in summer 2021 (a bold opening that deserves support), and the Maroush Express on Edgware Road. (Under the same ownership: the eccentric but excellent Crockers Folly in St John’s Wood – see also – plus the more grab-and-go Ranoush branches).

“Amazing seafood” – “really fresh and full of taste” – is the headliner at this oyster supplier turned producer turned “bustling” seafood bar at Borough Market, from brothers-in-law Ben Wright and Robin Hancock (now also with offshoots at Battersea Power Station and South Ken). In March 2021, acclaimed chef Henry Harris joined as group chef, adding his knowledge of classic meat dishes and fine wines to the Wright Bros’ traditional oysters, crustaceans and seafood platters. Top Tip: “curried oysters sounds awful and sacrilegious but is stunning – a real tasting experience”.

Amidst the glossy boutiques of Beauchamp Place, this beautiful, luxuriously decorated Chinese opened at the end of 2019, and – aside from a favourable review by Fay Maschler – has never really had the chance to make waves. It specialises in hot pots, and the menu features much in the way of seafood and wagyu beef to accompany or incorporate. It’s listed (without a star) by Michelin, who typically list only extremely expensive, culinarily ‘safe’ Chinese restaurants: you can view that as either a positive or negative.

2018 Review: “Top-quality bar dishes” and “efficient young staff” inspire warm vibes for this “bright and cheerful old pub” in South Ken, run for the past year by the duo behind Brompton Food Market.