London Marylebone Restaurant Guide

Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi’s 24-year-old flagship makes a “great stopover on a busy day” in Marylebone thanks to its “reasonably priced Italian food” of consistently high quality. The chef and his food-writer wife have a second outlet in Bray, and have produced a string of cookbooks and run cookery schools both in Tuscany and closer to home in the past two decades (but their latest restaurant, in Belsize Park, closed down last year after just nine months).

Operating to a no-frills “time-tested formula – How do you like your meat cooked? Would you like red or white wine?” – this Paris-based operation offers an “excellent, no-choice menu of salad, steak & frites, all of which are delicious” and “at an extremely good price (including a second helping if you’d like one)”. There’s “no booking and a permanent queue” at the two London branches (Marylebone and the City), so “get there early” for an “unbeatable meat fix”. “What’s in the addictive secret sauce?” – “who cares when it works so well!”

“Real fish ’n’ chips in the West End!” – this “traditional, old-fashioned” spot in Marylebone is over a century old, and “still one the best chippies in town”. The “simple dining area” and “excellent fish” have not altered much over the years, but there has been one big change: “now you need to book”. .

“The venues are wonderful to look at, but the food is almost always below average, over-priced from an uninspiring menu, with service that can be pushy and inflexible” – a fair summary of the pros and cons of the sub-sub brand of the famous Theatreland classic, which more generous fans claim provides “reliable comfort food without the hassle of the original”. Many diners have their eyes wide open when it comes to the trade-offs of choosing to dine here: “you likely have a good time; it’s just that, in London, there is always somewhere more interesting round the corner”.

‘Fry or Die’, ‘Raw to the Core’ and ‘Rock & Rolls’ are all titles for menu sections of this high- quality Japanese bar/restaurant in Marylebone Village. It’s part of a less reverential approach to Japanese cuisine that’s a departure for Japanese-run venues like this: here the owner is Taiji Maruyama, who also owns Maru (see also). There’s a nine-course omakase here for £95, but you can eat cheaper from the à la carte.

“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”.

Tucked away behind the Wallace Collection, this “rustic, family-run Lebanese restaurant” (named after a legendary singer) “contrasts with some of the flashier, expensive restaurants in the area”. Lovers of Levantine food rate its authenticity very highly: “service is polite and friendly” and the food is “served in generous portions and really hits the spot”. “If you aren’t set on paying over the odds at some chic Marylebone spot, you could do a lot worse than tuck into a big bowl of makloubeh at Fairuz”.

Veteran Icelandic fast-food moghul-turned-politician Tómas Tómasson – now 75, and a member of his country’s parliament, the Althing, since 2021 – has won solid ratings for the “cheap ’n’ cheerful” UK outlets of his small, international chain. Its London presence has dwindled to a single branch, however, and the business (up for sale in 2023) entered administration in summer 2024. For the time being, though, they are still cranking out the burgers on Thayer Street…

With its “lovely authentic decor, excellent small plates and comprehensive wine list”, this “small wine bar and bistro” from Xavier Rousset – a former head sommelier at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons – has established itself as a Marylebone fixture in the last 10 years. The Rhone-heavy list offers more than 30 wines by the glass. Top Tip – “exceptional value at lunchtime” (when sirloin steak with salsa verde, fries and salad costs £19.50).

“A nice lunchtime respite from shopping in Marylebone High Street” – this characterful café attached to a specialist cheese shop (and its siblings in Bloomsbury and Highbury) “showcases the best of the cheeses they stock” – “there are a few non-cheese dishes, but with cheeses this good, stick to what they do best”. Top Menu Tips – “go for the raclette or the fondue savoyarde”.

“Simply cooked fresh fish (often all you want)” is the USP at this trio of fishmonger/restaurants that offer “extremely reasonable prices for the quality” in prime central locations: off Piccadilly Circus, in Covent Garden and on Marylebone High Street. “The cooking does what it should do – the fish is the star of the show, delivered daily from Cornwall and really well executed”; and “they have specials depending on that day’s catch listed on a blackboard”. It’s “let down a little by staff that need more training to improve both the service and the ambience”.

“A south Indian spicy twist to seafood” underpins the ongoing popularity of the “interesting cuisine” at this “brilliant” Marylebone institution: namesake to a famous Mumbai destination and the original springboard for the all-conquering JKS Restaurants chain (of which it is still a part). It’s an attractive if “slightly cramped” U-shaped space, whose ambience somewhat depends on where you end up. On the downside, there are those who feel “the food has gone downhill” since its glittering heyday.

2024 Review: They look modest, but “great value Japanese food” (for example, “delightful sushi” and “very fresh salmon and tuna”) of “consistently high quality” is served by “lovely people” at this well-established Marylebone restaurant and its more deli-style offshoots in Highgate, Bloomsbury and Bayswater.

Food writer Ravinder Bhogal this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of her “magical” Marylebone showcase, where her “fresh, light, aromatic Indian-fusion cooking” delivers “flavourful food in unique combinations”. “The delicious and original dishes are perfect for sharing (so we tasted almost everything on the menu!)”. “Attentive, intelligent and informal service” is also “greatly appreciated”.

2022 Review: Winston Churchill was, it is said, once partial to the odd jar at this Marylebone hostelry, reopened in October 2019 by well-known sommelier Xavier Rousset (in charge of the vino) and Anglo-chef Mark Jarvis, who oversees the basement steakhouse. Early social media feedback says results are high quality but can seem pricey.