London Marylebone Restaurant Guide

“Classic Italian dishes are executed as well as one could hope for” at Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi’s “long-established” Marylebone stalwart: “the food is always very good – ragu a case in point – and the specials and seasonals can be mouthwatering”. That remains the majority view anyhow, although its critics feel results are “competent if unexciting”. Still, it’s proved a successful base for expansion, as the couple also run a restaurant in Bray (complete with cookery school) and in April 2024 added a new offshoot in Belsize Park: an initial report says the NW3 branch is “a welcome addition, well-designed with friendly staff; and serving a relatively short menu including pizza and pasta, if at West End prices”.

“Still the best cheap steak in London” for fans, despite growing competition – these “bustling” and “tightly packed” Paris-based ventures thrive on an “unchanged formula (steak + salad + frites + secret sauce + French staff outfits + bustle)” with branches in Marylebone and the City, whose permanent queues testify to their winning style. “A bit bish, bash, bosh but great fun”, they “do what it says on the tin, without grandstanding or ludicrous pricing (are you watching Hawksmoor?)”.

“A throwback – but in a good way” – this veteran Marylebone chippy dates back to 1914, and still knows how to “keep it simple”. “For a Northerner, it’s hard to find good fish ’n’ chips in London, but this is one of the few places that fits the bill. Go for the cod ’n’ chips with mushy peas and lashings of malt vinegar, accompanied by bread and butter (white of course) and a pot of tea”.

“The dangers of overextending the brand are writ large at these places” – the sub-sub-brand derivatives from the Theatreland classic, which haven’t taken off like the slightly posher ‘Ivy Brasserie’ spin-offs (perhaps because “they do this better at Côte”). They are not without supporters, who say they have fab locations and “look great” (SW19 is particularly “delightful”); or that although “supper is terribly disappointing, for breakfast they are an absolute joy enhanced by the refined surroundings”. Too often, though, they are dismissed as a “so-so brasserie chain that’s only really aiming for gullible out-of-towners” nowadays.

Limited but good-all-round feedback again on this Japanese bar/restaurant in the heart of ‘Marylebone Village’. It’s not as expensive as some – as well as the à la carte menu, the ‘signature set’ is £65 per head, or there’s omakase for two to share at £95 per person.

“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.

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…

Lady Bamford’s quartet of deli-cafés are the London satellites of her organic Cotswolds estate, and – on the plus side – their careful design can give the impression that one has fallen into the pages of ‘Country Living’. Not helped by inconsistent standards over many years, though, they continue to generate mixed feedback in our annual diners’ poll. “A perfect location for a late breakfast” is at the positive end. Negatives include: “I had the impression some staff were in their first job” and “the food can be poor here: it comes from Daylesford Farm and in some cases should never have left it…”

This “cosy and welcoming Marylebone” wine-bar/restaurant from sommelier Xavier Rousset is “perfect for an unrushed evening”, combining “charming service” and a menu of “excellent Mediterranean (mostly Italian) dishes done really well” with a “specialist Rhone wine list that’s a real treat”.

“Perfect for cheese lovers”: the “quirky and atmospheric” cafés adjoining these excellent retail cheese emporia – particularly the well-known branch in Marylebone – are particularly “good for lunch”, offering cheese and charcuterie boards alongside simple dishes like pan-seared salmon or paté en croute. Top Tip – worth remembering for breakfast.

“You know that you’ll get a decent meal” at these “unpretentious” ‘Fishmongers & Restaurants’ in Covent Garden, Marylebone and off Piccadilly, where you can buy retail from the wet counter or proceed to eat in at the adjoining dining room. “A wide variety of fish and seafood can be cooked to your specification” and “it’s the perfect place for some nice, simple cooking”. Any drawbacks? The food is “good but rather unimaginative”; “ambience is a little lacking; and the service level is not as good as could be”.

Inspired by its famous namesake in Mumbai, this Marylebone venture was the initial launchpad from which JKS Restaurants started to take the capital by storm. Occupying quirky, U-shaped premises, it’s quite “small and packed” and how “atmospheric” it appears slightly depends on where you are sat. Billing itself as ‘Indian coastal cuisine’, the menu is strong on fish and seafood, but by no means dominated by it: “classy” dishes with “knock-out” flavours.

This 10-year-old Marylebone spot (with an offshoot in Shoreditch) provides a “great introduction to delicious Peruvian food” – ceviches, plus mains from ‘land’, ‘sea’ or ‘soil’ – with “attentive and friendly staff” on hand to advise. Top Menu Tip – “the sticky aubergine is incredible”.

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.