London Parsons Green Restaurant Guide

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

This “always reliable” and “slightly upmarket” Cantonese group “remains the standard that all other dim sum places should be judged against – exemplary is an overused term here but is very much justified”. But a somewhat dark cloud has hung over the operation since its prominent Baker Street branch was stripped of its licence to sell alcohol and fined £360,000 after a series of Home Office raids over six years discovered multiple cases of illegal immigrants working, in one case for 66 hours a week at almost half the minimum wage. As of August 2024, the Fulham Road branch is ‘Temporarily Closed’.

Near Parsons Green, this small and family-owned Italian, in an updated traditional style, delivers just what you’d want from a high-quality local restaurant: “better-than-average food is cooked to a high standard; staff are friendly; and it’s always busy”.

This “high-quality” Fulham fixture serves some of the “best Thai food in West London” – attracting diners from across the capital to its modest-looking premises in a parade of shops: “We just wish it was closer to home”.

“Great Turkish food – either to eat in or take away” has earned a more-than-local reputation for this pair of Anatolian charcoal BBQs, on Fulham Broadway and near West Kensington station. (Note, ‘Best Mangal 1996’ in North End Road is a separate business).

“The pizza is second to none”, combining “top-quality ingredients and fabulous bases” at this quartet of “bustling” pizzerias founded 15 years ago by Neapolitan-born Angelo and Pasquale. Since launching in Ealing, they have expanded slowly to Fulham, Islington and Fitzrovia – and the extent to which they’ve maintained their ratings is an achievement for an expanding group.