London South Hampstead Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “A sushi bar in a shop” may not sound appealing, but these cafés operated by a Japanese food importer – in Ealing, Swiss Cottage, Golders Green and Marylebone – provide fresh, “clean-tasting” sushi, and they’re “good-value”.

An “old favourite” that’s impressively popular for somewhere tucked-away in a distant Swiss Cottage shopping parade, and that has “stayed the same for decades”, serving an “original mix of dishes from China, Malaysia and Singapore” in a “civilised atmosphere”. The Times critic Giles Coren’s favourite restaurant (he claims to have eaten at least 1,000 bowls of its signature laksa), fans in our annual diners’ poll say it serves “better chicken rice than in Singapore”.

A Swiss Cottage institution for more than half a century, this local Chinese venue (est. 1972) is in the classic (for London) Cantonese mould and still dependably well-rated on the food front.

This “underrated” fixture near Swiss Cottage has long been a “the best place to eat before a show at the Hampstead Theatre”, and is perhaps greater than the sum of its parts. It has won a big fan club over the years, who say it’s also “good enough to return to away from a show for other celebrations” – “the fish always makes people happy and the set menu is a good deal: what’s not to like?”. Simon Bradley (who runs it with his wife Jacinta) has been cooking here for 33 years and even those who feel the food is “not spectacular” – and who keep the ratings in check – still acknowledge that it’s “so much better than any of the alternatives locally”.

Conventional fare delivered to a good standard is the hallmark of this venue, which has served St John’s Wood for more than 20 years. “Waiting staff are attentive and helpful”, there’s “a lovely terrace” and the easygoing food is consistently well rated.

In the underserved environs of Abbey Road, this modern Italian bar/café is worth remembering for its “really tasty Italian tapas-type dishes and some excellent Grappa!”