London Southbank Restaurant Guide

There’s no name outside so look for the carved stone lintel reading ‘Westminster Library’ when you visit this “fabulous institution” sitting “in the shadow of Westminster Abbey”. “Still great after all these years – Vivek Singh’s “posh Indian” remains one of the Top-40 most commented-on entries in our annual diners’ poll, and is also one of the most popular. The building provides a “very original setting” – complete with wood-panelling, leaded glass and book-lined walls – while transporting you to the subcontinent!”. It’s a “sophisticated” combination, with “classy” and “luxurious” cuisine providing “a paradise of fabulous flavours”, while “the buzz of happy diners gives a nice, comforting backdrop to one of the best meals you can have in central London”. (That is provided you don’t mind sharing the wonderful space with miscellaneous politicos and union leaders… “amusingly, it turns out that the new breed of MPs are just as keen to be fed here as the recently deposed mob!)”. Top Tip – “strong wine list, including a number of wines from India itself”.

Open in early 2024, Joe Haynes & Ben Butterworth’s “delightful townhouse in Smithfield” is one of the most commented-on arrivals of the last eighteen months in our annual diners’ poll. Tucked away near Smithfield Market in a Dickensian alleyway, it occupies the ground floor of a cute old building that escaped 1666’s Great Fire, and which was once part-occupied by the poet laureate, John Betjeman. Some find it “so crowded”, but most diners find the “hustling and bustling” interior is “buzzy, cozy and romantic” and make it “a great place for lingering over a long lunch”. Chef Tom Hurst’s “well-sourced” British cooking “manages to feel rustic and yet at the same time have some real finesse about it” and there’s also “a well curated wine selection”. Top Menu Tip – “Light, yet rich Pig’s Head croquettes; universally enjoyable Mackerel and Crab starters… likewise the Beef Shin ravioli and the Pork Chop; the Chips with Espelette pepper are amazing. Even if you’re not a particular fan of white chocolate, the Rhubarb and White chocolate dessert is perfect!”

Five years after the opening of the legendary Battersea bar and pizzeria, Bunga Bunga has come to Covent Garden with an even bigger and bolder version of the original. On the ground floor, discover a family pizzeria and bar, BungaTINI. Below accessed through the meat locker li...

These clubby Nikkei haunts from former Nobu exec Kurt Zdesar in Soho and Marylebone have spawned an international group with outlets in North America and the Middle East – with Manchester scheduled to follow this year. The food can be “excellent”, and the joints are “buzzing” (so don’t go if you want a quiet evening, or the “thumping and repetitive club music spoils the dining experience”).

Zima is a Russian Restaurant located in the heart of Soho offering traditional Russian dishes with a modern twist.Treat yourself to the best priced caviar in London and other favourites of Russian cuisine, sip on our homemade selection of infused vodka and enjoy the wel...

“Such a shame not more people recognise this as a top Indian” – so say fans of Roop Partap Choudhary’s lavishly decorated venue in Holborn’s spectacular old town hall. “They seem to have observed the leading groups and copied the best bits” and the result is “really well-executed food” (if perhaps “with few surprises”). Last year, he also debuted in the large space off Trafalgar Square that was formerly Jones Family Project (RIP): “a well-designed if cavernous space” but sometimes “a little raucous due to its seeming popularity with big work groups”.

“Atracting a clientele from miles around, despite its unglamorous location” near Elephant & Castle (on St George’s Circus), this Latino haunt is something of “a benchmark for Latin American fusion cooking in London”. “The dishes are sourced from a wide variety of countries” and there’s a “notable freshness to the cooking and restrained use of chili which complements the underlying flavours while allowing them to shine though”. It’s not only for foodies either: “staff are very lively and attentive” and the atmosphere is “always great fun”. There’s also a “splendid serious wine list including many uncommon wines from Latin America”, and art in hot colours for sale on the walls! Top Menu Tips – “staples like guacamole with plantain chips and churros with chocolate never fail”. “Generous cochinita pibil with roasted pineapple and (pleasantly mild) habanero chilli jam. Chimichurri potato fries more average. Excellent chilli chocolate sauce with purple corn churros”.

Star chef, Sally Abé was key to the ‘girl power’ formula of this traditionally decorated dining room in a five-star hotel near St James’s Park tube – named with the nickname of Emily Wilding Davison, a leading suffragette – which she relaunched four years ago. The move was a brave effort by the hotel to put its traditionally decorated (slightly stilted) dining room on London’s culinary map and to link it with both a forward-looking approach but also the traditional British cuisine that Sally is known for. But it’s all change as of April 2025 when Abé announced her departure (for the Bull at Charlbury). Given that she was so central to its PR and approach, it’s hard to work out its destiny now that she’s stepped down, hence we’ve left it un-rated.

“Everything is comme il faut” at this “rapid-service and good-value” duo from Lyon-born Aurelia Noel-Delclos, which capture “something of the style and liveliness of a French bistro”. The newer branch, in Victoria, has “clearly been discovered by Civil Service bods, so is often full” (and the “excellent breakfasts” there are an added bonus). Covent Garden is easily overlooked in the tourist ‘Ground Zero’ at the heart of the market itself. Top Menu Tip – “well-flavoured chicken breast with a good piperade and smoked new potatoes; good example of duck confit; decent creme brulée”.

“Such a shame not more people recognise this as a top Indian” – so say fans of Roop Partap Choudhary’s lavishly decorated venue in Holborn’s spectacular old town hall. “They seem to have observed the leading groups and copied the best bits” and the result is “really well-executed food” (if perhaps “with few surprises”). Last year, he also debuted in the large space off Trafalgar Square that was formerly Jones Family Project (RIP): “a well-designed if cavernous space” but sometimes “a little raucous due to its seeming popularity with big work groups”.

This “glitzy ‘see-and-be-seen’ Italian” in the ever-more chic environs of Lower Regent Street is the London flagship for Carlo Distefano’s national chain, which was founded in Birmingham in 1992 and expanded to most UK cities before hitting the capital in 2012 (the group also has a number of simpler ‘Cicchetti’ locations around town, see also). The aim is a traditional one: an “extensive menu” of classic dishes delivered in a golden glow of crisp tablecloths and smartly dressed servers. The food is consistent, if fully priced; and the service can be “attentive but lacking charm”.

“An enjoyable tapas-style menu in Covent Garden” is served at this two-floor venue near the Royal Opera House: a lively spot “with quite a lot of its former pub architecture retained”. Part of the Salt Yard Group, Hispanic flavours are to the fore here as well as some Italian inspirations. Top Menu Tips – “the broccoli and courgette tempura are two standout dishes”; “pan con tomate is particularly good”; “good orange panna cotta with matching ice cream”.

“Twenty years old and still a reasonable choice” – this duo serving Spanish/Italian tapas “remains a cut above the average”, at both the original Fitzrovia original venue and a newer site in Borough Market (an outpost at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush was short-lived). However, “there are now many more similar places available” than when quality tapas seemed a rarity in the capital, and some long-term fans dwell on the fact that they’ve “gone downhill” over the decades, now feeling “slightly more expensive than they should be”.

“Worth it just for the Cassoulet”, say fans of Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie’s “super, very inventive southern French cuisine” – their homage to the gutsy cuisine of Gascony, opened in a fine marbled hall near Smithfield Market in 1998 (originally built as a Lyons Tea House). There was some unusually critical feedback this year though which dragged ratings down, with quite a few reports along the lines of: “hadn’t been for a while, but my return visit was below what I expected…”; “went with high hopes but the food was just OK”.

“Seemingly effortlessly classy and convivial” – these attractive spinoffs from the national San Carlo chain provide “casual dining with Italian small plates in a lively setting” and can be particularly “great for a pre-theatre meal” given their “very convenient locations for the West End” (including a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus). There are drawbacks though: “quality of the dishes is a little variable”; “tables are squeezed in”; and conversation can be “difficult” (“this place is described as ’buzzy’, for which I would read loud”).

“A real journey of discovery” is to be had at Adam Handling’s renowned Covent Garden flagship, where fans of his eight-course – haute but unstuffy – theatrical experience for £199 per person say it’s “sheer culinary perfection from start to finish!”, complete with “bangin’ tastes, engaged staff and great fun for any occasion”. For many of its fans, it’s “a go-to for a special celebration (or any excuse we can make for a special celebration!)” as it “somehow keeps managing to exceed expectations with new twists on old favourites and new innovations both culinary and presentational”. On the flipside, though, there is a notably large band of more cautious sceptics, who either feel that “it’s trying too hard”, or who note that “while lovely, it is very costly”. (“Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with the food here per se, with some fantastic dishes such as the lobster wagyu. Where it falls down a bit is value-for-money compared to competitors, with the pricing pushing very much at the upper end of what I would expect from a Michelin one star, but the overall experience being more in the mid-point of that category”).

“Quite a find in the heart of the City” and “deffo worth a trip from beyond the Square Mile” too – this “simple and unpretentious restaurant with exceptional wine” would be welcome in any postcode, but is a particular boon in the still-arid wastelands of the Square Mile. Established in 2017 by Master Sommeliers Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney, its “highly knowledgeable and attentive service” is a particular strength; but it’s a good all-rounder too, whose elegant interior and “beautifully presented” modern French cuisine help make it “perfect for lunch with colleagues or clients”. As you’d expect, however, its prime feature is the “sublime wine selection, with a particularly fine selection from Burgundy”: “an offbeat list guaranteed to tantalize the interest of enthusiasts”.

“Seemingly effortlessly classy and convivial” – these attractive spinoffs from the national San Carlo chain provide “casual dining with Italian small plates in a lively setting” and can be particularly “great for a pre-theatre meal” given their “very convenient locations for the West End” (including a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus). There are drawbacks though: “quality of the dishes is a little variable”; “tables are squeezed in”; and conversation can be “difficult” (“this place is described as ’buzzy’, for which I would read loud”).

An “atmospheric gem” that brings a “rustic taste of the French countryside to Covent Garden”, this bistro is “one of the few London restaurants that has been under the same family ownership since the 1980s”. “Fantastic for date night”, “perfect for pre & post-theatre dining, or a catch-up with friends”, it has a “terrace ideal for people-watching on a sunny day over a glass of Côtes de Provence rosé”. One or two dissenters, though, leave nonplussed: “didn’t live up to its promise” – “the food was very average”.

“A fun place – great for a meal before a show… and the food is imaginative and good too” – Vivek Singh’s spin-off from the famous Cinnamon Club is well-supported for its “solid modern Indian cooking” at “relatively good value” prices for the West End. On the downside, service can be “disorganised” and the (“noisy” and “really packed in”) dining room “doesn’t really inspire” although “as it fills, it becomes animated with a buzz of excitement”.