London West Brompton Restaurant Guide

“The food is pretty basic, but that’s not why people go” to wine merchant John Brinkley’s Chelsea brasserie, a long-time hangout for a loyal ‘Sloane Ranger’ crowd who discovered the place in the ’80s – “the wine list is excellent and not greedily priced, and the atmosphere remains great”. There are suggestions, though, that its “buzz” is on the wane (“the place has been sliding for at least two or three years”), but people have been saying this for over a decade now!

One of London’s earlier-wave of gastropubs, this “great local” can still feel like a discovery down a side street near West Brompton tube, despite being increasingly surrounded by the shiny new blocks built in the area. The Med-inspired cuisine remains a cut above. In summer “the terrace is fantastic in the sunshine” and its cosy interior is just the job on a cold day.

“Unchanged over the years but still a Spanish star in west London with plenty of charm and a style all of its own” – Abel Lusa opened this high-quality Hispanic venture in South Kensington in 1995 and has maintained it as “a consistent performer” ever since. “If you love well-prepared Spanish food and wines, you’ll find both here” alongside “excellent and friendly” service. “In June and July each year it’s filled with tennis players” and both Nadal and Alcarez are well known to be major fans (eating here regularly with their families and ordering take-out during Wimbledon). As a result, Abel has developed pop-ups serving his food at major tennis championships around the globe.

“Fabulous tapas” as usual wins praise for this “stalwart of South Kensington” from Abel Lusa – one of his high-octane trio grouped together around Cambio de Tercio (see also) on the Old Brompton Road. Now in its 24th year, one or two regulars opine that it’s firing on all cylinders again after a “down patch”, with “new ideas” and a return to “the high standards they had before”.

A “reliable local” fixture for more than 25 years almost opposite Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, this “good-value”, “buzzy” café serves “very good Italian food in a relaxed setting”. It’s “nothing fancy, but the sort of place you can take your children or your grandparents and everyone will feel very much at home”.

“A Classic for South Ken and after all this time still the best curry house there is!” – this family-run “local favourite” has lasted over six decades and is “always jammed and lively”. Service has mellowed over the years – it’s quite “amusing” and “friendly” nowadays. The cooking? “Pretty standard stuff, but perfectly good and consistent”.

Wanting to eat in the wee hours? This stalwart chain has fed tolerable diner food 24/7 (VQ = Vingt Quatre, geddit?) to the denizens of the Fulham Road for as long as anyone can remember (before 1995 it was called ‘Up all Night’); and has a more recent outlet (unusually, licensed till 4am, though you must be eating) that’s more convenient if you are clubbing in the West End on the ground floor of a Bloomsbury hotel.

One of London’s original beacons of “modern Japanese sushi dining” to those in-the-know, Yasuhiro Minemo & Shinya Ikeda’s surprisingly under-the-radar venture has lit up a Kensington backstreet for 14 years – it can be “hard to find as it doesn’t look like a restaurant and the only sign is a blackboard, but it’s well worth it”. “Focused on quality ingredients and an authentic approach” – it’s far from inexpensive but consistently inspires “outstanding” feedback from its fans. It has spawned two offshoots: Ocean House in the old Brompton Library near South Kensington tube; and Sushi Kamon in Arcade Food Hall on Oxford Street.

Regulars still adore this Chelsea haunt with origins in the Swinging Sixties – “not the best food in town” and “at Chelsea prices”; but “an old-established family-run Italian restaurant with a lovely atmosphere, an old-fashioned dessert trolley, spotlessly clean and full of character”. In particular, local parents say it’s “lovely for families for Sunday lunch”. Founded by Tuscany-born Alvaro Maccione, who fed everyone from Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor to Michael Caine and Princess Margaret back in the day, it’s still “very popular with loyal Chelsea supporters (and some players...)”, while Simon Cowell was also spotted here last year.

“The best British cooking, with an emphasis on the finest seasonal meat and ingredients” (particularly “the best game”) has won renown for this “relaxed, well-spaced and dog-friendly” venue, owned by Ledbury supremo, Brett Graham. You might argue it’s “more of a restaurant than a pub” nowadays, but it would be splitting hairs as it still looks the part of a backstreet Fulham boozer; and – even if food is served throughout – you can still drink at the bar. (It’s typically voted London best pub in our annual diners’ poll, but was for the first time in years knocked off its perch this year by The Devonshire). Top Tip – “Sunday lunch really is as good as is claimed! And in itself very good value”.

Close to Earl’s Court station, this modern take on the classic Italian neighbourhood trat’ was launched in March 2024 by the family who founded the Spaghetti House group back in the day (in 1955). It opened too late to generate much in the way of survey feedback, but the press have mostly found in its favour: in April 2024, The Observer’s Jay Rayner didn’t like the steak or pricey wine list, but found the antipasti and pasta lived up to the family’s heritage, and both he and the Mail on Sunday’s Tom Parker Bowles (in May) applaud the pizza: “thin and crispy… [with] an uncommon subtlety to the toppings”.

This “upmarket” and “traditional” pub tucked away on the edge of Chelsea near Stamford Bridge is owned by singer James Blunt and his wife Sofia, and mimics a country local with a “cosy bar area and a lovely conservatory”. The “delicious food” is at its best for Sunday lunch, when it’s “the perfect place for a pint of beer and some roast pork”.

“Wonderful Thai food that just happens to be vegan” (claiming to offer the only such menu in the UK!) has won a strong fanclub from surrounding postcodes for this “bustling and busy” venue, in the restaurant enclave near Earl’s Court tube. “Meat is not missed” even by carnivores thanks to the “interesting and really tasty selection of dishes”. Top Tip – “they have an attractive outside area making it a good choice in summer”.

“No wonder it’s packed every day, when the food is this good” – chef Claude Bosi’s Chelsea newcomer is off to a flying start and one of the most talked-about debuts in our annual diners’ poll, as well as amongst the fooderati in-crowd. It’s his and his wife Lucy’s tribute to the ‘bouchons’ of his native Lyons (named in memory of his grandmother) and the “rustic hearty fare from Bosi’s homeland” is “exceptionally well-executed”. With swathes of cream, eggs, pastry, butter or cheese in most dishes, the “wonderful Lyonnais food” is “not for the calorie-conscious but there is a reason why these recipes are such a part of our food heritage”, and succeeds in making it “very much the bistro it‘s trying to be”. In set-up, “it’s like being transported to France, with jammed-in tables” (“you will be part of the next table’s conversation whether you like it or not!”) and retro decor. Top Menu Tips – “special mention has to go to the utterly superb sweetbread in morel sauce and do leave space for the Rum Baba to finish, lethally laced with enough booze to float a battleship”.