St James's, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

“The interior is so magnificent, it feels like eating in Versailles!” at this “beautiful” chamber, which many cognoscenti consider to be “the most attractive dining room in London”. If you are a natural traditionalist and have money to burn, “this is the restaurant in London for that special meal” because “every time you go it feels like a perfect, memorable occasion” (and “thankfully a dress code is still in force!”). Under John Williams and his team, “absolutely stellar ingredients are superbly cooked with sensible updating of classic dishes; all combined with immaculate, polished silver service”. It’s “undeniably expensive, yes”, although fans feel it’s “worth every penny”. In fact, some of the fooderati feel that “surely two Michelin stars are warranted”: “I just can’t see why the Guide only gives it one star, as it’s so much better than some of the Gallic three stars not that far away!!”. Top Menu Tips – “The langoustines à la nage are perfectly cooked with magic flavours. The foie gras is perfection. The pigeon de Bresse utterly amazing – so hard to cook immaculately as it is. Don’t start me on the truffle jus!”. And “there is usually some theatre when someone has ordered the Crêpes Suzette, cooked at the table, apparently with a healthy slug of booze, and with flames shooting up every so often around the room!”

“London at its most decadent” – this is one of the capital’s top afternoon teas in the Café Royal’s stunning rococo grill room (dating from 1865): “an opulent chamber packed with history, as well as mirrors so you can see everyone else!” (not to mention endless nymphs and cherubs painted all over the ceilings). It’s “a traditional afternoon tea and all the better for it – a great selection of really fresh sandwiches, followed by scones (with the best strawberry jam ever) and, if you still have room, the patisserie options (and if you don’t have room, don’t worry as they will pack it up beautifully for you to take home). And to wash it all down, there is a tea menu and you can choose as many different teas as you would like to try. And you are helped through it all by charming and knowledgeable staff. A delight”.

For an “exquisite afternoon tea” in the archetypal English mould, the “relaxing” wood-panelled lounge of this elegant but unflashy Mayfair hotel is “just lovely” and perennially ranks alongside more famous names like the Ritz down the road in the eyes of its fanclub. The hotel dates from 1837 and counts Queen Victoria and Agatha Christie as former patrons.

“If you like pies, beer and wine”, this Young’s pub is – say fans – “a good choice”, especially when you need relatively affordable sustenance in Mayfair. But despite serious investment in recent times – with the addition of an upstairs restaurant and roof terrace – ratings slipped this year (with a couple of reports such as: “not sure what’s happened, but it’s really gone downhill”; or “far too noisy and cramped, and the pies we had read so much about were not as good as M&S!”).

“Brilliant seafood and the best vibe” fuel the festivities at this upbeat venue – “still one of the most fun restaurants in London”, where “watching Soho life go by is just brilliant!”. The premises was converted almost 30 years ago from an Edwardian butcher’s, famous for supplying The Ritz, the Savoy and Winston Churchill – hence the name and wonderful interior. Grab a high stool, a glass of fizz and a simple plate of something fishy and it’s a great antidote to life’s challenges.

“Wonderful old school charm” oozes from this offbeat Young’s pub, in a quiet Mayfair mews. The public bar at the front is characterful, but it’s the charming and comfortable adjoining grill room (opened in 1952, and significantly extended over the years) that makes this place such a magnet for steak-lovers and business wheeler-dealers. As well as dishes like Chateaubriand, Côte de Boeuf and Sirloin – and sides like Haggis or Ox Heart – there’s a wide variety of traditional dishes and some of “the best pies in town”. After personnel changes last year, ratings took a dive, but it returned to a good all-round performance in this year’s annual diners’ poll and is “now on top form”. Top Menu Tip – “best devilled kidneys ever”.

“The perfect place to eavesdrop and/or bring a lover… it just screams (murmurs?) romantique!” – this “legendary Soho institution” has navigated the sad loss of its owner and founder in September 2022, and remains one of the Top-20 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. Set in a “super-cosy”, Dickensian townhouse, its effortless charm bewitches all of the many who comment on it; and “long may its handwritten menus, its candles in bottles on the table, its tiny tables in the wood-panelled room and charming service continue”. “The range and quality of their legendary wine list at exceptional prices for London is the main gastronomic attraction, but their modern British food is pretty good too”: “never fussy, but always very well done and incredibly tasty”. “The church pew seating can get uncomfortable over a long sitting… nothing that another bottle of wine won’t solve!”. “I was worried it would decline after Andrew passed away, but the staff are doing his memory true service, continuing the Edmunds tradition of real hospitality: it is better than ever!”

Old-fashioned Mayfair dining room within a luxurious 94-bedroom hotel, whose retro offerings include Dover sole filleted at the table and a wide variety of afternoon teas. For a traditional British experience, it’s recommended in all reports.

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

“A wonderful old-school oasis below the hell that is Leicester Square” – this “fabulous throwback to a proper wine bar” is “remarkably unchanged” since Don Hewitson opened it in 1971 (and his successor Will Clayton sticks to the winning formula). “The famous ham-and-cheese pie is well worth its million-odd portions! and is the perfect accompaniment to a great wine list”.