Fish & Seafood Restaurants in St James's
1. Wiltons
British, Traditional restaurant in St James's
55 Jermyn St - SW1
“A last redoubt of traditional gastronomy” – London’s oldest restaurant in St James’s (est. 1742, but on this site since the 1980s) maintains its “quiet” and “calm” style, with “understated but excellent service” and “booths that make a superb place to do business”. Classic fish dishes – for example “very good Dover sole off the bone” – are the speciality and “ever-reliable”. A less welcome constant are its “eye-watering prices”: “everything was as I hoped it would be… apart from the bill!”
2. Bentley’s
Fish & seafood restaurant in Piccadilly
11-15 Swallow St - W1
“Owner Richard Corrigan is often around and the food is always good” at this “iconic” fish and seafood “classic” – 107 years old (est. 1916) – which is to be found in a side street, near Piccadilly Circus. It offers two distinct experiences: “upstairs for very elegant fine dining, or in the bar downstairs for top-notch seafood with less formality – both excellent” (although the latter gets many people’s vote, as “there is always a good buzz in the bar area with a few famous faces sometimes”). “Possibly the best oysters in town (and the best shuckers too)” number alongside “top crab” and “the notably good fish pie” as its best menu options, all in a “reassuringly good-but-expensive” mould (“comfort seafood at West End prices”). Service that’s “very attentive and kind” from long-serving staff is intrinsic to the performance.
3. Bellamy’s
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
18-18a Bruton Place - W1
“A haven of calm in an ever-changing world”: “they cater for the most conservative of palates (and the deepest pockets)” at Gavin Rankin’s “old-school, brasserie-style restaurant in Mayfair” (which had the rare privilege of hosting the late Queen Elizabeth on a couple of occasions). Its Anglo-French fare is “super reliable, if not exciting” and service “immaculate”. “If you like the kind of place where you still need to dress up a bit, this is it”, but “the ambience is set by its older, quietly-spoken crowd: don’t visit if you are planning a loud-laughing night!”. Top Menu Tip – “good value lunch menu; and staples such as iced lobster soufflé, smoked eel mousse and steak tartare”.
4. Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, Flemings Mayfair Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
7-12 Half Moon Street - W1
Although this luxurious Mayfair hotel dates from the 1850s, its swish basement dining room owes its looks to the 1930s. Under chef Sofian Msetfi, the “fabulous” cuisine (choose either a 5 or 7-course ‘tasting’ option) continues to achieve high ratings with a recently awarded Michelin star and even the weakest report this year awarded “full marks for presentation and service”. “A friend of mine who swears not to visit hotel dining rooms granted it high praise after our dinner there!”
5. Quaglino’s
British, Modern restaurant in St James's
16 Bury St - SW1
Thirty years ago, this vast basement – a 1929 ballroom which later fell on hard times to be rescued and relaunched with a tsunami of hype by the late Sir Terence Conran – was emblematic of the sweeping improvements in the capital’s dining out scene. Nowadays run under the flag of D&D London, it’s largely forgotten by the locals and most frequented for special occasions by out-of-towners and tourists, for whom its attractions include a large bar and regular live music. Reports on the food used to be awful, but have improved in recent years and although feedback on its posh-brasserie cuisine is limited it’s much more upbeat than it once was. Top Menu Tip – good value prix-fixe options for brunch (£39 for two courses, with bottomless bubbles for £35); and dinner Mon-Thu till 7pm then after 8.30pm (£38 for three courses and a glass of fizz).
6. Fishworks
Fish & seafood restaurant in Mayfair
7-9 Swallow St - W1
The “super-fresh fish” – “simply prepared” and “never overcooked” – “never disappoints” at this “good value” trio of West End seafood brasseries, in Covent Garden, Marylebone and Swallow Street, off Piccadilly.
7. Estiatorio Milos
Fish & seafood restaurant in St James's
1 Regent Street - SW1
“One of the best fish restaurants anywhere” – Costas Spiladis’s London outpost of his luxurious international chain channels the brilliance of the Mediterranean, with its bright, white walls and high ceiling. “The fish is displayed beautifully on ice at one end of the venue and hosed down every 20 mins or so” – “a fantastic selection that always delivers a fabulous meal”. Sadly, though, you have to be a Greek shipping magnate to afford it nowadays (“just reading the menu is a shock”), and even those who think it’s “worth the hype” can find it “so eye-wateringly expensive, I think it might be one visit per year from now on”. Those less well disposed to it, say “if you like being served a smidgen of food and being charged a fortune, this restaurant is for you!”
8. Bocconcino Restaurant
Italian restaurant in Mayfair
19 Berkeley St - W1
“You can’t fail to impress with the food, vibes and service”, according to fans of this Moscow-based chain, whose Mayfair offshoot is not short on glam. It provoked less feedback this year, though, in our annual diners’ poll (too limited for a rating), but expansion is coming in the second half of 2023 with a new branch, below the Strand Palace Hotel.
9. Sexy Fish
Fish & seafood restaurant in Mayfair
1-4 Berkeley Square - W1
“Full of Eurotrashy tourists taking selfies” – if that’s not you, a visit to Richard Caring’s glitzy and “superficial” Mayfair seafood scene may be “an unhappy experience”. True, fans do claim it can be a “very buzzy and atmospheric” place to try “for the people-watching and sushi” (plus other luxurious fishy treats). But 70% of reporters feel it’s “overpriced”; and its “loud, echo-chamber” styling, “offhand service” and “food that – particularly given the cost – is terrible” can all grate. (“I’m surprised there isn’t a tanning booth in the loos so the clientele can top up in between courses…”; “I get forced to go there on business: why anyone would go of their own free will is a mystery”).
10. Burger & Lobster Mayfair
Burgers, etc restaurant in Mayfair
29 Clarges Street - W1
“The lobster roll is just lovely” at this surf’n’turf-meets-burger chain, where you’ll find “plenty of very tasty grub”. “I was expecting to be disappointed, but the food was excellent”. A dozen years on from its launch, the group’s nine London venues tend to be “full of people done up for a big night out, taking lots of selfies for their Insta”.
11. Randall & Aubin
Fish & seafood restaurant in Soho
14-16 Brewer St - W1
“A glorious spot for a boozy seafood bite, watching Soho stroll past” – this “always busy” and “buzzy” venue was converted over 25 years ago from an atmospheric old butcher’s shop (est 1911) and oozes quirky Edwardian charm. Perch on a stool, and “exuberant staff” will serve you fizz and “expert fish dishes” (“simple, but cooked beautifully – fruits de mers, oysters, pints of prawns”). “It’s not the most comfortable time, but worth it for the quality of the food and general ambience”. “Long live R&A”.
12. Caviar Kaspia
Fish & seafood restaurant in Westminster
1a Chesterfield Street - W1J
2021 Review: Since it closed in 2000 (on the site which became Bellamy’s), this luxury Parisian-based brand (fondée 1927) has lacked a London outlet. Following a successful pop-up last year, this opening on the site of Mayair’s former Chess Club aims to bring it back more permanently. Originally scheduled for April, the actual launch date had yet to be announced in September 2019.
13. Delfino
Pizza restaurant in Mayfair
121a Mount St - W1
This family-owned Italian wins consistently good ratings for the straightforward menu of “authentic” pasta, pizza and more it has served – at a prominent corner site in Mayfair – for half a century now. Despite a recent refurb, prices remain exceptionally reasonable for this part of town.
14. Burger & Lobster Soho
Burgers, etc restaurant in Soho
36 Dean Street - W1
“The lobster roll is just lovely” at this surf’n’turf-meets-burger chain, where you’ll find “plenty of very tasty grub”. “I was expecting to be disappointed, but the food was excellent”. A dozen years on from its launch, the group’s nine London venues tend to be “full of people done up for a big night out, taking lots of selfies for their Insta”.
15. The Seafood Bar
Fish & seafood restaurant in Soho
77 Dean Street - W1D
This “clean and spare-looking seafood restaurant” from Amsterdam’s De Visscher family is a “super addition to Soho”, with “platters both raw and roasted that are generous, super-fresh, tasty and not exorbitantly pricey”. It’s also “a great place just to drop in for a martini and some oysters at the bar”.
16. J Sheekey
Fish & seafood restaurant in Covent Garden
28-34 St Martin’s Ct - WC2
Black & white pictures of actors past and present line the “iconic panelled dining rooms” of this “absolute classic” in Theatreland (est. 1896) – “still the benchmark for fish and seafood” in London; and still the capital’s No.1 most-mentioned entry in our annual diners’ poll; and still “always packed”. Located in an unpromising back alley off St Martin’s Lane, you navigate past the uniformed doorman and opaque windows to the “very classy” and “old school” interior, which is “divided into smaller rooms, lending a degree of privacy and keeping the noise down” (not always successfully). A superb variety of fresh dishes is “impeccably” (if “unadventurously”) realised, with Dover Sole (“cooked on the bone then prepared by the waiter”) and Fish Pie most often featuring in reports. This year, there’s a feeling that “though very good, it’s now relatively expensive for quality versus its peers”: a particular gripe is the “rather overpriced” wine.
17. J Sheekey Atlantic Bar
Fish & seafood restaurant in Covent Garden
28-32 St Martin’s Ct - WC2
“Pre or post-theatre, very much a favourite over many years” – this elegant seafood bar was added adjacent to the main restaurant fifteen years ago, and its more laid-back style means it’s tailor-made for a luxurious bite and glass of fizz. That said, it’s become “quite pricey” over time, and doesn’t have quite the dazzling golden glow of yesteryear.
18. Miro Mayfair
Fish & seafood restaurant in Mayfair
15 Old Burlington Street - W1S
2023 Review: From Cream Group (owners of Cirque le Soir, Restaurant Ours, Wild and The Windmill Soho), this July opening in Mayfair occupies the erstwhile 120-cover site of XO (RIP). Former Elystan Street head chef Toby Burrowes heads up an extravagant offering, which includes a £3,000 ‘sunken treasure’ caviar platter; and a cocktail listed at £5,000 (a rare 1950s gin and a bottle of 1970 Dom Perignon BTW). All good PR. Opening in mid-July 2022, this new spot calls itself a ‘clubstaurant’ – not a term we feel needs encouragement.
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