Best Restaurants in London 2026

The Anchor and Hope

A Waterloo gastropub just off The Cut, close to the Old Vic and Young Vic theatres, serving hearty, offal-forward British cooking on a chalkboard-style menu that changes with the seasons. The room is plain and pubby - bare wood tables, close together, no frills - with the kitchen visible and the focus firmly on the plate rather than the decor.

Known for: Cult South Bank gastropub near the Old Vic; a daily-changing seasonal menu of robust, nose-to-tail British cooking with natural wine and an outstanding beer selection

36 The Cut, London SE1 8LP, United Kingdom

The Pig's Ear Chelsea

A Chelsea gastropub on Old Church Street with a proper wood-panelled bar downstairs for pints and bar snacks, and a quieter, more formal dining room upstairs for full meals. The cooking leans classic British with French technique underneath - the kind of place that treats offal and simple ingredients with real care rather than novelty.

Known for: Neighbourhood Chelsea gastropub with a proper upstairs dining room; seasonal British cooking driven by daily-changing menus and an excellent natural wine list

35 Old Church Street, London SW3 5BS, United Kingdom

Lyle's

A Shoreditch restaurant built around a short, daily-changing menu that follows what British growers and producers have that season, with minimal seasoning and a preference for letting individual ingredients carry the dish. The room is pared back — bare tables, an open kitchen, no tablecloths — reflecting the same restraint as the cooking. It set the template that much of London's modern-British scene has followed since.

Known for: James Lowe's Michelin-starred Tea Building restaurant; a minimal daily-changing set menu driven entirely by UK seasonal producers — one of the most consistently decorated British restaurants of the 2010s and 2020s

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ, United Kingdom

Rochelle Canteen

Housed in a converted 1930s school bike shed behind a gate on Arnold Circus, with a small walled courtyard for outdoor tables in summer. The cooking is simple, seasonal British food — a short, chalkboard-style menu that changes with what's good that week rather than a fixed printed list.

Known for: Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold's canteen inside a converted Victorian bike shed within a former school; unpretentious, produce-led British lunch cooking that has influenced a generation of London cooks

16 Playground Gardens, Arnold Circus, London E2 7FA, United Kingdom

Gymkhana

A Michelin-starred Mayfair dining room on Albemarle Street styled after the colonial-era gymkhana clubs of British India, with dark wood, ceiling fans, hunting trophies and leather booths. The cooking draws on game and Subcontinental hunting-club traditions rather than the usual curry-house repertoire, with dishes built around slow-cooked meats and biryanis.

Known for: Michelin-starred colonial India-themed club restaurant; some of the most technically refined Indian cooking in Europe, drawing on game traditions from the subcontinent's princely era

42 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JH, United Kingdom

Brigadiers

Set in the vaulted brick arches of Bloomberg Arcade near Bank, Brigadiers takes its cue from Indian army officers' mess halls, with regimental memorabilia, ceiling fans, and a long bar pouring whisky and beer. The kitchen cooks over charcoal and wood, turning out tandoor-charred meats and slow-braised dal built for sharing.

Known for: JKS Restaurants' Indian army mess hall-themed barbecue and bar in Bloomberg Arcade; renowned for tandoor and open-fire cooking alongside a serious whisky and cocktail programme

1-5 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR, United Kingdom

Darjeeling Express

Darjeeling Express is built around chef Asma Khan's home-cooking background from Calcutta, run for years with an all-female kitchen team. It sits on the top floor of Kingly Court off Carnaby Street, a small, plain room that puts the focus on the food rather than the fit-out. The cooking leans toward slow-cooked, family-style dishes rather than tandoor-heavy Indian restaurant standards.

Known for: Asma Khan's Kingly Court restaurant; the only restaurant in the world with an all-female kitchen, serving the home cooking of Calcutta's Muslim and Bengali communities with no professional chef training in the team

Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW, United Kingdom

Barrafina Adelaide Street

A counter-only tapas bar modeled on Barcelona's Cal Pep, with stools lined up along a marble bar facing an open kitchen. Cooking is fast and direct — plates arrive as they're ready rather than in courses, and the chefs working the pass are part of the show. The room is narrow and loud, built for quick, high-quality eating rather than lingering.

Known for: The Harts Group's celebrated Spanish tapas counter; a Michelin-starred walk-in-only bar modelled on Madrid's finest tapas joints — one of London's most acclaimed casual restaurants

10 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HZ, United Kingdom

Sabor

A Spanish restaurant spread over multiple levels off Regent Street, each floor offering a different way to eat: a ground-floor tapas bar, a counter serving Galician-style seafood, and an upstairs asador built around a wood-fired oven for whole roasted meats. The cooking draws on specific Spanish regions rather than a generalized 'Spanish menu'. It's a livelier, more theatrical room than most London tapas spots, driven by the open cooking on show.

Known for: Nieves Barragán Mohacho and José Etura's Michelin-starred celebration of regional Spanish cooking; the Asador upstairs serves whole-roasted meats from a wood-burning oven

35-37 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR, United Kingdom

Moro

Moro helped define the Exmouth Market strip in the late 1990s by fusing Spanish and North African cooking in one open kitchen, with a wood-fired oven and charcoal grill doing much of the work. The room is spare and loud in the way an open kitchen makes a room loud, with a zinc-topped bar for walk-ins who skip the tables. Menus change with the seasons rather than sticking to a fixed printed carte.

Known for: Sam and Sam Clark's long-running Exmouth Market restaurant; a defining influence on London's approach to Spanish and North African cooking since 1997, with a wood-burning oven and charcoal grill at its heart

34-36 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE, United Kingdom

Bao Soho

A small Taiwanese counter-style restaurant on Lexington Street from the Bao/Xu restaurant group, built around soft, folded steamed buns filled with braised meats. Seating is close and informal, with a mix of counter stools and small tables, reflecting its roots as a market-stall concept before it became a permanent fixture.

Known for: The restaurant that sparked London's Taiwanese bao revolution; steamed bao buns of extraordinary finesse from a tiny Soho kitchen

53 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AS, United Kingdom

Xu Teahouse and Restaurant

A Taiwanese restaurant on Rupert Street done up like a 1930s Shanghai teahouse, with dark wood, brass fittings, and formal table service that feels a step up from the usual Soho canteen. The menu leans on slow-cooked and braised dishes alongside more theatrical plates like the char siu pork with scallion pancake, rather than quick noodle-bar fare.

Known for: The Bao group's 1930s Taiwan-themed dining room; refined Taiwanese tea culture and cuisine in an art deco atmosphere — a more formal sibling to the Bao bun restaurants

30 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DL, United Kingdom

Bao King's Cross

Part of the Bao group that started with a stall in Netil Market before opening sit-down sites across London, this King's Cross branch serves Taiwanese street snacks in a compact, canteen-style room. The menu centres on steamed bao and small plates meant for grazing rather than a single main course.

Known for: The Bao group's King's Cross branch with a slightly expanded menu including breakfast and weekend brunch; the same precision bao buns as Soho in a larger, reservations-accepted space

4 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG, United Kingdom

Brat

A Shoreditch restaurant centred on a wood-fired grill in the style of Basque asadors, cooking whole fish and prime cuts of meat over open flame rather than through elaborate technique. The turbot is the centrepiece dish, grilled whole and meant for sharing. The upstairs dining room has a stripped-back, slightly rough-edged feel that matches the fire-driven cooking below.

Known for: Tomos Parry's wood-fire restaurant on Redchurch Street; Basque cooking techniques applied to exceptional British seafood and meat — one Michelin star

4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL, United Kingdom

Brat at Climpson's Arch

Brat began life cooking under a railway arch shared with Climpson & Sons coffee roasters in London Fields, before its Shoreditch site opened — the setting was raw and industrial, with a wood and charcoal grill doing most of the work. The food is Basque-inflected British cooking built around live-fire cooking of whole fish and simple, high-quality produce.

Known for: Tomos Parry's second Brat site under a railway arch in Hackney; the same open-fire ethos as the Shoreditch original in a more informal warehouse setting, with a garden for summer

374 Helmsley Place, London E8 3SB, United Kingdom

Noble Rot Soho

A wine bar and restaurant run by the people behind Noble Rot magazine, pairing a seasonal British-leaning menu with a wine list that ranges from everyday bottles to serious, mature vintages. The food is straightforward and ingredient-led rather than showy, built to sit alongside the wine rather than compete with it. The Greek Street room is narrow and bistro-like, with close-set tables.

Known for: Soho restaurant and wine bar from the team behind Noble Rot magazine; one of London's finest wine lists (focused on France and old-world Europe) paired with precise British-French cooking

2 Greek Street, London W1D 4NB, United Kingdom

Gauthier Soho

Gauthier Soho occupies a Georgian townhouse on Romilly Street, chef Alexis Gauthier's long-running Soho address, which he converted entirely to plant-based cooking after decades of classical French training. The dining rooms keep the townhouse's period detail — fireplaces, staircases, small low-ceilinged rooms — rather than a modern fit-out. The cooking translates classic French technique and dishes into vegan versions rather than serving separate vegetable sides.

Known for: Alexis Gauthier's fully plant-based fine dining restaurant in a Soho townhouse; classical French technique applied to an entirely vegan tasting menu — one of the most acclaimed plant-based fine dining experiences in Europe

21 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AF, United Kingdom

Black Axe Mangal

A tiny, deliberately scruffy grill spot on Canonbury Road with heavy metal on the speakers and offal-heavy skewers coming off the wood fire. It's the opposite of fine dining — a handful of stools and a menu built around Turkish-style flatbreads loaded with unusual cuts.

Known for: Lee Tiernan's cult Turkish mangal grill combined with heavy metal aesthetics and adventurous ingredients; one of North London's most distinctive and celebrated neighbourhood restaurants

156 Canonbury Road, London N1 2UP, United Kingdom

Oklava

A Shoreditch restaurant built around Turkish Cypriot home cooking reworked with sharper technique, served in a room of exposed brick and blue-green tiling that feels more modern wine bar than kebab house. Dishes move between charcoal-grilled meats and lighter, herb-forward mezze.

Known for: Selin Kiazim's Turkish Cypriot restaurant drawing on the food of her family background; modern interpretations of meze, grills, and pastries using British seasonal produce

74 Luke Street, London EC2A 4PY, United Kingdom

Lyle's at St John Bread and Wine

Known for: The more casual sibling of St John Smithfield; a daytime bakery and all-day bistro in Spitalfields offering Fergus Henderson's nose-to-tail cooking at lower price points with exceptional bread and pastries

94-96 Commercial Street, London E1 6LZ, United Kingdom

Yming

Yming sits on Greek Street in the heart of Soho's old Chinatown-adjacent stretch, a long-running family-run restaurant serving Cantonese and Sichuan cooking rather than the more tourist-facing menus nearby on Gerrard Street. The room is understated and old-fashioned rather than modern, with the kind of fixed decor that comes from decades in the same spot. Service tends to be attentive in a way that comes from a small, consistent team rather than a large brigade.

Known for: A long-running Soho Chinese restaurant popular with chefs; specialises in dishes from across Chinese regional traditions, including expert Cantonese preparations and Sichuan spice

35-36 Greek Street, London W1D 5DL, United Kingdom

The Clove Club

The Clove Club opened inside Shoreditch Town Hall and became one of the first Shoreditch restaurants to hold a Michelin star, built around chef Isaac McHale's precise, ingredient-led take on modern British food. The room keeps the civic building's high ceilings and tall windows rather than dressing them up. Service runs a tasting-menu format at dinner with a shorter, better-value set menu at lunch.

Known for: Isaac McHale's Michelin-starred restaurant in the blue-tiled former ballroom of Shoreditch Town Hall; consistently on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list

380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT, United Kingdom

Dishoom Covent Garden

Part of the Dishoom group's tribute to Bombay's old Irani cafés, with dark wood booths, ceiling fans and black-and-white photographs evoking early-20th-century Bombay. The menu runs from all-day breakfast naan rolls to slow-cooked dals and grilled tikka, built for sharing across a table rather than individual courses.

Known for: London's defining Bombay Irani café chain; this Covent Garden branch is housed in a converted 1930s printworks and is among the busiest restaurants in the city

12 Upper St Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9FB, United Kingdom

Padella Borough

A narrow, low-lit pasta counter next to Borough Market, with an open kitchen where cooks roll and cut pasta in view of the room. The menu is short and changes slightly with the seasons, built around a handful of pasta shapes rather than starters and mains, with portions sized for ordering two or three dishes per person.

Known for: Hand-rolled pasta restaurant next to Borough Market; tiny, no-reservation, and perpetually busy — one of London's most celebrated casual dining spots

6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ, United Kingdom

Koya Bar

A small stools-at-a-counter udon bar in Soho serving thick, hand-made noodles in the Sanuki style, either hot in dashi broth or cold with a dipping sauce. The menu is short and changes with what's been made that day. It's a bare-bones, functional room — the focus is entirely on the noodles.

Known for: London's most revered udon bar; Shikoku-style hand-pulled wheat noodles in intense dashi broth, served at a narrow counter in the heart of Soho

50 Frith Street, London W1D 4SQ, United Kingdom

Yotam Ottolenghi Islington

The original Ottolenghi deli-café on Upper Street, with a bright white interior, a long communal-style table and a front counter piled with salads, pastries and prepared dishes to eat in or take away. The cooking reflects Ottolenghi's signature style - Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours built around vegetables, spice blends and citrus, plated with visible care.

Known for: Yotam Ottolenghi's original Upper Street deli and restaurant; the birthplace of the Ottolenghi food philosophy — bold vegetables, Middle Eastern spice, and extraordinary pastries

287 Upper Street, London N1 2TZ, United Kingdom

Breddos Tacos

A casual taqueria that grew out of a market stall, serving small corn tortillas with fillings that lean toward slow-cooked meats and Yucatán-style seasoning rather than Tex-Mex standards. The Clerkenwell room is simple and informal, with a mezcal and tequila list to match the food. Portions are small by design, meant to be ordered several at a time.

Known for: Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney's acclaimed taco restaurant; masa tortillas made fresh daily from Oaxacan heirloom corn, with a mezcal and agave spirits programme to match

82 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7DB, United Kingdom

Tayyabs

Tayyabs has been serving Punjabi food out of Whitechapel since the 1970s, growing from a small café into one of the best-known curry houses in the East End. The kitchen's tandoor and grill work is the main draw, cooked fast and served in a busy, no-frills dining room that fills up entirely with locals and destination diners alike. It's licensed as bring-your-own rather than running its own bar.

Known for: East London's legendary Punjabi BYOB restaurant; open since 1972 and the flagship of the British Punjabi dining tradition — consistently one of the most popular restaurants in London for value and quality

83-89 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1JU, United Kingdom

Monmouth Coffee Borough

A stripped-back coffee roaster's shop tucked into the arches by Borough Market, standing room and a few communal tables inside a narrow, brick-walled space. The focus is single-origin filter coffee brewed to order, alongside espresso drinks and a small selection of bought-in pastries. Queues form out the door on weekend mornings when the market crowds arrive.

Known for: London's most celebrated specialty coffee roaster and café; Borough Market location sells beans alongside daily prepared filter coffee and espresso-based drinks in a minimal converted railway arch setting

2 Park Street, London SE1 9AB, United Kingdom

Hoppers Soho

A small, always-busy Soho spot from the same team behind Gymkhana, serving Sri Lankan and Tamil Nadu food centred on hoppers - bowl-shaped fermented rice-and-coconut pancakes - alongside curries and kothu roti. The room is tight and informal, with close-set marble-topped tables and a fast-moving service style suited to sharing plates rather than a leisurely three courses.

Known for: Jonathan Lee and JKS Restaurants' tribute to Sri Lankan and South Indian street food; the hopper (fermented rice-flour pancake) has become a London dining icon since 2015

49 Frith Street, London W1D 4SG, United Kingdom

Hawksmoor Borough

Hawksmoor Borough is one of the outposts of the British steakhouse group that helped bring British-reared, dry-aged beef back into fashion in London dining. The Winchester Walk site sits in a converted warehouse space near Borough Market, with exposed brick and dark wood setting a clubby, unfussy tone. Cocktails are a serious part of the operation here, not an afterthought to the steak list.

Known for: The Borough Market branch of London's most acclaimed steakhouse group; Longhorn beef from native British breeds, dry-aged in-house, with a Prohibition-era cocktail bar

16 Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AQ, United Kingdom

Kiln

A tiny, high-energy Soho restaurant built around a wood- and charcoal-fired clay pot and grill, cooking dishes drawn from the border regions of northern Thailand, Burma, and Yunnan rather than familiar central-Thai fare. Seating is mostly at a long counter facing the open kitchen, so the heat and smoke of the cooking are part of the experience. Dishes are small and shared, arriving in whatever order the kitchen sends them.

Known for: Soho restaurant specialising in the wood-fired, clay pot, and open-kiln cooking traditions of Northern Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Yunnan; one of London's most influential casual openings of the decade

58 Brewer Street, London W1F 9TL, United Kingdom

E. Pellicci

A family-run Bethnal Green café with an Art Deco marquetry-panelled interior that's been a fixture of the street since well before the area gentrified. It serves classic English caf fare - fry-ups, toast, and daily specials chalked up alongside Italian dishes reflecting the owners' heritage. Tables are close together and the pace is brisk, with regulars greeted by name.

Known for: Grade II-listed Italian-run East End café founded in 1900; a London cultural landmark with original Art Nouveau woodwork, Formica tables, and a family-run atmosphere unchanged for generations — the benchmark London greasy spoon

332 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AG, United Kingdom

Mildreds Soho

Mildreds has been Soho's vegetarian and vegan mainstay on Lexington Street since the 1980s, long before plant-based dining was mainstream in London. The menu ranges across global cuisines — Sri Lankan, Thai, Italian — rather than sticking to one style, cooked simply and served fast. The room is small, bright and canteen-like, with close-set tables that turn over quickly at lunch.

Known for: London's most enduring independent vegetarian restaurant; open since 1988 in Soho, Mildreds serves globally inspired plant-based dishes and is fully vegan-friendly across the whole menu

45 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AN, United Kingdom