Circolo Popolare
Maximalist Sicilian energy, dramatic interiors, generous pasta and pizza, and desserts designed to arrive with a sense of occasion.
Fitzrovia
London by Arash
Food for Your Soul
A personal shortlist across cuisines, neighbourhoods and moods.
Gloria
Retro-glam Italian dining with exuberant rooms, rich pasta and a deliberately over-the-top atmosphere that works especially well for groups.
Shoreditch
Din Tai Fung
Internationally famous for precise xiao long bao, with an open kitchen where you can watch the dumplings being folded by hand.
Covent Garden
Lemonia
A warm, long-running neighbourhood Greek restaurant with generous dishes, whitewashed interiors and a relaxed Mediterranean feeling.
Primrose Hill
Chiltern Firehouse
A former Victorian fire station turned glamorous hotel restaurant, known for its courtyard, polished service and notoriously difficult reservations.
Marylebone
Opium Chinatown
A hidden multi-level cocktail destination with theatrical drinks and a richly atmospheric, Shanghai-inspired interior.
Chinatown
The Soho Social
A sociable Soho stop where café energy meets cocktails and contemporary dining.
Soho
Arcade Food Hall
A high-energy food hall bringing several global kitchens and a strong drinks programme into one handsome central London space.
Tottenham Court Road
Fischer’s
Old-world Vienna in Marylebone: polished but cosy, equally suited to coffee and cake, schnitzel, a quiet lunch or a relaxed dinner.
Marylebone
Alley Cats Pizza
A compact neighbourhood pizza place serving crisp, satisfying pies in a lively, informal room.
Marylebone
Berenjak Soho
Persian sharing food inspired by home cooking and the kebab houses of Tehran, served in an intimate, characterful space.
Soho
Kimchee Restaurant & Bar
A modern Korean restaurant for charcoal-grilled dishes, classics such as kimchi and an energetic sharing-style meal near King’s Cross.
King’s Cross
Ishtar
A polished local favourite serving Turkish and Mediterranean dishes in a warm contemporary setting.
Marylebone
Roti King Battersea
Flaky roti canai, rich curries and Malaysian comfort food served close to Battersea Power Station.
Battersea
Bergamot Café
A stylish café with Persian-inspired food, elegant presentation and an attractive contemporary interior.
White City
Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte
A wonderfully simple formula: walnut salad followed by two servings of steak-frites with the restaurant’s famous sauce.
City of London
Dishoom
A much-loved interpretation of Bombay cafés, combining beautifully designed rooms with black daal, grills, biryani and excellent breakfast dishes.
Multiple locations
Caravan King’s Cross
House-roasted coffee, global sharing plates and a large industrial room overlooking the fountains of Granary Square.
King’s Cross
Delamina EAST
Inventive Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in a bright, modern room close to Spitalfields Market.
Spitalfields
Lina Stores
A London Italian institution known for fresh pasta, deli heritage and a distinctive mint-green visual identity.
Multiple locations