My 8 Favourite London Restaurants
May 16, 2008 by foodieguide
Now that World Foodie Guide is 8 months old, I thought I’d write a summary of my current favourite London restaurants. I stress ‘current’, because this short list will change as I make new discoveries. Of course, my wish list is as long as the list of restaurants I’ve eaten at (see Restaurant Reviews), but that’s part of the excitement of reviewing restaurants! And then there’s the rest of the world to explore…
Click on the links below for full reviews and contact details.
- Barrafina - ‘I think about eating here ALL the time!’
WHAT: Terrifically fresh tapas, eaten while perched on bar stools around the counter; very friendly staff
WHERE: Frith Street, Soho
WHEN: You have one friend with you, maximum two (otherwise you won’t get seated for ages)
COST: From £35 per person, including service + without alcohol
USEFUL: Definitely go off-peak lunch or dinner, or you’ll be queuing for an hour or more! Try as many of the daily seafood specials as possible
- Golden Hind - ‘the only place in London where I’ll eat fish and chips’
WHAT: Super-fresh fish and chips; eat in restaurant or take-away. Open since 1914
WHERE: Marylebone Lane, just off Marylebone High Street
WHEN: You feel like getting together with friends for a cheap and cheerful meal
COST: From £14 per person, including service + without alcohol
USEFUL: It’s BYO (Bring Your Own alcohol). Book in advance, as it gets very busy, and you’ll definitely want to sit upstairs, not downstairs
- Koba - ‘my choice for Korean barbecue or vegetarian bibimbap‘
WHAT: Scrumptious Korean food; modern, dark wood interior; friendly staff
WHERE: Rathbone Place, near Oxford St and Tottenham Court Road
WHEN: You feel like good quality Korean food to share with friends
COST: From £20-25 per person, including service + without alcohol
USEFUL: Don’t wear your ‘best’ clothes, as they’ll smell of barbecued meat afterwards
- Konstam - ‘if only Konstam were my local’
WHAT: Simple British dishes, using locally sourced ingredients (within the M25)
WHERE: In a former Victorian pub near King’s Cross station
WHEN: Any time you want excellent food, relaxed atmosphere and genuinely friendly service
COST: From £35 per person, including service charge + without alcohol
USEFUL: Don’t worry if you can’t try everything on the menu. You’ll be back soon enough…
- Roka - ‘I walk past every day and day dream about the food’
WHAT: delicious modern / fusion Japanese
WHERE: Charlotte Street, near Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road
WHEN: Money’s no object and you can afford the £50 or £75 tasting menu. Otherwise lunch…
COST: From £30-40 per person for lunch, including service + without alcohol. More for dinner
USEFUL: Sit around the robata grill, to watch the chefs hard at work. There are also outside tables
- Vrisaki - ’still my favourite for stress-free group meals’
WHAT: Large Greek restaurant at the back of a kebab shop; perfect for large groups
WHERE: Bounds Green, North London. Definitely worth the trip though!
WHEN: Sharing great food with friends in a fun environment. Waiters are elderly but cheerful. Great for birthdays, Christmas, New Year, any time!
COST: From £25-30 per person, including service + without alcohol
USEFUL: Must order the meze! Be prepared to feel absolutely stuffed for days after…
- The Wolseley - ‘my next destination for leisurely afternoon tea’
WHAT: Unpretentious Modern European cuisine; elegant art deco interior; excellent service
WHERE: On Piccadilly, next to the Ritz Hotel, near Green Park tube station
WHEN: Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. Friends from abroad will LOVE it
COST: From £40-50 per person for dinner, including service + without alcohol
USEFUL: It can be noisy, so ask for a quiet table. People who want to be seen will sit in the centre. There’s also the ‘mezzanine’ level from where you can people-watch in comfort. Very relaxing
- Yauatcha - ‘my favourite dim sum restaurant’
WHAT: Exceptional dim sum, tea and cakes; beautifully designed interior
WHERE: Corner of Broadwick and Berwick Streets, Soho
WHEN: Best for dim sum or afternoon tea, rather than dinner
COST: From £30 per person for dim sum lunch, including service charge + without alcohol
USEFUL: Sit in the teahouse for relative peace and quiet. If you want to be seen, sit downstairs. They’re strict about the time slot (1 hr 45 mins), unless you’re spending hundreds and are accompanied by VIP friends
Having written this, now I want to go back to all of them again! Meanwhile, I’m still searching for my favourite steak restaurant (Buen Ayre and Hawksmoor are on my wish list), my favourite Chinese restaurant for dinner (it’s possibly Pearl Liang at the moment) and my favourite Indian restaurant. Any recommendations?! And which are your favourite London restaurants?
Hey Helen. My favourite indian restaurant has gotta be the New Tayyab! It’s inexpensive, unpretenscious and most importantly, the food is FAB!!! They do daily specials but note that the queue can get pretty long on Thursdays and Fridays.
As for chinese restaurant, it used to be Four Seasons in Bayswater but now that the chef is gone or (rumour has it) moved to another restaurant, I think it’s not as good. So my vote goes to Mayflower restaurant in china town. Wait a minute, Royal China canary wharf branch is ain’t bad too!!. Oh, now i am torn.
Love this post, it’s great to see what peoples’ favourites are! I’m really bad with choosing faves… and I’m really really fickle and there isn’t really one restaurant that I would happily eat at for the rest of my life. Yet. But with that said, here are a few that come to mind sooner than the rest..
1. Hazuki, on Chandos Road near Charing Cross station. Their chicken kara-age is bloody amazing, and only £5.50 for a big plate (with salad, rice, miso soup and pickles). The soft shell crab maki is so substantial and I think only £6 for the massive platter. Small, and not noisy. The mezzanine level is best for seating.
2. Hakkasan. I prefer the dimsum here to Yauatcha, and also because I really hate the rude service at Yauatcha (and the loud music). I miss the scallop shu mai!
3. Song Que on Kingsland Road - best beef pho. I wish I lived closer! Khoai Cafe in North Finchley was also incredible but I’ve only been once (but it blew me away - again I wish I lived nearby!).
4. Barrafina - even after my trip to Spain, the tapas here still taste amazing and authentic. That quail I had with alioli the other week still lingers in my mind. Their sherries are great, too (if only they did rebujitos… it isn’t that hard!).
5. And my local, Mason’s Bar & Restaurant (keep meaning to write a review on it) is a lovely place, and the food is always great; the menus change weekly and the chefs are just so imaginative, and clearly have a passion for cooking. I’ll miss it dearly when/if I move elsewhere.
And there are some places I go to time and time again for the same things, but I wouldn’t call them my favourite restaurants - I love Busaba Eathai for their amazing thom ka chicken noodle soup. The chicken is always perfectly cooked and the grill flavours are so pronounced, it’s fantastic!
I guess I should have written my own post, oops!
Hi Tiramisuu
Thanks for your recommendations - I’ve heard lots about New Tayyabs. I haven’t been to Mayflower for many years now. Went to Pearl Liang for my birthday dinner two nights ago, and I loved the food, as did my family. Lovely, simple dishes. I’ll be posting about it soon.
Hi Charmaine
Thanks for your favourites! Must go and visit them soon - you talk about Hazuki a lot, so it must be good. And I’ll have to start trying out your Vietnamese recommendations too. Re Hakkasan vs Yauatcha, well, that’s a whole other post!
My favorite restaurant (thankfully, a 10 min walk for me) is Hereford Road. Just love their food. If my wallet, and my waistline, could afford it, I’d eat there once a week.
I’ve got it on my wishlist, which is getting out of control again. I veer between revisiting favourites and going only to places I haven’t been to before. And yes, wallet and waistline are both concerns of mine too!
Helen Yuet Ling
Have you ever had any experience with vietnamese cuisine. There is a place in Old street called Cay Tre where critics and famous chefs rave about. This place also has a sister restaurant call Viet Grill in Kingsland Road which different concept but the food also really amazing.
Chimney
Hi Chimney
Thanks for these recommendations! I’ve heard of them of course, but I’ve yet to try them. Will add to my growing wishlist of restaurants to visit!
Helen Yuet Ling
i agreed with the Chimney, Cay Tre is not bad… their beef pho is fab, but a point to note though, on one time is very tasty but the next time i visit, the broth tasted a bit bland.
Another Viet to look out its Loong Ke in Kingsland Road, Shoreditch area… try their viet cheung fun, very yummy! and not to forget vietnamese iced coffee.
Another one in soho is Viet, the role opposite the fire station.. cheap and cheerful!
Hi Suzie
Thanks for your recommendations too! I already have a long list of Japanese restaurants to visit, and now lots of Vietnamese ones. How exciting!
Helen Yuet Ling