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$$ | Soho |
Candlelit at night, with a haunting Dickensian vibe, Andrew Edmunds is a permanently packed, old-school Soho dining institution. Tucked away behind Carnaby Street in a charming 18th-century town house, it's a cozy favorite whose unpretentious and keenly priced dishes draw on the tastes of Ireland, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Desserts like warm treacle tart or bread-and-butter pudding offer few surprises, but the wine's superb and famously reasonable. It could be larger, less creaky underfoot, and its wooden church pew seats more forgiving, but it's a deeply romantic way to get a taste of what Soho was like in days gone by.
46 Lexington St., London, Greater London, W1F 0LP, England
Known For
- Deeply romantic, Georgian-era town house setting
- Unpretentious, daily-changing, handwritten menus
- Bargains galore on the acclaimed wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Notting Hill |
Currently the only British female chef with three Michelin stars, Clare Smyth fuses her classical French culinary training with a devotion to quality British produce. Must-try plates include her to-die-for signature dish of a baked potato delicately filled with dulse beurre blanc, herring, and trout roe. Watch the kitchen at work through a floor-to-ceiling glass partition as they conjure up their magic.
92 Kensington Park Rd., London, Greater London, W11 2PN, England
Known For
- Brilliant vegetable and fish dishes elevated to the highest levels
- Relaxed, smart, casual dining experience
- Three-course à la carte or seven-course tasting menus
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$ | Soho |
Once frequented by the likes of Virginia Woolf and Karl Marx, locals still cherish this quirky 1871 French pâtisserie, vintage tea parlor, and occasional pop-up art space, where nothing seems to have changed since the 1920s. Colorful pastries, tarts, croissants, and sweet cakes are well loved and expertly baked on-site. You can choose from the gooey chocolate and fruit éclairs, Saint-Honoré and Black Forest gateaux, marzipan figs, and flaky almond croissants. Still run by Soho legend Michele Wade, Maison Bertaux also hosts a cheery retro afternoon tea service, which comes with savories like Dijon slice or broccoli quiche.
28 Greek St., London, Greater London, W1D 5DQ, England
Known For
- Mesmerizing vintage French pâtisserie window display and interiors
- Retro afternoon Tea
- Old-fashioned collection of creamy French pastries
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$ | Soho |
Lines form daily to secure a prized seat, perch, or stool at this no-reservations 32-seater from a crack team of Taiwanese steamed bao bun specialists. The gloriously plump milk-based, rice flour bao buns—stuffed with organic Cornish braised pork, peanut powder, and fermented greens—are the undisputed stars of the show. These nifty bao buns also come with fried chicken, crumbed daikon, or lamb with soy-pickled chilis and garlicky mayo. Kick off with the silky scallops in yellow bean garlic sauce and finish with a fried bao bun stuffed with Horlicks ice cream for dessert.
53 Lexington St., London, Greater London, W1F 9AS, England
Known For
- Long lines for the steamed and stuffed Taiwanese bao buns
- Highly Instagramable pig's blood cake and soy-cured egg yolk
- Unusual fried bao bun with Horlicks ice cream for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations not accepted
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$ | Soho |
This legendary Italian coffee bar on Frith Street is Soho's unofficial beating heart and a 22-hours-a-day classic institution. Established in 1949 during the postwar Italian coffee bar craze and still run by the founding Polledri family, today an eclectic parade of locals grab an espresso or cappuccino made from the vintage Gaggia coffee machine, and wolf down a chocolate baci or a light snack at the mirrored bar counter. The walls are plastered with pics of old-time Italian opera singers, movie legends, and '50s world boxing champs, and it's the primo spot in town to watch Italy play during the World Cup.
22 Frith St., London, Greater London, W1D 4RF, England
Known For
- Tiny hole-in-the-wall setting
- Old-school Italian espresso
- Sturdy sausage or bacon sandwiches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Bethnal Green |
You'll need some help finding this East End fashionista headquarters located down a side alley in happening Bethnal Green. Once inside, check out the striking loft dining space and the bar, Manchichi, in its postindustrial chic setting, before polishing off light French and English dishes. Choices range from steak tartare and Croque Madame to cod and clams and Longhorn beef with red wine sauce. Be sure to catch the resident pianist at weekend brunch, camping up everything from Katy Perry to Girls Aloud on the baby grand.
23–27 Wadeson St., London, Greater London, E2 9DR, England
Known For
- Classic choices like steak tartare and Croque Madame
- Weekend brunch with pancakes and maple syrup
- Resident pianist at brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. No lunch Thurs. and Fri. No dinner Sun., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | |
It can be quite tricky to get into Chiltern Firehouse, but if you do snag a table, you're in for a treat. Set inside a sensationally converted 1888 redbrick fire station, this place sets the bar for glamour-chic dining. Sit at the raised open-kitchen counter and watch the chefs plate up, while taking in the buzzy buttermilk-hued decor that's part mid-'70s Parisian brasserie and part industrial heritage–chic splendor (including a firefighter's pole). Pick winners from the knock-out menu—like slider-style crabmeat "donuts," charred octopus with cep mushrooms, or red prawns in almond milk—and get down to the serious business of major league celeb spotting.
1 Chiltern St., London, Greater London, W1U 7PA, England
020-7073–7676-for reservations only
Known For
- Legendary buttermilk pancakes
- Exclusive celeb-heavy crowd
- Surprisingly kid-friendly
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | Covent Garden |
Where else can you find an amazing three-course French meal right by Covent Garden for £21? The Côte Brasserie chain does just the trick, offering a pleasing menu loaded with classic French favorites: crêpes with mushrooms and Gruyère cheese, boeuf bourguignon, moules marinière, and iced summer berries and white chocolate sauce. Service is all fine and dandy, and if you're lucky enough to be attending the ballet or opera at the nearby Royal Opera House, this is perfect for a pre-or post-theater meal.
17–21 Tavistock St., London, Greater London, WC2E 7PA, England
Known For
- Part of a highly dependable chain of French brasseries
- Very reasonable pre- and post-theater deals
- Reliable French classics like moules marinières
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$ | Marylebone |
It almost feels like Sigmund Freud or Gustav Klimt might doff their Homburg hats and shuffle into a dark leather banquette at this evocative, early-20th-century–style Viennese neighborhood café on Marylebone High Street. Savor the antique light fittings and distressed wallpaper before diving into a rye brötchen (bread roll) sandwich with chopped chicken livers and dill. Expect top service from staff in natty Trachten-style Tyrolean green waistcoats and dark green ties.
50 Marylebone High St., London, Greater London, W1U 5HN, England
Known For
- Evocative turn-of-the-20th-century Old Vienna café decor
- Some of London's best breaded Wiener schnitzel
- Decadent strudels and ice cream coupes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | Islington |
This Islington institution is a foodie's heaven. With the accent on North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, the inventive, tasty, and healthy veg-centric dishes, along with fresh salads, flaky pastries, and artisan cakes, make this deli-bakery-café worth an hour of anyone's time. Go home with a knockout chocolate meringue or a plum-and-quince tart, and pick up Ottolenghi's outstanding Israeli- and Palestinian-inspired cookbook, Jerusalem, on the way out.
287 Upper St., London, Greater London, N1 2TZ, England
Known For
- Zingy veg-centric Middle Eastern salad combos
- Fabulous meringue-filled window displays
- Weekend brunches
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$$ | Shoreditch |
You feel like quite the foodie insider once you finally track down the quirky Rochelle Canteen—it's set in a former bike shed at the Victorian-era Rochelle School. Ring the buzzer next to a blue door, go through the "Boys" entrance, and enter the long white canteen, where you'll enjoy gloriously understated British fare ranging from deviled kidneys on toast to Yorkshire ham and parsley sauce. Bump along with the Frieze London art crowd, and enjoy guinea fowl with bacon or skate and capers, and finish with quince jelly or lemon posset.
Arnold Circus, London, Greater London, E2 7ES, England
Known For
- Seasonal, daily-changing menu
- Delightful garden views
- Unpretentious vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Chelsea |
Despite a Michelin star and a co-owner who's also the chef at one of Britain's (and indeed the world's) top restaurants, this is a relaxed neighborhood gastropub with an unusually fine kitchen. It specializes in British produce, wild food, and especially game, with dishes like root vegetable salad or a slow-cooked fallow deer shoulder wrapped in bacon, all served via set menus only (£50 for two courses, £65 for three). Sunday roasts are especially popular.
27 Walham Grove, London, Greater London, SW6 1QP, England
Known For
- Michelin-starred food in a gastropub setting
- Seasonal venison from the pub's own hunting estate
- Good-value set menus
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Thurs., Reservations essential
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$ | Marylebone |
As the name suggests, The Monocle Café isn't quite a restaurant, but thanks to its sheer weight of personality, it still lends itself as an important Marylebone food stop. Salads, bagels, open sandwiches, and breakfasts represent a diverse menu of international bites that can always be accompanied by something from the drink menu, whether that's artisan coffee or something stronger like the yuzu gin and tonic. As one would expect from Monocle magazine's very own drinking and dining spot, both the interior and exterior are impeccably tasteful, making for the ideal place to pause and soak up the Marylebone neighborhood.
18 Chiltern St., London, Greater London, W1U 7QA, England
Known For
- Serious intellectual credentials (it's run by Monocle magazine)
- Excellent snacks and takeaway treats
- In-house pop-up shop
