Say what you want about London, but we all can agree that the culinary scene in the city is one of the best in the world. Whether it is Michelin Star restaurants or street side food trucks giving food lovers the most basic but delicious experience ever, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
7 Best Restaurants In London
1. Circolo Populare
2. Tattu
3. Hide
4. Fallow
5. Bao Soho
6. Chisuru
7. Carlotta
Best Restaurants In London
Here are the 7 best restaurants in London curated by us.
1. Circolo Populare
Circolo Populare is one of London’s hottest spots to dine. It is part of the “Big Mamma” chain of restaurants. It has the perfect aesthetic, ambience, vibe, wait service, and, of course, food.
It’s known as the most Instagrammable restaurant in London. This Italian restaurant’s indoor decor is simply amazing. It blends high walls and cozy space with a ceiling lined with pretty plants and lights to bring the feel of a Sicilian trattoria to life. You can not miss the walls covered with over 20,000 spirits and drinks, a crucial part of the restaurant decor.
Their food is really good, and you should try out the Pasta, especially the truffle pasta or carbonara, and the Pizza recommendations. For dessert, you don’t want to miss the lemon meringue pie, which is as massive as it can get, or the classic Italian tiramisu.
If you prefer not to be caught too much in the whole hub of activities, it is better to book the four-seater booth that is positioned more to the side; you still get to see everything, but it does afford a bit of privacy. There is also an upper courtyard area that can contain about 80 people, slightly less crowded than the ground floor, and an outdoor courtyard perfect for summer days.
The wait staff are friendly and attentive, guiding you through the diverse menu choices whenever you need help.
Do note that the queues of the Circola can get really long, so it is much better to make a reservation ahead of time, rather than risk waiting hours to get a table.
Location: 40 – 4, Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London, United Kingdom
Price Range: €55 – €100
Hours Open: 12:000 pm – 10:30 pm
2. The Palomar Restaurant
Bringing modern Jerusalem cuisines and vibes to the middle of So-Ho, Palomar is an Israeli restaurant influenced by North African, Levantine, and Southern Spain’s rich culture, run and owned by siblings, whose vision was to bring the full feel of Jerusalem dishes to London.
The restaurant runs an open kitchen just opposite, where diners are comfortably seated on plush High stools and can watch their meals being cooked right in front of them. You can also opt to eat in the small and simple dining area away from the open flames. Perfect for does who prefer a little bit of intimacy and a traditional dinner setting.
The restaurant is quite small, keeping with the home feel, but always bustling. With a shared plate menu, you are offered a diverse array of Middle Eastern flavors and dishes like the Seabass, Baba Ganoush, and the Octohummus.
You can start your meals with snacks like the Sweet Potato Crisps and the Lamb Skewer, have a bit of Pita bread and proceed to the mains, with the Ribeye or Glazed Octopus and spice it with a Lager beer or a cocktail mix, and end your meal with a Jerusalem Mess or Yoghurt Ice cream. You can also decide to go for the Vegan menu of Hummus, though it is a bit more limited than the meat lover section.
Location: 34 Rupert Street, London, United Kingdom
Hours Open: 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
05:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Price Range: €5m0 – €150
3. Hide
Just like its name suggests, Hide can be a little hard to find, with its doors camouflaged like walls and seemingly hidden in plain sight. Located in Mayfair, the restaurant has a grand view of Green Park and is spacious enough that you need not hear your neighbours’ conversation unless you are straining to snoop.
Hide is pretty grand, a Michelin 1-star restaurant spanning three floors. The Hide Ground floor features a casual theme, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a relaxed and pretty casual setting with a menu that highlights pastries and seasonal dishes.
The second floor, known as the “Hide Above,” goes the opposite route, sectioned off to be more of a formal dining area. It offers guests a more formal dining experience with high-end ingredients and the finest culinary techniques. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Hide Above is slightly more difficult to book and much more expensive than the Ground floor. Below, a bar area dedicated to wines and good drinks, with rumour having it that their wine collection is the stuff of dreams for a wine connoisseur.
The restaurant is beyond elegant, with a long wooden spiral staircase that is nothing short of a work of art leading you to the Above section, and did I mention the great view of the green park and Piccadilly? This fine dining restaurant serves a range of food that makes you realise that English food can be rich in flavor and taste.
The service is wonderful, just what you expect from such an upscale restaurant, and the servers are ready and willing to explain the dishes and guide you through the food and wine selections. The ambience is nice and quiet, and at the end of your meal, you’ll feel a little sorry for leaving hide behind.
The restaurant is pretty expensive though but quite worth it for celebrations and special occasions.
Location: 85 Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom
Hours Open: 7:00 am – 10:30 pm
Price Range: €150
4. Fallow
The word sustainability is often overused in organizations and restaurants, so you might be a little tempted to raise your eyebrow at Fallow. Skepticism aside, Fallow is that sustainable restaurant where you can be sure that the menus have been extensively researched and the ingredients are not your regular traditional offerings.
You will love the Mushroom parfait (made with mushrooms that are personally grown in the restaurant), and the Confit Cabbage is a must-try. Other honorable mentions are the Corn ribs and Rib eye that are tender and juicy, and the Yorkshire pudding, the perfect blend of crispy and chewy.
The ambience is fun and lighthearted, with an open kitchen by the bar where you can watch the chef make your meals, and the staff are very attentive, and the guests can stay at the bar while being offered drinks while waiting for the bar to clear up. The decor is simple but elegant with a stylish combination of marble and wood, simple high stools and plants, herbs hanging from the ceiling, and an outdoor dining area complete with plants and greenery.
The portions are quite small and designed for sharing with a zero policy of no waste allowed, but the food is pretty great for the amount.
Location: 52 Haymarket, London, United Kingdom
Hours Open: 7:30 am – 11:00 pm
Price Range: £45 – £80
5. Bao Soho
Bao Soho is a small, simple Taiwanese eatery located in the very heart of Soho. Famous for its Bao buns (fluffy sweet steamed buns) that come with several different types of fillings, the restaurant is an affordable but satisfying place to have delicious oriental meals.
Evolving from a small street-side stall, the restaurant still maintains many of its simplicity and minimalism in its aesthetic and ambience, with its compact layout and simple showroom wooden panelling and 30 backless stools, it’s all about getting your food, eating, and then leaving.
The restaurant offers different types of Bao buns, from the Classic Pork Bao complete with braised meat and coriander with peanut or the Confit Pork, Chicken Bao, Daikon, Lamb Pork etc., a few Taiwanese dishes and snacks like the Fried Chicken, Trotter Nugget, Beef Soup, Guinea Fowl Rice and Sweet Potato fries and just one dessert, Horlicks ice cream sandwiched in between two deep fried baos, nothing but genius. You have an abundance of options to choose from.
You can step down your food with Taiwanese Beer, Delicious Peanut Milk, or Just Coke. Service is friendly and efficient, if a bit solemn, but do note that the eatery takes no reservations and the queues can get pretty long.
Location: 53 Lexington Street, Carnaby, London, United Kingdom
Hours Open: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Price Range: £20 – £30
6. Chisuru Restaurant
Chisuru is a remaining of the basic popular West African dishes served in a modern and creative way. The Michelin Star restaurant is pretty much up and coming, but has been gaining ground as one of the places to go if you want a bit of African dish made right.
If you are Nigerian, you might want to leave your typical imaginings of what food back home looks like when visiting Chisuru, the food is a blend of several different West African cultures and foods with a modern flair, much like the Chef and owner herself.
The meal includes a starter dish like the remaking of Akara or the Asun. Followed by the Mains, which are usually more exotic like the Gizdodo, Asaro, Jollof rice or Ebiripo, or Gbegiri. You can end your dish with a dessert option like the Egusi or Peanut ice cream, or the Popped rice. You can accompany your meal with a cocktail, many of which are inspired by West African drinks, or choose a bottle of lager beer or Coke.
Although the restaurant is Mi Helen Starred, it is not quite a fine dining restaurant nor also not a typical traditional African restaurant, but a fusion of both. The ambience is intimate but casual and relaxing, with minimal decor and simple chic design. The place can get a bit loud, and the food is a bit spicy, but the staff are attentive and efficient, and they do go out of their way to explain the dishes to guests.
Location: 3 Great Titchfield Street, London, United Kingdom
Hours Open: 12:00 pm – 1:45 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Price Range: £45 – £80
7. Best Restaurants In London: Carlotta
Another major gem from the Big Mamma chain restaurant, Carlotta is an Italian-American Fusion restaurant that takes straight out of overcast Marylebone to Sunny Naples.
The aesthetic, just like in its sister restaurant featured above, is beautiful and elegant, with comfy chairs that you could probably find in your grandparents’ house, stylish gold decor and lights, and murals and framed pictures lining the wall.
The food portions are large and delicious, and worthy of a few Instagram picture food highlights. The ambience is intimate and relaxing, making it ideal for a date night or a hangout with friends. In any case, Carlotta is sure to keep you coming back for more.
It has quite an extensive array of whisky and spirits, stylishly arranged at the bar section with plush seating where you can decide to stay for a chat with the staff while you order drinks. You will love the Spaghetti meatballs, Truffle Pasta, or the Fettuccine Alfredo for mains, and you sure can never go wrong with Bread for starters and Tiramisu or Gelato for desserts. You can pair your food with cocktails and virgin cocktails like the Coco Loco or the Strawberry Kiss.
The restaurant also has an outdoor terrace where diners can opt to eat out under the warm sun. It fills up quickly during peak hours, so it’s best to reserve in advance.
Location: 77 – 78 Marylebone High Street, London, United Kingdom.
Hours Open: 11:45 – 10:30 pm
Price Range: £50 – £80
Conclusion.
London is a small but pretty populated and diverse city, and its restaurants seem to mimic this diversity in their difference. The best restaurants in the city come in a range of different cultures and dishes, from the typical English dining scene to the more exotic Italian trattorias, from the spicy West African modern-traditional fusion restaurants to the simple Taiwanese affordable minimalism.
The best in London is a range of affordable and expensive up-end dishes, some fit into your everyday schedules, and others are only for special occasions. If there is one thing the city gets right, though, it is that the food is always worth it.
