Look beyond the tradition of fish and chips or bangers and mash—London’s dining scene has long been filled with diverse, cosmopolitan eateries led by critically acclaimed chefs.
London’s restaurant scene offers fresh dining spots scattered across the city, including posh Mayfair and Fitzrovia, the recently revitalized Battersea Power Station, and tourist-alluring Soho. Each offers a refreshing spin on service and setting, ranging from a restaurant that evokes Tel Aviv’s sunny, party-fueled spirit to more formal, members club dining atmospheres set in painstakingly restored manors and townhomes.
Here are some of the best restaurants in London, along with order recommendations for each one.
1. Joia
Battersea
Atop the recently opened art’otel London Battersea Power Station, chef Henrique Sá Pessoa is serving Iberian cuisine at his debut British restaurant, Joia. The eatery’s playful and bright furniture is naturally lighted via floor-to-ceiling windows, with Russell Sage Studio interior design rooted in an art deco and contemporary story.
What to order
Alongside an extensive bar menu, Joia boasts a sommelier station visible from all points of the restaurant and interesting sparkling wines, plus grape varietals unique to the Iberian peninsula and a special menu of fortified wines. Poise and panache await, with dishes including Carabineros prawns with orzo, bacalhau à brás, and Iberian pork cheeks enticing visitors into a bit of fun.
2. Shankeys
Hackney
Self-identified as a spot for “Indian food and Irish booze,” Shankeys is known for its creative, collaborative community. This spirit permeates the cozy and candlelit atmosphere that’s enhanced by floral dinnerware, making the restaurant feel like a dinner at a friend’s flat.
What to order
Menus of small sharing plates and complete courses include the house specialty of braised lamb shank and a pheasant pot roast made with crown and oyster mushrooms. Vegetarians will find plenty of options, too, in the chaat potatoes and Beets and Brinjal served with eggplant, tamarind sabzi, and beetroot chutney.
Cocktails include an option that features one of Ireland’s most recognizable exports, Kerrygold butter; there’s also a mule made with gin, lime, and ginger named Markievicz Mule, a nod to the Easter Rising Irish revolutionary figure.
Hundreds of art pieces are featured throughout Mount St.
Photo by Simon Brown
3. Mount St.
Mayfair
Opened in 2022, Mount St. is part eatery and part private art gallery, filled with eye-catching artist commissions, including a Palladiana mosaic floor in alternating marbles by Rashid Johnson and museum-quality paintings from the likes of Matisse and Warhol. Set in a red-brick building filled with bay and turret windows, the main dining space sits on the second floor above the elevated and photo-worthy English pub Audley Public House—a decidedly more casual spot where reservations are not required.
On the floors above Mount St. Restaurant’s main dining room, multiple private dining spaces decorated in Scottish, Italian, and Swiss themes are fit for everything from intimate cocktail receptions to large dinner parties at a long, 26-seat table. There’s also a games room on the top floor that’s more naughty in atmosphere, where guests can have a debaucherous night of cocktails and playing poker, and where the theme of the artwork is more risqué in nature.
What to order
King Charles and Camilla were early guests to the restaurant, and every meal in the serenely lit space is filled with food fit for a nobility, including a caviar omelet and quality sausages from Durslade farm in Dorset (a sister property of owner Artfarm) for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, dishes include oysters and caviar, a Stepney smoked salmon, and Pigeons in Pimlico (duck liver, bacon, red cabbage) and a mouthwatering West Country lamb chop and belly (hispi cabbage, Jersey Royal potatoes, mint jelly).
4. Kapara
Soho
Opened in February 2023, Kapara’s weather-resistant approach to a warm, sunny alfresco dining experience is an inclusive new star in the heart of Soho. Inspired by the hedonism and eclecticism of 1970s Tel Aviv, this space invites guests to playfully indulge in its live music and rich sensorial environment of sweeping curved booths, brass accents, and greenery.
What to order
Chef Eran Tibi is renowned for his creative take on classic dishes like ceviche (black bream, green apple, lime, scotch bonnet, lemon verbena) and lamb swirl (slow-cooked lamb belly, plum ketchup, lamb jus, stewed plums, lemon thyme), serving up every dish with fresh ingredients.
The signature Gazoz cocktail combines fermented fruits and herbs with vodka and arak for a sweet boozy taste of old Tel Aviv. At the same time, the Katani (short espresso martini with cardamom and coconut milk foam) offers the perfect lift to keep guests dancing through the night.
Sparrow Italia aims to fuse Italian and Mediterranean flavors in its food and drinks.
Courtesy of Sparrow Italia
5. Sparrow Italia Mayfair
Mayfair
Like its neighbor Mount St., Sparrow Italia Mayfair is housed in a refurbished Mayfair townhouse, serving as the offshoot of the popular Los Angeles restaurant Sparrow Italia. It’s also the first European location of the American hospitality group Noble 33. The restaurant didn’t skimp on maximizing the space, which includes a ground-level brasserie and seductive bar, an indoor/outdoor terrace dining room, and a top-floor cigar lounge. But its pièce de résistance is the second-floor parlor room, which has a members club atmosphere thanks to its dim mood lighting, flickering fireplaces, and live olive trees. Accompanied by a mix of marble and wood, rich emerald and blue tones, and friendly, personable service, the menu features southern modern Italian cuisine that largely mirrors its L.A. counterpart.
What to order
Many dishes, including its popular A5 Carpaccio and cacio e pepe, made their way across the pond, while the lobster linguine, monkfish livornaise, and red prawn carpaccio and caviar are exclusive to the location. During the summer, the restaurant looks to open a rooftop as the weather warms, increasing its visibility as a society hot spot. In fact, the restaurant even partnered with the Hadid family for its caviar line, “Hadid,” which is available there.
6. Nessa
Soho
In March 2023, Nessa celebrated its debut in Soho as an idyllic bistro and bar with many plant-based menu options to enjoy a romantic dinner, lunch with friends, or even cure your weekend hangover. The space, inspired by the rich history of its surrounding neighborhood and modernist painter Vanessa Bell, incorporates art deco, contemporary, and midcentury Scandi furnishings with wood and brick wall accents for a refined yet cozy atmosphere.
What to order
Executive chef Tom Cenci’s culinary creations are familiar enough to satisfy a picky palate with playful favorites like “Not Avocado on Toast” (crushed broad beans, chili, and herbs) and chicken cordon bleu (with monks beard, grilled celery, and green olives). To recover from the previous night’s revelry, pair it all with a Randy Hiball, Nessa’s rich and decadent reimagining of an old British pub hangover cure. For early morning visitors, opt for a classic cup of single-origin joe.
The Twenty Two opened in 2022.
Photo Courtesy of The Twenty Two Restaurant
7. The Twenty Two
Mayfair
Quickly establishing itself as London’s of-the-moment hangout for creatives and celebrities, the Twenty Two is a hotel, restaurant, and members club. Hotelier Navid Mirtorabi (behind Blakes London) and designer Natalia Miyar teamed up to transform the Edwardian manor, and its beauty is most evidenct in the restaurant, which blends traditional wainscotting, moldings, and a marble fireplace with a contemporary cyan shade and objets d’art. The sophisticated but unstuffy space is also available for elegant, private parties where guests can nibble on various meats and seafood, artisanal salads, pastas, and side dishes using only the finest ingredients. Still, the service is what really sets it apart—white glove in nature without the actual formality of white gloves.
What to order
The Twenty Two offers the culinary curious a tour of Mediterranean flavors reimagined through British staples with a menu filled with individual plates and shareables. Highlights of the à la carte from chef Alan Christie, previously of Arbutus, include a delectable Devonshire crab salad, Dover sole, crab linguine, and chargrilled grass-fed rib eye, plus house-made ice creams for dessert.
8. Rovi
Fitzrovia
Rovi is a vibrant and innovative restaurant offering simple, waste-free cooking and a balanced menu of plant-based and meat, fish, and seafood dishes. But what continues to set the restaurant apart is its stunning design—an experience in itself by internationally acclaimed architect and designer Alex Meitlis. It’s all been masterfully crafted and curated to harmoniously emphasize both the cuisine’s aesthetics and its creators’ ethos, featuring bold red statement sofas that overlook a colossal charcoal grill positioned at the restaurant’s center and surrounded by natural materials like travertine stone and pale oak to evoke a warm, timeless ambience.
What to order
Head chef Neil Campbell showcases his passion for ethical, honest food through a unique process of fermenting and pickling often discarded ingredients to create imaginative dishes. Standout plates include grilled asparagus with watercress, dukkah, and sunflower and miso cream, but for something heartier, the 55-day-aged rump steak with rainbow chard and mushroom ketchup is a delight.
For drinks, the large, curved central bar offers cocktails infused with seasonal spices and house shrubs, plus an organic wine list.
