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Our guide to London’s global dining gems. 15 of the best pubs, food halls and bake shops
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Constantly evolving but with an eye on tradition, London remains one of the world’s finest food cities — and today it’s better than ever. Its bustling and diverse populace has helped nearly every cuisine find a home there, making the choice between dim sum, kebabs, Michelin-starred tasting menus, pub fare, suya, famous martinis, Punjabi delights and a chippy run feel more than a tad overwhelming.
British food, oft and incorrectly maligned, is hitting its own stride with new and modern cafes, bakeries and fire-kissed restaurants that relish in seasonal ingredients, plump seafood pulled from icy waters and acres of nearby rolling farmland. This year alone, London’s been repeatedly heralded as one of the best food cities on Earth, if not the best entirely. To scratch the surface of London’s dining gems, follow this guide for just a few of our favorites, be it a decades-old nose-to-tail institution, a mind-melting cocktail bar or an eclectic taste of the Barbary Coast. —Stephanie Breijo
Showing Place Places
A bar with shapes for a name
Cocktails $$
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
It’s true, the actual name of this East London bar is a sequence of colorful shapes (a yellow diamond, red square and blue circle, to be exact), which serves as a nod to its highly conceptual approach toward cocktails. Inspired by the Bauhaus art and design movement that began in Germany in 1919 and favored unemotional abstract and geometric styles, A Bar with Shapes for a Name spotlights simplicity with an eye toward technology and craft. That means that the menu lists the alcohol by volume of each cocktail and that the bar conducts all manner of experiments to enhance its offerings, including testing how well its glassware retains temperature. When I visited in late summer, I tried the Osmanthus, a martini-style drink with gin, Sauvignon Blanc grape juice and distilled Osmanthus that’s poured table-side and imparts the sweet scent of honeysuckle. Classic cocktails are available as well as nonalcoholic options and a handful of small bites.
232 Kingsland Rd., Whitmore Estate, London E2 8AX
232 Kingsland Rd., Whitmore Estate, London E2 8AX
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Ambassadors Clubhouse
Punjabi cuisine $$$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
The atmosphere’s lavishness is matched only by the cuisine. At Ambassadors Clubhouse, an electric and Michelin-starred Punjabi restaurant from the group behind Gymkhana and Berenjak, the words “velvety,” “bold” and “luxe” could refer to the curries or the colorful setting. This space is transportive, meant to evoke the manors of Northern India. The kebabs are juicy and singed, the biryani are fluffed table-side, and the chutneys and curries are heady with fragrance. This is a meal that stays with you long after your return from London. Want to keep the party going? Head downstairs to the equally flashy club Ambassy, where DJs play Punjab-inspired sets until 3 a.m.
25 Heddon St., London W1B 4BH
25 Heddon St., London W1B 4BH
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The Barbary
North African
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
Tucked off a quiet alley in London’s West End is this tiny restaurant where every seat offers a view of the scrappy open kitchen with fire as a central element. The menu is inspired by the cuisines of the Barbary Coast, including North Africa and parts of Southern Europe. Start your meal with char-spotted naan and barbari bread or a sesame-seed-dotted Jerusalem bagel, paired with house-made dips such as labneh hatzil, rose harissa or hummus tatbila. You’ll see orders of slim, shatter-crisp Moroccan meat cigars go out to just about every diner, and you would be wise to follow suit, as well as with the cauliflower that comes drenched in a chile sauce and fresh tomatoes. For the main course, follow your heart — the coffee-rubbed chicken with charred peppers, octopus splayed around chickpea-crowned hummus, and tender pata negra pluma all represent popular choices. On the beverage side, there is Moroccan mint iced tea, classic cocktails and wines from across Europe and the Mediterranean.
16 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP
16 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP
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Beigel Bake
Bagel shop $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Whether you’re stopping by after a night at the pub or starting your day, Brick Lane’s premier 24-hour bagel shop is a destination at all times and for all sorts, and has been for more than half a century. Inspired by their family’s nearby — and now rival — Brick Lane Beigel Shop (the one with the yellow sign), brothers Amnon and Asher Cohen and Sammy Minzley created their own legendary bakery where bagel sandwiches take center stage. Try their most popular item, the iconic hot salt-beef beigel: A plush, yeasty bagel holds carved salt-cured beef, thick smears of hot mustard and bright pickles. This stalwart storefront produces thousands of bagels a day, as well as Jewish pastries, smoked fish and English favorites such as sausage rolls and millionaire‘s shortbread.
159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB
159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB
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Brat
Spanish Restaurant $$$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Live-fire cooking is at the heart of Brat, so order your dishes and request your seats accordingly. The flames of the open kitchen are nearly as mesmerizing as its Basque-meets-Britain, Michelin-starred cuisine: roasted seasonal vegetables with hay-smoked butter; Cornish-caught grilled squid with pil-pil; smoky Welsh scallops; a decadent Basque cheesecake; and the signature slow-grilled, just-crisped whole turbot, a fish also known as — what else — “brat.” At nearly a decade in, the restaurant remains as essential and exciting as ever. Find a newer, second location, offshoot Brat x Climpson’s Arch, with a more casual vibe in Hackney.
4 Redchurch St., London E1 6JL
4 Redchurch St., London E1 6JL
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Café Cecilia
Irish $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
There’s such an elegant but wholesome quality to Max Rocha’s cooking. At Café Cecilia, he and his team built a dreamy, soothing cafe on the Regent’s Canal, where they reinterpret Rocha’s Irish heritage through a modern lens. Cresting London’s chic-cafe movement, Café Cecilia serves the likes of cider-sautéed mussel toast; silken fresh pastas; smoke-laced, hand-dived scallops draped with lardo; the famous sugar-crusted bread and butter pudding; and a must-order riff on his mother’s Guinness bread. Look to the chalkboard for specials like crab arancini and large steaks, and bring home a taste with the restaurant’s cookbook.
32 Andrews Road, London E8 4FX
32 Andrews Road, London E8 4FX
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The Connaught
Historic Hotel $$$$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Staff in top hats herald your arrival, and soon you’re whisked inside one of London’s most famous hotels. Hallmarked by elegance, dark-wood paneling and grand staircases, the Connaught — with roots dating to the 1800s — is a historic bit of pageantry and precisely where to go for pomp and a perfect martini. The hotel is home to three restaurants, including the three-Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze (named for its famed chef), but the Connaught Bar is one of the finest in the world and lauded by the likes of martini aficionado Stanley Tucci. The martinis are pitch-perfect and made by roaming carts. They’re so famous, in fact, that the hotel now distills its own gin. Tip: If the Connaught Bar is full, walk in at the tandem Coburg Bar for equally excellent cocktails in a slightly more casual atmosphere.
The Connaught, Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
The Connaught, Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
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Dishoom
Indian $$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
With more than a dozen locations across the United Kingdom and its first stateside location landing in Manhattan next year, Dishoom is hardly a secret. But each outpost offers a distinct vibe and set of influences, with the location in Shoreditch recalling an eccentric Iranian cafe by way of Bombay with mismatched furniture, bamboo blinds and gently frayed rugs. For breakfast, there are stuffed naan rolls, date and banana porridge or a Bombay-inflected take on a full English breakfast with akuri, bacon, peppery Shropshire pork sausages, masala beans, grilled field mushrooms, grilled tomato and buttered buns, best paired with fresh juice, chai or a sesame espresso martini. The all-day menu features well-established hits such as chicken ruby, lamb and veggie samosas and the famous black daal that’s slow-cooked for 24 hours, with a range of lassi yogurt drinks, Indian beers and cocktails that put a spin on the classics, such as the thandai mai tai with rum, almond milk, black pepper, cardamom bitters and house thandai syrup. The restaurant doesn’t accept dinner reservations, and lines can get notoriously long, but hospitable servers help pass the time with free chai and sherry samples.
7 Boundary St., London E2 7JE
7 Boundary St., London E2 7JE
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The Harrods Food Halls
Food Hall $$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Some beeline for the floors of couture fashion or high-end makeup and fragrance, but the true draw of Harrods is its collection of food halls. The historic high-end department store is sprawling, and its stalls and kiosks devoted to dim sum, artisan chocolates, savory pies, fresh fish, pastries and luxe to-go items — such as gold-accented salmon crepe cakes — are dizzying. This is a prime destination for mixing and matching a meal; crafting a picnic to enjoy in neighboring Hyde Park; and picking up culinary-focused souvenirs from Harrods’ house line. Carefully pack tins of teas, canisters of cookies (er, biscuits) and jars of farmhouse pickles or hot English mustard in your suitcase to relive the meal or gift lucky friends and family back home.
87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
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Jolene
Bakery and desserts $$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
At this wildly popular bakery chain, the sausage rolls, tea cakes, bread loaves and sarnies are a love letter to regenerative grains and simple food done well. After opening Primeur and Westerns Laundry, Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell debuted Jolene as a bakery and restaurant in Newington Green before rapidly expanding across London. Jolene often takes the form of a pared-down bakery where chicly dressed fans line up for toothsome loaves, seasonal cakes, savory scones, gorgeously laminated croissants, house-made kombucha and, of course, trendy merch to let everyone know they’ve been.
67 Redchurch St., London E2 7DJ. Multiple locations.
67 Redchurch St., London E2 7DJ. Multiple locations.
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Lyaness and Seed Library
Cocktail Bar $$$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Ryan Chetiyawardana — alias: “Mr Lyan” — is a Space Age cocktail mad scientist. In his bars around the globe, he and his team are creating and utilizing ingredients so unlikely that you’d doubt they could be made at all, let alone put into a drink and enjoyed. You might find a martini made via microbial process; a nettle root and lacto-fermented rhubarb gimlet in a nod to the Vantablack (and “pinkest pink”) science feud; or a breakfast bellini that’s umami-tinged with beans prepared in the style of a century egg. Chetiyawardana operates two cocktail bars in London: Seed Library in Shoreditch and Lyaness on the South Bank. At the former, find a chic subterranean scene; at the latter, sip those wholly unique cocktails with a view of the Thames.
Lyaness: 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD
Seed Library: 100 Shoreditch High St., London E1 6JQ
Lyaness: 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD
Seed Library: 100 Shoreditch High St., London E1 6JQ
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Ottolenghi
Mediterranean $$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
The restaurant chain from Israeli-British chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi and Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi has nine locations across London and as far as Geneva, Switzerland, with most offering a spacious dining room alongside a retail shop where guests can purchase fresh-baked pastries, cookbooks, kitchenware and pantry items. The location just outside of Spitalfields Market is one of the largest. Stop by for creative breakfast, lunch or dinner plates that emphasize Mediterranean traditions and place vegetables front and center.
50 Artillery Lane, London E1 7LJ. Multiple locations.
50 Artillery Lane, London E1 7LJ. Multiple locations.
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Plaquemine Lock
Creole Cajun $
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
If you grow tired of fish and chips or just want to escape into a pub that brings the breezy “laissez les bon temps rouler” attitude of New Orleans to the shores of Regent’s Canal, head to Plaquemine Lock in Angel, Islington. The menu features Cajun and Creole favorites including shrimp and okra gumbo, beignets sticky with chicory coffee caramel and plenty of seafood, including oysters by the dozen and crawfish when in season. Visit during happy hour for steep discounts that involve shrimp on ice for £1 each, £2 Boudin balls and margaritas and other drinks for just £6, or during weekend brunch for mimosas and Creole-inspired bloody marys. On Friday through Sunday, live bands bring the entire crowd to its feet for raucous performances that spill outside and into the street.
139 Graham St., London, N1 8LB
139 Graham St., London, N1 8LB
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The Smoking Goat
Thai Restaurant $$
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Part pub, part fire-kissed Thai restaurant, the Smoking Goat remains one of Shoreditch’s most popular spots, day or night. You might catch head chef Albert Smith hand-rolling fresh roti or flipping woks full of noodles or seafood stir-fries in the open kitchen, while the bar slings pints, strong tropical cocktails and the Tray of Joy, a collection of colorful, rotating shots. This is a place with bold flavor and lively atmosphere: Especially at night, the crowd buzzes in every corner of the restaurant while noshing Thai street food — namely the can’t-miss skewers, massaman curry and the signature, sticky-sweet fish sauce chili wings.
64 Shoreditch High St., London E1 6JJ
64 Shoreditch High St., London E1 6JJ
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St. John
English cuisine $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Few restaurants influenced England’s modern cooking to the extent of St. John, but the nose-to-tail proliferator hasn’t spent the last three decades resting on its laurels. Through the years, founders Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver expanded their Smithfield spot into a miniature empire with multiple combination restaurants, bakeries and wine bars, plus best-selling cookbooks. A stop at any St. John is still a must, as is letting its ethos of simplicity, seasonality and sustainability guide your choices — most easily done by ordering off the hand-scrawled chalkboard menu, where dishes such as whole grilled mackerel with chicory and olives, sweetbreads dotted with peas and mint, and slabs of baked fennel with cheddar disappear almost as soon as they’re written. Finish with the requisite fresh madeleines, which are so warm and pillowy that they feel as ethereal as ever.
26 St John St., Barbican, London EC1M 4AY. Multiple locations.
26 St John St., Barbican, London EC1M 4AY. Multiple locations.
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