10 of the Best Restaurants in London you MUST visit
London is indeed a city with a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, representing many different cultures and cuisines. It can be overwhelming to decide where to eat, especially if you are visiting the city for the first time. One way to narrow down your options is to think about what type of cuisine you are in the mood for. If you are craving Italian food, there are many excellent Italian restaurants in London, such as Artusi in Peckham, Trullo in Highbury, Lina Stores in Soho, and Padella in Borough Market. If you prefer Korean food, you can try restaurants like Jinjuu in Soho or On the Bab in Covent Garden. If you are looking for Vietnamese food, you might enjoy dining at Vietnam House in Covent Garden or The Little Viet Kitchen in Hackney.
If you want to try traditional English food, you can find many pubs and restaurants in London that serve classic dishes such as fish and chips, roast beef, and scones. Some of the best places to try traditional English food include The White Hart in Hampstead, The Swan in Hammersmith, and The Rose and Crown in Walthamstow.
If you are looking for a restaurant that caters to specific dietary restrictions, such as Halal or vegan, there are many options available in London as well. Some popular Halal restaurants in the city include Al-Basha in Whitechapel and Ar-Rasheed in Tower Hamlets, while popular vegan restaurants include The Gate in Hammersmith and The Vurger Co. in Shoreditch.
No matter what type of cuisine you are in the mood for, you are sure to find a great restaurant in London to suit your tastes.
1. Italian
Artusi Restaurant
Artusi Restaurant is a Michelin style restaurant well known for its traditional dishes from Italy. Situated in Peckham, South East London, this neighbourhood restaurant’s low-key ambiance and reasonably priced menu changes every day on the wall sized chalk blackboard.
Since opening its doors in 2014, Artusi Restaurant was the only restaurant where the focus was on its pasta dishes, then several Italian restaurants such as Padella and Bancone have followed suit.
The restaurant provides simple chairs and simple wooden tables which make the environment standard, but it’s the dishes and the service that you need special attention to. The maticulous presentation of each dish is what you’d expect from a Michelin star restaurant by using its seasonal ingredients.
With a price range of £10 – £30 per person and £40 for a group of 8, the service is consistent with the staff’s knowledge of the dishes and each dish has great portion sizes although the menu is small. If you lived in Peckham, you’d visit Artusi Restaurant every week.
Artusi Restaurant, 161 Bellenden Road, Peckham, London, SE15 4DH, Opening Times: Monday – Closed, Tuesday – 6 pm – 9:30 pm, Wednesday to Thursday – 12 pm – 2:30 pm and 6 pm – 9:30 pm, Friday to Saturday – 12 pm – 2:30 pm, Sunday – 12 pm – 4 pm. https://artusi.co.uk/
2. Korean
Bibimbap Soho
Bibimbap Soho is a popular Korean restaurant situated in the heart of Central London, Soho. Bibimpab Leadenhall and Bibimbap Cannon are two other braches which you can oder to go.
The restaurant is named after the korean Bibimbap recipe consisting of steamed rice in a rice bowl with gochujang, a red chilli paste and miso soup on the side. The menu can be mixed up with a variety of steamed vegetables which include tofu, egg, kimchi, a fermented cabbage and carrots made with tangy yet spicy sauce, and meat ingredients.
The small yet intimate restaurant provides simple wooden tables and chairs with several wooden booths for larger parties. Bibimbap is great value for money with a price range of £8 – £13 per person, efficient service, top notch food.
Bibimbap Soho, 11 Greek Street, London, W1D 4DJ, Opening Times: Monday – Friday – 12pm – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm, Saturday – 12pm – 10pm, Sunday 12pm – 9:30pm. https://bibimbapsoho.co.uk/soho
3. Vietnamese
Banh Banh
Banh Banh is an excellent authentic Vietnamese restaurant situated in the town of Peckham, London. Banh Banh also has a branch in Brixton situated in the hip street food outlet Brixton Village. Whether you want beef pho, summer rolls or noodle salads, although you MUST try the prawn pancakes and their variety of cocktails, Banh Banh has it all. Run by 5 siblings, the restaurant offer vegetarian day on Mondays and has a small yet intimate feel to it. The restaurant provides simple wooden tables and chairs with several wooden booths for larger parties.
Banh Banh’s fast service, relaxed atmosphere and walk-in appointments, it is one of London’s most authentic restaurants to try in South East London. The price of the dishes is cheaper than many restaurants around the area.
Banh Banh, 46 Peckham Rye, London, SE15 4JR Opening Times: Monday – Tuesday – 6pm – 10pm, Wednesday – Thursday – 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm, Friday 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 1:30pm, Saturday – 12pm – 10:30pm, Sunday Closed. http://www.banhbanh.com/peckham
4. Spanish
Copita
Copita is a favourite of mine and is an authentic Spanish restaurant situated in Soho. Copita has a white tiled tapas bar and it’s the only branch in London. This excellent restaurant has a seasonal menu alongside their specials which change every week if not every day.
Opened in 2011, Copita serves Spanish tapas which includes fish and meat. Popular dishes include octopuses, mushroom croquettes, jamon and more than 10 types of Spanish wine you could ever wish for.
Not only the restaurant has white tiled tapas walls, but Copita screams retro, trendy and urban, and has a wooden bar style seating. If you love loud crowds and a vibrant atmosphere in a small restaurant, then Copita is the one for you.
The price range is between £2 for a piece of bread to £12 for an octopus, and it’s not for the budget friendly for a tapas bar in London. However, the quality, the ingredients and the presentation is second to none, not to mention the friendly and knowledgeable staff providing you with great service.
Copita, 27 D’Arblay Street, London, W1F 8EN. Opening Times: Monday- 4pm – 10:30pm, Tuesday – to Saturday 12pm – 11pm, Sunday Closed. http://copita.co.uk
5. Indian
Sheba Restaurant
Sheba Restaurant has been awarded the best curry house in the UK. It is the oldest and the most favoured Indian/Bengali restaurant in Brick Lane, Shoreditch, London’s well-known area for curry houses. This restaurant is the only restaurant in the UK, so be sure to receive a great service from staff.
Opened in 1974, the restaurant is known for its Indo-Bengali flavour consisting of picking the finest meat, fish, and curries. If you’re a sucker for curries, Sheba Restaurant is a must to try. Each dish is plated separately as you do in an authentic Indian restaurant and people would pick each piece from the dish.
The long restaurant is made up of a row of chairs and tables on each side of the room where a long booth is attached to the wall. The fan shaped napkins are placed on top of the white tables are ready to be used and a small fully licenced bar could be found at the end of the restaurant, stocked with your favourite drinks. Sheba Restaurant is a MUST try for those curry lovers.
Sheba Restaurant, 136 Brick Lane, London, England, E1 6RU, Opening Times: Monday – Sunday 12 pm – 12 am 7 days a week including Bank Holidays. https://www.shebabricklane.com/
6. Thai
Som Saa
Som Saa is an authentic Thai restaurant situated in Spitalfields, one of London’s trendiest and oldest areas to visit. It is not far from Brick Lane in Shoreditch. This restaurant has also been mentioned as one of the best places to eat in London by Insider Magazine and caters Thai flavours from the Northeast.
Opened in a former fashion warehouse, Som Saa is popular for its mouth-watering herb deep fried sea bass and chilli and their sweet juicy papaya salad to go with the sea bass. The restaurant has its own bar where you can try the best cocktails, beer, and wine in town. The old 18th century arch brick walls can still be seen behind the bar with its long black hanging lamps making the restaurant quirky and trendy. In the middle, you’ll see a long oblong wooden table making the restaurant ideal for solo eaters (you won’t feel awkward sitting alone here!).
As with all Thai dishes, it’s traditional to eat a sharing platter, so each person picks from each dish to put on their individual plates. You won’t be disappointed with Som Saa.
Som Saa, 43a Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BD, Opening Times: Monday – Tuesday 6 pm – 10 pm, Wednesday – Saturday 12 pm – 2:30 pm, 6 pm – 10:30 pm, Sunday 12 pm – 3 pm, 5 pm – 9 pm. https://www.somsaa.com/
7. Halal
The Great Chase
The Great Chase is the only halal restaurant that serves fine dining offering modern British and modern European dishes. Nestled in Clerkenwell, the Great Chase offers halal meat, fish, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free meals.
The restaurant is located under an 18th Century red bricked flat and has several navy-blue booths which make your dining warm, cosy, and feel-at-home. Muslims have the chance to pray in the prayer room at the back and offers an iftar menu for a great Eid celebration.
Whether you want croquettes as starters, the tender lamb shank or a Sunday Roast with fries and potatoes (only available on Sundays of course) as mains, with apple crumble for dessert, you’re sure to find something that suits you. The restaurant has its own non-alcoholic dry bar serving the virgin cocktails and non-alcoholic beer from the menu as well.
The Great Chase, 316 St. John’s Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4NT, Opening Times: Monday – Tuesday are closed, Wednesday – Friday, 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm, Saturday 12 pm – 3 pm, 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm, Sunday 12 pm – 8 pm. https://www.thegreatchase.co.uk/
8. Vegan
Mildred’s Soho
Mildred’s is a well-known 2-floor vegan restaurant serving vegan, organic, seasonal food, and vegan wine. Opened in 1988, Mildred’s has 6 locations throughout the UK including King’s Cross, Camden, and Dalston, but you can’t beat the one in Soho. Snuggled inside a small narrow alleyway of Soho, this branch’s baby blue 19th Century store front consists of two tables and chairs outside for all you coffee lovers.
The row of booth seats against the wall and a row of chairs on opposite sides give the restaurant a long aisle in the middle. When it’s busy, you’d have to squeeze your way through, but busy is good right? It means it’s popular. Just book in advance if you don’t want to wait long.
Try the gyoza for starters, then opt for the sweet potato curry for mains. Mildred’s will make those meat eaters vegan and when times get busy, it’s worth the wait.
Mildred’s Soho, 45 Lexington Street, London, W1F 9AN, England, Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 9 am – 11 pm, Sunday 9 am – 10 pm. https://www.mildreds.co.uk/
9. Steak
Steak & Co.
If you love steak of any type on a hot stone plate, then Steak & Co. is the one for you. Steak & Co. has branches in Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus, but you can’t beat the one in Leicester Square.
This outdoor seating restaurant with its bricked interior, brown chairs and tables facing a selection of wine bottles on the wall has everything you need for a great juicy steak (the way you want it done), especially if you’re planning an evening watching a theatre show across the road.
A few minutes’ walk from Leicester Square and Charing Cross Station, Steak & Co. is one of London’s steakhouses that are worth the value of money. With a £12.95 6 oz sirloin steak and chips with bearnaise sauce for lunch between 12 pm – 4 pm, to a £23 for a 10oz rump steak for dinner, you sure won’t be disappointed.
5 Irving Street, Leicester Square, London, WC2H 0HA, Opening Times: Monday to Thursday, Sunday – 11 am – 11 pm, Friday – Saturday 11 am – 12 am. https://www.steakandcompany.co.uk/
10. English breakfast
The Old English Coffee House
Situated in Mayfair, The Old English Coffee House is a far cry from the mid-range restaurants you’ll find in other parts of Central London. The simple furniture, the gigantic menu on the wall, and the exposed kitchen at the back of the coffee house is what you’d get from a typical English café.
1A Mentrose Place, London, SW1X 7DU, Opening Times: Monday – Friday 7 am – 5pm, Saturday 7:30 am – 12 pm, Sunday Closed.
I am also a part of an affiliate program with Expedia.co.uk and Tripadvisor.co.uk where you’ll find comparison prices and reviews on accommodation, restaurants and attractions. Click on the Tripadvisor link above to find reviews on the restaurants above.
If you book through me with no additional charge to you, I get a commission from them.
In addition, I am able to recommend and advise on your travel plans before you book your travel holidays (vacation as the Americans call it). Contact me on Facebook if you want to tweak your itinerary to suit your taste.
