

The ground floor dining room is perfect for tables of two, or downstairs there’s room for larger groups. Desserts are hearty or light, depending on your appetite, rice pudding comes with rum soaked raisins, Madeleines are cooked to order or have their famous combination of Eccles cakes with a wedge of crumbly Lancashire cheese.

Chopped beetroot salad is dressed with pickled walnuts, a seldom used great British accompaniment and their new deep fried Welsh Rarebit has sent restaurant critics into paroxysms of pleasure. There’s devilled crab, game birds (in season), braised rabbit and a new version of anchovies on toast - fillets of salted anchovy served in a tangle of parsley and shallot on crisp croutons.

With a simpler menu than their original Smithfield restaurant, this still serves the superb and deceptively simple dishes that made it the holy grail of good English food. The 50 best restaurants in LondonĪs a long term devotee of St John, I am delighted they have opened another branch in Marylebone, a short walk from the Conde Nast office and an excuse to wander past the tempting shops on charming back street, Marylebone Lane. Watch this space, we'll keep you posted on what they're like. In September 2023, we're looking at Brooklyn-export Llama Inn in Hoxton Shoreditch, Bébé Bob in Soho, the return of Claridge's Restaurant and The Lapérouse at London's biggest hotel opening of the year, The OWO. This list, like the restaurant scene in London, is ever-changing and updated to reflect new openings that immediately grab us, so it's one to check back on every time you're wondering where to go. When the weather allows and you fancy some terrace dining, consult our list of outdoor restaurants and book a lovely meal in well-curated surrounds. Try one of the best afternoon teas in the city, or consult our list of best brunches in London if you're looking to indulge in a long and languorous breakfast. If you're after something new, consult our Restaurant of the Week column, which chronicles the latest openings to know about (like Counter 71 in Shoreditch, Chalk and Kibako). Whether you’re looking for fine dining or a quick bite, tasting menu or sharing plates, these are the restaurants not to miss in the capital, in no particular order. When choosing who should make the list, good food was paramount, but so too were atmosphere, service, wine list and overall experience. To help narrow down the choices, we've whittled them down to a list of the 50 best restaurants in London, compiled by House & Garden's food editor Blanche Vaughan and deputy digital editor Charlotte McCaughan-Hawes. It both helps and hinders that the capital is home to many of the best chefs in the world, who have trained all over the world, bringing new flavours and ideas to the capital and in doing so, creating a diverse and ever-changing food scene. When you're in London, you're never short of choice when it comes to eating out, but ascertaining what the best restaurants in London are is quite another matter.
