Best restaurants in Marylebone

The Bernardi brothers’ eponymous Italian fits right into Portman Village, where appearances might not be everything but are certainly a factor: the neat streetside terrace, marble tables and mildly distressed leather provide a “chilled” bolthole for daytime socialising, the brothers’ Australian influences keep things playful and service is “very accommodating”. One-time Roux Scholarship finalist Sabrina Gidda has a handle on what’s needed in the food department: porchetta with spring greens, salsa verde and polenta roasties for Sunday lunch, aperitivi snacks of polpette and arancini, plus more serious dishes in between. Try spinach and ricotta gnudi with datterini tomatoes and basil, followed by stone bass fillet with mussels, saffron and samphire or lamb rump with goats’ cheese, stuffed artichoke and black olive sauce. Desserts are simple reworkings of the greats, from Amalfi lemon posset with fennel biscotti to mascarpone cheesecake with cherries and pistachio. Also check out the colourful Dog House basement bar and courtyard.

This D&D London-owned, Conran-era classic has celebrated its 21st birthday with a gentle refurbishment that has effectively kept the grey-toned colour scheme the same as before. It remains one of the most elegant dining rooms in London, especially pretty at lunchtime when light floods through the arched windows overlooking St Marylebone churchyard, and in summer when the rooftop terrace is one of the capital’s best-kept secrets. Chef-patron Igor Tymchyshyn has worked here since 2008 and hasn’t ever deviated from the restaurant’s modern French template. Starters of perky cured mackerel with cucumber and horseradish or a really excellent Dorset crab with mango and wasabi might be followed by a signature tournedos Rossini with almost as much foie gras as steak. A trolley whiffy with 30 well-kept cheeses has always been what the place is most famous for – as too a 22-page wine list with some big names among the two dozen by the glass, with fine wine prices slashed on Mondays. Service is as formal as the business-friendly setting of well-spaced, white-clothed tables demands, without losing sight of friendliness. A set menu (£39) with four choices per course avoids the stiff cost of the à la carte (£59), while the tiny bar is a rare for the area cocktail spot.

This “marvellous” Basque kitchen has always served the food and drink of San Sebastián and its environs against a backdrop of purest white, with touches of grained wood and marble – although it’s now reaping the benefit of a 2016 refurb. The food doesn’t need much flattery, even if the act of pouring natural Basque cider from great heights does add a certain ceremony to the experience. Excellent charcuterie dominates the selection of cold plates, while pintxos could be foie gras with walnuts and PX vinegar, jamón croquetas or tempura prawns with ham and mango. Bigger tapas dishes give meat and fish a starring role, as in Ibérico pork shoulder with romesco sauce, crispy-fried cod cheeks with squid-ink aïoli or marinated quail with spinach, pancetta and truffle oil. There are classic extras including blistered Padrón peppers and masterfully made tortilla too. Donostia’s owners started out in the wine import trade, and there’s quality in every glass.

You wouldn’t come across Dinings by accident – and if you did, you might not think it was a restaurant at all. But this Japanese powerhouse isn’t defined by its postage stamp-sized premises on two floors of a backstreet townhouse as both technique and cooking are exemplary, allowing the repertoire to evolve into Japanese ‘tapas’ with inventive but complementary flourishes. Sushi and sashimi, such as open rolls of spicy tuna with sesame sauce and shichimi pepper, come from the ground-floor counter, or you could ring the changes with a crossover riff involving yellowtail topped with horseradish salsa, British caviar and wasabi jalapeño vinaigrette. Hot bites could be grilled chilli garlic black cod, while set lunches are donburi-based with toppings of freshwater eel and foie gras or Wagyu beef with garlic butter soy. Dinings’ fans are legion, so inevitably the basic basement dining room is a squeeze. If your heart is set on it, advance booking is a very good idea.

This sibling of Parisian big-hitter Le Taillevent may be rather stern looking, but charming service helps to soften the edges of its dark-green, low-lit dining room. Of course, its main appeal (to both wine buffs and casual drinkers) is the spectacular offering of 110 by-the-glass wines, as part of the overall list which exceeds 1,500 bottles. Each dish on head chef Ross Bryans’ menu can be paired to four glasses of wine from 110’s collection, making bottle-free drinking intoxicatingly simple. Food-wise, the seasonally-changing menu deals in luxe versions of classic French fayre, with dishes arriving at the table beautifully presented, but with little pretension. Take the crisply crumbed pig’s trotter croquette, which is topped with a delicate assemblage of blood pudding, chunks of apple and giroles. The crowd here is often business folk (reflected in the prices), but 110 also makes for a cute date setting, not least because its divinely crisp apple tart tartin, perfect dessert for sharing. If you want to feel like a true Parisian though, end your evening with 110’s selection of cheeses, naturally paired with stellar wines.     

Trishna’s “modern take on Indian cuisine” is where the Sethi family’s restaurant story started. Their clutch of new openings may be markedly young ’n’ funky compared to the original, but that’s how Trishna’s fans like it – and there are plenty of them, including Michelin.

The food is beautifully presented to fit a restrained dining room with doors that open onto the street in summer. Although the prevailing breeze might not be coastal, much of the cooking has a noticeable briny tang: pink prawns with chilli, garlic and smoked tomato chutney or quail pepper fry with Keralan spices, followed by the now-famous tandoori hariyali bream in a vivid green chilli-herb jacket. Biriyanis are inventive, while venison and duck come with superior keema naans. Oenophile Sunaina Sethi has devised some “exceptional” wine pairings to match the complexity of the food: you are in safe hands.

This flagship branch of the Royal China chain might have doubled in size thanks to a four-month renovation in the summer of 2018 but compared to its huge siblings, it still feels intimate; instead of one large dining room, the restaurant is split into two, while five new private dining rooms benefit from natural light. The new look is slick without being intimidatingly stylish: gold leaf on the ceiling, red lacquer on the wall and enough black leather seating to make the restaurant smell like a luxury stand at the Beijing Motor Show. 

Foodwise, Royal China Club sticks to the classics, but using premium ingredients: fresh abalone tossed with caviar, pan-fried scallop with foie gras, or a grilled Wagyu fillet in teriyaki sauce. If the size of the bill isn’t a concern, you will eat very well here, although more budget-minded diners may feel more comfortable in the less luxury-focused Baker Street Royal China a few doors down. Try well timed and spiced soft-shell crab with salt and peppercorn, Szechuan king prawns wiht noticeably fresh seafood or beautifully roasted crispy Iberian pork belly. Staff are delightful, and if price is a concern, daytime dim sum offers a relatively more affordable way in.

It might feel like London is full of Jason Atherton’s Socials, but James Street was sorely in need of a restaurant that prizes quality as well as conviviality, and this is it. Customers enter through a wine shop and tasting area dedicated to executive sommelier Laure Patry’s eagle-eyed finds, then head down to the cellar bar where wine is everywhere – even, via a recorded soundtrack, in the toilets. It’s dark and masculine, but service is warm, and the food is a mixture of trad tapas and elevated ideas. Creamy piquillo croquetas and sweet, oily pan con tomate are difficult to beat, though crispy duck egg with artichoke and grated truffle comes close. Readers also recommend the “awesome” lamb fillet with char-grilled celeriac, cucumber and yoghurt, “genuinely mouth-watering” char-grilled broccolini with chilli, pear and air-dried tuna shavings, and the crisp-crunchy Szechuan-fried chipirones with togarashi and squid ink aïoli. Puddings run from elegant to nostalgic – a cornet of soft-serve salted caramel ice cream with butterscotch sauce, for example. Fans (ourselves included) “can’t wait to go back”.

A happy combination of warmth, familiarity and location ensures the longevity of this one-off bolthole, dedicated to the charms of the Veneto. You’ll find more directional interiors and of-the-moment food elsewhere, but this is a deliberately coddling experience, all brick arches, bounteous bread baskets and low-key generosity. From the antipasti list, try sarde in saor with white onion, pine nuts and sultanas or one of the variations on salt cod, ahead of bigoli pasta with duck ragù, plain-speaking beef tagliata with a salad of bitter radicchio or fritto misto – an effort to conjure the spirit of the lagoon using squid, mullet, soft-shell crab and king prawns. Lunchtimes now stretch out with an appealing, simplified afternoon menu (served until 5.30pm) and – as you’d expect – wines from the Veneto dominate the Italian drinks list.

Picture mark two comes from chefs Alan Christie and Colin Kelly and front-of-house Tom Slegg, who earned their stripes at Arbutus and Wild Honey. The team has imbibed the original ethos of those top-ranking restaurants to produce good-value modern European cooking served in an austere setting of no-frills comfort. Menus dated with an inky library stamp are a nice touch; choose from a six-course seasonal tasting menu (£40) or go à la carte (around £10 per course). Portions are small but flavours are bold, the ingredients diverting and the presentation elegant: soft parcels of ravioli containing sweet tangles of caramelised onion, pecorino shavings melting on top; excellent charred and spiced cauliflower, redolent of North Africa; silkily textured 28-day aged beef dusted with a bone-marrow crumb; punchily flavoured lamb neck with nuggets of deep-fried sweetbreads, seasoned with salty bursts of anchovy. Fish was a highlight for us, a lovely combination of cod, chorizo and sweetcorn especially. We also enjoyed the wine matching and jolly service from Slegg, whose list of lesser-known producers generally keeps below the £50 mark, unless you’re celebrating with Burgundy or Bordeaux. A Picture worth reproducing. 

Eating at Giorgio Locatelli’s Michelin-starred flagship brings you one step closer to la dolce vita – so writes a fan who adores this polished purveyor of “old-school glamour” and pure-bred Italian regional cooking. Beaded curtains, cream leather and dramatic domed mirrors create just the right amount of chic elegance, while neatly designed alcoves offer privacy for those who are at Locanda Locatelli for discreet assignations. Meanwhile, the kitchen delivers value, authenticity and culinary cred as it fashions an array of vivacious dishes inspired by provenance-led cucina rustica. Superlative hand-crafted pasta is the undisputed headline act (ring-shaped calamarata with monkfish, samphire, dry capers, chilli and lemon, for example), but everything at Locanda Locatelli is imbued with seasonal freshness – from a grilled vegetable salad with stuffed peppers, pine kernel and basil to roast grouse with stewed lentils and game chips. To round things off, try the Neapolitan ‘baba’ with Chantilly and orange cream or gorge on some artisan cheeses, offered lovingly with Italian honey. Service seldom falters and prices are “not ridiculous” – although you’ll need to shell out a pretty penny to do the patrician wine list full justice. 

The “brilliant new restaurant” from sommelier Xavier Rousset (ex-Texture) has given Marylebone’s bon viveurs yet another reason to celebrate. Seated at the smart counter and marble-topped tables, they can delight in a list featuring over 50 Champagnes, 20 interesting by-the-glass offerings and knock-out vintage bottles, with the chance to steer future picks during monthly tastings. The “unpretentious” neighbourhood vibe demands great food, and chef Ben Mellor obliges with a “terrific” menu based on prime ingredients: from stuffed courgette flowers or slivers of raw lamb dressed with fresh Amalfi lemon and mint to ‘Med-on-a-plate’ octopus with potatoes, olives and tomatoes, readers “absolutely love it”. An approachable £15 lunch deal brings the dish of the day, a glass of wine and tea or coffee, though punters in more extravagant mode can also share a côte de boeuf with confit new season garlic, red wine jus and new potatoes. To finish? Cheese and wine, of course.

It has been a rollercoaster six years for Ravinder Bhogal. Since Gordon Ramsay dubbed her the ‘new Fanny Craddock’ on his TV show The F Word she has launched award-winning cookbooks, TV shows and supper clubs. But Jikoni, her first restaurant, is her crowning glory. It’s a cosy little site, furnished with floral tablecloths, scatter cushions and fabric lampshades, kept on the formal side of kitsch by a smart marble bar and white walls. Jikoni means ‘kitchen’ in Swahili, and Bhogal’s east African-cum-Indian-cum-British heritage is reflected in a menu that infuses comforting Brit classics with exotic spices. Witness her three takes on the Scotch egg – our favourite saw soft, gooey quail’s egg wrapped in a prawn toast mix, served with banana ketchup. Elsewhere, crunchy, battered ‘popcorn’ cauliflower scattered with chilli and garlic, and soft-shell crab on a spicy relish, were standout small plates. Best main course was a half-lobster in a spicy coconut moilee curry sauce, topped with more shredded, creamed coconut (£24). But Bhogal can also deliver on a budget: a shepherd’s pie made with big chunks of scrag-end and infused with gentle spices was also top-drawer, and generously portioned for £14. There were only two let-downs – an uninspiring tapioca and mango jelly pudding, and a watery gin and cucumber lassi. Yet, with polished staff who buy-in to the ‘dinner at an insanely talented friend’s house’ vibe, and a fan-base injecting a real buzz, Bhogal has opened a wonderfully unique little restaurant.

This first solo project from Italian chef Carlo Scotto (ex-Murano) shuns the food of his home country in favour of best-of-British produce fashioned into some very fine-dining modern cooking. As at another contemporary take on haute cuisine, Hide in Mayfair, the restaurant operates as two distinct spaces: Xier is the tasting menu-focused first floor, while downstairs, XR has a more casual, accessible and slightly cheaper offering.

The 10-course tasting menu offered by Xier is, needless to say, occasion dining, replete with theatre, sleek service and Michelin-baiting dishes that are turned out with assembly-line precision. Prices are high, portions are small and jugs of water are kept away from your table, because pouring one’s own drink here would be unthinkable. Despite the fussiness, there is some real flair on show. The reward for reaching the end of the dining marathon is a cheese course featuring mouth-puckering fizzy grapes on the side, followed by a selection of desserts. Unlike many new London restaurants, Xier is a dining experience that demands your full attention. If you’re a fan of this increasingly rare breed, you’ll be more than happy to give it your full attention.

If you judged this all-day Marylebone restaurant solely on its rather silly name, you probably wouldn’t be expecting to find such a stylish space. The truth though, is that A.O.K is home to one of the most life-affirming dining rooms we’ve come across in recent times – chocolate brown wallpaper with floral prints form a focal wall and there are mirrored surfaces galore. The real wow-factor though comes from a faux tree in the corner of the dining room, the branches of which stretch across the ceiling, festooned with white blooms.

The chic interiors are matched by an equally as refined menu of ingredient-led dishes, which will appeal to the neighbourhood’s well-heeled crowds. A.O.K makes much fuss about what it calls ‘inclusive dining’, meaning its dishes are free of refined sugar and that plenty of them are also gluten and dairy-free. Breakfast and brunch sees classic dishes including various egg-based fayre and gluten-free pancakes drizzled with organic maple syrup, while the lunch and dinner menus are largely the same.

We visited at dinnertime and kicked off with a starter of burratina: a wobbly dome of creamy mozzarella finished off with a handful of diced heritage tomatoes. Elsewhere, we loved fleshy wild tiger prawns dusted with lightly spicy chermoula, while a stand-out side of blended sweet potato ‘mash’ (more like a purée) was a moreish delight.

For dessert, expect novel twists on classic puds, including a pumpkin sticky toffee pudding served with ginger ice cream, and an ‘almost cheesecake’ which swaps out cream cheese for a set coconut yoghurt – cheesecake often feels heavy, but this version is both refreshing and light, and is all the better for it.

One of our few gripes with A.O.K is its punchy pricing. Although not dissimilar in price from restaurants nearby, several of the mains are over the £30 mark, but luckily the blow of the bill is softened by the sweet, friendly service. Wine and cocktails are all on-hand too, while we've already earmarked the chic street-side terrace as the place to lounge on sunnier days.   

Oh, Vienna: Corbin and King’s grand café has one misty-eyed for the city of cafés and giant schnitzels without ever leaving Marylebone. It’s not so much the food, though that’s a cold-weather dream: neat rye sourdough brötchen lined with beetroot and herring, followed by braised beef tafelspitz or pan-fried duck liver with grapes and redcurrants piled onto crisp rösti. It’s more the cumulative effect of the smart staff, low lights, leather accents, copious taxidermy and gorgeous views. This is a comfortable, well-padded kind of seduction, complete with cake plates brought to the table for you to choose from (go for the classic Sachertorte), and silver coupes filled with nutty ice cream. Mid-European wines are a feature, but so is coffee and a biscuit. We love it, although one disappointed punter thinks that Fischer’s needs to “up its game”, with the Ivy Café now grabbing headlines (and customers) on Marylebone High Street.

On the former site of the Galvin brothers' Bistrot de Luxe, Ooty is a south Indian specialist headed up by chef Manmeet Singh Bali. The restaurant is named after a hill-station town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and combines three separate spaces: an 80-cover dining room, a basement bar, and ‘Ooty station’ – an all-day casual dining space and cocktail bar. 

The very pretty dining room espouses pastel tones, floral wallpaper and a ‘living’ wall of greenery (which our cheery waiter later admitted is artificial.) The menu of dishes inspired by Indian staples is, in the main, mostly a winner, with kid goat sukka (strips of tender goat shoulder) being a particular stand-out. Some diners may lament Ooty's lack of bold flavours, but we were ultimately charmed by its cosy atmosphere, refined dishes and delightfully sweet staff.

Simon Rogan's resurrection of his much-lauded pop up Roganic, which ran for two years in 2011, takes some elements from the chef’s two Michelin-starred L’Enclume. Roganic’s focus is on supremely fresh ingredients, often sourced from Rogan’s own farm in Cumbria, with head chef Oliver Marlow (part of the original Roganic line-up) overseeing 10- and 14-course tasting menus of dainty but dynamic plates.

Everything we tried was near perfect, from the intensely creamy starting snack of a preserved raspberry tart rooted with an earthy beetroot base, to a dessert of apple slices caramelised into a bundle of sweetness that is almost too pretty to eat. France leads the European-focused wine list (good luck finding much below £45), while wine flights are supplemented by a dozen by-the-glass options, and there are also Cumbrian beers and gin. Service is positively warm and friendly. The restaurant’s understated interior (complete with 80s-style cane Cesca chairs) may not be to all tastes – not least given the not-very-understated prices – but Roganic excels at remixing the fine-dining of old in an exciting, and most importantly delicious, way.

Nordic influences now pervade London’s restaurant scene, but Agnar Sverrisson’s Michelin-starred restaurant remains one of the best places in town for a taste of the north. Butter and cream are given a wide berth, but there’s no lack of luxury in the kitchen’s focused and often ingenious approach to high-class ingredients. Seafood really sings – perhaps Norwegian king crab with coconut, ginger, lime leaf and lemongrass, followed by lightly salted Icelandic cod with avocado, brandade, tomatoes and chorizo – while land-based treats range from Lancaster beetroots with Gorgonzola, walnuts and ‘snow’ (a favourite flourish) to Limousin veal with artichokes, runner beans and cherries. Skyr may have hit the mainstream, but here it’s the real deal, served with vanilla, rye bread and blueberries, while white chocolate is ingeniously balanced with dill and cucumber. Sommelier and co-founder Xavier Rousset left in 2015 to open restaurants including Blandford Comptoir, but there’s been no obvious harm to the wine list, which remains a Riesling-fancier’s dream.

The fervour that surrounded André Balazs’ Marylebone hotspot has died down and you no longer need to be famous to secure a table, but Chiltern Firehouse still delivers in spades. Readers praise the outdoor-themed interiors as well as the high-decibel “party vibe”, and we’ve also been impressed by the all-inclusive attitude of the staff, who happily laugh and chat with diners. Meanwhile, in the open kitchen, chef Nuno Mendes and his team send out plenty of likeable big-time successes. Snacks such as bacon cornbread and the famous coral-dusted crab doughnut kick things off nicely, but there are other highlights too: char-grilled Ibérico pork comes with the unexpected additions of grilled peaches and red pepper kimchi, while a side of mac ‘n’ cheese is given a fiery kick with jalapeño peppers. Early risers pack in for breakfast (potted eggs with caramelised onions and curried potatoes), freelancers take advantage of the indulgent lunchtime offers (crab and lobster omelette, say), and we’d also recommend Chiltern Firehouse for a pre/post-meal trip to the botanically themed bar for cheekily named cocktails. Be warned – the bill (with impressive wines included) may have you reaching for the fire alarm.

Peter Gordon’s double-decker fusion palace is supposed to be fun, and readers confirm that it’s a blast. At street level, there’s the no-bookings Tapa Room (named after a Rarotongan tapa cloth, which decorates the space): this noisy rendezvous is perpetually rammed with crowds who gather for breakfast (brown rice, apple, maple syrup and miso porridge with tamarillo compote, perhaps) and all-day dishes. Upstairs, the eponymous dining room pushes more boundaries, delivering multi-ingredient combos with a little more formality – think smoked Dutch eel with coconut and tamarind laksa, green tea noodles, soft-boiled quail’s egg, girolles and sweetcorn followed by Creedy Carver duck breast with figs, walnuts, grapes, sherry vinegar and membrillo. Every day’s a school day here, so ask if you’re not sure what something is (the staff are used to it) and reserve some time, money and attention to explore the seriously Kiwi wine list.