London's Top 100 Restaurants by SquareMeal

Two Michelin-starred Rafael Cagali’s Da Terra is a blissful representation of Brazilian and Italian working together in equal harmony. Every dish is precise, exquisitely crafted and surprising in the best possible way. A triumph!

The calibre of the kitchen team at this neighbourhood joint is so fierce that our expectations were confirmed when Dorian opened to stellar praise in 2022. Expect beautiful seasonal plates handled with care by ex-Ikoyi chef Max Coen, and a wine list sourced from Noble Rot.

Tomos Parry’s Basque-inspired cooking continues to earn the praises of anyone who eats here. Welsh produce cooked over flames is Parry’s way of celebrating the food of his childhood, but it’s the house specialty turbot that will forever give the restaurant its name.

Brave, insightful, sustainable cooking elevates Fallow to the upper echelons of London’s dining scene. Heston alumni Will and Jack prove that low-waste cooking is as cool as ever, with dishes such as smoked cod’s head in Sriracha butter gaining cult status for those in the know.

Indian restaurants in London are varied and bountiful, but Chet Sharma’s brainchild Bibi surpasses them all. Here, rules are thrown out the window with his witty and inventive spin on classic Indian dishes, and the interiors are just as exceptional as the food.

Jason Atherton’s Michelin-starred Mayfair gem shows no signs of becoming outdated by other new ventures moving into the area. Instead, Pollen Street Social continues to astound with its attention to detail and adventurous ideas. Superb.

The place to go when you want comfort and joy on a plate (and in a glass). Head chef Nick Bramham curates a weekly-changing blackboard of Mediterranean plates which you can pair alongside a selection of daily-changing wines, available by the glass or bottle.

Few gastropubs manage to capture the essence of a local boozer with the elegance of a sophisticated restaurant, but The Pelican’s only gone and done it. The cooking here is robust, intelligent and well-priced. Don’t miss the lobster pie.

Barbecue joint Acme Fire Cult offers a rebellious take on cooking over hot coals, with a focus on vegetables and utilising low-waste techniques, such as pickling and fermenting. Here, insightful dishes are presented on bamboo plates, and best enjoyed alongside one of its fresh brews

To call Ikoyi a 'West African' restaurant is a wild simplification of what a meal at this exceptional restaurant entails. This is West Africa via Noma, with smatterings of chef Jeremy Chan's Chinese-Canadian background thrown into the mix, and the results are astonishing.

Alex Dilling’s pitch-perfect cooking has Michelin star written all over it, a bold but fair claim despite being open less than a year. We salute his remarkable skill, evident in dishes such as deconstructed tartiflette canapes and Cornish sardines with just-set buttermilk and cuttlefish.

The Ledbury’s enduring reign as one of London’s best restaurants has not been tainted by its temporary closure during the pandemic. Focusing on tasting menus only, Brett Graham and Tom Spenceley continue to deliver faultless cooking at this Notting Hill icon.

The team behind NEST and FENN have opened another success story with St Barts. Executive chef Johnnie Crowe’s masterpiece 15-course menu demonstrates a huge amount of skill, while still allowing the ingredients to breathe and sing. Bravo!

Rice is elevated to hero status at Shaulan Steenson’s sushi restaurant in Brixton, which he flavours perfectly to pair with fresh fish. Discover winning combinations such as BBQ eel, miso aubergine and lobster with egg yolk, miso and citrus in his famous temaki handrolls.

All ones' cares simply slip away upon entering The Ritz’s pink, Regency-style dining room. Few in the capital manage to execute classic French cooking with the panache and high level of service as at this iconic Michelin-starred haunt.

A chef’s counter with room for just 10 diners, Evelyn’s Table is an intimate and seriously special dining experience in which guests are treated to a tasting menu of Italian-Japanese influences from the highly-talented Selby brothers.

Main man Isaac McHale’s cooking is radical, unorthodox and daringly modern, his tasting menus featuring the likes of grilled habanero granita with plum sorbet, and warm potato mousse with caramel ice cream. It’s bold, and it works (with two Michelin stars to prove it).

There are good Italian restaurants, there are great Italian restaurants and then there’s Luca, which is in a league of its own. Despite advertising itself as casual dining, the plates here offer a level of precision, creativity and beauty often only achieved in the upper echelons of fine dining.

Mexican cuisine is portrayed using British produce at this Michelin-starred restaurant, where chef Santiago Lastra aims to elevate average ingredients (KOL plays on the Spanish for ‘col’ meaning cabbage) to something incredible. It's unlike anything else in London right now.

Chef and owner A.Wong’s flair for creativity, storytelling and fun is the reason his restaurant is still the only Chinese restaurant in London to retain two Michelin stars. Serving some of the best dim sum in the capital, a meal here will stay with you long after it's over.

Lynus Lim and Chase Lovecky have a gem on their hands with Evernight - a slick Japanese restaurant in glamorous Nine Elms that delivers genuinely innovative cooking. The smoked eel chawanmushi is one of our dishes of the year.

There’s a reason Kiln has accrued a legion of fans that continues to grow with each passing year. From its quirky, out-there Thai dishes to its laughably affordable prices, this is the sort of spot you can’t believe still exists in central London. A true favourite.

Core by Clare Smyth will forever go down in history as one of the finest examples of culinary excellence in the UK. With three Michelin stars to its name, this unrivalled restaurant acts as a model for fine dining, while exceptional service and a French-leaning wine list complete the experience.

The food at Helene Darroze is nothing short of a work of art. Each carefully-considered plate is made using the finest seasonal ingredients, from producers hand-selected by Helene herself, and wielded into plates of pure joy.

Perilla might bill itself as a neighbourhood restaurant, but this high-flying gem is well worth a trip across town if you ask us. The menu changes daily and with the seasons, and while all its dishes are worthy of applause, you can’t start a meal here without its famous sourdough with brown butter.

Nuno Mendes’ love letter to Lisbon finds its home on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, where gorgeous sharing plates are served ‘tasca-style’. It's a convivial dining experience from start to finish, and you mustn’t leave without trying the egg yolk and pork fat custard with port wine caramel.

Dark wood, scrawled blackboards and flickering candles feel like a comforting embrace amidst the heaving streets of Bloomsbury. Noble Rot specialises in simple, honest, beautiful French food, and the wine list is second to none.

Far more than just another pasta restaurant, Manteca brings robust, richly-flavoured Italian plates to Shoreditch at this relaxed, nose-to-tail restaurant. Expect whole-animal butchery, hand-rolled pastas, wood-fired breads, and its own salami made in-house.

James Lowe’s ever-popular Shoreditch restaurant continues to draw the crowds. Lyle’s is famous for its minimal, utilitarian aesthetic, which gives the spotlight to hyper-seasonal British cooking.

The glitzy location may keep some away, but we’d recommend everyone to make time to visit Richard Corrigan’s eponymous Mayfair restaurant - the food is comforting, delicious and perfectly executed.

One of London’s truly influential great restaurants is still as good as ever, feeding the masses with humble British cooking, comforting pies and warm madeleines straight from the oven. Long may it continue.

This diminutive Thai restaurant in London’s far east reaches has built a considerable following thanks to unabashed, authentic cooking. Bookings are thin on the ground but necessary.

Everything about the experience at Trinity is pitch-perfect, from generous service to exceptional cooking that bring classic French technique to British produce. Don’t miss the beloved salted caramel custard tart.

Nieves Barragan Mohacho’s peerless Spanish restaurant remains one of London’s very best. Gather around the open kitchen and wood-fired ‘asador’ and feast on some special Galician cooking.

Aikens’ tiny Belgravia restaurant only sits 25 diners, but there’s magic going on in this converted mews townhouse. Grab a spot at the upstairs counter for an exceptionally personal experience with the man himself.

Tom Sellers’ double Michelin star-wielding fine diner goes from strength to strength, executing inventive, playful dishes with unmatched precision and style.

If you’re looking for innovative fine dining with a touch of theatre, Adam Handling’s flagship Frog is the place to be. That inventive streak stretches to the vegetarian menu, which is one of London’s best.

The new look Lanesborough Grill has made a splash with masterful British cooking, courtesy of Shay Cooper. Also in the running for one of London’s most majestic dining rooms.

One can’t talk about French food in the capital without mentioning Bibendum, where Lyonnais master chef Claude Bosi is at the very top of his game in this majestic, historic building.

Buzzy, authentic and unpretentious, Brutto crashed onto the scene last year and has retained its popularity thanks to some very heartwarming Florentine cooking and affordable negronis.

London has really fallen for the omakase experience, and no-one does it quite like Endo Kazutoshi; the sushi master tells a story with his omakase feast, perched at the top of the Television Centre in White City.

Easily mistaken for a fishmonger from the outside, Prawn on the Lawn delivers heavenly fresh seafood and simple, generous cooking. The result is so much more than the sum of the parts - a hugely underrated London restaurant.

Another of London’s beloved old-timers, Rochelle Canteen is still where you go when you just want great, seasonal, British food with no messing about. The courtyard is one of London’s most coveted summer dining spots.

Patrick Powell’s highrise modern European restaurant is brilliant, inventive and, perhaps because of its Stratford location, rather underrated. Go - it’s worth the trip.

Samyukta Nair’s latest restaurant nails opulent Japanese dining, with luxury dishes delivered in a moody basement dining room. Yes, prices are sky high, but if you’re going to spend, this is a good place to do it.

Abby Lee’s no-holds-barred Malaysian restaurant is one of the revelations of the year. Menus are compact but perfectly-formed with comforting Malaysian cooking backed up with natural wines.

Love a food and wine pairing? Look no further than Jonny Lake and Isa Bal - the ultimate pairing - who have a great thing going in Bermondsey with clever European cooking and worldly wines from unheralded grape-growing regions.

Still the last word in timeless French cookery, Le Gavroche is where you go when you want to eat in the lap of Gallic luxury. The menu has evolved a little, but classics like the souffle Suissesse remain.

James Knappett’s fine dining magnum opus is counter dining at its most intimate - Kitchen Table fits just 19 people for each service, with each of the many courses delivered personally by chefs.

Is there a better lunch spot than outside at The River Cafe on a summer’s afternoon? Quality produce, measured cooking and generous service ensure that this iconic restaurant is still one of London’s elite.

The grand dame of Soho continues to thrill with a menu of proper cooking that you just wanted to dive into and roll around in. Go with oysters, chicken liver parfait, steak frites and a Paris Brest, then stumble out happy onto the streets of Soho.

Heston’s London outpost is still going strong, and continues to attract gastro-tourists from far and wide, who come for a taste of the famous meat fruit and other mind bending creations.

An opulent newcomer to London’s burgeoning restaurant scene, Mount St.'s prices are eye watering, but there’s brilliance and artistry in Jamie Shears’ cooking, from lobster pie to bubble and squeak with HP hollandaise.

A jewel in the JKS Restaurants crown, Gymkhana has long been thought of as one of London’s very best Indian restaurants. The interiors are rather lovely too, with dark wood, marble tabletops and metal accents striking a chord against a jade green colour palette.

A long-standing cult favourite with Londoners, Quality Chop House has been serving up rustic, comforting British classics for over a hundred years. Inside it retains a Victorian charm, with black and white tiled floors and wooden booths on cast iron legs.

West African fine dining might not be as rare in London as it once was, but Akoko finds itself at the forefront of the movement. Comforting, familiar favourites - like jollof rice - are elevated via slick presentation and fun twists.

This is fine dining with all the bells, whistles and quenelles you could ever dream of. Marcus Wareing’s restaurant champions hospitality in the whole sense of the word, encompassing impeccable service, plush surroundings and world-class cookery.

Monica Galetti stepped away from MasterChef in 2022 to focus on her restaurant, and this elegant Fitzrovia spot is right at the top of its game now, blending classic French and South Pacific influences.

London is hardly short of gastropubs, but The Baring marks one of the category’s trendiest openings of 2022. The frequently rotating yet short menu speaks volumes of the kitchen’s confidence in its handling of gutsy British favourites.

Employing live-fire cooking, Ekstedt at The Yard’s USP is the smoky hum of smoke through everything it serves - including a stupendous tableside-torched baked Alaska. Go for Scandinavian food that goes way beyond meatballs and mash.

Simon Rogan’s development kitchen presents a unique opportunity via its eight seater chef’s table where guests are used as (willing) guinea pigs to try some of the team’s most interesting, innovative dishes. The only problem? Getting a seat at the table.

Headed up by father and daughter duo Dinesh and Samyukta Nair, Jamavar is the exemplification of the duo’s innate capacity for creating unforgettable dining experiences. Head here for a warm welcome and unrivalled Indian food.

Ben Tish’s latest venture has all the hallmarks of its chef patron’s signature style: top-class ingredients, assertive flavour combinations and a relaxed family-dining set-up where guests are encouraged to enjoy their meal in a leisurely fashion.

Anthony Demetre’s pitch-perfect classic cookery is all the reason you need to visit Wild Honey in smart St James’s. The use of genuine wild honey in the dessert section is a nice touch.

This Michelin-starred restaurant in Kensington often goes under the radar, yet continues to turn out refined, uncomplicated, perfectly-cooked plates in its elegantly understated dining room. A real home away from home.

Adriana Cavita’s cooking isn’t like anything else in London, it’s a love letter to proper, uplifting Mexican food that spans the culinary intricacies of such a vast country. The chic interiors at this Marylebone restaurant add to its appeal.

One of The City’s best, Angler provides not only beautiful fish cookery but also stunning views and a terrace that is hard to beat come warm weather. Flawless service and experienced sommeliers complete the experience.

Marble pillars and Venetian-inspired details evoke the feel of a grand European cafe at this iconic dining destination. While a menu of European classics, from steak to schnitzel, offers timeless appeal.

Vivek Singh’s shaping of London’s culinary landscape has been instrumental in elevating Indian cuisine to whole new, elegant heights. Here, in the surroundings of an old library, he and his team serve flawlessly balanced plates.

Max Rocha’s famous parentage (John Rocha) might have helped the initial PR push, but Cafe Cecilia’s enduring popularity signifies the crowd-pleasing cookery done here. Rocha comes to the pass with experience in the kitchens of the River Cafe and Spring.

Proving style and substance can co-exist in equal measure, Leroy is a trendy Shoreditch pitstop that serves fantastic natural wines plus sharing plates that are pin-sharp yet unpretentious.

A fine dining old-timer, Chez Bruce’s dependable cookery has kept it central to the capital’s food scene since the 90s. The deft handling of British ingredients attracts both a well-heeled local crowd and a clutch of celebrity regulars.

A candlelit garden welcomes you before you’re met with a fish-first menu of sharing plates that celebrates the bounty of Britain in all its glory - illuminating the beauty that can be created from humble ingredients.

Opulent and theatrical in equal measure, the themed rooms of MiMi Mei Fair present a grown-up wonderland for those of us who love the whole dining experience. The kitchen’s clever handling of Chinese classics includes what we think might just be London’s best tableside-carved duck.

Diversity’s the name of the game at the eponymous Scully, a restaurant that draws on the eclectic heritage of its chef patron, an alumni of Ottolenghi. Exciting plates bounce from Ireland to Bali yet magically manage coherence.

Championing the heady combination of Sicilian-Moorish cuisine, Norma has carved a distinctive niche for itself in its bejewelled Fitzrovian townhouse. Start with cuttlefish crudo before enjoying incredible pasta and one of the sharing secondis.

Berber & Q’s little sister site, Carmel is sort of like a hip younger sibling with all the ease and confidence that brings. Food takes inspiration from the Eastern Mediterranean with menus that span brunch, lunch and dinner.

Serving up vibes as hot as its food, Plaza Khao Gaeng burst onto London’s dining scene in 2022 to critical acclaim. Chef Luke Farrell spent years in Thailand studying the country’s food before returning to Blighty with his favourite recipes.

Richard Corrigan’s seafood institution needs little introduction, where everything from Beluga Royal caviar to fish and chips is served with aplomb. 100 years later and it’s still going strong.

Competition for modern Indian cooking in London is fierce, but Farzi Cafe puts up a strong fight. Here, inventive dishes such as lobster and coconut curry risotto turn traditional Indian dishes on their head, and the results are truly exciting.

Run by the formidable Sally Abe - SquareMeal’s female chef of the year in 2021 - The Pem has a bold pink and red colour scheme and an equally punchy menu of Great British flavours.

Seemingly unstoppable, Jose Pizarro‘s latest venture adds another reason to head to the RA, besides the art. Creativity in the kitchen is realised through tapas plates like spicy prawn fritters. Be warned though, most days it's only open for lunch.

It’s sort of hard not to be impressed by dining on a boat, but the food at Caravel would be classed as extremely lovely, wherever it was served. Plates are filled with flavours that nod to nostalgia, yet the fish cookery is resolutely grown-up.

Jeremey Lee’s rustic and generously portioned British classics have helped this restaurant remain one of London’s best. We adore the frivolity and fun of this quirky Soho restaurant.

Chef, cookbook author and sustainability advocate Chantelle Nicholson heads up this impressive Mayfair restaurant. Everything from the decor to the menu has sustainability at its core.

Found on the first floor of this multi-floor restaurant, Above at HIDE offers serene views of Green Park. Diners can enjoy both a la carte and tasting menus that feature ever-changing seasonal dishes.

As glitzy and glamorous as its original site in the heart of Mayfair, this sprawling suburban version delivers big on sophisticated seafood. Grab a cocktail and caviar at the bar before moving to your table for a towering seafood platter.

Frequently referred to as one of London’s most laidback luxury joints, Spring is special in its ability to put diners completely at ease. The kitchen’s sustainability ambitions are skyhigh and realised through pristine plates.

Widely known as one of North London’s best pubs, since being taken over by new owners, The Plimsoll has regained the feel of a traditional British boozer with a daily-changing menu of experimental takes on classic dishes.

The epitome of charming, the Garden Museum Cafe produces some of the most wonderful yet simple food in London. The kitchen delivers a few select plates daily, each carefully balancing just a couple of key ingredients that prove sometimes less is more.

Found within the historic Whitechapel Gallery, Townsend’s loosely British menus are constantly changing but one thing remains consistent - truly outside-the-box creativity. Plus some great wines to match.

For some top tier pub food, The Harwood Arms has everything you could want - and it’s surprisingly affordable. The pub has also been the training group for some notable chefs, including Sally Abe and James Cochran.

Ex-Roti King chef Prince Durairaj has joined forces with Glen Leeson of JKS to create this traditional British pub serving authentic dishes of South India. The menu consists of crowd-pleasing small and large sharing plates celebrating the flavours of Prince’s home state.

Just a short walk from London Bridge station, this casual Italian restaurant prides itself on a homely feel and despite the central London location, offers more of a neighbourhood vibe rather than a tourist spot.

With a unique combination of both cool and cosy, Kudu Grill has found a winning formula with its South African braai barbecue and an impressive cocktail list. Marble table tops and exposed brickwork quietly make this one of London’s most photogenic restaurants.