With its Christmas lights being switched on this Thursday 17 November from 6pm (Holly Willoughby and Rebecca Ferguson will be there, you know), Regent Street is shifting into top gear for the festive season. Allow us to guide you to some of the area’s great bars and restaurants for those shopping pit stops.
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With its perfect combination of heritage and style, it’s no surprise that Regent Street has an eclectic dining scene alongside its selection of world-class stores. Said to have been the world’s first purpose-built shopping street when it was completed in 1825, Regent Street has long been one of London’s main shopping thoroughfares, famous for its distinctive curve and Grade II-listed façades. Today, visitors from all over the world flock to its renowned stores, state-of-the-art flagships and superior bars and restaurants situated on both Regent Street itself and along its charming side roads.
Alongside acclaimed international fashion brands such as Hugo Boss, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, J Crew and Kate Spade, you’ll also find the best of British with the likes of Burberry, Hackett, Hunter and, of course, Hamleys. And it’s no wonder that brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and Anthropologie have chosen to open their UK flagship stores at this prestigious address.
But it’s not just a high-end retail experience that’s on offer here; when you need a break from all that shopping, the food and drink options are as varied as they are sublime, with global flavours from Morocco to Japan sitting alongside innovative cocktail menus and first-class wine lists. The pedestrianised food quarters on Heddon Street and Swallow Street offer year-round al fresco dining, while some bars are helpfully located in the stores themselves, so you don’t even need to finish your shopping before grabbing a quick drink or bite to eat. Here’s our guide to 10 great bars and restaurants in and around Regent Street.
regentstreetonline.com
Heddon Street Kitchen 3-9 Heddon Street
Spread over two floors and boasting an industrial-chic finish, this Gordon Ramsay venture is open all day for everything from leisurely breakfasts to after-work cocktails. Dine outside on the heated terrace or enjoy the view of the open kitchen inside. Seasonal specials in November include a comforting mac ‘n’ cheese with braised beef cheek, and a Thanksgiving menu featuring apple-pie shrub cocktails.
gordonramsayrestaurants.com
Thomas’s Café 121 Regent Street
This stylish addition to Burberry’s flagship store is named after the fashion label’s Victorian founder and is a celebration of fine British produce. Tempting fare includes shepherd’s pie, and scones and crumpets ‘from the Aga’, which can be enjoyed with a glass of British Nyetimber fizz.
uk.burberry.com
Veeraswamy Victory House, 99 Regent Street
90 years after opening, this classic, lavishly decorated Indian restaurant (founded by retired army officer Edward Palmer), has just been awarded its first Michelin star. To mark its 90 years, it has launched a menu of rare Royal Indian dishes, including shahjahan badami chicken – a sophisticated Moghul dish – in honour of Palmer’s great-grandmother, a Moghul princess.
veeraswamy.com
Momo/Black Dice 25 Heddon Street
A Heddon Street stalwart since 1997, this effortlessly cool Moroccan restaurant-café-bar is as popular as ever, with its authentic North-African dishes and artefact-strewn decor. In the evening, head downstairs to hidden cocktail bar Black Dice (members-only after 10pm), which offers a live music programme and some classic cocktails with a twist.
momoresto.com; black-dice.com
Frescobaldi 15 New Burlington Place
The first standalone restaurant from 700-year-old Italian winemaking dynasty Marchesi de’Frescobaldi, this high-ceilinged, vine-covered restaurant is the place to go for perfectly al dente pasta, handmade daily. The Tuscan-inspired, seasonal menu is accompanied, naturally, by an excellent Italian wine list, and there’s even a special afternoon ‘al fresco’ menu of light bites, to enjoy outside on the heated terrace.
frescobaldi.london
Beefeater 24 Gin Bar 193-197 Regent Street
Where better to open a gentlemen’s club-style gin bar than within the flagship store of British brand Hackett? You’ll find this elegant bar next to the personal tailoring department, so you can deliberate over the cut and colour of your suit while enjoying a Beefeater 24 and tonic. Even your G&T can be tailored to your personal taste, with the addition of one of three specially created tinctures.
hackett.com
The Araki 12 New Burlington Street
In 2014, acclaimed sushi master Mitsuhiro Araki made the brave decision to close his three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, and reopen it in the heart of London. The effortlessly simple, nine-cover restaurant – last year awarded two Michelin stars – is limited to two sittings per night, and diners can sit at the cypress-wood counter and enjoy the high-art sushi show from Mr Araki. This kind of exclusivity comes at a price: There’s just one set menu of Edo-style sushi, at £300 per head (excluding drinks).
the-araki.com
Tibits 12-14 Heddon Street
This laid-back, friendly vegetarian and vegan café originated in Switzerland and is much loved for its comforting homemade cuisine. Up to 40 fresh dishes, from heart-warming curries, soups and risottos to healthy superfood salads and grains, are available every day on the buffet ‘boat’, and there’s also a lively bar with a good selection of wines, cocktails and hand-blended smoothies.
tibits.co.uk
The Café at Hotel Café Royal 68 Regent Street
This Regent Street icon dates back to 1865, and reopened in 2012 as the Hotel Café Royal. The Café is open all day for light meals and dainty pastries and cakes, and in the evening it becomes London’s first dessert restaurant, offering a playful sweet-and-savoury tasting experience devised by executive pastry chef Sarah Barber.
hotelcaferoyal.com
Aqua Spirit/Kyoto/Nueva 30 Argyll Street
Set on the fifth floor of the former Dickens & Jones store, Aqua Spirit is a sophisticated bar with an open-air terrace and a menu of Japanese-inspired fusion cocktails. The site is also home to two restaurants: contemporary Japanese restaurant Aqua Kyoto and swish Spanish restaurant, Aqua Nueva. Both have an agreeable Sunday brunch offering, which features a menu of exquisite small plates of sushi and sashimi or modern tapas dishes, all washed down with unlimited Veuve Clicquot or cava, respectively.
aqua-london.com
Sakagura 8 Heddon Street
A partnership between several Japanese enterprises – including The Araki – this new concept offers authentic Japanese cuisine at affordable prices, in a more laid-back setting. It features a theatrical Robata grill and open kitchen, serving up a range of yakitori skewers, noodles and sushi –there’s even a dedicated saké bar with a dedicated sommelier.
Shop Smart
You can now enjoy an immersive digital experience while you shop, thanks to the new Regent Street App. The innovative app sends exclusive, personally tailored content to your smartphone via your Bluetooth connection, and as well as in-store promotions and offers, you’ll receive details of upcoming events. You can even browse fashion collections or book a table at your favourite restaurant.
Download for free from the App Store or Google Play.