Rockwell Bistro & Wine Bar

Part of Trafalgar St James's £6 million renovation, Rockwell Bistro & Bar brings luxury, all-day dining to the five-star hotel's ground floor, overlooking London's bustling Trafalgar Square. This crowd-loaded part of town never really sleeps, but respite can be found inside Rockwell's slick bistro, which has been revamped into a vision of art deco-inspired luxury. The space is filled with plush red velvet banquettes, stylish light fixtures and faux trees strung with fairylights, while a stunning, backlit bar runs the length of the room. The result is unquestionably glamorous, but clever design features ensure the space still feels accessible, from comfortable stools to circular booths designed for low-key, intimate occasions over a drink and a couple of small plates.

Drinks are paramount to the Rockwell experience. In fact, if you're in need of a place for a quick cocktail or a pre-theatre tipple, we'd send you here. The wine list features an extensive by-the-glass selection that's great for exploring, while a lengthy list of classic and signature cocktails includes some real spellbinders. Our favourite is a delicious short, sweet-sour drink of raspberry, citrus and elderflower, finished with a smooth meringue-like foam.

Much like the drinks, the sharing-style menu invites exploration, featuring a collection of globally inspired small plates with a focus on seasonal, local produce. If you order one dish, make it the Ibérico ham croquetas, served with a punchy saffron sauce and hidden under a mountain of grated pecorino. Elsewhere, crispy seabass comes in a beautiful pool of fermented chilli butter, while caramelised little nuggets of pan-fried gnocchi arrive in a sweet romesco sauce with buttery toasted pine nuts. These are all bright, flavour-pumped, well-seasoned things that we could endlessly pick at over the course of a few hours. 

Most dishes range between £9 and £13, and there's a flexibility to the menu that could easily turn a quick drink with some of those croquetas into a full-blown dinner, if you so wish. For approachable luxury in the heart of town, Rockwell is our new go-to.

Rockwell Bistro & Wine Bar sits on the ground floor of The Trafalgar St. James, a five-star hotel on the corner of Trafalgar Square and part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. Just steps from the National Gallery and Covent Garden, it opened as the first phase of the hotel's £6m refurbishment, with interiors by award-winning studio Design LSM.

Rockwell is built around a day-to-night concept. Mornings bring specialty coffee, tea and freshly baked pastries, while the space shifts into a wine bar and bistro as the day goes on, serving an all-day dining, bar and wine menu into the evening.

The food is globally inspired but locally sourced, built around small plates designed for sharing. Expect warm sourdough with Nocellara del Belice olives and extra virgin olive oil, creamy burrata with grilled courgettes and rocket pesto, and a classic Caprese salad made with buffalo mozzarella and heritage tomatoes. Trenchmore Wagyu beef is a highlight on the menu, appearing in rosemary-grilled bavette steak and indulgent sliders, alongside generous sharing boards built for a relaxed, sociable style of dining.

The wine list runs to more than 30 wines by the glass, curated for both seasoned drinkers and curious newcomers, with cocktails also on offer at the bar.

Rockwell doubles as one of London's most sought-after bistro settings after dark. Thursdays bring live music sessions, Fridays see vintage jazz and swing courtesy of Bunny Nightingale, and Saturdays switch to DJ nights, all set against a backdrop of decorative columns and greenery inside the restaurant's bistro-style dining room.

Whether it's a coffee before the National Gallery, a sharing plate before a West End show, or a glass of wine and live music to round off the evening, Rockwell offers a relaxed, sociable spot right on Trafalgar Square.