Must-see restaurants in The West End

  • Bar Shu

    The West End

    You might think Bar Shu – adorned with slatted blinds, latticed woodwork and tasselled lanterns – was a sweet-and-sour honeytrap for Soho tourists; but…

  • Palomar

    The West End

    Packed and praised from the day it opened, Palomar is a wonderful Israeli/Levantine restaurant with the look of a 1930s diner and the constant theatre of…

  • Portrait

    The West End

    This stunningly located restaurant above the National Portrait Gallery offers dramatic views over Trafalgar Sq and down to the Houses of Parliament and…

  • Foyer & Reading Room at Claridge's

    The West End

    Refreshing the better sort of West End shopper since 1856, the jaw-dropping Foyer and Reading Room at Claridge's, refulgent with art-deco mirrors and a…

  • Spring

    The West End

    White walls, ball chandeliers and columns are offset by the odd blossom in this restored Victorian drawing room in Somerset House. Award-winning…

  • Kanada-Ya

    The West End

    In the debate over London's best ramen, we're still voting for this one. With no reservations taken, queues can get impressive outside this tiny and…

  • Kiln

    The West End

    Crowned the UK's best restaurant in 2018, this tiny Thai grill cooks up a storm in its long, narrow kitchen, overseen by diners on their stools. The short…

  • Gymkhana

    The West End

    The rather sombre setting at this serious Indian fine-dining establishment is intended to invoke the 'good old days' of the British Raj – lazily whirling…

  • Seven Dials Market

    The West End

    In a former banana warehouse (thus the banana motif) and reminiscent of New York's famous Chelsea Market, this two-storey indoor street-food collective…

  • Texture

    The West End

    Located in a fine Georgian townhouse, this Michelin-starred restaurant can be found by following the birch trees that lead (literally) inside. The menu…

  • Yauatcha

    The West End

    London's glamorous Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant has a ground-floor dining room that's a blue-bathed oasis of calm from the chaos of Berwick Street…

  • J Sheekey

    The West End

    A jewel of the Covent Garden dining scene, this incredibly smart restaurant was opened by 1890s fishmonger Josef Sheekey on the permission of Lord…

  • Hakkasan Hanway Place

    The West End

    Inaugurating glamorous Cantonese dining in London in 2001, Hakkasan now has offspring throughout Asia, the Middle East and the US, yet it still puts…

  • Ember Yard

    The West End

    The parillas of Spain, asadors of the Basque country and BBQs of Italy inspire the food at this stylish restaurant, decked out in polished timber, and…

  • Hoppers

    The West End

    All bare brick and spice-box tones, this snug Sri Lankan is the real deal: serving bowl-shaped hoppers (fermented-rice pancakes) alongside karis (curries)…

  • Brasserie Zédel

    The West End

    This restaurant in the renovated art-deco ballroom of a former hotel may be the most French brasserie north of Calais. Favourites include choucroute…

  • Momo

    The West End

    Overflowing with cushions and lamps, and staffed by tambourine-playing waiters, this atmospheric Moroccan restaurant has warm service and dishes as…

  • Gauthier Soho

    The West End

    Alexis Gauthier's temple of gastronomy is housed over two floors of a handsome Regency townhouse where you have to buzz for entrance. Evening meals are a…

  • Nutshell

    The West End

    The subtle spicing, fresh herbs, expert grilling and unique way with bread and rice that distinguish Persian food are well represented in this inviting…

  • Mildreds

    The West End

    One of the West End's most enduringly popular vegetarian restaurants, Mildreds is crammed at lunchtime: you can't be shy about sharing a table in the sky…

  • 10 Greek St

    The West End

    This confidently undemonstrative bistro is making quite a splash with food that marries top-quality British and Mediterranean produce and techniques…

  • Andrew Edmunds

    The West End

    This charismatic little restaurant, operating from the same Georgian townhouse since 1985, is exactly the sort you might wish still abounded in Soho…

  • Delaunay Counter

    The West End

    The informal sibling of the grand Mitteleuropean Delaunay next door, the Counter goes full Vienna with Sachertorte (dark-chocolate iced cake filled with…

  • Quilon

    The West End

    Specialising in the cuisines of Goa and Kerala, this Michelin-starred restaurant might serve the best and most inventive Indian food in London. While the…

  • Delaunay

    The West End

    This immaculate spot channels the majesty of the grand cafes of Central Europe. Schnitzels, sausages and fish take pride of place on the menu, which is…

  • Kitty Fisher's

    The West End

    Taking pride of place in Mayfair’s 18th-century Shepherd Market (historically one of London's red-light districts), this cosy dining room is named after…

  • Lina Stores

    The West End

    Lina Stores has been operating a deli on Soho's Brewer St since 1944, and they've finally started dishing up their perfect handmade pasta to drooling…

  • Oscar Wilde Lounge

    The West End

    An extravagant gilt-and-parquet jewellery box within the Hotel Café Royal, the Oscar Wilde Lounge – dating from 1865 and named after its most famous…

  • Pollen Street Social

    The West End

    Chef Jason Atherton's cathedral to haute cuisine (Michelin-starred within six months of opening) is a worthy splurge, especially for those in search of…

  • Pied à Terre

    The West End

    This petite and elegant Michelin-starred French restaurant, a stayer on London's dining scene, presents plenty of Francophile favourites (such as skate…

  • Mortimer House Kitchen

    The West End

    Tranquil isn't a word ever applied to Soho, even in this slightly less-trafficked part, but somehow this restaurant channels Great Gatsby–style zen and…

  • Tea & Tattle

    The West End

    Below Arthur Probsthain, a family-run bookshop specialising in Oriental and African art and culture since 1903, you'll find this intimate, chatty, timber…

  • Locanda Locatelli

    The West End

    This quietly glamorous restaurant in an otherwise unremarkable Marble Arch hotel remains one of London’s best Italian establishments, and you’re likely to…

  • Chiltern Firehouse

    The West End

    In-house restaurant of the hotel of the same name, itself occupying a beautiful red-brick firehouse from 1889, this splendidly dapper eatery offers…

  • Tamarind

    The West End

    A mix of refined classics from various Indian regions and innovations such as vegetable-and-kale seekh kebab stuffed with black-fig chutney, Tamarind has…

  • Gelupo

    The West End

    The queue outside Gelupo can stretch down the street on summer weekend evenings, and it’s no wonder: this is central London’s most authentic gelateria…

  • Koya Bar

    The West End

    Arrive early if you don’t want to queue at this informal but excellent Japanese eatery with counter seating. Londoners come here for their fill of…

  • Greenhouse

    The West End

    Reached through a wonderful sculpture-filled garden, twin-Michelin-starred Greenhouse is a mainstay of Mayfair luxury dining. The tasting menus are only…

  • Le Boudin Blanc

    The West End

    Surely this is one of the best French bistros in London, with meat dishes such as confit duck leg or Dover sole cooked to perfection, sauces perfectly…

  • Beijing Dumpling

    The West End

    You can see the stars of the show before you even walk in, as tiny dough pockets ready to be made into xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are kneaded at speed…