London is a global hub for media, finance, politics, tech, and also most importantly – food.
I am fortunate to call this bustling city home. There’s a bottomless pit of things to do, see, and obviously eat. So, an alarmingly high proportion of my disposable income goes towards going out for meals and trying new foods around London.
To save you the hassle of searching around on Instagram for hours or just for your reference – here’s my ultimate London food guide.
My criteria:
- All within Zone 1 + 2
- I would return time and time again
Last updated: April 2020
Grouped by restaurants with different locations around London then by area
Restaurants with Different Locations around London
- Indian restaurant all Londoners rave about
- Locations in Covent Garden, Kensington, Shoreditch, Kings Cross, Soho, etc.
- Indian
- Locations in Spitalfields and Tower Bridge
- V. trendy restaurant (but not too trendy where it compromises the quality of the food, nor is it tacky or pretentious) with reasonably priced food
- Locations in Liverpool Street, Soho, Chelsea, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf, Kensington… Pretty much almost everywhere in London and several other locations across the UK as well.
- Steaks and chops
- Special offers on Mondays
- Locations in Soho, Shoreditch, and in the city
- Sushi sushi sushi
- Locations in Soho, Covent Garden Holborn, Notting Hill, Hammersmith
- Expect to queue (especially if you go to the Soho one).
Restaurants by Area
Restaurants by area sorted by the exact same way the sun rises and sets – east to west
Shoreditch / Clerkenwell
- Italian food and great atmosphere brought to you by Parisian hospitality group, Big Mamma group.
- An old shipping container retrofitted with street food vendors and pop up shops
- Favourites: Athenian, Black Bear Burger, Salt Shed, Soft Serve Society
- Street food
- Favourites: Up In my Grill, Babek Brothers
- Fried Chicken
- There’s a stretch along filled with Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch known as the “Pho Mile”
- This is my favourite restaurant in the “pho mile”
- For all the vegans / veggies out there.
Spitalfields / Liverpool Street
Spitalfields Market
- Antiques and gifts market with some high street brand stores around the market. Also has a great daily food market inside.
- Some of my favourites: Lahpet (Burmese food), Rice Brothers (Chinese rice wraps), Plesant Lady Jian Bing stall (Chinese wraps), Bleecker Burger
- In a building shaped like a kite
- Great for brunch
- Splurge sushi on the 38th/39th floor (arguably one of the best views in London)
Tower Bridge / St. Katherines Docks
Maltby Street Market
- Street food market
- Only on Sundays
Bermondsey / London Bridge
- Literally London’s favourite place for a pasta.
- Expect to queue and get there early as they close the queue once they hit capacity for the evening.
- Amazing pasta
- Expect to queue
- Peri-peri chicken
- A secret speakeasy bar in the back too
Borough Market
Marylebone / Fitzrovia
- Gloria’s cousin in Fitzrovia. Another Big Mamma group victory.
- My favourite place for dim sum in London
- Sunday Roast
Soho / Covent Garden
- Food hall featuring outlets from some of London’s top restaurants
- Some of my favourites: … don’t think you can wrong with any of the choices here
- More pasta!
- Unreal udon noodles
- Innovative ice cream
- Ice cream in Chinatown with Hong Kong and Vietnamese inspired flavours. Flavours they have had before: egg tart, HK milk tea, red bean, Vietnamese coffee
- Mexican food and cocktails with the scandalous neon light sign upfront
Mayfair
- The warm cookie and Frosties soft serve is TDF.
- Traditional British food
- I have only been here twice and I ran into Anna Wintour both times.
- The restaurant with the egg pods in the loos. The Instagram selfie opportunity is prime here so is the food.
- Great for afternoon tea and dinner (I prefer dinner more).
The Berkeley – Prêt-à-Portea
- Their afternoon tea is called Prêt-à-Portea a play on words of “pret-a-porter” and their desserts in the afternoon tea are inspired by the latest fashion season.
