London’s best north American restaurants

The big thing at this Texan BBQ joint is authenticity. It’s serious stuff, with a focus on hefty hunks of precision-cooked animal (and a sign announcing what wood they’re currently smoking with). Add in unusual sides like bone marrow or cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapeños and, basically, it looks as Texan as rodeo dudes trying to sit on angry cows.

An American-inspired eating house for the young and fun. Co-owners Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn first opened up in Hackney in 2012 and they've now made themselves at home on a plot of prime real estate in Soho bang opposite Andrew Edmunds. Grits, devilled eggs, and other US comfort foods get a chic spin at this ever-hip spot. 

When only a filthy-good US-style burger made with rare-breed dry-aged beef will do, Bleecker comes up trumps for London’s meat-mad hordes. The oozing bacon cheeseburger is a carnivore’s dream – especially when it’s loaded up with ketchup, mustard and a side of ‘angry fries’ drizzled in blue cheese and hot sauce. Bleecker also has a market kiosk in Spitalfields and a bricks-and-mortar outlet in Bloomberg Arcade.

Duke's of Highgate is a US style honky tonk and dive bar, that's home to incredible BBQ from Rack City Ribs. The Jamaican American fusion menu is hearty; with smoked pork and beef short ribs and epic sides; mac and cheese, cornbread muffins, and loaded brisket hash fries. 

Easily outclassing its previous incarnations, this sidekick of Notting Hill’s Electric Cinema is done out like a grungy New York diner – all bare brick, concrete and red leather banquettes. A blaring soundtrack adds to the vibe, while the supersized menu is stuffed with Stateside classics – Philly chilli cheese dogs, hot Reuben sandwiches AND wedge salads.

An edgy bricks-and-mortar site from superstar chef David Carter, Smokestak peddles smoke and meat like it’s going out of fashio. The stygian semi-industrial space may feel like a medieval nightclub, but there’s no arguing with the home-cured salami or the sweet, smoky, salty brisket brushed with barbecue sauce and bone-marrow butter – just be sure to order plenty of citrusy fennel and celery slaw as a palate-cleansing counterbalance.

Global A-list chef Wolfgang Puck piles on the glamour and style at this jetting-setting take on a US steakhouse within the Dorchester hotel. Acres of marble, floor-to-ceiling drapes, shimmering glass, starburst lights and no-expense-spared trappings provide a luxe backdrop for prime beefy cuts and stateside staples cooked and presented with rare panache. 

Fried-chicken heaven for hardcore fans, Chick ‘n’ Sours serves its chooks in various forms, but nothing beats the mercilessly messy K-pop sandwich/burger or the game-changing KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). The vibe is somewhere between a basement house party and a Prohibition speakeasy (complete with a liquor bar), and the playlist is stacked with banging tracks. C ‘n’ S also has coops in Covent Garden and Islington.

Brassy, energetic and classily cosmopolitan, this NYC import mixes Gallic joie de vivre with snappy US customer service in a glammed-up setting of red leather banquettes, antique mirrored walls and mosaic floors. Manhattan meets Montmartre on an all-day menu that’s just the ticket for a special night out – we love the onion soup, the duck shepherd’s pie and the kitchen’s twisted take on pavlova.

Named after an increasingly hip district in South Philadelphia, this faithfully recreated American dive bar/diner is the real deal. TVs show baseball games, the walls are covered in vintage sports paraphernalia, and the menu focuses on Philly classics including cheesesteaks and tender roast pork rolls packed with Parmesan, pesto and tenderstem broccoli. Textbook fries, peanut-butter cookies and choc-chip cannoli too.   

Still whoopin’ and hollerin’ after all the years, this Chelsea BBQ/crabshack pulls the crowds with its good-timing New Orleans vibe, high-decibel bluesy sounds, crazy low prices and gut-busting helpings of messy US soul food. Voodoo chicken wings, pit-cooked ribs, stacked burgers and bargain-priced lobsters are the headline acts, with support from a raunchy line-up of X-rated shakes and slushy cocktails. 

Like a sleeper-cell KGB spy, this Russian-backed steakhouse is more American than meeting your therapist for a wiener on Madison Avenue. Goodman’s mahogany and leather interiors set the scene for some deluxe gustatory spoils: lobster bisque followed by a Chilean Wagyu rib-eye with truffle chips, plus a cookie and caramel sundae for afters. You get the picture. Branches in Mansion House and Canary Wharf.

A slice of California in the City, Malibu Kitchen promotes guilt-free ‘clean eating’ within the swanky surrounds of The Ned hotel/club complex. The menu favours veggie and vegan over meat and fish, although there’s something for everyone – think vegetable and mango rolls with spicy nuts, poké bowls and zesty colourful salads. For that full-on LA trip, wash it all down with some lip-smacking green juice.

Former street-food upstarts Randy’s now have a permanent roost by the canal in Hackney Wick, and their wings are the business. Try BBQ-slathered Kansas, sweet ‘n’ sticky Korean-style Gangnam or harissa-infused Casablanca with pomegranate seeds – plus smoked chicken scratchings on the side. Bag a deckchair by the water when the sun’s out. There’s a grab-and-go offshoot just off Fenchurch Street.

This self-styled New York steakhouse has discovered how to pull in the Chelsea crowds. To start, Sophie’s has an approachably buzzy, upscale vibe, while the short menu concentrates on steaks from British breeds, all aged and butchered on the premises and charred to a T. Vibrant seafood starters, traditional desserts and some decent red wines complete the offer. There’s also a branch in Soho. 

A sheeny all-day eatery from the guys behind the now-glorious Sebright Arms in Bethnal Green, the Vincent serves up everything from late breakfasts to dinners with a broad American accent. Baked eggs, pork hash, ‘vegeree’ and waffles give way to burgers, buttermilk chicken buns, chilli chips and chocolate brownies, while drinks include the ubiquitous craft beers, hard shakes and some jokey cocktails.

Once home to London’s first licensed casino, this handsome Grade II-listed edifice is not only a Covent Garden landmark but also a safe bet if you’re after reliably good stateside food. Juicy Maine lobsters and prime steaks are odds-on favourites, but don’t discount the Maryland crab cakes, Caesar salad, blackened salmon with jambalaya risotto or the pecan maple pie. 

The youngest member of London’s Blues Kitchen group adds lashings of Deep South revelry to its winning combo of live music, Texan barbecue and bourbon. Buffalo wings, St Louis pork ribs, jambalaya, Creole burgers and shrimp taco salad are serious down-home contenders on the menu, while margaritas, mules and mint juleps star on the cocktail list. Outlets in Shoreditch and Brixton.