London’s best British restaurants

The original nose-to-tail pioneer and a Michelin-starred restaurant for those who run from the very idea, St John is a defiantly casual, bare-bones kind of place with come-as-you-please decor and famously full-on cooking. Born-again British dishes are given a surprisingly sophisticated spin that often belies their humble origins. We’re talking snails with barley and bacon, devilled kidneys, eccles cakes with Lancashire cheese and, of course, the emblematic bone marrow and parsley salad. Powerful stuff.  

Dinner at Lyle’s is a leisurely affair, so kick back, take in the understated interiors and chat to the sweet staff before getting stuck into some palate-dazzling food from one of the most talented cooks in town. James Lowe regularly hits his mark when it comes to fine-tuned new-breed British cuisine. Lunch revolves around small plates, while dinner is all about the stunning set menu – either way, there’s no table-turning (hooray!).

Originally a ‘workers’ canteen’, this Grade II-listed chop house now feeds Clerkenwell creatives and others in a setting that oozes Dickensian nostalgia – think dark wooden church pews, glimmering lights and chequerboard tiled floors. To eat, expect top-notch steaks, chops and game, plus fashionably trad dishes along the lines of crunchy swaledale lamb croquettes or cornish pollock with gnocchi, white port and blewits. Tip: if there’s no room inside, try the owners’ equally vibey deli/wine bar two doors down; Quality Wines. 

Café Deco leans into Bloomsbury's decidedly vintage vibe and endearingly dusty brand of glamour. Living up to its name thanks to a 1930s-worthy sage-green awning, curved salmon-pink bar and pastel tiling underfoot, this cosy, casual – and notably small – spot opened amid lockdowns in 2020, and managed to weather the storm of Covid to quietly become one of central London’s go-to dining rooms. The result is something akin to an elevated version of a National Trust café, populated with off-duty architects and sentient Margaret Howell linen trousers. Chef-owner Anna Tobias cultivated her love of perfect veg and pristine produce at Shoreditch favourite Rochelle Canteen and cooks evated, ingredient-led  cult classics. Think egg mayonnaise, nice things on toast and hearty but stylish soups.

There’s plenty of fry ups in London. And there’s plenty of tourist attractions. And put simply, Regency Café is a tourist attraction serving fry ups - but it’s my favourite of both in the city. Just down the road from Westminster, Tate Britain and Big Ben, every fun-filled day of seeing the city should involve hash browns, beans and a strong cuppa at this cult spot. From cake and custard to steak and ale pie, the food is top grade nostalgia food, plus the ketchup is in those old-school bottles, framed Tottenham players line the walls and the windows are hung with little checkered curtains. Warning: someone will likely be filming a TikTok in there.

Everything about the Clove Club screams ‘look at me’, from the austere dining room in Shoreditch’s old Town Hall to the intentionally avant-garde cooking and the tasting menu – a masterpiece of contemporary aspirations in nine courses. It’s British yet esoteric, accessible yet obscure, and it delivers absolutely ravishing flavours.

On the way to its centenary in 2026, the self-proclaimed ‘Great Dame of Dean Street’ is a patriotic flag-waver par excellence. Here homegrown flavours loom large as the kitchen gives British standards a modern makeover – don’t miss the pork rillettes with pickles, the daily pies with lashings of silky mash or the now-famous smoked eel sarnies. Chef Jeremy Lee is a master.

The oldest of golden oldies, Rules still holds sway as Covent Garden’s ultimate culinary aristocrat, a magnificently antiquated institution with a rich history dating back to 1798. As a proud purveyor of stout British food, Rules pleases the old guard with Yorkshire game and beef, but the kitchen also deals in simple but carefully cooked classics ranging from potted shrimps to golden syrup sponge pudding with custard.

Margot Henderson’s ‘hidden treasure’ is housed in the bike shed of a former school, but that doesn’t deter Shoreditch media types from using this self-styled canteen as an all-day refuelling point. Inside, things are charmingly low-key, while spaces in the allotment/yard are like gold dust on warm days. The short daily menu deals in simple Brit-inspired seasonal fare with nose-to-tail overtones and the odd Mediterranean flourish – in other words, heart-and-soul dining at user-friendly prices.

A kitchen residency in the Compton Arms pub in Islington, with a trio of chefs specialising in pub-leaning, ruddy-faced British gentleman food, rethought for people who don’t own a cottage in the Cotswolds or even a Barbour jacket. Here, the spectre of St John is strong, with the likes of salsify and scotch broth, as well as bawdy devilled duck hearts on St George’s toast seeming straight from the Fergus Henderson playbook. Order the deep fried cockles on skewers, and browned oysters rarebit.

Sael is a flashy, brash and extremely glossy production – the Starlight Express of central London brassieres, if you will, with Jason Atherton the sous vide-brandishing Andrew Lloyd Webber of the piece. The concept is, in decor at least, a kind of Britpop bistro and food is hilariously good, with a Marmite custard tart, tempura battered rock oyster, lamb doner kebab flatbread, and other fun, seasonal dishes. 

Do you like your plates small and your options even smaller? Then you’ll love Nest with its nine-dish no-choice seasonal menu. The owners focus on just one rare-breed cut each month (perhaps rose veal or 60-day dry-aged Yorkshire beef), although there’s more to the line-up than meat – anyone for cod’s roe with seaweed or honey and lavender tart? Three cheers for Nest’s fizzingly enthusiastic owners, decent soundtrack, low-intervention wines and all-round feel-good vibe.

Scurry under the arches on Maltby Street for a fix of natural wine topped off with some sustainably sourced food. Located inside Gergovie Wines’ warehouse, it specialises in bottles and by-the-glass selections from boutique European producers, while the blackboard menu summons up modern British dishes with sunny Med overtones. Expect a weekly selection of around 12 items with an emphatic seasonal accent – perhaps juicy roast mallard with apple sauce, crispy bacon bits and turnips.  

Bang outside Flat Iron Square, pocket-sized Lupin is in the British small-plates business – and boy does it know how to deliver. Cobble Lane charcuterie and sourdough from Little Bread Pedlar supplement an eclectic seasonal menu that’s maxed out for colour, vibrancy and zing – think grilled onglet with swede purée, carrots and miso or rolled pork belly with smoked russet apples and celeriac rémoulade. Amazingly, everything comes from a kitchen that’s no bigger than the cooking area in your average Londoner’s flat.

The look may be classic hipster Shoreditch, but this trendy take on a British chop house is still a cut above when it comes to deliciously crusted, smoky hunks of flesh. Herb-flecked flatbreads are on hand to soak up the juices, while jazzy cocktails provide a boozy kick. You’d also expect a Brit-inspired meat temple to be clued up when it comes to Sunday roasts, and Blacklock really nails it. There are further outlets in Soho, the City, Covent Garden and Canary Wharf.

After well over a century of service, J Sheekey’s status as a West End institution is assured. From the top-hatted doorman and the legions of obliging white-aproned staff to the glamorous theatreland vibe and the bounteous menu of top-drawer super-fresh British seafood, everything is as it should be in the wood-panelled dining rooms. Prices are high, but for your money you get an unbeatable sideshow of luvvies, minor celebs and eccentric London types. Tip: don’t miss Sheekey’s legendary fish pie.

Is it a pub? Is it a restaurant? In truth, this upmarket Fulham boozer is a bit of both – although with a serious wine list and a Michelin star to its name, we know where its priorities lie. Prime British produce is the key, with furred and feathered game receiving special attention in season.

Like its meaty siblings across London, the Seven Dials branch of the Hawksmoor bandwagon puts mighty slabs of British-reared beef above all else. Set in a buzzy wood- and leather-clad basement with irresistible dressed-down appeal, it offers drool-worthy steaks (and much else besides) to go with gutsy red wines, craft beers and killer cocktails. Hawksmoor Borough, Guildhall and Spitalfields offer something similar, while the branches in Air Street and Knightsbridge are also great for seafood.