Top 5 restaurants in London: five meals worth planning around
British tasting menus, Indian fine dining, open-fire cooking and a riverside Italian institution: five distinctive London restaurants for your next memorable meal.
BY LONNOW EDITORIALUPDATED 26 SEPTEMBER 20263 MIN READ
Our editorial selection balances culinary identity, established recognition, setting and a distinctive reason to visit. These are occasion restaurants, not a cheapest-eats list or a numbered Michelin ranking. We checked current restaurant information and relevant Michelin listings; this is researched guidance, not a claim that our team has personally dined at every venue. Numbers are a reading order.
01
A plated Cornish turbot dish photographed for CORE by Clare Smyth · CORE by Clare SmythNotting Hill · 92 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PN
CORE by Clare Smyth
Modern British · fine dining
For a carefully planned celebration
Clare Smyth’s restaurant puts British produce at the centre of an ambitious fine-dining experience. Its current offering includes seasonal and classic tasting menus as well as à la carte choices. Pick CORE when the meal itself is the main event: a birthday, anniversary or long-awaited London dinner, with time to enjoy the sequence rather than rushing onward.
Before you decide
Check the menu format and total cost when you reserve, including drinks and service. Tell the restaurant about dietary requirements in advance and leave the evening free of a tight theatre deadline.
Gymkhana brings predominantly northern Indian cooking to an intimate Mayfair dining room. Michelin highlights the precision of its traditional dishes, including tandoori lamb chops and kid goat methi keema. It is our pick when you want an occasion restaurant built around spice, sharing and a clear culinary identity rather than a conventional European tasting menu.
Before you decide
Book the London restaurant specifically. Review the current menu, deposit and cancellation terms before committing; a gift voucher does not guarantee a table. Discuss spice preferences and dietary requirements with the team.
03
St. JOHN’s Smithfield frontage, photographed in 2014 · ireas · CC BY-SA 4.0Smithfield · 26 St. John Street, EC1M 4AY
St. JOHN Smithfield
British · daily changing menu
For a London original with character
St. JOHN’s Smithfield home is a compelling choice for readers interested in British cooking and the restaurant’s nose-to-tail tradition. The daily-changing menu is part of the appeal: go with curiosity about the ingredients, rather than expecting a fixed checklist of dishes. The straightforward setting keeps attention on the meal, making it a different kind of occasion from the more formal rooms in this selection.
Before you decide
This pick is Smithfield, not another St. JOHN branch. Menus appear on the day; check what is being served and confirm that the options suit your party. Sunday evening service is not listed.
04
The River Cafe’s outdoor dining area at Thames Wharf · Edwardx · CC BY-SA 4.0Hammersmith · Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 9HA
The River Cafe
Italian · riverside setting
For a long Italian lunch
The River Cafe pairs seasonal Italian cooking with a Thames-side location in west London. Its daily-changing menu and garden terrace make it our choice for a leisurely lunch that is a destination in its own right. Think of it as an occasion meal with a relaxed pace, not a quick café stop suggested by the name.
Before you decide
Allow time to reach Thames Wharf from Hammersmith. Look at the current menu and prices before booking, and do not assume a terrace table or suitable weather is guaranteed. The restaurant and its separate café have different booking options.
05
A fish dish photographed at BRAT Redchurch Street · Benjamin McMahon / BRATShoreditch · first floor, 4 Redchurch Street, E1 6JL
BRAT Redchurch Street
Open-fire cooking · sharing dishes
For a sociable Shoreditch table
BRAT’s Redchurch Street restaurant is our choice for a meal built around sharing and cooking over fire. Its best-known centrepiece is whole grilled turbot, identified by Michelin as the house speciality. The appeal is a table that can build a meal together, with the restaurant’s wood-and-charcoal approach giving the food a distinctive character.
Before you decide
Reserve Redchurch Street rather than the separate Climpson’s Arch location. Ask about sharing portions, the day’s fish and access to the first-floor dining room if stairs are a concern. Do not treat an older dish photograph as today’s menu.
01 IN FOCUS
Choose the meal before the restaurant
For a tasting-menu celebration, start with CORE.
For Indian fine dining, compare Gymkhana’s current menus. St.
JOHN suits a curiosity-led British meal, The River Cafe a long Italian lunch, and BRAT a shared table in Shoreditch. None is a universal answer for every budget or appetite.
02 IN FOCUS
Make the reservation work
Confirm the branch, date, menu, dietary needs and cancellation terms.
Budget for drinks and service as well as food. Plan the rest of your day around the neighbourhood, rather than crossing London immediately before your booking.
Choose with better signals+
Use cuisine, occasion, location and evidence together.
01
Branch
Check the rating belongs to the exact London location.
02
Confidence
Read recent reviews and consider review volume.
03
Needs
Confirm allergens, dietary options and accessibility directly.
04
Booking
Verify the current menu, price and cancellation terms.
