2024 Restaurants in London that are actually very good

Right, I appreciate it is going to be 2026 any minute now. BUT I wrote this post mid 2025 and have checked through it all again and these are all still top restaurant recommendations. So you’re having this post even though it is outrageously late. Once again we had some expensive misses. Sadly in London you need to keep trying and trying to find the gems. As with 2023, there are a bunch of repeats that are just as great as ever. But I am glad we spent time finding new favourites. Pique Nique which we discovered at the end of 2024 was one of our most visited restaurants in 2025 being the host of three separate birthday celebrations (one of them being mine!).

The original 2022 list can be found over here and 2023 over here. Wishing you happy dining in London – a city of a great many okay restaurants and a handful of gems. Without further ado, my list of gems:

Restaurants on the previous list that we revisited in 2024

– Honest Burger
– Kulu Kulu Sushi
– Dinings SW3
– Core by Clare Smyth
– Dumplings Legend
– Six by Nico
– Kudu Grill (for my birthday!)
– Endo

The 2024 Restaurants in London list: The affordable ones

– Gymkhana
Gymkhana is a two Michelin star restaurant serving India food. Now you’re thinking – how are they on the affordable list? We joined them for their brilliant lunch set menu of four courses including multiple sides for £65 per person. The food was super delicious and the restaurant is beautiful. I would highly recommend going with four of you so you can pick different main course curries for sharing purposes.

– Elystan Street
Elystan is an absolute gem – another Michelin star restaurant with a value lunch set menu. The pricing of their three course menu changes through the year but it was only £35 per person in January! You’re joking? (Spoiler alert for 2025 – we went back in January and it was just as good). Sometimes with these value menus I worry they’re fobbing you off with the more basic options. Can confirm you have two choices for starters, mains and dessert – we had one of each across the two of us – and they were all brilliant.

Elystan are known for their cheese souffle so I would 100% recommend adding that in as an indulgent dish to share between the starter and the main (again, did the same in January 2025 and this recommendation remains solid). I love a cheese souffle and I think Elystan’s is possibly my favourite.

Their sommeliers are also fantastic. Some of the best we have experience in London. So if you’re interested in wine – discuss the potential wine choices with them as they’ll steer you perfectly. We keep saying we want to go back for the full tasting menu + wine pairing based on how much we have enjoyed the lunches.

– The Cheese Barge
Is this gimmicky? Yes. Is it delicious? Also yes! So this is one of those ridiculous restaurants you will need to book mooonths in advance if you want a reasonable time lunch reservation on the weekend. My suggestion is book your summer lunch slot in March and forget about it until it pops up! It’s a barge on the water with all dishes involving cheese – so yes, it does exactly what it says on the tin. And the food was bloody delicious!

We opted for a selection of small plates and grilled cheese sandwiches to share. Both the mozzarella and the cheddar grilled sandwiches were great. It looks like the menu changes but if you spot the spatzle – order it! Also loved the rarebit courgettes, the fritters and the mash. Honestly, it’s good food involving cheese. You’re going to love it! My only regret was eating so many main course dishes that I didn’t have enough space for the cheeses on their own – next time I will be more strategic!

– Bianco43
This is our local pizza spot and I can highly recommend them. We have eaten their pizzas more times than I can count. The service is warm and friendly and it just feels like a really local spot. My must order every single time pizza is the Burrata & Nduja which involved those ingredients + the sweetest most delicious yellow tomatoes. The second pizza choice is up for debate but we have enjoyed the meat lovers, the calzone and the Norma. Don’t forget the Tiramisu!

– Le Relais De Venise (twice)
This is an absolute gem but very well known and popular so you may need to queue. On our first visit we got there at about 12:30pm and queue’d for an hour and on our second visit we got there just before 12pm (they open at 12pm) and waiting the few minutes for the restaurant to open and headed straight in. I would suggest the pre 12pm arrival to avoid the wait. BUT if you are waiting – the pub next door sells take away beer, wine and aperol spritz for the queue which made us feel like we were on holiday!

Now, on to the food. There is one menu (since 1959!!) and your only choice is how you want your steak cooked. There is no vegetarian or vegan alternatives – Ottolenghi is around the corner, go there instead if you’re looking for veggie friendly choices. You come to Le Relais for steak! It’s a set menu for £33 (?). The menus starts with a super mustardy dressed salad with walnuts and brilliant french loaf which is great for dipping in the dressing and the sauce to come! Then the steak arrives in two rounds with crispy delicious fries and their house sauce.

In terms of how you want to steak cooked – you can chose rare, medium or well done. If you’re a “medium-rare” person you will need to make a choice. I like my medium-rare more rare and Jono likes his more medium so we opted for one medium and one rare on our first visit. However, for subsequent visits we have both opted for rare and that would be my personal recommendation. The steak is melt in your mouth tender and cut so thin that anything over rare feels like you’re not doing the steak justice. This is in my top five steaks in London (alongside Kudu Grill and Pique Nique).

In terms of wine – go with the house red – it’s cheap and cheerful and hits the spot.

The first time we got dessert wrong – the second time we smashed it. We didn’t love the creme brulee or the profiteroles which were filled with ice cream and not cream (a personal disaster) from our first visit. But I went in with hope for redemption and having looked through photos on their website! And redemption was had! We loved the Gateau du Relais which is two (!!) different chocolate cakes with a squirt of cream, sticky toffee pudding (which is specific to their London branches) and lemon tart. All three were delicious and I would struggle to suggest which one to drop when we go back just us too.

There are two locations in London – London City and Marylebone. I prefer the Marylebone location but there’s no much between them. There are also two in Paris and one each in Mexico City, Monaco and New York.

– Hoppers
I have been wanting to visit Hoppes for ages! Their menu is Sri Lankan and South India and they’re named after a bowl shaped fermented rice and coconut milk pancake from Sri Lanka. I have a pretty high miss rate with these popular “must visit” restaurants but I am thrilled to report this was a hit.

We opted for the Hoppers experience for the table at £35 per person which was a great way to try a good amount of the menu across the three of us. Don’t miss their bone marrow starter – it was a serious highlight! You can chose a kari (the Tamil term for curry) each and we loved all three we ordered. Plenty of great sides which are largely veggie forward. A delicious meal packed with flavour! And of course don’t miss ordering the hopper as one of your carb sides which I sadly didn’t photograph as I was too busy eating!

– Roe
Fallow’s new sister restaurant in Canary Wharf. Fantastic to have good restaurants opening up in Canary Wharf (where I work and a quick commute from our home). We booked to sit at the bar which I loved as you can watch the action unfold. Don’t miss the blooming onion (that deep fried beauty on the right) as it’s super delicious and a unique dish. The grilled skewers are great and I loved the scallop flatbread. We ended up snacking on smaller plates and didn’t make it to the large plates but Fallow is famous for their cheese burger so I would guess Roe’s is great too. If you’re a fan of bananas – their zero waste banana dessert is mind blowing and definitely worth a try.

– Lore of the Land
Look, I am going to be honest, I don’t like Guy Ritchie’s movies but I do love his pub! This is another one of those book the Sunday lunch faaar in advance and then forget about it type spots. I thiiink this is my favourite pub lunch in London. Please be warned that Sunday Roasts are only served on Sundays and I would highly recommend booking for the roast. I just went on their site to confirm dish names and saw Sunday lunch is fully booked for the rest of 2025 (It’s July!?). They’re currently taking Sunday lunch bookings for May 2026. Yes, I have just made a booking. Yes, you should do the same.

Right, let’s get stuck in. To start we went with the duck scotch egg (which I had seen ALL over Instagram) which was sadly only okay, a burrata with spring’y green bits which was delicious and a really great chicken liver parfait. For mains I had the whole 90-day old Saxon chicken which I shared with Fliss. The boys went with the combo meats where you can pick two meats – Jono went pork belly and sirloin. All the roasts are served with beef fat roast potatoes, glazed carrots with a toasted seed mix, minted peas, a giant Yorkshire pudding and roasting juices. We also ordered the optional bone marrow served alongside and wowza make sure you do that too! All of the mains and their sides were delicious! Would highly recommend as a great roast out!

Make sure to save space to finish your lunch with a doughnut filled with fluffy whipped cream! Absolute heaven! We shared this across the four of us but goodness I wish I had had enough space for a whole one on my own!!

– Brasserie Zédel
I had to sadly miss Emily’s bachelorette in Paris so wanted to make it up to her with a French restaurant in London. Brasserie Zédel got rave reviews and it certainly delivered on feeling very Parisian! I absolutely loved the big band and the elegant dining room. It looks like nothing from street level and then big wow! The default is a French only menu which honestly I’d suggest you fumble through just for the full experience. But of course there are English menus if you’re brave enough to request one.

I really struggled to choose – so went with both french onion soup and snails with garlic and parsley butter for starters. Both were excellent and I would recommend them. Emily had the prawn and avocado cocktail which was a huge portion and super traditional. For mains I had the twice baked cheese souffle which was superb and a must order. Emily went with the traditional sirloin steak, french fries and cafe de paris butter which was sadly pretty tough and not a must order. If you want the classic French steak and fries combo you know the answer is going to be Le Relais De Venise.

– Chatsworth Bakehouse
I learnt about Chatsworth Bakehouse when I was doing research for my London Bakeries: Want to eat list. I think I published the post on the Wednesday and headed off to Crystal Palace that Friday. They open pre-orders every Monday at 12:30pm with one meat and one veggie sandwich option for pick up on Wednesday to Friday and they sell out in minutes! And look, I get it. The sandwich was sensational! It was hands down the best focaccia I have ever eaten. The sandwiches are packed to the brim with fillings and you need to eat one side at a time to fit your jaw around it.

I also ordered the cereal cookie and the salted brownies – both were excellent. I was highly highly impressed with Chatsworth Bakehouse. They also sell deep dish style pizza slices from their bakehouse on Saturdays and they’re high up on my to do list.

I’d highly recommending wondering over to the Crystal Palace park with your sandwich and having a walk through the dinosaur set up afterwards. I love Crystal Palace and think it is such a special area. AND now I have a bakery I love there too!

The 2024 Restaurants in London list: The pricey ones

– Hide (twice!)
This is my favourite spot to take clients for breakfast. It is such a beautiful venue, the service is lovely and the food is great! I have tried a good amount of this menu as I have continued to visit in 2025. Their ripe honey mango is an iconic dish to share with the table. I have never had a better slice of mango in my little life. It is insanely expensive at £14 but wow it is phenomenal.

Their Viennoiseries (yeast leavened dough products – think croissants and brioche) and always good and seasonal. A highlight of this section is their french toast with blueberry compote and creme crue. I am not even especially bothered by french toast and this is one of my top dishes on their menu (see photo bottom right).

On the savoury side you can’t go wrong with their black truffled scrambled eggs on toast (LOL at £36 for this treat) or the HIDE Croque Monsieur. On my to try list is their full English breakfast which I bet will be delicious. I’ll haaave to book a client breakfast post summer!

My hot tip is to request a table upstairs when booking as it’s much more beautiful and quieter.

– Noble Rot
It’s a cult classic among the wine nerds for a reason. The wine list is on a ipad and is pretty stressful. We immediately called our waitress back, handed over the ipad and explained the sort of wines we like, our budget and what we’re looking for. Our waitress was more than up for making a recommendation and this Riesling was one of my favourites to date. The menu changes daily but if Pidgeon is on the menu – I can confirm it is excellent. The Comte beignets with pickled walnut ketchup seem to be a regular dish and they’re a must order in my books. Cheesy fluffy doughnuts? Say no more! A mandatory pilgrimage if you’re a wine nerd and well worth the trip.

– Pique Nique
This felt like an unexpected find of 2024. And I truly believe one of the most underrated restaurants in London. When I am at a restaurant and immediately think – I need to bring Matt & Rox – then I KNOW it’s making this list. I am delighted to say we were able to take Rox in January 2025 and can report back that it hit the mark then too. And again in May 2025 when we had a foodie friend visiting from Hong Kong. All this to say I have fully vetted Pique Nique and the recommendation stands up!

My biggest hot tip here is to go with more than two people. All the main courses are to share which means if you’re only two you don’t get a chance to try much of the menu. When we visited as three – we ordered a good selection of starters (three of four), one main to share between the three of us and desserts. If you’re only two – the mains are big enough that you’ll probably only have space for one starter! And that would be a shame!

The dishes are seasonal but if you spot the crispy egg in any form on the starters – order one of those. They also do dangerous things with scallops – so keep an eye out for a scallop dish too. The hero of our meals again and again have been the Chateaubriand. The potato sides and the sauce change through the year but the Chateaubriand is a thing of beauty. I can confirm it is more than enough for three to share but if you’re four you would want another main. It is a pricey dish but I can confirm this is my number one steak in London. It is superb!

In terms of dessert – they are know for the souffle but that wouldn’t be my recommendation sadly. We have ordered it before and ours had split and tasted very eggy. And on our first visit the table next to us said don’t bother with the souffle and to try something else. The star dessert in my opinion is the seasonal tart to share. A whole tarte tatin comes to the table which they slice up in front of you. We have had pear and fig tarts and both have been incredible. I have been eyeing up their Mille Feuille to share and will be ordering that for our next booking.

– Josephine’s
Urgh Josephines is so divine! We had an absolute feast! A posh Michelin star chef owns and runs this restaurant as his more casual dining offering and I absolutely love it. We ordered a good amount of the menu! We can highly recommend starting with the French onion soup (the best starter!!), the cheese souffle (can never resist) and the steak tartare.

For mains they’re famous for their rabbit to share. This was sadly sold out by the time we go there – will be going back to try. But we loved their roast chicken to share – the share was absolutely magic and I would highly recommend it. We also ordered an outrageous number of sides which I would highly recommend. There are FIVE potato options and we ordered most of them! Don’t miss the gratin dauphinois for two. On the veggie side I’d recommend the green beans and the seasonal tomatoes (if they’re on the menu). It was the most marvelous joyful feast and I would highly recommend it.

Now, we went wrong with dessert and I am a little heart broken. We ordered the chocolate mouse to share but it was more dark cooking chocolate than delicious. The iced nougat parfait which was fine. And beignets with a dipping sauce which were alright. A little sad to have the meal end on a miss. Next time I going more classic and I am ordered in the tarts!