2022 Restaurants in London that are actually very good

When we moved to London everyone said we were going to love all the restaurants in London. That we were moving to a foodie capital and we were in for a real treat. Well, let me TELL YOU London is home to some amazing restaurants but so many restaurants are just “okay” or in the words of my friend Nick, “fine”. I do think there are amazing restaurants to be had but with so many choices you don’t just fall into great restaurants the same way we had in Cape Town. I have pulled together our 2022 Restaurants in London that we actually feel are worth spending your hard-earned pounds on. My threshold is HIGH because it’s really expensive to eat out in this city and I want to be confident it’s worth it.

I will be honest with you, we moved to London in October 2021 but I couldn’t be asked to have a whole post just for a handful of 2021 gems. So whilst it’s technically the 2022 Restaurants in London list there are a couple of sneaky entries!

The 2022 Restaurants in London list: The affordable ones

– Berenjak Borough
Sensational Persian food that knocked my socks off. There is an a la carte but I would highly recommend the four course shared menu for the table at £40 per person. Best hummus I have ever had. Just order as much as possible and eat it all. But also… extra hummus right?

– Smoking Goat Shoreditch
Serves great Thai food. Our waiter took one look at two white ladies and said – “are you good with spicy because it’s served Thai hot and there’s no changing that”. I’m not bad with spicy and Tegan has been known to order extra chilli oil on her spicy ramen. So we knew we were in good hands. Fantastic authentic Thai food with really exciting flavours and ingredients. We worked through a fair go of the menu with favourites including fish sauce chilli wings, the pork belly and their fresh crunchy salads. And make sure to get plenty of jasmine rice and water for when the heat levels build!

– Brutto
London has so much good Italian food but of course so much middle of the road Italian food. It’s a dangerous game. But don’t worry, you don’t have to play the game because I have the answers for you! Go to Brutto! The food is sensational! You need to go hungry because you want to commit to the full four course Italian experience. Don’t miss the deep fried dough balls with prosciutto and stracchino to start – it’s a big portion that you could share between three or four. We shared two pastas between the three of us for primi with the penne a la vodka being our favourite. The sliced rare beef and little roast potatoes with plenty of jus was rich and delicious and cooked to perfection. And of course, you can’t miss my favourite – the tiramisu! The food was fantastic – simple comforting flavours done well. I definitely need to go back to try more of the menu.

– Ippudo ramen
Look, it’s a chain. I know. But once you move to London you learn to get over that hang up really quickly. For restaurants to survive in London their best bet is to have multiple locations. I have had many meals at Ippudo Ramen in Canary Wharf and this was actually our first restaurant meal after officially moving here. My go-to order is Shiromaru Classic with Tamago (you gotta have the egg!) with firm noodles as they continue to soften to medium as they sit in the broth. It’s honestly a hug in a bowl. And at under £15, this is a damn good deal! They also do great lunch time daily specials.

– Dishoom
It’s a cult classic for a reason and it’s unbelievably delicious. When I have friends and family visiting this is one of my top visit choices. Our go-to order needs a bigger group and I seriously struggle to narrow down my choices when it’s only two of us!! But here you have it: Okra fries (seriously trust me), house chaat, chilli chicken, prawn koliwada, chicken ruby, black daal, paneer tikka all served with raita, a bowl of greens, garlic naan and basmati rice.

– Honest Burger
This is embarrassingly our most visited restaurant in London. Jono will chime in right about now saying he is very proud of this. They do a fantastic cheeseburger – The Tribute with rosemary fries. They also do a burger of the month and I don’t think Jono has missed one yet! If I am out for the evening – this is where you will find Jono. We tend to do take away but have eaten in plenty of times. Pleased to say we have converted many friends and even my dad to the magic of the Honest Burger. Worth remembering to ask for the burger to be medium-rare as occasionally it’s cooked a little over.

– Dumpling Legends
This is my favourite dumpling spot in Chinatown – especially for the soup dumplings (classic pork siu long bao)! Other great choices include grilled pork dumplings, crispy fried chicken, cucumber in chilli oil, crispy aromatic duck pancakes and fragrant aubergine with minced pork and chilli sauce (sitting under the vegetable section). It’s cheap, cheerful, quick and delicious!

– Kulu Kulu Sushi
Urgh… I don’t want to tell you about this one. This is a great affordable conveyor belt sushi box. It’s another regular one and the perfect quick lunch when in the Soho area. It’s so delicious I have been known to pop in for a quick visit pre or post lunch… Yes, I am a glutton! Whilst it is a conveyor belt, feel very free to order from the waitstaff for a quicker turnaround. Don’t miss the tempura handroll, scallop nigiri and deep fried marinated chicken.

– Six by Nico
This spot gets mixed reviews but we loved it. The negatives I have heard are that people have felt very rushed. We booked a late Sunday lunch and didn’t find we were rushed. But maybe keep that in mind if you’re looking for a long leisurely lunch spot! The premise is affordable fine dining. They knock out six courses of fine dining style dishes on a set theme for £48 with an optional wine pairing for £35. We joined them for their fairytale menu and it was whimsical and lovely and delicious.

– Phat Phuc Noodle Bar
Makes the most fantastic laksa. Oof, I love Laksa and this is such a good version. A giant bowl of comfort + it’s approved by my Malaysian colleague so we’re golden! You can’t book and there’s often a queue but just hang around as it moves fast and they’ll find you a table. Don’t skip a sneaky side order of dumplings.

– 40 Maltby Street
South African wine friends got us on to 40 Maltby Street – one of those go for the wine but stay for the food kind of spots. There are many great bottles of wines to choose from ranging from the reasonable to the preeetty pricey. It’s absolutely magic to grab a table outside in the summer and waiting for a spot at the bar in the colder months is great too. It’s a blackboard menu that changes pretty frequently but if they have lamb on the menu – treat yo self!

The 2022 Restaurants in London list: The pricey ones

– Benares
We visited this Michelin star restaurant for my 30th birthday and it was spectacular. There were so many stand outs but the scallop in a curry sauce, the chicken curry and the dessert blew me away. Benares was the first time I have ever been excited about dessert in an Indian restaurant. The flavours, the textures, the different temperatures and the patisserie were sensational.

– Dinings SW3
This is another of our more regular restaurants and that’s a very dangerous place to be in as it’s properly expensive. If you’re here on your South African Rands, my friend, this is not one for you. If you’re in London and you’re looking for incredible top quality sushi – book a spot at the bar! It’s a big menu with a few seasonal options but there are a few “must order” options for us! From the nigiris: Toro hagashi, Chu toro, Taramo scallop, Zuke style yellowtail, truffle wagyu and avo (it’s a dark horse and I often need two – trust me here). On the rolls, we love Negi-toro (tuna hand roll), blue lobster tempura and Maguro maki (three cuts of tuna roll). Another mandatory is to always book a seat at the sushi bar. I love to see the chefs in action and it’s often inspiration for order round two.

– Endo at the Rotunda
This is one of the top three meals of our life. If you’re into really great traditional sushi (ie not California style) and you’re not afraid to spend serious money on it then this is your dream booking. Endo is a third generation sushi master and an absolute perfectionist. The sushi rice is washed with water from Japan, he has a single Portuguese fisherman supply his tuna and for every sushi course the rice and fish temperature is taken for the perfect mouthful. Each and every bite was exceptional and it truly is an experience. We went for the sushi but I’ll never stop thinking about the scrambled eggs, the wagyu and the soufflé. It’s an omakase menu over twenty courses. I will say, getting a booking is chaaallenging. Follow them on Instagram for updates and be prepared to go on a random Thursday night at 8:30pm. It’s worth it.

– Barrafina
Barrafina (Dean Street) lost their Michelin star this year and it’s a hard disagree from my side. We’ve been to Barrafina twice now and recommended it to friends who have loved it. The Dean Street branch is my favourite with no bookings but you queue inside the restaurant and can get started on a glass of wine and a few bar snacks. Mandatory dishes for me include pan con tomate, one of the tortillas, ham croquettes, and gambas rojas. About half of their menu is based on the daily specials and is a little intimidating with so many options. I recommend asking your waitress for their top choices as that’s how we stumbled onto their steak with romesco sauce which was our dish of the night. Sensational!!

– Core by Clare Smyth
is a three Michelin star spot in Nottinghill and is properly pricey but absolutely wonderful and a very special way to celebrate an occasion. One of my favourite things about Core is typically when doing a tasting menu you need to choose one for the table. At Core, one of you can order her classic tasting menu and one can order the seasonal menu. It’s an amazing way to try the famous dishes (the potato!!!) whilst also trying new dishes with the best produce of the season. Definitely do the wine pairing – it’s fantastic and the sommeliers are lovely. The service in general is fantastic and whilst very much a silver service experience it feels very warm and welcoming. Bookings are tough to get as they release at midnight exactly three months in advance and disappear in minutes. A hassle but well worth the effort.