1 Lombard Street
Modern, seasonally oriented cuisine supervised by Mr Hix in a very serenely, top-lit converted banking hall across from the Bank of England and Royal Exchange. £ 72
Balthazar
London’s version of New York’s take on a French Brasserie; Mr McNally’s prolific mind neatly executes a Francophile spot in Covent Garden. £ 85
Berners Tavern
Modern cuisine, directed by Mr Atherton, in a spectacularly renovated Edwardian hall of vaulting grandeur, in the southern reaches of Fitzrovia. £ 100
Bob Bob Ricard
Soho’s playful tribute to Art Deco excess, with “call for Champagne” buttons at every table is not cheap, on average, but does have some good specials. £ 86
Brasseria Notting Hill
A recent (2021) addition to the quality traditional hospitality scene, the Frequelli brother’s Italian comfort food is a valuable and affordable addition to Notting Hill. £ 86
Brasserie Zédel
Reliably French, very accessible and opulently gorgeous, Corbin & King’s Brasserie Zédel sets the standard for its category in London. £ 49
China Tang (at the Dorchester)
One of the world’s great cuisines is produced knowledgeably here and, for once, served in surroundings that elevate it, as does the bar next door. £ 101
Cheneston’s (at the Milestone Hotel)
Tranquil Victorian elegance and an accent on British classics in the heart of Kensington. Deserves to be better known. ££££ (no price yet on Harden’s).
Clos Maggiore
The warmth and quality of Provencal cuisine in n impossible photogenic space on the doorstep of Covent Garden.
£ 95
Colbert
A classic, idealised French bistro in the middle of Chelsea, serving classics in a civilised environment. A Corbin & King establishment. £ 63
Colony Grill Room (at the Beaumont)
The recently renovated grill room is less assertively Deco, masculine and visually delectable but remains an oasis of civility. £ 107
Dean Street Townhouse
Soho House-style comfort food and perfectly easy, trad ambiance makes this a classic and a welcome resource in Soho’s. £ 74
The Delaunay
Classic ‘Continental’ cuisine in a spacious, swish space with a very agreeable bar at the front. The Delaunay is exceedingly civilised even for an area that is not short of bars or restaurants. £ 69
The Drawing Room (in Brown’s Hotel)
A remarkably successful renovation of a historic space, offering refined but generally unfussy versions of ‘supper’ classics. £ 84
Fischer’s
Corbin & king produced another tribute to Mitteleuropean hospitality, schnitzel adn all, that rivals and possibly betters the original. The place to be in Marylebone. £ 66
Hawksmoor Air Street
With a deserved reputation for fine steak and seafood , this branch of the Hawksmoor mini-chain near Piccadilly Circus will appeal to fans of easily traditional décor. £ 94
Holborn Dining Room
British-inflected but not staunchly traditional dishes in a grandly elevated Edwardian space on High Holborn. £ 83
The Ivy Kensington Brasserie
Convincingly traditional, buzzy and with a satisfyingly unfussy menu, this Ken High Street brasserie is a useful stop at any time of day or evening. £ 72
The Ivy Marylebone Café
This serenely retro and supremely well-behaved spot provides rather fine comfort food on Marylebone’s prettiest street. £ 65
J Sheekey
An actual survivor from the Golden Era, this ‘Fish Restaurant’ is a time machine back to the early to mid C20 but sprucely maintained. A Covent Garden institution. £ 88
The Lanesborough Grill (formerly ‘Celeste’)
One of the prettiest neoclassical dining rooms anywhere and high-end cuisine at the edge of Belgravia. A place for special occasions. ££££ (no price yet on Harden’s).
Louie
More classic grill than Creole but evidently passionate about stylish comity. Of the two dininga reas, upstairs is more refined, downstairs more animated. £ 97
The Lutyens Grill (in The Ned)
One of the many, beautifully re-created, excellently run environments within that marvel of style and versatility that is The Ned. Classic and classy surf-n-turf menu. £ 106.
Margot
Modern but excellent Italian food of a high standard in a very refined space, at the more genteel end of Covent Garden. £ 84
The Mercer
Another early C20 banking hall turned into a perfectly decent restaurant. Never too many of these, in the City, we think. £ 79
The Quality Chop House
A well-preserved Grade II-listed dining room focused on prime cuts of meat near Smithfield – Clerkenwell. £ 92
Rules
London’s oldest restaurant retains all its Victorian charm, sense of occasion and successful upholding of a tradition that is very much alive. £ 83
The Savoy Grill
The Savoy’s ‘front of house’ restaurant is still a destination spot with refurbished but glitzily Deco interiors, when one needs to splurge. £ 147
Wiltons
Oyster bar of C18 origins turned into classic restaurant replete with carving trolley in the still uniquely gentlemanly district of St James. £ 108
The Wolseley
This is Corbin & King’s ‘even better than the god old days’, classically elegant restaurant that triggered the return to eating as if style mattered. £ 77
Zaika of Kensington
Delectably savoury Indian cuisine in a beautiful Neogothic Victorian space. Zaika is a jewel in Ken High Street’s crown. £ 67
These are shown in alphabetical order. See the Map and Area Guides for geographically organised listings.
The £ amount shown is based on the average cost as reported by Harden’s (“based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT”)