Charing Cross, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Extraordinarily overpriced, if excellent” is the dominant theme in reports on TV-chef Tom’s cavernous and low-lit bar/brasserie – part of an über-swanky five star with its own entrance off Northumberland Avenue. To an unusual extent, even those rating its premium comfort food as very-good-to-exceptional say: “the prices are sky-high for what’s offered” – OK, it’s a posh destination with one of the UK’s most famous celeb chefs, but “does eating out really have to cost this much??”

“A delightful setting, atop wonderful art and with seriously good food” – that’s the elevator pitch for this latest incarnation of the Royal Portrait Gallery’s top-floor dining room, taken over by star Irish chef, Richard Corrigan in 2023. Of course, it helps that it enjoys “utterly fabulous” viewpoints over Trafalgar Square from the NPG’s roof (“magnificent if you are fortunate enough to get a window table”) but its high standards “confound the belief that restaurants attached to cultural venues are always disappointing”; and are similarly way above the lazy standards of a typical ‘room with a view’. True, service can be “a bit intermittent”, but is for the most part highly rated for its “charming” approach, and delivers “predominantly British cuisine” (with some focus on “fresh fish”) that’s “precise and imaginative”. “Some soft furnishings or acoustic devices to help reduce the noise of happy diners!” would please some guests, but most reports applaud the “beautiful” interior. But there is a bit of a catch! While acknowledging all of the huge number of plusses, many enthusiastic reports are, even so, delivered slightly through gritted teeth due to the “sky-high” prices. (“There’s no doubting that Richard Corrigan has brought a touch of excitement and flair to the gallery. But at a price. Yes, the menu is imaginative, the cooking sound and the service as professional as you would expect. But the bill proved shockingly high for lunch with a modest drink.”)

“It’s been going for very many years, has become far too busy and can get very cramped”… but that’s been a typical description of the capital’s oldest wine bar (est. 1890) near Embankment Tube for as long as anyone can remember. One casualty of popularity in recent times has been the hot food specials – it’s now just the cheeses, cold cuts, pâtés and salad selection, although they recently introduced meat and mezze sharing boards. The “great wine list” is the same pull it always was. Top Tip – try to visit in winter and arrive early for a table in the candle-lit cellar… but in summer they also have one of central London’s biggest, nicest outdoor terraces.

This “delightful Central London spot” – the dramatically decorated all-day dining room of a boutique hotel on Haymarket – is a “lively and fun place to eat before going to the theatre in the West End”. It’s “dependable and comfortable, with a range of cuisine to suit most tastes” – plus afternoon tea, cocktails, and an outdoor terrace for al fresco meals.

The “large, two-storey” outpost of a brand from India’s Massive Restaurants group on Haymarket is worth knowing about if you’re fighting hunger in the heart of the West End; and offers “a good selection of food including a great variety of small plates” at a quality level that can surprise for such a touristy location. Wallet-friendly lunch and pre-theatre set meals add to its appeal.

“Chef Anthony Demettre will often come out and have a chat” if you dine regularly at this “good stand-by in the heart of the West End”, where “beautifully presented dishes with hints of France are served by smiling waiting staff” in a stylish and “well-spaced” chamber convenient for Trafalgar Square and Theatreland. Long-term fans remember the two smaller, more personal incarnations of his Wild Honey project (“I was concerned its spirit would have been lost in the move to a Sofitel. I need not have worried: Anthony Demetre was very much at the stoves and it was clear his enthusiasm for French regional cooking was still reflected in a range of memorable dishes of some skill, using top ingredients: no corporate corner-cutting here!”). Top Tips – “a new, more informal bistro sits alongside the main restaurant and offers a similar authentic menu for a more modest outlay”; “great-value lunch menu”.

2024 Review: “Pre or post-theatre, very much a favourite over many years” – this elegant seafood bar was added adjacent to the main restaurant fifteen years ago, and its more laid-back style means it’s tailor-made for a luxurious bite and glass of fizz. That said, it’s become “quite pricey” over time, and doesn’t have quite the dazzling golden glow of yesteryear.

“Exciting dishes, all full of flavour” and with “a sustainability ethos too” are hailed by fans of this well-regarded five-year-old, which started out on Heddon Street and nowadays occupies a “big and buzzy” site with open kitchen on the Haymarket – in fact, it was voted as providing many ‘best meals of the year’ in 2025. A sceptical minority, however, view it as hyped by the media and drag down its overall ratings (“I suppose if you knew nothing about the background, you’d just see this as a perfectly competent place between Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly. Me? I just see it as a lot of fuss about… what?”). Top Tip – “it does an excellent Saturday brunch and an excellent breakfast the rest of the week”: “the croissants are a tasty work of art”; “Black pudding Benedict on a honey waffle is divine as are the hash browns with the intense umami mushroom ketchup”.

Irish Wexford Tomahawk… Hereford Fillet Chateaubriand… Argentinian Ribeye… USDA prime fillet – the high quality of the steaks are a point of pride for Simon Thomas who owns London’s biggest and busiest casino, where the restaurant occupies an interesting space converted from the old circle of the former Hippodrome Theatre. NB under 25s must have ID. Top Tip – superb pre-theatre deal at £24 for two courses.

“Famous for being London’s top romantic dining spot with good reason” – this bewitching Covent Garden “haven” comes complete with an “exquisite” rear conservatory, with “a glass roof that opens in summer” and “the treat of a log fire in winter” – and “on the first floor you dine under a vibrant canopy of flowers”. By most accounts the European cuisine is “beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks” too, although a slight slip in its ratings of late supports those who feel that “it’s more hit and miss since the pandemic”. No change in its “wonderful wine selection” however: “a surprisingly eclectic list of wines, alongside the bonus of an extensive cognac offering (and Armagnac dating back 70 years!”). “A must for a special celebration”.

“Chic and cosy” Covent Garden townhouse with “very friendly staff” and a “nice short menu” of accomplished comfort food. “The set lunch” and early-evening menu is “very welcome for pre-theatre dining” – and means “you can afford to go regularly”. Like its Shepherd Market sibling Kitty Fisher’s, it takes its name from a historic courtesan with local connections.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“Kudos to the chef” – Seamus Sam, who arrived in mid 2024 and is maintaining the culinary renown of this funky 12-seater in the cellar of Layo & Zoë Pasking’s period pub on the fringe of Chinatown, where he delivers a five-course menu for £135 per person. By all accounts it’s “just a wonderful experience” with “extremely interesting cooking” and “some intriguing wine pairings”, all delivered by “excellent staff”. “Not one for claustrophobics” perhaps, but most reporters find its style “lovely and intimate”.

“Some tables afford a view of the Thames, while there is some real dining theatre” at the Savoy’s elegant dining room, whose history in the last 20 years has seen many re-treads under differing names (most recently Kaspar’s). Now back under its old moniker but run by Gordon Ramsay, it divides opinion, with some reporters feeling the “very solid” fish and seafood cooking is let down by a space “very much like a hotel breakfast room”, while others see a “very nice room” let down by “unimaginative food at fancy prices”… so a consensus of sorts! For a traditional, grand family meal or business – including breakfast – it has its fans; to others it’s just too uneventful at the five-star prices.

“Nothing like the classic Ivy of yesteryear” – the Theatreland icon used by Richard Caring as the pattern for his hugely lucrative knock-off chain gave a yet-more indifferent impression this year. That “it is not what it was” is ancient news, although there are still some devoted fans who declare it “a favourite”, citing its “always buzzing atmosphere” in particular and who still laud “delicious” posh-brasserie fare. “Once an icon, now a tourist trap” is now a more dominant theme in reports though, with reporters increasingly apt to find it “a disappointing flagship” that’s “no better than its suburban chain branches” with “low-end food and sloppy service”.

An amazing oasis of calm for somewhere slap bang in the centre of the West End – this “civilised” hotel dining room in a cute courtyard near Piccadilly Circus makes a charming setting for afternoon tea in particular. At other times the "unobtrusive" food “does what you need for a business meeting” and will do nothing to detract from a more social occasion.

As a “cosy choice for a romantic breakfast”, this big, famous Soho landmark wins the odd tip. What’s more striking, though, is how somewhere with a gorgeous Champagne bar and unbeatable heritage (from 1867) can – under Soho House, who mostly run it as a hotel – have sunk into such stupefying obscurity and mediocrity.

“A top spot for a long, slow meal in Soho” – this “small but perfectly formed” first-floor dining room looks down onto the street through the ‘Tricolore’ flags and Union Jacks that signpost this “old favourite” pub. “You fight your way through the pub entrance, past the frenetic, cosy downstairs bar, but once you’re up the stairs to this petit space, your shoulders relax” as it has a timeless, “charming” quality. Neil Borthwick (aka Mr Angela Hartnett) is the latest in a line of top chefs who have defied the modest expectations of this “compact” space, delivering “the kind of simple, intelligent, well-thought-out food you always want to eat with gusto, rather than take pictures of”. “The staff are friendly and helpful without being intrusive and the atmosphere is relaxed and comforting (it’s like being wrapped in a big fluffy blanket and fed your favourite ‘get well’ soup!”). Top Menu Tips – “the aligot, the steak frites, the crispy pig’s head, all utterly delicious, consistent and with huge bursts of full-on flavour”; and “the madelaines with orange curd are awesome!”

“A hidden gem that’s so worth a visit, especially if you want to stay late” – this ‘boutique basement wine bar & kitchen’ in the heart of Soho was founded by not one but two master sommeliers, Gearoid Devaney & Xavier Rousset (originally as an industry insider club called ‘Trade’). The food is simple (pizzas and sharing boards) but the cocktails are excellent and there’s an exceptional selection of by-the-glass vintage wines.