Do you care what sort of food you are recommended? Literally any cuisine? Budget?
We’re in London next weekend and I’m looking for somewhere for a meal on Friday night. Covent Garden/Strand/St Paul’s is convenient but I wouldn’t mind going further afield. I used to enjoy Dishoom but the last couple of visits were disappointing. I quite like the Port House but it’s a bit gloomy and cramped. So, any suggestions please?
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Do you care what sort of food you are recommended? Literally any cuisine? Budget?
Absolutely anything, though not stuffy and formal. Price wise it’s a birthday so I don’t mind splashing out a bit.
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Well, you won't be short of options.
From me:
Bancone
Barrafina
Din Tai Fung
Parsons
Toklas
Ippudo
St. John
All in the local area, all very good, at least in my opinion.
So much choice, you may need to narrow it down a bit!
A few suggestions in no particular order:
Hawksmoor Seven Dials if you like steak
The Ivy if you want to impress the birthday person and it is a nice experience though I don't particularly rate the food
Club Gascon near St Paul excellent every time I have been there
Brasserie Zedel better on the wallet than the others and nice food/experience
ROKA in Aldwych also nice
Frog by Adam Handling supposed to be very good (I haven't yet been) but very expensive
Many others I have probably forgotten too but some prompting about preferences may help!
Can you get a table at these places with a week's notice?
Probably not all of them but definitely some.
Yes quite a lot of availability so far…
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Sushi Samba, on the 39th floor of the Heron Tower. Japanese/Venezuelan fusion plus great cocktails and a view to boot. It's a fun place to go
Over 15,000 restaurants in London.
This should be fun when no area nor restaurant type is preferred.
Don’t think you can go wrong with Hawksmoor. I’m also fond of the Wolesley.
Cora Pearl in Covent Garden is a firm favourite (we have been there many times since they opened, and were there last weekend for a birthday which was top notch) - https://www.corapearl.co.uk/
Three courses, two cocktails each, and 1/2 a bottle of wine with service, was just under £180.
Noize-French restaurant I ate in for daughters 18th was really good.
The Veeraswamy just off Regents Street. Oldest Indian restaurant in the UK.
I saw a recommendation for Din Tai Fung in this thread. I was very disappointed - overpriced and nowhere near as good or as authentic as the Asian branches - caters too much to a British palate I found.
Rules is a good choice just down the street from the aforementioned Din Tai Fung. Or head into Chinatown.
Last edited by ryanb741; 20th April 2024 at 22:06.
If Chinese food is your thing, head for Queensway just off Bayswater road.(central line) Excellent restaurants down there, cheaper than Chinatown with the same quality food.
Chez Bruce. 30 years in and still going strong
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Wong Kei ´s on Wardour St. used to be great fun, their no frills service ethic was legendary, good food reasonable prices... once while waiting to be seated overheard some American´s request ´´No smoking please´´ without missing a beat the waiter responded ´´Eveybody smoke in Wong Kei´´...
Another for Hawksmoor Seven Dials. Great food if you like steak and an always a great atmosphere in a cool restaurant.
BBQ & Seafood - Big Easy - Covent Garden & Canary Wharf
Seafood & Steak - Randall & Aubin - Soho
Steak - Blacklock - Soho & Canary Wharf
Chinese - Golden Phoenix or Four Seasons - Chinatown
Chinese - Yauatcha - Soho
Chinese - Golden Mine or Mandarin Kitchen - Bayswater/Queensway
Persian - Berenjak - Soho
Turkish - Cyprus Mangal - Victoria
Quaglino's or any of the D&D group restaurants are usually a good shout.
https://www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk/
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We have eaten at 45 Jermyn Street, it's never disappointed
https://45jermynst.com/
Same with daphnes
https://daphnes-restaurant.co.uk/
Ivy Asia is nice, there's one by St Pauls
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Thanks for all the suggestions, really helpful.
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Whoops
Key, sorry kei words are “used to be”. 20 years ago the food was always fresh and tasty, and the abrupt service and general canteen ambience was part of the experience. Last time I went, the service was more polite, but the food, and indeed general feel of the place, just seemed tired.
I had an extremely pleasant evening in Wiltons a few weeks ago. Somewhere that never seems to change. We did a reverse ferret and had martinis in Duke’s hotel afterwards.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Well thanks for all the suggestions, we ended up at Bonoo on Finchley Road, lovely place, decent food and really friendly informal atmosphere. Only 8 tables a pleasant change from the bigger places.
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Driven by that place hundreds of times. Looks good and is walkable from a friends place, thank you.
That meal looks fantastic, broken popadoms aside, that would just niggle me.
Our local was serving what they called burnt popadoms recently. They have them apparently with their staff curry at home he end of the night (which is bloody fantastic)
Still cannot work out if they were taking the pi55 out of all the customers or not after a kitchen screw up.