9 Must-Try Drool-Worthy Restaurants In London

Source: Big Hospitality

Why eat at a restaurant when you can eat at a unique culinary hub? The Carousel team has been thrilling Londoners with an ever-changing line-up of cutting-edge international guest chefs taking residence in the kitchen since opening their doors in Marylebone eight years ago. Co-founders Ollie and Ed Templeton have upped sticks for a bright new spot — across three Georgian townhouses on Fitzrovia's Charlotte Street, no less – in keeping with the regeneration theme that their dining idea so successfully handles. Ollie's menu draws inspiration from the diverse cultures and cuisines celebrated at Carousel, with seasonal dishes influenced by the flavors and techniques that have passed through the kitchen over the years.

Rochelle Canteen, Shoreditch

Source: Conde Nast Traveller

A former school bike shed has been around for quite some time. Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson have owned and operated this restaurant since 2004, and have been business partners for almost 25 years. A daily changing cuisine is served at Rochelle Canteen, such as grilled onglet with cavolo nero or smoked with salmon. It's straightforward cooking delivered in a setting that feels more country house than East End. The wine selection is a treat — ordered by the glass while you munch your way through the menu of sure-fire favorites, whatever the season, and leave feeling smug that you discovered this modest restaurant at all.

Petersham Nurseries, Covent Garden

Source: Vanity Fair

Petersham Nurseries Café is not so much a café as it is one of London's most popular restaurants. This, their second location under the same name, features wrought-iron tables and chairs (both inside and out), massive old chandeliers, Murano glassware, and simple posies of freshly cut flowers. Begin with heritage radishes dipped in spicy crab, or buffalo mozzarella with shelled broad beans, mint, and chili. Perfect green pasta portions of ricotta, nettle, and marjoram – all in a sauce so creamy you could eat it by the spoonful; or saffron gnocchi with Cornish mussels and a dusting of spring flowers. La Goccia, the pub next door, serves a Garden gin and tonic, which is zingy with fresh pea flavor and a basil tonic. Many people have heard about Petersham Nurseries' incredible food, but few have been to it - this Covent Garden location is going to change that. This summer, if you can snag a table outside, go.

Evelyn's Table, Soho

Source: Goop

You might notice the blue facade of The Blue Posts, which is located next to Middle Eastern hit The Palomar and sophisticated Taiwanese Xu's Teahouse. But there are three levels worth stopping for inside this wood-paneled space. Begin with a drink at The Blue Posts before descending a pine-green stairwell to Evelyn's Table. The 10-seater restaurant, led by Luke Selby, formerly head chef at hiding, and his two younger brothers, Nat and Theo (both ex-Hide), blends British produce with Japanese techniques and classic French procedures. Diners sit at the marble-topped chef's table and are served five courses, which could include freshly caught Cornish mackerel preserved and served in a bowl with sweet sake, or crunchy shiso tempura tacos cradling wild mussels. For an additional £60 a person, dishes can be complemented with an excellent wine choice. The drinks are as inventive as the food, with an amazing range of beer, cocktails, and sake. This close-knit crew collaborates flawlessly, with tangible passion and a true family environment, to provide an evening of delectable food and wine.

Roti King, Euston

Source: Rotiking.has.restaurant

The original Roti King is in a basement joint in Euston, a section of town most of us try to avoid after work unless we're obliged to catch a train. Most Londoners in the know, however, will make an exception for the buttery roti this restaurant is famous for – ideal for scooping up mouthfuls of curry (lamb, fish, or chicken) or daal. The dining area is unpretentious, but the long line outside says it all: this is some of the most wonderful, authentic Malaysian food in town. A typical lemon iced tea and a roti with mutton karahi will set you back just over a tenner. Excellent value, and well-deserving of a spot on our list.

Casa Fofo, Dalston

Source: SquareMeal

This is a small yet stylish establishment on an unassuming residential street just a short walk from the vibrant Ridley Road Market. There's an open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work, and different members of the staff take turns bringing food to the table, so you can get to know them all. Clean white walls dominate the interiors, but exposed-brick features and wooden furniture give warmth. If you want a full meal, there is only one option with a six-course set tasting menu. It changes on a regular basis to reflect what's in season, but it's based on modern, imaginative cooking. On the wine list, there are exactly ten alternatives, each carefully picked, all-natural, and low intervention. To match the dish, it's worth accepting the team's recommendations by the glass. The restaurant received one Michelin star a few years ago and has since grown in popularity; it's worth traveling to if you don't live nearby and returning to if you do.

Imad's Syrian Kitchen, Soho

Source: CNN

Imad Alarnab, a Syrian restaurateur, fled his nation in 2015 when three of his restaurants were bombed. Imad shared his abilities while traveling around Europe, cooking for other refugees, and after finding sanctuary in the UK, it wasn't long before he conducted his first supper club. It was an instant success, spawning a slew of pop-up kitchens across London. Alarnab has taken over Asma Khan's seat at the top of Kingly Court at the first permanent Syrian Kitchen, which was funded by a £50,000 crowdfund. Obviously, order the falafel. The distinct loops provide a superb sharp surface-area-to-volume ratio. The halloumi noodles – cheese strings, if you will – served on a rocket and watermelon salad are a standout. If you just order one meat dish, make it the fastest Makdous, which is a heaping pile of minced lamb and aubergines atop crispy flatbread triangles. A Mediterranean wine list and an eclectic selection of beers — from Hoxton Hill Fin Lager to Pine Trail's alcohol-free pale lager – do everything they should. You might go to support Alarnab, but you'll keep coming back for the fantastic (and very reasonably priced) small plates.

Brat, Shoreditch

Source: National Restaurant Awards

Walking up the stairs, through racks of wine bottles, to be welcomed by the mellow, campfire wumpf of wood smoke and vibrant banter across long tables... you'd be forgiven for asking why you'd never discovered this spot before. Tomos Parry is best known as the chef of Kitty Fisher's, a celebrity hangout in Mayfair. While Fisher's can feel like a private members' club at times, the wood-paneled Brat is more open, with all the ambiance of an upstairs Spanish Asador at 11 p.m. Brat is named after an old English name for turbot, which here costs roughly £55, can feed three people, and is fantastic - it's not an oil painting, but it's golden and soft and worth foregoing the fork for your fingers. Noble Rot's Dan Keeling assisted with the wine list, which features a rotating monthly focus on local winemakers. There are crisp, sappy Vinho Verdes and Albarino, as expected, but there is also much to enjoy from elsewhere in Europe. However, you should get a bottle of sherry – possibly the fino en rama – which combines nicely with everything on the menu.

Sachi, Belgravia

Source: The Week UK

A wonderful gastronomy enterprise can be found on the lower ground level of Pantechnicon, a Nordic-meets-Japanese emporium housed in a 200-year-old former warehouse. The goal of Pantechnicon is to explore both cultures and bring them together in one area, including a Nordic restaurant and rooftop bar, a coffee shop, a wine shop, and a Japanese restaurant downstairs. The focus is on textures and flavors from Hokkaido, Osaka, and Fukuoka, with a touch of Nordic influence in some dishes. The first course is sushi, which includes razor-thin sea-bream sashimi, succulent scallop nigiri, and fatty tuna maki. Chefs Golding and Hudson purposely avoided including salmon on the menu in order to encourage consumers to order fish they may not have tried previously. We recommend the crispy fried monkfish with a lickable creamy yuzu sauce. Begin with a cocktail at the eight-seat sushi bar, where you can watch the chefs demonstrate their master fish-carving talents. Sachi is also establishing a buzzy late-night scene — if a night of Japanese cocktails is what you're after, there's always the hidden den, which is inspired by Tokyo's secret speakeasies. With London's sushi scene still in its early stages, this is one of the best in town.

Have you been to any of these restaurants before? Tell us your favorite in the comments below.