The following restaurants are either in close vicinity of many of our flats or worth the ride. On any given day at any restaurant the standards of food and service may vary, but we have certainly tried to suggest establishments where we feel the standards are consistently high. These suggestions come from over twenty years of client recommendations.   This list does include some of the grand well-known restaurants but mostly the local neighborhood establishments.
Restaurant Reviews - Contents
 
Sloane Square and Vicinity top
La Famiglia
5-12 Langton St.
Chelsea SW10
Tel 7351 0761
Classic traditional Italian serving an upmarket Chelsea crowd. No frills, wonderful food and charming staff.
Oliveto and Olivo
Oliveto
49 Elizabeth St SW1
Tel 7730-0074

 

Olivo
21 Eccleston St SW1
Tel 7730-2505

 

Sister restaurants. Friendly, informal and reasonable. Everything is tasty but the risotto is superb. Popular with the Mayfair crowd.
Le Cercle

1 Wilbraham Place SW1
Tel 7901-999
Truly exceptional French tapas with stunning but intimate atmosphere. Not cheap but worth the price.
Click here to view the restaurant's website

Salloos
62-64 Kinnerton St.
Tel 7235-4444
North Indian restaurant with a huge following. The Tandoori chops for two are perfect and the restaurant excels in lamb and chicken dishes. Iffy atmosphere and now in the second generation ownership.
Ken Lo's Memories of China

67-69 Ebury Street SW1
Tel 7730-7734
The best Chinese food in London. Also the most expensive. Very unusual selection on fixed price menu. Decor is contemporary. Service is exceptional. Crowded so reservations a must.

Click here to view the restaurant website

Ziani
45-47 Radnor Walk SW3
Tel 7351-5297
Charming small Italian restaurant located in the heart of Chelsea. Noisy and intimate but loads of fun and superb food at mid-range prices. People love this restaurant!
Ebury Wine Bar
139 Ebury Street SW1
Tel 7730-5447
One of London's oldest wine bars, it has a strong regular customer base. Club like atmosphere. The food is Modern English. Grills are the specialty. But it is the extensive and interesting wine list that recommends this restaurant.
Caraffini
61-63 Lower Sloane St SW1
Tel 7259-0235
Restaurant on Lower Sloane with an enthusiastic following. Extremely good Italian food at moderate prices. Very Chelsea crowd and must absolutely book.
Vama
438 Kings Road
Tel 7351-4118
Modern, intriguing Indian restaurant. Combines good food with a lovely interior and comfortable informality. Reasonably priced.
Manicomio
Duke of York Square SW3
Tel 7730 3366
Located in the attractive Duke of York Square just off the King’s Road near Sloane Square. Ever changing Italian menu with extremely tasty offerings. Moderate price range and pleasant staff. Has an attractive take out “deli” style café next door with wonderful food and a conservatory dining area for a quick lunch.
La Poule au Pot
321 Ebury Street SW1
Tel 7730-7763
Wonderful cozy, romantic atmosphere and such good food. Portions are generous. Enormously popular with the local crowd. The best crème brule. Must reserve. Ask for a table outside in summer.
The Cinnamon Club

30 Great Smith Street London
SW1P 3BU,
United Kingdom
020 7222 2555

As you probably know, it's in the old Westminster Library building located near Westminster Abby, which is a treat in and of itself.  I think The Cinnamon Club opened in 2001; I went there initially because the wine guy, Laurent Chaniac (still buying wine for CC!) came from the Stafford Hotel, where I stayed on a regular basis for about 20 years when I was working over here.

I've dined there about 6 times, give or take.  The food has been consistently excellent, although it's now getting pricey, even for "upscale Indian."  Last night's dinner tells the story: Mindi started with a Welsh lamb appetizer with Indian spices, following that with a grilled sea bream with a chard compote and vermicelli mound.  That may not sound Indian, but the chef has a mastery of Indian spices that make it all come together.  I started with rabbit tikka (this is not a typo!) with a chili dipping sauce. Delicious!  The coup de grace was my "red deer" venison dish.  The slices of venison were atop a cumin flavored béarnaise-type sauce and sat next to a meaty, crunchy samosa.  But the star dish was a side of sangri beans!  We first had these beans in Rajasthan and have NEVER seen them on a menu in London, NY, or DC!  They were fabulous - a not to be missed treat.

There you have it!...................William Gardner

Click here to view the restaurant's website

South Kensington and Knightsbridge top
Maggie Jones’s
6 Old Court Place
Kensington Church St W8
Tel 7937- 6462
Traditional English food in an atmospheric establishment.. Scrubbed pine tables, hops and baskets hanging from the beams. Candles galore. The food is quite good, not inventive but standard lamb, grouse, etc.
Clarke's
124 Kensington Church Street W8
Tel 7221-9225
Delicious! Sally Clarke always serves unpretentious fabulous food. Well presented in a light and elegant atmosphere. Now offering more than one choice for dinner.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Racine
239 Brompton Road
Tel 7584 4477
Traditional French “bistro” type restaurant. Old fashioned menu with classic French dishes. Mid range in price. Really solid good food with friendly staff.
Shaheen of Knightsbridge
225 Brompton Rd SW3
Tel 7581-5329
A very good Indian restaurant with moderate prices. A favorite of many of our clients. The Chicken Madras is quite tasty!
La Brasserie
272 Brompton Rd
Tel 7584 1668
Long established Gallic with classic predictable brasserie fare. Good for lunch or late dinners. Staff can either be nice or appallingly rude. Food is good and consistent. Busy and bustling and a great place to sit and watch the crowd. The eggs benedict are a good hangover cure.
Launceston Place
1A Launceston Place W8
Tel 7937 6912
Quite, comfortable and stylish. Dinner party cooking in a civilized and romantic setting. Superb modern British.
Da Mario
15 Gloucester Rd.
Tel 7584 9078
Fun venue near the Albert Hall. Wonderful individual pizzas and delicious pasta. Salads are large and robust. Frequented by locals and friendly staff. Prices are reasonable.
St. James, Covent Gardens and Elsewhere top
Chez Bruce
2 Bellevue Road SW17
020 8672-0114
The best restaurant in London. British/French cooking in a relaxed atmosphere with superb service. Expensive but worth the cab ride.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
St. John
26 St. John St. EC1
Tel 7251 0848
Nose to tail eating. Legendary Scottish chef Fergus Henderson’s restaurant in the Smithfield Market area of London. This restaurant is a must and has an ever changing menu. Not a place for vegetarians as the specialties are game, offal of all varieties, and lovely local fish. There are also beef and pork selections. Highly recommended and please visit their web sight to see if this is for you.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
The Guinea Grill
W1
30 Bruton Pl
Tel 7499-1210
Old-school grill room in Mayfair. Cozy and atmospheric. Traditional British food at its best and legendary pies.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Green's Restaurant & Oyster Bar
SW1
36 Duke St
Tel 7930-4566
Very traditional British setting for a selection of traditional British dishes. Everything is delicious from the oysters, roast duck, Norfolk ham, savouries, and wonderful Scottish salmon. The sticky toffee pudding is the best!
Click here to view the restaurant's website
The Giaconda Dining Room
WC2
Tel 7240 3334
Aussie chef Paul Merrony’s “jammed” café “feels like a real find”; its “lovely” staff serve up “proper” bistro dishes at “incredibly good-value” prices.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Rules
35 Maiden Lane WC2E
Tel 7836-5314
London's oldest restaurant with a dignified and timeless atmosphere. The food is good and the best deal in London is the pre-theater diner (arrive no later than 5 p.m.). Also a good three-course lunch. Traditional game, fish, puddings.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
North Sea Fish
Bloomsbury WC1
Tel 7387-5892
Succulent scampi, mackerel and a whopping seafood platter. For fish and chips lovers this is a must.
Enoteca Turi
28 Putney High St SW15
020 8785-4449
Absolutely wonderful family run Italian. The wine and food are the best and menu changes weekly. Fresh, seasonal cooking. Take the #22 bus.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Belgo
50 Earlham Street
Covent Gardens
Tel 7813-2233
This place is a hoot! Busy, noisy, crowded but great mussels, offered at least 10 different ways. The beer is all Belgian (over 100 varieties) the food is simple & reasonable. Good for families.
Geales
2 Farmer Street W8
Tel 7727-7969
Arguably the best fish & chips in London. Simple farmhouse style restaurant with the freshest fish offered daily. Good puddings too. Very close to Portobello Rd. Good for lunch after the market.
The Four Seasons
12 Gerrard Street W1
Chinatown
Tel 7494-0870
The crispy duck is legendary and cheap. The wonton soup yummy. And we love the Chinese beer. Very convenient for before or after the theater. Cheap! Filled with Chinese locals. This was formerly the Dragon Inn but same owners….just name change.
L’Aventure
3 Bleinheim Terrace NW8
Tel 7624-6232
Lovely, romantic small restaurant in St John’s Wood. French food with offerings that change twice a day. Absolutely superb. Has a charming vine covered front terrace for summer dining.
The Ivy
1 West St W2
Tel 7836-4751
A wonderful restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden with delicious food. Wonderful updated English dishes.. Frequented by many theater and film actors. Book WELL in advance and be prepared to settle for a late seating.
Cote Bistro
17-21 Tavistock St. WC2
Tel 020 7379 9991
Covent Garden location just voted the Best Value Restaurant in Britain. Good simple fare, reasonably priced. Great for pre or post theatre. The food quality is superb. There is also a location in Kensington.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Il Vicolo
3-4 Crown Passage W1
Tel 020 7839 3960
Charming restaurant with reliable and tasty Sardinian food. Well worth knowing about this very affordable restaurant in the mega-pricy part of town.
The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly W1
Tel 020 7499-6996
The room is the star along with the wonderful Bloody Mary’s. A grand brasserie with modern British cooking. Great for breakfast or all day dining. Serves early before the theatre.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Chain restaurants top
PizzaExpress
Really good pizza and salads. When you are at the point in the trip that Pizza is beckoning you will not be disappointed. All over London and they all look different.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
West Cornwall Pasty Co
Divine tasty pasties!  There are many locations around London and the food is as good as any you will get in Cornwall.  Some locations have tables.  They have the traditional  steak and stilton, steak and Guinness, lamb and mint, etc.  The combinations are endless
Pret a Manger
These sandwich shops are everywhere. You absolutely can’t go wrong. Serves freshly made sandwiches, soups, desserts, coffee and a variety of juices. Quick and good.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Wagamama
various locations
Noodle bar and so much more. Scrumptious food served in a modern setting. Literally all over London so easy to pop in if you are starved for a tasty satisfying meal.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Take Out top
Daylesford Organic
44B Pimlico Road, London
Everything here is locally grown organic, beautifully presented and priced accordingly. A delightful place for shopping and eating.
Click here to visit the restaurant's website
La Bottega
Sloane Square
Wonderful Italian Delicatessen located at #65 Lower Sloane Street. Great place in the morning for coffee and a pastry or to pick up divine Italian goodies for dinner.
Click here to view the restaurant's website
Selfridges’s
Oxford Street
Arguably the best of the food halls. If you are there, do not fail to go to the sandwich counter for a corned beef sandwich…(the Brits call it Boiled Beef). The tastiest ever and unlike the American version. Get your sandwich with the English mustard. So good!
Harrods
Knightsbridge
Legendary food halls. Also great for lunch. Go early in day when it's less crowded.
Partridges
Kings Road
Legendary green grocer. Has everything you could wish for from fresh cut meats to anchovy relish. The take out is scrumptious with dozens of selections of cheeses, pates, etc. Now added spit roaster for lamb, chicken and game. Nice wines. Wonderful open air market on Saturdays.
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