Tenco Mobile Logo

London’s Coolest Restaurants Guide

London’s restaurant scene has never been short of places to eat. But every so often, a handful of addresses seem to capture the mood of the city just a little better than the rest, the places where the room is as important as what’s on the plate, where dinner can easily turn into drinks, and where you somehow end up staying three hours longer than planned.
From Mayfair glamour to Notting Hill neighbourhood energy and Shoreditch’s effortlessly cool new arrivals, these are the restaurants currently worth knowing about. Consider this your guide to London’s coolest tables.
London’s restaurant scene has never been short of places to eat. But every so often, a handful of addresses seem to capture the mood of the city just a little better than the rest, the places where the room is as important as what’s on the plate, where dinner can easily turn into drinks, and where you somehow end up staying three hours longer than planned.
From Mayfair glamour to Notting Hill neighbourhood energy and Shoreditch’s effortlessly cool new arrivals, these are the restaurants currently worth knowing about. Consider this your guide to London’s coolest tables.

The Twenty Two — Mayfair

If there is one place that understands the art of making dinner feel like an occasion, it’s The Twenty Two. Set inside the elegant Mayfair hotel and members’ club on Grosvenor Square, the restaurant combines old-school glamour with a younger, more fashion-conscious energy. The room is polished but never stuffy, and the crowd is exactly the sort you’d expect to see lingering over dinner before disappearing downstairs for cocktails. The food follows the same philosophy: modern British cooking with Mediterranean influences, seasonal ingredients and a quietly luxurious edge. Think caviar, oysters, Dover sole, truffles and beautifully executed steaks. It’s the sort of place to book when you want to dress up without feeling like you’ve tried too hard and when dinner is only the beginning of the evening.
The Twenty Two — Mayfair
If there is one place that understands the art of making dinner feel like an occasion, it’s The Twenty Two. Set inside the elegant Mayfair hotel and members’ club on Grosvenor Square, the restaurant combines old-school glamour with a younger, more fashion-conscious energy. The room is polished but never stuffy, and the crowd is exactly the sort you’d expect to see lingering over dinner before disappearing downstairs for cocktails. The food follows the same philosophy: modern British cooking with Mediterranean influences, seasonal ingredients and a quietly luxurious edge. Think caviar, oysters, Dover sole, truffles and beautifully executed steaks. It’s the sort of place to book when you want to dress up without feeling like you’ve tried too hard and when dinner is only the beginning of the evening.

Dorian — Notting Hill

There’s a reason Dorian became one of Notting Hill’s most talked-about restaurants almost immediately after opening. Described by the Michelin Guide as a modern-day brasserie, it has that rare quality of feeling both incredibly current and as though it has always been part of the neighbourhood. The cooking is ingredient-led, with open-fire grilling at the heart of the menu, while the room is intimate, buzzy and designed for people who actually want to stay and talk. The counter is arguably the place to be if you want to watch the kitchen in action. Come for the food, stay for the atmosphere and order generously. Dorian is built around sharing, grazing and letting the meal unfold rather than rushing through a conventional starter-main-dessert formula.
Dorian — Notting Hill
There’s a reason Dorian became one of Notting Hill’s most talked-about restaurants almost immediately after opening. Described by the Michelin Guide as a modern-day brasserie, it has that rare quality of feeling both incredibly current and as though it has always been part of the neighbourhood. The cooking is ingredient-led, with open-fire grilling at the heart of the menu, while the room is intimate, buzzy and designed for people who actually want to stay and talk. The counter is arguably the place to be if you want to watch the kitchen in action. Come for the food, stay for the atmosphere and order generously. Dorian is built around sharing, grazing and letting the meal unfold rather than rushing through a conventional starter-main-dessert formula.

The Hero — Maida Vale

The new generation of London pubs has perfected the art of making a casual dinner feel very chic, and The Hero is a particularly good example. In Maida Vale, the beautifully restored pub has the atmosphere of a neighbourhood local, but with considerably more attention paid to the food, interiors and crowd. Upstairs, the dining room leans into hearty British cooking, while downstairs is where you’ll find the lively pub energy. Think oysters, scotch eggs, beef tartare, cheese toasties, fish pie and other gloriously unfussy British classics. The Hero is less about fine dining and more about knowing exactly what makes a great night out: good food, a proper bar, a table full of friends and absolutely no reason to leave early.
The Hero — Maida Vale
The new generation of London pubs has perfected the art of making a casual dinner feel very chic, and The Hero is a particularly good example. In Maida Vale, the beautifully restored pub has the atmosphere of a neighbourhood local, but with considerably more attention paid to the food, interiors and crowd. Upstairs, the dining room leans into hearty British cooking, while downstairs is where you’ll find the lively pub energy. Think oysters, scotch eggs, beef tartare, cheese toasties, fish pie and other gloriously unfussy British classics. The Hero is less about fine dining and more about knowing exactly what makes a great night out: good food, a proper bar, a table full of friends and absolutely no reason to leave early.

Carbone — Mayfair

Some restaurants are understated. Carbone is emphatically not one of them. The London outpost of the New York-born Italian-American institution brings its signature sense of theatre to Grosvenor Square, complete with velvet banquettes, lacquered wood, vintage-inspired interiors and service that treats dinner as a full-scale performance. The menu is a roll call of modern classics: Caesar alla ZZ, spicy rigatoni vodka, veal parmesan and Dover sole piccata, followed by desserts that arrive on an elaborate trolley. It is glamorous, nostalgic and deliberately excessive, exactly the point. If you’re looking for the restaurant equivalent of a great outfit, Carbone is it: recognisable, dramatic and guaranteed to get noticed.
Carbone — Mayfair
Some restaurants are understated. Carbone is emphatically not one of them. The London outpost of the New York-born Italian-American institution brings its signature sense of theatre to Grosvenor Square, complete with velvet banquettes, lacquered wood, vintage-inspired interiors and service that treats dinner as a full-scale performance. The menu is a roll call of modern classics: Caesar alla ZZ, spicy rigatoni vodka, veal parmesan and Dover sole piccata, followed by desserts that arrive on an elaborate trolley. It is glamorous, nostalgic and deliberately excessive, exactly the point. If you’re looking for the restaurant equivalent of a great outfit, Carbone is it: recognisable, dramatic and guaranteed to get noticed.

Lagana — Shoreditch

For something altogether more relaxed, head east to Lagana. Opened on Great Eastern Street, this Greek restaurant is all about generosity: hot bread, smoky grills, flatbreads, dips, fish, meat and plates designed to be passed around the table. The space has the same easygoing quality. High ceilings, textured walls, wood and a slightly imperfect, lived-in feel make it somewhere you could happily arrive for a quick lunch and accidentally stay until dinner. The menu moves between traditional Greek flavours and more contemporary dishes, with everything from tarama and grilled pita to lamb, tuna, prawns saganaki and Greek-inspired salads. Lagana feels like the kind of restaurant Londoners want right now: generous, sociable and completely uninterested in being too precious.
Lagana — Shoreditch
For something altogether more relaxed, head east to Lagana. Opened on Great Eastern Street, this Greek restaurant is all about generosity: hot bread, smoky grills, flatbreads, dips, fish, meat and plates designed to be passed around the table. The space has the same easygoing quality. High ceilings, textured walls, wood and a slightly imperfect, lived-in feel make it somewhere you could happily arrive for a quick lunch and accidentally stay until dinner. The menu moves between traditional Greek flavours and more contemporary dishes, with everything from tarama and grilled pita to lamb, tuna, prawns saganaki and Greek-inspired salads. Lagana feels like the kind of restaurant Londoners want right now: generous, sociable and completely uninterested in being too precious.

The Dover — Mayfair

The Dover arrived with an almost instant mythology. An Italian restaurant inspired by the glamour of New York, it feels like the sort of place that could have been frequented by rock stars, models and movie characters decades ago, even though it is decidedly contemporary. Located on Dover Street, the restaurant is dark, elegant and cinematic, with a crowd that seems to have understood the dress code without anyone ever needing to explain it. Time Out described it as a New York-inspired Italian restaurant with an atmosphere already steeped in its own mythology. This is the choice for when you want your dinner to feel slightly illicit: martinis, pasta, late-night energy and the possibility that the evening could continue somewhere else afterwards.
The Dover — Mayfair
The Dover arrived with an almost instant mythology. An Italian restaurant inspired by the glamour of New York, it feels like the sort of place that could have been frequented by rock stars, models and movie characters decades ago, even though it is decidedly contemporary. Located on Dover Street, the restaurant is dark, elegant and cinematic, with a crowd that seems to have understood the dress code without anyone ever needing to explain it. Time Out described it as a New York-inspired Italian restaurant with an atmosphere already steeped in its own mythology. This is the choice for when you want your dinner to feel slightly illicit: martinis, pasta, late-night energy and the possibility that the evening could continue somewhere else afterwards.

Zephyr — Notting Hill

For a taste of something brighter, Zephyr brings a distinctly Grecian mood to Portobello Road. The concept is centred around modern Greek cooking, with chargrilled meat and fish, mezze-style dishes and a menu designed for sharing. It’s the kind of restaurant that works particularly well when you’re dining with a group: order widely, put everything in the middle and let the table fill up. And when dinner is over, there’s no need to move on, the restaurant has its own late-night bar, Naked & Famous. Zephyr captures a particular kind of London evening: Mediterranean food, good lighting, cocktails and a table that slowly gets louder as the night goes on.
Zephyr — Notting Hill
For a taste of something brighter, Zephyr brings a distinctly Grecian mood to Portobello Road. The concept is centred around modern Greek cooking, with chargrilled meat and fish, mezze-style dishes and a menu designed for sharing. It’s the kind of restaurant that works particularly well when you’re dining with a group: order widely, put everything in the middle and let the table fill up. And when dinner is over, there’s no need to move on, the restaurant has its own late-night bar, Naked & Famous. Zephyr captures a particular kind of London evening: Mediterranean food, good lighting, cocktails and a table that slowly gets louder as the night goes on.

The London restaurant mood, decoded

What connects these restaurants isn’t a particular cuisine or neighbourhood. It’s an attitude. They’re places where the room matters, the food is worth talking about and nobody is in a hurry to go home. For Mayfair glamour, book The Twenty Two or Carbone. For Notting Hill energy, Dorian and Zephyr are the addresses to know. Head to Maida Vale for The Hero, or east to Lagana for something more relaxed and communal. And if you want a dinner that feels like a scene in itself, The Dover is the obvious choice.
The real trick? Don’t just book a table. Make a night of it.
Know More
The London restaurant mood, decoded
What connects these restaurants isn’t a particular cuisine or neighbourhood. It’s an attitude. They’re places where the room matters, the food is worth talking about and nobody is in a hurry to go home. For Mayfair glamour, book The Twenty Two or Carbone. For Notting Hill energy, Dorian and Zephyr are the addresses to know. Head to Maida Vale for The Hero, or east to Lagana for something more relaxed and communal. And if you want a dinner that feels like a scene in itself, The Dover is the obvious choice.
The real trick? Don’t just book a table. Make a night of it.
Know More

Join Our Newsletter

Never miss out.

Membership Application