Fish and chips, Sunday roasts and a full English comes to mind when we think of British food but I’m here to let you know that’s not it. London is not only home to some of the best restaurants in the world but actually some of the best British and Michelin starred restaurants too. Whether it’s Quality Chop House from 1869 or Lyle’s from 2014, the capital city has tons of exciting British food to offer.
How we handpick the best British restaurants in London
Each restaurant on this list has been carefully chosen by a member of our team. Our editors and the Secret London team rely on personal experiences, recommendations, editorial reviews, customer feedback, and thorough research to bring you the finest dining spots in the city. We are constantly on the lookout for new places with delicious food and excellent service. This list is regularly updated as we discover new openings and revisit established favourites.
So, we’ve put together a list of London’s best British restaurants you must try at least once:
1. The Quality Chop House, Farringdon
Founded 1869, this is one of London’s oldest restaurants. Much of the restaurant including its name and interiors have remained the same. However, it’s important to note that it is probably the best it’s ever been now under chef Shaun Searley’s influence. While the restaurant has been through a variety of iterations, the heritage-protected building is split in two with a dining room serving fresh daily set menus and a bar on the other side serving up a special list of wine.
The menu aims to focus on rare breeds and choice cuts, which are aged in house and selected daily from their butcher shop next door. So if you’re a fan of steak restaurants, this spot is for you.
They have a weekday set menu available Tuesday to Friday at lunchtime for £29 for 3 courses. They also have a Sunday menu which is a set lunch at £55 for 3 courses, which includes their Sunday roasts.
🍽️ Best dishes: Middlewhite pork chop, Confit potatoes
📍Address: 92–94 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EA.
🚇 Nearest tube: Farringdon
2. Lyle’s, Shoreditch
Another firm favourite here – and the proud owner of a Michelin-star – Lyle’s is all about its daily-changing set menu offering a modern take on British cuisine with a focus on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients of course. Expect a Scandi-chic dining room, and a five-course, no-choice menu for around £79. They also do a veggie and pescatarian option too.
🍽️ Best dishes: Grilled lamb with wild garlic, Brown butter and honey tart
📍Address: Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JJ.
🚇 Nearest tube: Shoreditch High Street
3. St. JOHN, Marylebone
For every Londoner, St. JOHN’s flagship in Marylebone has become iconic. Set in an old smokehouse, St. JOHN is the epitome of delicious British food and fine dining. With a very fine all-French wine list and a menu that is sublime with a variety to choose from, small and large sharing plates. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth then the desert menu is absolutely divine and we highly recommend you make space for it.
🍽️ Best dishes: Welsh rarebit, Roast bone marrow with parsley salad
📍Address: 98 Marylebone Ln, London W1U 2JE
🚇 Nearest tube: Bond Street
4. The Clove Club, Shoreditch
Known for its elegant British cuisine and excellent set menus led by Chef Isaac McHale, this cutting-edge spot began its life as a supper club – and it has gone from strength to strength ever since. Featuring as number 32 on last year’s roundup of the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’, The Clove Club is by no means cheap. But it is bloody good.
🍽️ Best dishes: Buttermilk fried chicken with pine salt, Flamed Cornish mackerel
📍Address: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London, EC1V 9LT.
🚇 Nearest tube: Shoreditch High Street
5. The Ledbury, Notting Hill
We’re getting proper posh here, with two Michelin Stars on board, crisp, white tablecloths and a mainstay on several ‘World’s Best Restaurants’ lists. The service here is impeccable, and with just 45 covers, you’re guaranteed a personal experience. There’s everything on the menu from Cornish lobster to wild Chinese water deer (!), and tasting menus cost £195 per person, so this is one for really impressing your date. Wash it down with a crisp glass of Reisling and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in town. Perfect if you’re looking for a romantic dinner in London then.
🍽️ Best dishes: Cornish turbot with sea vegetables, Aged pigeon with red vegetables and leaves
📍Address: The Ledbury at 127 Ledbury Road, London, W11 2AQ.
🚇 Nearest tube: Westbourne Park and Royal Oak.
6. Rules, Covent Garden
Rules’ is regarded as London’s oldest restaurant and longest-standing restaurant, establishing itself in 1798. Yep, you read that correctly. And so as you could imagine what the decor would be like – interiors embellished in red and gold with tons of galleried areas with art dated to back then, velvety sofas, carpeted floors and beautiful ceiling details.
It’s only then fair to expect dishes like fresh oysters, game and pies – with most of its produce coming the restaurant’s very own estates. While you’re there, be sure to head to the upstairs bar and go for the recommendations. You won’t be disappointed.
🍽️ Best dishes: Steak and kidney pie
📍Address: 34-35 Maiden Ln, London, WC2E 7LB
🚇 Nearest tube: Covent Garden
7. Quo Vadis, Soho
Nowadays, Quo Vadis is London restaurant royalty; beloved by critics, customers, locals and London day-trippers alike. Head chef, Jeremy Lee, serves up deliciously indulgent takes on classic British cuisine, with an all-day menu worth every last bit of the hype it receives.
🍽️ Best dishes: Smoked eel sandwich, pie
📍Address: 26-29 Dean St, London W1D 3LL
🚇 Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road
8. Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill
Clare Smyth left Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to do her own thing and it’s gone rather well, to put it rather mildly. Her restaurant jumped straight into the big time by earning two Michelin stars in 2019, nary a year after opening. The Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant a third star shortly afterwards, which they’ve retained possession of since – even through a recent redecoration that has given the restaurant a decidedly less stuffy air. All this has earned Core a well-deserved place in the tippity top tier of London fine dining. They offer a selection of tasting menus, with their Core Classics costing £215, and their evolving Core Seasons menu costing £235. An a la carte lunch, meanwhile, will run diners £165.
🍽️ Best dishes: ‘Potato and roe’
📍Address: 92 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2PN
🚇 Nearest tube: Notting Hill Gate
9. Rochelle Canteen, Shoreditch
Established in 2004 by Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson, the Rochelle Canteen sits in the converted bike shed of the old Rochelle School – a leafy, sun-dappled spot that is now a hub for creative types. Open for lunch all week and for dinner on Wednesdays to Saturdays, the canteen’s menu changes daily and you can expect everything from grilled ling with fennel and aioli to baked buckwheat pasta with mushrooms and taleggio. They’ve also got a lovely wine list to wash it all down with.
🍽️ Best dishes: Grilled ling with fennel and aioli, Baked buckwheat pasta with mushrooms and taleggio
📍Address: 16 Playground Gardens, London, E2 7FA.
🚇 Nearest tube: Shoreditch High Street
10. Brat, Shoreditch
Led by Chef Tomos Parry who has mastered the Basque-style cooking with a focus on all things British. Okay, yeah it’s expensive, but the food is really good. Also not a lot of places do really good crab dishes in London, also the burnt basque cheesecake is legit.
🍽️ Best dishes: Turbot, Duck Rice
📍Address: 4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL
🚇 Nearest tube: Shoreditch High Street