When choosing hip places to dine in London, you may feel like a bit of a kid dwarfed by an adventurous playground. Everything looks so amazing that you want to ride everything (including those that make you vomit), but where do you begin? We’ve done the homework for you, as always, scouring the city for the top 10 cool places to eat in London so you can discover your food lovers’ paradise. North, south, east, and west – every region in London is brimming with innovative cuisines, from some of the world’s top restaurants to just a few of our favourites.
Cool Places to Eat in London – Top 10 Cool Restaurants in the City
1. Chishuru
What’s the story? Restaurants specializing in modern West African cuisine are not cheap in London neither of these establishments is as excellent as Adejoké ‘Joké’ Bakare’s Chishuru.
The owner from Nigeria won the Brixton Kitchen competition in 2019 and planned to develop her restaurant in 2020. And, It is a magnificent introduction to Bakare’s West African heritage’s highly varied cuisine. Mimi oku (spicy soup) and kekefia (hake) with plantain fondant take your palate to thrilling new regions.
You’ll remember the sensations and flavours long after completing your meal. The set-menu style (£28 per person for lunch and £45 for dinner) gives you a tour of Bakare’s own country’s ingredients and spices, while her sheer brilliance and personable service will win your heart. There is currently no other restaurant in London that compares to Chishuru. It is deserving of our top rank as well as your attention.
2. The Little Yellow Door
The Little Yellow Door is a genuine one-of-a-kind restaurant in the heart of Notting Hill that serves fantastic cuisine and beverages and has a great party vibe.
With The Flatmates in charge, you’re almost sure to have a good time before going to the den for a dance and some fancy dress.
3. Manteca
David Carter and Chris Leach’s long-under appreciated nomadic Anglo-Italian established a permanent location in Shoreditch at the end of the year 2021. The meal is elegant and rugged.
Who wouldn’t want to follow brown crab cacio e Pepe with a stuffed pig’s snout? The pigskin ragù, created to decrease kitchen waste, is buried under a flurry of parmesan and capped with cloud-light hog crackling
4. Hide
Hide debuted in 2018 and, after just six months, gave it a coveted Michelin star. The three-story restaurant (the bar, Hide Below, Hide Ground, and Hide Above) overlooks Green Park. It is located in the center of Piccadilly, one of London’s greatest potential sites for any institution.
Even a view of one of the Royal Parks couldn’t take away from the restaurant’s décor, which owner Tatiana Fokina selected and reflect her love of the natural world. Once inside, you’ll feel as if you’ve wandered onto the set of an ultra-chic, modern-day recreation of Alice in Wonderland — everything is handmade in Poland, including the stunning oak staircase.
5. Singburi
Singburi, the outstanding, cash-only Thai restaurant in Leytonstone, does not take incorrect orders. Chef Sirichai Kularbwong has earned a devoted following throughout the years.
The regular menu of noodles and curries is delicious, but the blackboard specials are where the true gems may find. The moo Krob special: crispy, twice-cooked pork belly with garlic and chilli.
6. Cheyne
Cheyne Walk Brasserie, a restaurant and cocktail club, initially operated from the location currently known geo-specifically as No Fifty, specialising in open-grilled meat and fish presented in the conventional, albeit conservative, French style.
Green beans with mashed potatoes, the consistency of Nivea, for example, drank down with a wine selection that more than justified the restaurant’s location in the deep pockets of the neighbourhood. It was a fantastic event with a devoted, though low-key, following. But things change, and so do the owner’s hopes for a facility that deserves to be recognised for its innovative approach.
7. Blues Kitchen Camden
The Blues Kitchen in Camden, champions of all things Deep Southern Americana and Blues, combines the gluttony of BBQ delicacies with the good old-fashioned fun of soul, funk, and jazz music.
Blues is always on point with an epic finger-lickin’ feast, whether you take slow-cooked meat slathered in sauce or on the rib.
8. Quality Wines
Sure, The Quality Chop House is fantastic, but it has been surpassed by its younger sister next door. Chef Nick Bramham compiles a concise menu of Italo-Spanish jewels from a couple of hot plates.
Finish with a pork-fat cannolo. Begin with the Gildas, which are little skewers of anchovy, olive, and pickled chili drenched in good oil. Pintxos de Dios.
9. Simpson’s in The Strand
Simpson’s is as classic British as a royal family dispute but more entertaining. It has a lightness of touch that belies its 192-year antiquity and venerable standing.
It’s one of the Savoy’s restaurants, so it has the service you’d expect from such a vital institution whose history is intertwined with Winston Churchill’s legendary appetite, but there’s also a fun feeling.
10. Opium
Opium, an imperial palace of Chinese food and Dim Sum platters, is a must-visit for anybody visiting Chinatown searching for a hidden treasure.
Sup on some excellent mixology that mixes Asian spices with traditional cocktails and then dives into delectable dishes in this combination of oriental charm and modern aesthetics.
Conclusion
In London, you can never grow tired of dining out. The restaurant scene in this city is a rich tapestry of varied cuisines and flavours. London’s restaurants are diverse, inventive, and always interesting, from the family-run neighbourhood Thai establishment that has been there for years to the Michelin-starred grandee where you can sit at a counter and see brilliant chefs at work. It’s a true treat to be taken care of in a restaurant, and while we bite into our freshly prepared pasta with a glass of natural wine or hot curry with a refreshing lager, it’s easy to forget about the people who design serve us. With our top 10 cool places to eat in London list, we wish to honour and put a light on the capital’s hospitality business.