The Best Restaurants in London: Where to Eat Like a Local

London can be overwhelming when it comes to restaurants. There are thousands of places to choose from, new openings every week and plenty of restaurants aimed more at visitors than people who actually live here.

So this list focuses on places that are genuinely worth seeking out, from tiny noodle bars and neighbourhood favourites to ambitious tasting menus and special-occasion restaurants. They are grouped roughly by area, so you can easily work them into a day of exploring London.

For the more popular restaurants, booking ahead is strongly recommended, especially for dinner and weekends.

Soho and Central London

Kiln

Kiln is one of Soho’s most exciting Thai restaurants, built around open-fire cooking and seriously bold flavours. Expect smoke, chilli, seafood, grilled meats and dishes inspired by regional Thai cooking rather than the usual curry-house standards. It is lively, informal and particularly good if you like your food properly spicy.

Address: 58 Brewer Street, London W1F 9TL

Koya

One of London's essential stops for udon. Koya keeps things simple: thick handmade noodles, excellent broths and a short menu that changes with the seasons. You can come for anything from a quick breakfast to a bowl of noodles at dinner.

Address: 50 Frith Street, London W1D 4SQ

Blacklock Soho

A relaxed British chophouse specialising in chops, steaks and meat cooked over charcoal. Skip the temptation to over-order and concentrate on the meat itself, ideally with a few of the famously indulgent sides.

Address: 24 Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7LG

Gunpowder Soho

Modern Indian cooking with big flavours and a menu designed for sharing. The grilled and tandoor dishes are particularly good, and it manages to feel contemporary without turning Indian food into something overly formal.

Address: 20 Greek Street, London W1D 4DU

Rita's

Rita's is difficult to put into a neat category, which is part of the appeal. The cooking takes American ideas and runs them through modern London, with influences from Mexico, Southern California and beyond. Fun, inventive and much more interesting than the phrase "American restaurant" suggests.

Address: 49 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AP

Chishuru

One of the most exciting West African restaurants in London, with chef Adejoké Bakare bringing together West African flavours, British produce and fine-dining precision. Come here when you want something genuinely distinctive rather than another version of familiar European cooking.

Address: 3 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 8AX

Grasso

A big, cheerful Italian-American restaurant in Soho, particularly good for groups. Expect generous plates, pasta, red-sauce comfort food and a lively atmosphere rather than delicate Italian minimalism.

Address: 81 Dean Street, London W1D 3SW

Andrew Edmunds

A tiny, candlelit Soho institution that has been doing romantic dinners long before Instagram discovered candlelit restaurants. The food is broadly European, the wine list is excellent and the whole place feels wonderfully old-fashioned.

Address: 46 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LP

Sabor

Spanish cooking with the energy of a tapas bar rather than a formal fine-dining restaurant. The menu travels through different parts of Spain, with excellent seafood, grilled dishes and plenty worth sharing.

Address: 35-37 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR

Rasa Sayang

A Chinatown favourite for Malaysian and Singaporean comfort food. Portions are generous, prices are relatively reasonable for central London, and the menu is packed with noodles, rice dishes, curries and Southeast Asian classics.

Address: 5 Macclesfield Street, London W1D 6AY

Lina Stores

Lina Stores has grown into a small London empire, but the Soho restaurant remains a great option for fresh pasta and Italian small plates. It is easy, informal and particularly useful when dining with a group that wants to share.

Address: 51 Greek Street, London W1D 4EH

Akoko

A sophisticated West African tasting-menu restaurant where flavours from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal meet contemporary European technique. This is one for a longer dinner rather than a quick meal.

Address: 21 Berners Street, London W1T 3LP

Toba

An elegant Indonesian restaurant near St James's, with a menu that goes well beyond the handful of Indonesian dishes usually encountered in London. A particularly good choice if you want to explore a cuisine that is still surprisingly underrepresented in the city.

Address: 1A St James's Market, London SW1Y 4AH

Din Tai Fung

The famous Taiwanese dumpling specialist has several London locations, but Covent Garden is the most convenient for most visitors. Xiaolongbao are the obvious order, although the noodle and vegetable dishes deserve attention too.

Address: 5 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS

Hoppers Soho

Sri Lankan and South Indian flavours in a lively little Soho restaurant. Hoppers, dosas, curries and fiery sambols dominate the menu. If you like spice, this is an easy recommendation.

Address: 49 Frith Street, London W1D 4SG

Hoppers

Bob Bob Ricard

Famous for its "Press for Champagne" buttons, Bob Bob Ricard could easily survive on the gimmick alone, but the food is much better than that suggests. The menu mixes French and British brasserie cooking with Eastern European touches.

Address: 1 Upper James Street, London W1F 9DF

Arcade Food Hall

A polished food hall near Tottenham Court Road bringing several different kitchens together under one roof. It works especially well for groups who cannot agree on what they want to eat.

Address: 103-105 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DB

Master Wei Xi'An

One of the best places in central London for Xi'an-style Chinese cooking, particularly hand-pulled noodles and dumplings. The food is inexpensive by London standards, full of chilli, vinegar and spice, and ideal for a casual lunch.

Address: 13 Cosmo Place, London WC1N 3AP

Speedboat Bar

A loud, colourful Thai restaurant inspired by Bangkok's Chinatown. The food is unapologetically spicy, the room is chaotic in the best possible way, and it is one of the most entertaining places to eat around Piccadilly Circus.

Address: 30 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DL

Shoreditch, Hackney and Islington

Smoking Goat

Bold, fiery Thai cooking with plenty of smoke, fish sauce and chilli. The famous fish-sauce chicken wings are an obvious place to start, but this is somewhere to order widely and share everything.

Address: 64 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ

BRAT

Basque-inspired cooking centred around an open fire. Whole fish and large cuts of meat are the stars, particularly when dining with a group. Despite its reputation, the mood is relaxed rather than ceremonious.

Address: 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL

Trullo

One of London's most dependable Italian restaurants. The menu changes constantly, but handmade pasta and simple, ingredient-led cooking are always at the centre of it.

Address: 300-302 St Paul's Road, London N1 2LH

Lahpet

Burmese food is still relatively rare in London, and Lahpet is a very good introduction. Expect tea-leaf salads, curries, noodles and aromatic dishes that sit somewhere between the cuisines of India, China and Southeast Asia.

Address: 58 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6JW

LahPet

Som Saa

A long-standing East London favourite for regional Thai food with plenty of chilli, herbs, sourness and smoke. The flavours are much more assertive than at the average neighbourhood Thai restaurant.

Address: 43A Commercial Street, London E1 6BD

Tay Do Cafe

A straightforward Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road. Come for generous portions, seafood, noodle soups and dishes packed with herbs and sharp Southeast Asian flavours.

Address: 65 Kingsland Road, London E2 8AG

Decimo

On the tenth floor of The Standard hotel, Decimo combines Spanish and Mexican influences with spectacular views across London. It is as much a night out as it is a restaurant.

Address: 10th Floor, 10 Argyle Street, London WC1H 8EG

Monohon Ramen

A small ramen specialist near Old Street serving deeply flavoured broths and properly made noodles. Nothing flashy, just very good ramen.

Address: 102 Old Street, London EC1V 9AY

Angelina

A tiny Dalston restaurant combining Japanese and Italian ideas in a tasting-menu format. It sounds improbable until you eat it, at which point the combination makes a surprising amount of sense.

Address: 56 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH

Marylebone and Fitzrovia

Koba

A Korean barbecue restaurant where much of the meat is grilled at the table. It is sociable, fun and especially good with a small group.

Address: 11 Rathbone Street, London W1T 1NA

Luso

A contemporary Portuguese restaurant led by chef Leandro Carreira, fantastic modern cuisine.

Address: 30 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NG 

Beast

An extravagant steak and seafood restaurant hidden just off Oxford Street. The emphasis is on exceptional beef and king crab, and prices are firmly in special-occasion territory.

Address: 3 Chapel Place, London W1G 0BG

KOL

A sophisticated take on Mexican cooking using British ingredients. Rather than trying to reproduce Mexico literally, the kitchen recreates its flavours through what is available in the UK.

Address: 9 Seymour Street, London W1H 7BA

Trishna

An elegant Indian restaurant particularly strong on seafood and coastal Indian cooking. Refined without becoming stiff, and one of Marylebone's strongest options for a special dinner.

Address: 15-17 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DG

Arros QD

A dramatic Spanish restaurant built around fire and rice. Paella and other rice dishes are the main reason to come, with large pans made for sharing.

Address: 64 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8NQ

Kudu

Kudu began in Peckham but has now moved to Marylebone, bringing its South African-inspired, fire-led cooking into a larger central London home. The menu still revolves around British produce, braai cooking and bold South African influences.

Address: 7 Moxon Street, London W1U 4EP 

Mayfair

Gymkhana

One of London's most celebrated Indian restaurants, combining the atmosphere of an old private club with rich, confident Indian cooking. It is expensive and difficult to book, but this is very much a destination restaurant.

Address: 42 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JH

COYA Mayfair

An upscale Peruvian restaurant with ceviche, grilled meats, seafood and plenty of Latin American flavours. It is glamorous, lively and particularly suited to a celebratory dinner.

Address: 118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW

Coya

Umu

A refined Japanese restaurant tucked away behind Berkeley Square. The cooking draws heavily on Kyoto traditions, with exceptional fish and elegant presentation.

Address: 14-16 Bruton Place, London W1J 6LX

Goodman

A serious steakhouse with an excellent selection of beef, from British cuts to USDA and other imported steaks. Not cheap, but considerably more focused on the steak itself than on theatrical presentation.

Address: 24-26 Maddox Street, London W1S 1QH

The City and Farringdon

Sessions Arts Club

Half restaurant, half fantasy dining room, Sessions Arts Club occupies a spectacular former courthouse in Clerkenwell. The cooking is modern European, but the room itself is a large part of the reason to go.

Address: 24 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0NA

The Quality Chop House

A London institution with tiled floors, narrow wooden benches and some of the best meat cooking in the city. The famous confit potatoes are almost reason enough to book a table.

Address: 92-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA

Bob Bob Ricard City

The City sibling of the Soho original, with the same extravagant interiors, Champagne buttons and French-British menu.

Address: Level 3, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AB

Bob Bob Ricard

Bouchon Racine

One of the city's great French restaurants, serving unapologetically classic bistro food: terrines, sauces, offal, rich stews and beautiful seasonal dishes. It feels much more like eating in France than eating in a French-themed London restaurant.

Address: Upstairs, 66 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6BP

Ibai

A Basque grill with a serious commitment to beef. The steaks are the headline attraction, but the cooking goes well beyond a conventional steakhouse and draws heavily on Basque ingredients and techniques.

Address: 90 Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BN

London Bridge and Borough Market

Akara

A lively West African restaurant next to Borough Market, built around Nigerian flavours and the akara fritter that gives the restaurant its name. Creative, colourful and a good choice if you want something beyond the market's more obvious options.

Address: Arch 208, 18 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD

Rambutan

Modern Sri Lankan cooking right beside Borough Market. The kitchen uses fire, spice and coconut brilliantly, while keeping the food lively rather than heavy.

Address: 10 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD

Kolae

Another excellent Borough Market option, this time focused on southern Thai cooking and the kolae grilling technique. Expect smoke, coconut, spice and beautifully grilled meat and seafood.

Address: 6 Park Street, London SE1 9AB

José

A tiny Spanish tapas bar on Bermondsey Street. There are no elaborate theatrics, just good ingredients, excellent jamón, seafood, sherry and dishes that change constantly.

Address: 104 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3UB

OMA

A modern Greek restaurant just beside Borough Market, with a menu shaped by Greece, the eastern Mediterranean and the cooking of the Levant. Bread, dips, grilled meats and seafood are particularly strong.

Address: 3 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL

West London

Dove

Chef Jackson Boxer reopened the same Notting Hill space as Dove, a more relaxed neighbourhood restaurant serving seasonal British cooking.

Address: 31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU 

Phat Phuc Noodle Bar

A tiny courtyard noodle bar in Chelsea and one of the area's best casual lunch options. The laksa is the dish to order, particularly on a cold London day.

Address: The Courtyard, 151 Sydney Street, London SW3 6NT

Min Jiang

An elegant Chinese restaurant at the top of the Royal Garden Hotel, with sweeping views across Kensington Gardens. The Beijing duck is the signature dish and needs to be taken seriously.

Address: 2-24 Kensington High Street, London W8 4PT

Rabbit

A modern British restaurant on King's Road with a strong farm-to-table feel. Seasonal ingredients, British produce and inventive small plates make it far more interesting than the phrase "British restaurant" might suggest.

Address: 172 King's Road, London SW3 4UP

Eat-Aroi

A useful West Kensington address for proper Thai comfort food, especially noodle soups and dishes that can be difficult to find in more conventional Thai restaurants.

Address: 100 North End Road, London W14 9EX

Worth the Journey: Bang Bang Oriental

Bang Bang Oriental is not a single restaurant but a huge Asian food hall in Colindale, north London. It is a little out of the way for most visitors, but if you are serious about Asian food, the range makes the trip worthwhile. You can move between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai and other kitchens without leaving the building.

Address: 399 Edgware Road, London NW9 0FH

London is at its best when you do not limit yourself to one idea of what "London food" is supposed to mean. A single week can take you from Sri Lankan hoppers and Basque grilling to West African tasting menus, hand-pulled Chinese noodles, Portuguese cooking, Thai food hot enough to make you sweat and one of the best French bistros outside France.

And that is really the point of eating in London: the city's food culture is international, constantly changing and far more interesting once you move beyond the restaurants designed primarily for tourists.