Where Chefs Eat in London

by Phaidon

Updated November 09, 2023

You’re in luck. The world’s best chefs are sharing their favorite places to dine out in London. We’ve partnered with Phaidon’s Where Chefs Eat, the best-selling restaurant guidebook with over 7,000 recommendations across the globe, to create a list of restaurants in London where chefs love to eat. Grab your copy of this must-have guide, and get 30% off, just for being an OpenTable diner.

The Jugged Hare

4.3

4.3 (1442)

£26 to £40

British

Barbican

About the restaurant

"A great English pub using terrific seasonal produce." – Michael Reid

Top review

alexander

Dined on Feb 5, 2025

Amazing food and definitely worth the money. Would recommend

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Experience

Pre-theatre menu

The Drapers Arms

4.7

4.7 (1611)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

Angel

About the restaurant

"Always seasonal, their Sunday roasts are banging, and the landlord Nick is a great host." – Hus Vedat

Top review

Kim

Dined 4 days ago

Friendly efficient staff, delicious food and a great place to dine.

Benares

4.5

4.5 (6096)

£41 and over

Indian

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"An explosion of flavors, textures, and colors at this smart Mayfair restaurant." – Martin Morales

Top review

Ashish

Dined 4 days ago

Amazing experience with excellent food and service..

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4.7

4.7 (2115)

£26 to £40

Modern European

Soho

About the restaurant

"Andrew Edmunds is a Soho institution that's been around since the 1980s. It's a small, rambling little townhouse with a hand written menu, serving excellent classics that aren't over-priced." – Bruno Loubet

Top review

John

Dined 4 days ago

Exceptional food, great ambience, my favourite London restaurant.

Cecconi's

4.6

4.6 (3021)

£26 to £40

Italian

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"Cecconi's is a modern-day classic Italian restaurant. They serve fantastic handmade pasta, seafood and dishes from Italy using very fine ingredients." – Shaun Rankin

Top review

Russell

Dined 2 days ago

Great food and service from friendly and attentive staff. Cecconis is one of Londons places to be seen - celebrity spotting comes free!

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4.8

4.8 (1982)

£26 to £40

Modern European

Fitzrovia

About the restaurant

"Clipstone is a new restaurant that manages to be a charming neighborhood restaurant in the center of town. The quality of cooking is outstanding and I love that much of the menu is very vegetable focused." – Bruno Loubet

Top review

Seema

Dined 3 days ago

Exceptional menu and staff. Well worth the money. Could not have had a better evening. Thank you!

FKABAM

4.6

4.6 (73)

£41 and over

Fusion / Eclectic

Highbury/Islington

About the restaurant

"Fun, irreverent, surprising, affordable and always delicious. Black Axe is the nuts." – Andy Oliver

Top review

BeatrixVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Fantastic, delicious, beautiful food. Lovely service. Thanks so much

som saa

4.7

4.7 (416)

£26 to £40

Thai

Shoreditch

About the restaurant

"Fun, sexy food, cool and stylish with a completely relaxed atmosphere, taking Thai flavours to the max." – Martin Morales

Top review

Emily

Dined on Oct 15, 2024

Warm welcome, 4 of us for lunch. There was a la carte and a set menu to choose from, but the set menu is only provided for the whole table. Luckily, the dishes on the set menu today were cashew nuts with chilli and lime leaves, a beautiful, crunchy salad, duck curry, excellent mixed vegetables in garlic and oyster sauce, plus sticky and jasmine rice. We paid a supplement for a whole sea bass, fried. Dessert was also included.

Goodman Mayfair

4.6

4.6 (2244)

£41 and over

Steak

Oxford Circus

About the restaurant

"Goodman is right around the corner from us and the team there offer exceptional service. Pair that with a great burger or steak and a glass of red and you can see that it's perfect for a quick bite and a drink at the end of a long day." – Cary Docherty

Top review

Diego

Dined 7 days ago

First time at Goodman Mayfair. Great steak and sides, great wine, top notch in every regard.

ROKA - Aldwych

4.4

4.4 (440)

£41 and over

Japanese

Aldwych

About the restaurant

"Great food, great service, great vibe. Every time." – Miles Kirby

Top review

Oade

Dined on Jan 2, 2025

Ambience definitely makes a lovely location for a date night. Awesome and friendly staff

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Experience

Brunch with free-flowing wine

Experience

Lunch Set Menu

Experience

Dinner Set Menu & Sparkling Wine

Franks Canteen

4.9

4.9 (314)

£26 to £40

European

Highbury

About the restaurant

"Great small place with a menu that is constantly changing. They have classics as well as experiments with different cuisines." – Tam Storrar

Top review

SharoneVIP

Dined on Jan 24, 2025

Frank’s was an absolute treat! Every dish we ordered was flavor packed and delicious. We had tickets for a show at the Park Theatre and thought it was a slightly closer walk and there was a train delay so we ended up in a bit of a rush to make curtain time. The staff was knowledgeable, accommodating and very kind. We plan on coming back when we have a bit more time to savor the full experience. I can’t recommend this charming place highly enough.

Park Chinois

4.6

4.6 (756)

£41 and over

Chinese

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"High end Chinese restaurant with elegant interiors. Its menu is derived from authentic Chinese with superior quality ingredients. I love the individuality of all the dishes on the menu." – Rohit Ghai

Top review

Ikhlas

Dined 4 days ago

Perfect experience. Definitely I would do it again

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Experience

Lunch Menu

Blacklock Soho

4.7

4.7 (5993)

£25 and under

Steak

Soho

About the restaurant

"I go there whenever I crave chops. I always crave chops. Go there, eat chops!" – Tomer Amedi

Top review

James

Dined 4 days ago

A very nice experience and first time dining at Blacklock. The service was very friendly and prompt. The food quality was also excellent and the steak delicious. I believe larger steaks would have been better and the odd (non matching) plates on our table was an unusual novelty. I would go again to Blacklock, however, note that the meals sizes arent large (unless sharing) and the Soho restaurant was also very noisy.

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4.6

4.6 (3945)

£26 to £40

European

St. James's

About the restaurant

"It has an amazing buzz that sets the pace for a day in the center of town – and delivers exactly what it sets out to do – a great breakfast, suitable for all tastes and budgets." – Philip Howard

Top review

MikeVIP

Dined on Feb 5, 2025

Very good experience this evening. Nice table, great service, good quality food. Reliable favourite in Mayfair.

The Duke of Sussex

4.5

4.5 (728)

£25 and under

Spanish

Chiswick

About the restaurant

"It's a beautiful building with a dining room and a bar with huge windows that face Acton Green. It also has a large garden, which in the summer you'll have to come in early to secure a table. Staff are super friendly. They mostly do Spanish food but also a mean Sunday roast." – Sami Tamimi

Top review

John

Dined 1 day ago

First visit today for Sunday Lunch. Excellent service, great ambience and the food was absolutely stunning. Can't wait to go back!

Primeur

4.7

4.7 (1132)

£26 to £40

Farm-to-table

Stoke Newington

About the restaurant

"It's a former garage which the team have converted into a friendly, neighborhood restaurant with a great interior. They have a daily changing menu with a strong French influence and a great selection of wines." – Jon Rotheram

Top review

Christine

Dined 4 days ago

Love this place. The ambience, service and food are all incredible and unique. However there is a real lack of meat/dairy free options. They’ve happy to accommodate and usually there are some more veg focused dishes but on last visit there were none beyond a starter salad. Would be good to balance the menu a bit more with 1 or 2 veggie dishes.

Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill

4.6

4.6 (2722)

£41 and over

Seafood

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"It's hard to pass this restaurant and not pop in for a cheeky oyster or two! Steeped in history and with a great ambience, especially when eating at the bar." – Jocky Petrie

Top review

Daniel

Dined 3 days ago

From start to finish the experience was 1st class. The head waiter knew everything there was to know about the restaurant and menu and made it and amazing experience. The amazing food and oysters were only topped by the service we experienced. Highly reccomend

Moro

4.7

4.7 (3475)

£41 and over

Mediterranean

Angel

About the restaurant

"Moro is a timeless institution that is as relevant still today as it was when it first opened twenty years ago. It serves exceptional Spanish and North African-influenced food in a beautiful room that generates such a convivial atmosphere, one where you can feel both relaxed and indulged at the same time. It is, for me, the perfect restaurant." – Joshua Katz

Top review

Charles

Dined 3 days ago

One of the few London restaurants that has earned my “consistently excellent” accolade. Really, it’s so good.

Tandoor Chop House at Covent Garden

4.6

4.6 (2455)

£25 and under

Indian

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

"Premium cuts of meat, spiced and grilled over a charcoal tandoor." – Sameer Taneja

Top review

Shane

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent venue with friendly service and GREAT food. Highly recommend.

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House Tandoor Chicken

Bellanger

4.4

4.4 (560)

£26 to £40

French

Islington

About the restaurant

"The atmosphere and food is fantastic." – Francesco Mazzei

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Jan 22, 2025

We went for a birthday and the staff made sure to make us all feel special! Some of the best service we have ever had. Paired with good food and beautiful ambience, you can’t lose! Will definitely be going back

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Apéro Hour Experience

Ivy Market Grill

4.3

4.3 (18690)

£26 to £40

Contemporary British

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

"The people running The Ivy Market Grill are very talented and very smart. They are rolling them out everywhere. Well done!" – Cary Docherty

Top review

Aleksandra

Dined 6 days ago

Exceptional service from the team! Thank you! Definitely recommend

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1917 Two-Course Heritage Menu

Berners Tavern

4.5

4.5 (4478)

£26 to £40

British

Oxford Circus

About the restaurant

"The room is stunning and the food is great. It always feels like an occasion to go." – Tom Sellers

Top review

Nicola

Dined 3 days ago

Was a wonderful dinner! Everything was perfect! From the plates to the service to the location everything was top of the top! Can’t wait to be there again! One of the best restaurants I have been during my vacations

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Popular dish

Chateaubriand

Popular dish

Berner's Tavern Mac and Cheese (vg)

Experience

Three-course Early Berners

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

4.8

4.8 (997)

£41 and over

French

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"The stunning dining room, the service, and Monsieur Ducasse's cuisine is mind blowing." – Francesco Mazzei

Top review

JamesVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Everything was perfect. Staff was so friendly. Food was outstanding of world

Jikoni

4.7

4.7 (577)

£41 and over

Asian

Marylebone

About the restaurant

"This is exactly the sort of food I want: food that both comforts and surprises at once. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant too: so much colour and comfort." – Yotam Ottolenghi

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Oct 4, 2024

Both the food and service were a joy … simple, clean flavours which combine beautifully and lovely, unobtrusive service. Great value for the quality of the experience. Would definitely recommend and would dine again. Thank you!

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

4.7

4.7 (1953)

£25 and under

Unspecified

Chelsea

About the restaurant

"This restaurant is still the place to go to celebrate a special occasion. Everything about it is top of the class in London. The precision in the cooking always impresses, as does the way the team in the front of house make it all look effortless." – Cary Docherty

Top review

Pete

Dined 6 days ago

Second time we have been to Ramseys and won’t be our last Made our 25th anniversary very special

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Experience

Inspiration Table

Restaurant Story London

4.8

4.8 (1084)

£41 and over

British

London Bridge

About the restaurant

"Top-quality food in a great restaurant by chef Tom Sellers. Expect some great surprises and all beautifully presented with real thought, care and attention to detail." – Tom Aikens

Top review

Chris

Dined on Feb 8, 2025

Outstanding food, service and experience… I took five guests and all of them were very impressed. My third time at Story at this time was even better … Great team effort everyone. I shall be back !!

The Ninth

4.6

4.6 (514)

£41 and over

Mediterranean

Fitzrovia

About the restaurant

"Very high-quality food in a relaxed and warm atmosphere. Good choice of sharing plates." – Henrik Ritzen

Top review

Richard

Dined 2 days ago

Casual atmosphere but yet exclusive. Food was impeccable.

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Experience

Chef's Choice Menu Six Courses

Ristorante Frescobaldi London

4.6

4.6 (626)

£41 and over

Italian

Mayfair

About the restaurant

"White truffle tagliolini, when in season, is not to be missed!" – Hus Vedat

Top review

UnforgettableVIP

Dined on Jan 11, 2025

Good, solid but uninspired pastas and veal Milanese. I wouldn't make a special trip for the food.

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Experience

Set Lunch Menu

Fischers

4.7

4.7 (703)

£26 to £40

Austrian

Marylebone

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Shaun Hill from The Walnut Tree

Top review

FergusVIP

Dined on Dec 29, 2024

A wonderful restaurant,great food,ambiance & service. We shared a twice baked soufflé as a starter which was perfect followed by two perfect Wienerschnitzel,and then shared a very good apple strudel. The ambiance was very good as was the service and the bill very reasonable. Well done,firing on all cylinders. We will be back!

The Winter Garden

4.7

4.7 (1777)

£41 and over

Modern European

Marylebone

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Lori Granito from Magnolia

Top review

Ma Erika

Dined 3 days ago

I celebrated my first Valentines Day with my husband and our little one in this very nice place. The ambiance was gorgeous and is newborn friendly! The staffs are nice and very accommodating. The serving of food is convenient and with high quality in terms of plating and taste. We loved the experience! We’ll surely come back for another occassion to celebrate.

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Experience

Three -course seasonal dinner menu

Experience

Three -course seasonal lunch menu

The Morgan Arms

4.2

4.2 (699)

£25 and under

British

Mile End

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Ben Tish from Restaurant Norma

Top review

Liz

Dined on Feb 6, 2025

Another brilliant night of jazz at my favourite pub. Superb food, music and service - see you again in a fortnight!

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Experience

Mother's Day

OPSO

4.7

4.7 (1522)

£41 and over

Greek

Marylebone

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Michael Reid from Restaurant M

Top review

Layan

Dined on Dec 21, 2024

Staff food and service was amazing. One of the best restaurants to have breakfast in London

ROKA - Canary Wharf

4.5

4.5 (647)

£41 and over

Japanese

Canary Wharf

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Mark Sargeant from Rocksalt

Top review

Laura

Dined 4 days ago

Great choice of restaurant for an early Valentine’s Day meal. Food was delicious, really was so tasty and enjoyed every dish we ordered! Service was 10 out of 10 the waiters were so attentive and explained everything and had such good knowledge of the ingredients on the plate. The low score for the ambience was music was being played quite loudly but with the amount of people in the restaurant trying to have a conversation it was like the two was competing with each other. When the restaurant started to wind down a little bit, it was a lot more enjoyable atmosphere. That would be our only criticism it was our first and certainly won’t be our last visit to ROKA..: will definitely be back to try the blackened cod and the lamb cutlets!😍

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4.5

4.5 (2418)

£41 and over

Peruvian

Soho

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chef Jose Luis (Chele) Gonzalez from Gallery VASK

Top review

Leah

Dined on Jan 18, 2025

Food and service were great as usual - always have a consistently good experience.

ROKA - Charlotte Street

4.5

4.5 (268)

£41 and over

Japanese

Fitzrovia

About the restaurant

"Great food, great service, great vibe. Every time." – Miles Kirby

Top review

EleishaVIP

Dined on Feb 6, 2025

Great service. We went for the set menu which came with a delicious cocktail. Food was faultless and we had a great variety of dishes. Will be back! Such great value for money.

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Experience

Lunch, Pre & Post Theatre Menu

Experience

3 Course Set Menu + Complimentary Cocktail

Experience

Brunch with free-flowing wine