Great London Restaurants You Won’t Find On A Top 10 List

Quaglinos

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Maybe it’s just me, but food and restaurants appear to be increasingly faddish as the years go by.  In a quest to be cutting edge, great dining in some restaurants is often forgotten.

Blogs and travel magazines love their “Top Ten” lists  – they’re eye-catching and are great for encouraging people to click on links to read more. But sometimes the lists just don’t hit the mark. They’re too faddish. Just because a celebrity has been seen at a restaurant doesn’t make it any good, of course, but an A-list sighting is a sure-fire way to get a restaurant on to a top ten list somewhere. This means we don’t really know which lists to pay attention to.

The restaurants I’ve picked out below may not find themselves on any hot lists right now, but they serve great food, provide excellent service and leave you with a feeling that what you paid for was the actual meal and the experience, rather than paying out for following the crowd.

Le Caprice

Le Caprice Restaurant LondonLe Caprice is a stalwart of the London culinary scene although it is generally thought that its ‘trendy’ days are well behind it. It’s the sister restaurant to the The Ivy and J Sheeky, amongst others, and is located just round the corner from the Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly. The menu is predominantly British in nature and varies seasonally, although a few favourites, like the Caprice Burger, are always permanent fixtures .

Reservations aren’t always easy to get, but if you’re searching at short notice, ask if they have space at the bar (where they serve the full menu) and you might be lucky.

Quaglinos

Quaglinos

Quaglinos has been experiencing a rejuvenation after a wholesale make-over. Under the stewardship of Executive Chef Michael Weiss, Quaglinos has turned around to the point that I’m getting worried that it will start appearing on too many people’s radar (reservations are hard enough to get as it is!).

The menus (yes, they have more than one) hold something for everyone and the food ranges from the delicate (Pea & asparagus velouté) to the decadent (Whole 800g lobster). As well as serving beautifully considered dishes, Quaglinos has another side to it that sets it apart – live music. From 10pm onwards the restaurant transforms itself with house bands and DJs. For anyone looking for value in central London, the late night set menu (available on Fridays & Saturdays) is a must-try.

Le Boudin Blanc

Le Boudin Blanc Mayfair

The New York Times described Le Boudin Blanc as “a bit of Paris in Mayfair” and that just about sums up the place. Serving country French cuisine, this Mayfair restaurant  has regular, seasonal changes to the menu. The  list of 500+ wines is impressive and, if you go for nothing else, be sure to leave room for dessert!

Reservations aren’t as tricky to get as with some other restaurants in this list, but I still wouldn’t leave it too late to book.

Smiths of Smithfield

Smiths of Smithfield

Smiths divides opinions. Some people love it, while others don’t seem to enjoy it quite so much – I’ve no idea why. I’ve never had a poor meal there and it’s one of my go-to places in London if I’m in the mood for steak.

Smiths is set over 4 floors in a Grade II listed warehouse conversion within the famous Smithfield Market in London. The ground floor houses a cafe and a bar, the first floor is home to a cocktail bar, the second floor is where you’ll find the main dining room (more casual than formal) and the top floor has a roof restaurant (more formal than casual) with terrace dining, with great panoramic city views. You’ll find just about every type of food across the four floors, but there should only be one thing that you’re aiming to order if you’re going to Smiths. Steak.

Reservations are essential, although not that hard to get if you plan in advance. Make sure you check the website for opening times as they differ for each of the dining and drinking venues.

Rules

Rules Restaurant London

Rules is the oldest restaurant in London, by quite a margin. It celebrated its bi-centenary in 1998 which means they were founded just 22 years after the United States declared independence from Great Britain. As you may expect from a restaurant this old, the food is  traditionally English. Game features heavily on the menu with Guinea foul, duck, quail venison and rabbit all sourced from the restaurant’s own estate in the High Pennines.

With its proximity to Covent Garden and the theatre district it’s not surprising that the restaurant has a history of serving artists, writers and actors and it’s claimed that Charles Dickens and H G Wells have passed through the doors. As with most good restaurants in London reservations are highly recommended but I’ve been fortunate enough to get a table at short notice in the past so you may get lucky if you need a last minute booking.

Gauthier

Gauthier Soho London

Alright, I’ll admit that I’m cheating a little bit with this one. Gauthier has appeared on a few top lists recently, but the restaurant is just too good to leave off any London dining list.

The restaurant is in what looks like an ordinary terrace house in London’s Soho neighbourhood – you even have to ring the doorbell to get in. Inside, the restaurant is split over a number of small floors and the decor is simple. And that’s where the simplicity ends. The food – French at heart – is fantastic and the way the menu is structured is clever, too. In essence the food selection is a large tasting menu from which you can select three, four of five courses depending on your appetite and the health of your bank balance.

Reservations are a must (there aren’t that many tables in the restaurant so demand is high) but the scramble for bookings isn’t as bad as some of the better known high-end London restaurants.

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