Key Takeaways
- Best for a Michelin-starred splurge: Core by Clare Smyth — two stars and widely considered one of the best restaurants in the country.
- Best for a special occasion with a view: Duck & Waffle — open 24/7 on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower.
- Best for classic, no-frills British food: St. John in Smithfield — the original nose-to-tail restaurant and still one of the best.
- Best for breakfast or afternoon tea: The Wolseley on Piccadilly — grand, reliable, and worth every penny.
- Most talked-about newcomer: Cycene in Shoreditch — named Time Out’s best Michelin-star restaurant in London for 2026.
- Most restaurants on this list require booking weeks in advance — Core by Clare Smyth and The Clove Club in particular fill up fast.
London has 88 Michelin-starred restaurants in 2026, more than almost any city in the world. But the best meal you’ll have in the capital isn’t always the one with the most accolades. It’s the one that suits the occasion, the budget, and who you’re eating with.
This list covers the 10 best restaurants in London right now, a mix of long-standing institutions and newer names that have earned their place. Whether you’re planning a proper blow-out or just want to know where the city’s best chefs are cooking, these are the places worth booking.
1. Core by Clare Smyth — Best Michelin-Starred Restaurant in London
Photo: It’s Your London
Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill is the benchmark for fine dining in London right now. Smyth is one of the most decorated chefs in the UK, she previously ran Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and was the first woman to hold three Michelin stars as head chef. Core holds two stars and consistently appears on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The tasting menu centres on British produce, with dishes that are technically brilliant but never showy. Book as far ahead as possible, this one fills up within hours of reservations opening.
Location: 92 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, W11 2PN
Price: Tasting menu from around £175 per head
2. The Ledbury — Best for Sustainable Fine Dining
Photo: Eater London
The Ledbury has been one of London’s most celebrated restaurants for almost two decades. After a pandemic hiatus, chef Brett Graham relaunched it with a sharper focus on sustainability, much of the produce now comes from Graham’s own farms, and the menu is built around whole animals and seasonal British ingredients. It holds two Michelin stars, and the cooking is as good as it has ever been. The room is warm and unpretentious for a restaurant at this level.
Location: 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, W11 2AQ
Price: Tasting menu from around £195 per head
3. The Clove Club — Best for Creative British Cooking
The Clove Club in Shoreditch, has been on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and remains one of the most exciting kitchens in the city. The set menu changes constantly, built around British ingredients treated with real intelligence, you might get buttermilk fried chicken with pine salt one visit and aged beef with fermented grains the next. The room, inside the old Shoreditch Town Hall, is relaxed and informal for the price point. Book the tasting menu if you can, it’s worth the commitment.
Location: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT
Price: Tasting menu from around £175 per head
4. Cycene — Best New Michelin-Starred Restaurant in London
Cycene (pronounced “kitchen”, it’s Old English) is based inside a Shoreditch arts space and has quickly become one of the most talked-about restaurants in the city. The format is unlike most fine dining, it starts downstairs with a picnic-style feast, moves through the kitchen, and ends in an intimate upstairs dining room. Head chef Taz Sarhane’s cooking focuses on foraged and seasonal ingredients, and the whole experience has a theatrical but grounded quality. Time Out named it London’s best Michelin-starred restaurant for 2026.
Location: Blue Mountain School, 10-12 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3DU
Price: Tasting menu from around £145 per head
5. St. John — Best for Classic British Food in London
St. John in Smithfield has been open since 1994 and has influenced more British chefs than almost any other restaurant. Fergus Henderson’s nose-to-tail approach, roasted bone marrow with parsley salad, braised pig’s head, eccles cake with Lancashire cheese, still feels radical to first-timers and comforting to regulars. It holds a Michelin star but never plays up to it. The room is white, spare, and unfussy. The wine list is excellent. It is still, three decades in, one of the best restaurants in London.
Location: 26 St John Street, Smithfield, EC1M 4AY
Price: Around £50–70 per head
6. Sketch — Best for a Special Occasion and Instagram Moments
Sketch is unlike anywhere else in London. The Mayfair townhouse contains multiple restaurants and bars across different floors, each with a completely different look, the Lecture Room holds two Michelin stars, the Gallery is the famous pink room with egg-shaped pods, and the Parlour does afternoon tea. It is expensive and unapologetically theatrical, and the food in the Gallery and Lecture Room genuinely matches the surroundings. Go for dinner in the Gallery if you want the full experience.
Location: 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, W1S 2XG
Price: Gallery dinner from around £80 per head; Lecture Room tasting menu from £195
7. The Wolseley — Best for Breakfast, Brunch, or Afternoon Tea
The Wolseley on Piccadilly is one of those rare restaurants that works at any time of day. The grand art deco dining room, originally a car showroom, is the setting for one of London’s best breakfasts, a very good afternoon tea, and a reliable European brasserie dinner. It is not trying to be cutting-edge; it is trying to be excellent at the classics, and it succeeds. The eggs Benedict, steak tartare, and wiener schnitzel are all as good as you will find anywhere in the city.
Location: 160 Piccadilly, Mayfair, W1J 9EB
Price: Around £40–60 per head
8. Duck & Waffle — Best Restaurant with a View in London
Duck & Waffle sits on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower in the City, and the view alone justifies a visit. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes it the go-to for late-night dining and early-morning breakfast after a long night. The signature duck and waffle, confit duck leg, crispy waffle, fried duck egg, and mustard maple syrup, is one of those London dishes everyone should try at least once. Booking is essential for dinner; for the middle of the night or very early-morning, you can usually walk in.
Location: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, City of London, EC2N 4AY
Price: Around £50–70 per head
9. The River Cafe — Best Italian Restaurant in London
The River Cafe in Hammersmith has been serving some of the finest Italian food in the UK since 1987. Founded by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, it has launched the careers of more well-known chefs than anywhere else in London, Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and April Bloomfield all worked here. The cooking is built around the best Italian ingredients, treated simply: fresh pasta, wood-roasted meats, and the famous chocolate nemesis cake. It holds a Michelin star and is worth every penny.
Location: Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, Hammersmith, W6 9HA
Price: Around £90–120 per head
10. Oma — Best for Something Different in London
Oma at Borough Market is one of London’s most exciting restaurants right now. From the team behind Fallow, it serves a menu of bold, sharing-style dishes with a strong focus on British and Mediterranean ingredients, such as salt cod XO with labneh, spanakopita gratin, and claypot stews that change with the season. The setting, right on the main drag of Borough Market, is lively and informal. It does not hold a Michelin star but is on the Time Out 50 best restaurants list and is consistently one of the most talked-about places in the city. Agora, the sibling restaurant downstairs, takes walk-ins only and is worth knowing about if you can’t get a booking.
Location: 3 Bedale Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AL
Price: Around £50–70 per head
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Price (per head) | Best for | Michelin stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core by Clare Smyth | Modern British | £175+ | Ultimate fine dining | ⭐⭐ |
| The Ledbury | Modern British | £195+ | Sustainable fine dining | ⭐⭐ |
| The Clove Club | Creative British | £175+ | Creative tasting menus | ⭐ |
| Cycene | Modern European | £145+ | Best new restaurant 2026 | ⭐ |
| St. John | British / Nose-to-tail | £50–70 | Classic British cooking | ⭐ |
| Sketch | French / British | £80–195 | Special occasions | ⭐⭐ (Lecture Room) |
| The Wolseley | European Brasserie | £40–60 | Breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea | None |
| Duck & Waffle | British / European | £50–70 | Views, late night dining | None |
| The River Cafe | Italian | £90–120 | Best Italian in London | ⭐ |
| Oma | Mediterranean / British | £50–70 | Buzzy, relaxed sharing plates | None |
Frequently asked questions about the best restaurants in London
What is the best restaurant in London right now?
Core by Clare Smyth is widely considered the best restaurant in London in 2026. It holds two Michelin stars and has featured on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. For something more accessible, St. John in Smithfield and Oma at Borough Market are two of the most consistently praised restaurants in the city at more approachable price points.
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are there in London?
London has 88 Michelin-starred restaurants as of 2026, making it one of the top cities in the world for fine dining. The most recently awarded include Bonheur by Matt Abé and Row on 5, both of which received two stars in the 2026 guide.
Where is the best place to eat in London on a budget?
St. John is the standout option for serious food at a reasonable price — lunch here can come in under £40 a head. The Wolseley is also excellent value for breakfast or lunch. For something more casual, Borough Market is one of the best places in London to eat well without spending much, and Agora (underneath Oma) takes walk-ins and has a similar menu at a friendlier price.
Which London restaurants are open 24 hours?
Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower is the most well-known 24-hour restaurant in London. It serves the same menu around the clock and is particularly good for a very late dinner or an early morning breakfast with views over the City.
Do I need to book London restaurants in advance?
For most restaurants on this list, yes — particularly Core by Clare Smyth, The Ledbury, and The Clove Club, which can fill up weeks in advance. Sketch and The River Cafe are also popular and worth booking ahead. Duck & Waffle is easier to get into at off-peak times, and The Wolseley keeps a good number of walk-in tables.
London’s restaurant scene moves fast, places open, earn stars, and occasionally close with very little warning. The restaurants on this list have all earned their place through consistent cooking and genuine reputation, not just hype.
If you’re visiting from outside London and want to plan a full food trip, our guide to the best UK destinations to visit is worth a read alongside this. And if you’re heading to Bath before or after London, we’ve covered the best restaurants in Bath in just as much detail.
This is The Chequers Bath blog, a lifestyle blog mostly focussing on food, travel and general lifestyle posts.
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