Restaurants in London England | 19 Spots You Need to Try

Welcome to part two in my three-part England series! If you’re interested, part one was a complete guide for a day trip to Cambridge! In this post, I’m talking about food!!! While London is known for its famous landmarks and cityscapes it’s also an incredible place for dining! After having a taste of the food in London, I definitely miss it! There are so many restaurants in London, England, but this is my list of 19 places I think you should try!

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I have organized the list into two sections. The first being single location restaurants and the second being multi-location/chain restaurants. I learned that a restaurant is considered a chain if it has at least 10 locations- hence why some are only multi-location (under 10).

Full Dining Restaurants in London, England

Single Location Restaurants

Mimo’s Café Italian Café Bar | Paddington

Atmosphere: Hole-in-the-wall casual

Price: $

Where do I start with this spot??? Seriously one of those hole-in-the-wall gems we just happened upon. It’s in Paddington right near the metro station. My boyfriend and I went to this little cafe 3 times. I bet if given the chance we would have gone even more. I’ve since looked through the reviews and a lot of people only try the breakfast/brunch. If you go, go for the pasta. Authentic, flavorful, generous portions, and dirt cheap! Literally, under £10 a plate!

All 3 times I got the carbonara and Daryl, my boyfriend got the pesto pasta.

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The Sipping Room | Canary Wharf

Atmosphere: Relaxed modern European dining and bar | Igloo dining available in the winter

Price: $$

The food was average, but not the focal point. If you visit The Sipping Room it’s for the atmosphere and location. This restaurant was conveniently located in Canary Wharf along the water. It was so scenic walking to this restaurant across the footbridge. The igloo is a high pull for the cooler months, it was super romantic and cozy. There’s a foggy texture on the igloos to give added privacy. The outdoor seating in the warmer seasons, while maybe not as unique of an experience would still allow for nice views of the water and tall buildings.

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London Steakhouse Co. | City of London

Atmosphere: Upscale Steakhouse

Price: $$$$

I actually used a Groupon or I don’t think I would have ever found this place. The whole meal from start to finish was phenomenal! The starter was a beet salad with goat cheese, my entrée was a beef wellington, Daryl’s a steak with fried egg, sides were creamed spinach (AMAZING) and potato croquettes, dessert was the rice pudding (pictured) and chocolate cake!

Sorry, for the lack of pictures- the restaurant was SO dark inside that it really didn’t make the food look appetizing. This picture of the rice pudding was my best choice, haha.

Bourne & Hollingsworth | Clerkenwell

Atmosphere: Greenhouse style casual charm

Perfect for dinner, drinks or their weekend brunch.

Price: $$

Another spot with on-point drinks and ambiance! Look at this drink menu, how cute! The inside felt so bright and I loved the color contrast of the plants. My main drawback is that the dinner menu was quite limited so I ended up compromising on something I wouldn’t usually pick and I wasn’t in love with the dish. I think their weekend brunch would have a more universal range of menu options. Plus you could always just stop in for coffee or a cocktail and take some cute pictures!

Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar | Southbank

Atmosphere: Old hotel restaurant and classy cocktail lounge

Price: $$$

Out of all the restaurants we’ve tried in London England, Gillray’s might be our favorite! It is situated as close as you can get to the London Eye, which after dining here for the second time Daryl officially asked me to be his girlfriend, yes, super romantic!

I was able to visit twice, so I know the quality of food and service is consistent! This is a spot you want to dress up for! They even have a coat complimentary coat check which I had never experienced before so that felt luxurious! The cocktails are dangerously delicious, and for the apps and mains, I had to slow myself down to savor them!

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Brass Monkey | Victoria

Atmosphere: Cozy British pub

Price: $$

Again, another Groupon that led us here and it didn’t disappoint! The loaded bleu cheese burger was incredible! The Brass Monkey would be great if you’re around this area and want a quicker and more affordable sit-down option.

Bar Specific Spots

Sky Garden – Sky Pod Bar

Atmosphere: scenic view & sophisticated drink menu

Price: $$$

The Sky Pod Bar is where we hung out but there are two other sections on the top floors more tailored towards dining: Darwin Brasserie and Fenchurch Restaurant. I’ll only be talking about the Sky Pod Bar which as you immediately tell from the pictures how incredible this view is! The best part is that entry up here is free, you just need to make a free booking on the Sky Garden website. Drinks are then optional to purchase, but that’s where they make their money, lol! They were strong and we got a good buzz right away, so worth the price tag!

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Chain/Multi-locational Restaurants

Multi-locational dining

This section is dedicated to restaurants and cafes with under 10 locations

Cabana Rio Street Food

Atmosphere: Funky and colorful with a mixture of steel and wood

Price: $$

I didn’t take any pictures of the food at Cabana so enjoy this couple’s photo, lol. But I found this awesome Google review by Alex who shared great pictures! I had never tried Brazillian food before, and it was all excellent! What stood out was the coconut slaw and the kabobs! You definitely don’t need to dress up as much as we are in the pictures, we had just gone to Hillsong Church before this!

Big Easy Bar B.Q & Crabshack

Atmosphere: American Ranch style serving homecooked BBQ & fresh seafood

Price: $$

The location in Canary Wharf was so cute! It’s the large space on the 2nd floor inside the Canary Wharf Shopping Center! This place is perfect for couples like Daryl and me because I like seafood and he doesn’t! The lobster mac and cheese was impressive and Daryl loved the BBQ chicken!

Elon Café

Atmosphere: PINK, lol

Price: $$-$$$

My friend Jill, who lives in London took me on a girls day trip to one of her favorite little cafe’s! Any pink lovers dream and the perfect picture spot! We had so much fun deciding what to order!! Note the edible flowers on the sandwich- it’s all about the details!

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BIRD Restaurant

Atmosphere: Modern industrial style

Price: $$

A quick and yummy spot for fried chicken! I’d recommend the chicken and waffles!

Chain Restaurants

This sections is dedicated to the restaurants and cafe’s with over 10 locations. Some of which I’m sure you’ve heard of!

Costa Coffee

Atmosphere: basic looking coffee shop, usually with lots of seating and outlets.

Price: $

Honestly, I love Costa Coffee! I prefer it over Starbucks (the espresso is smoother) and I wish we had Costa in the U.S.

Brown’s Brasserie and Bar

Atmosphere: British restaurant in an upscale café setting

Price: $$

I already talk about this in my Cambridge post, but Cambridge was the first location we went to. The food was so good we had to track down and visit one of the London locations! I don’t really have anything but good things to say about Brown’s Brasserie. Our server was knowledgeable about the drink menu and helped Daryl pick out a new whiskey to try.

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Wagamama

Atmosphere: Asian-inspired Japanese restaurant

Price: $$

Overall, really flavorful ramen for a chain restaurant! Good service, I’d come back!

Caffe Concerto

Atmosphere: Elegant Italian chain with small bites

Price: $$

We were shopping in Piccadilly Circus and need something light to snack on! The sandwiches and tea hit the spot!

Wok to Walk

Atmosphere: fast-food noodles cooked in front of you

Price: $

Wok to Walk is a fun build your own noodle bowl! It’s cheap and SOOO flavorful! Another favorite to-go spot of mine. As you can see we grabbed ours and ate them in the metro.

Nando’s

Atmosphere: South American fast-food specializing in their signature flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken

Price: $$

Juicy flavorful chicken can sometimes be hard to find but Nando’s never disappoints. Whenever we didn’t know where to eat Nando’s was the default. Also, one of the healthier options to pick from!

Bella Italia

Atmosphere: Casual Italian restaurant

Price: $$

In my opinion, Bella Italia is a better version of America’s Olive Garden chain. Everything just seemed to be pretty good quality and price for some delicious Italian food!

Amorino Gelato

Atmosphere: Small Italian ice cream place

Price:$$

Quality tasting gelato with many flavor choices! You can also get it topped with your choice of a macaroon. It’s definitely a more expensive ice cream option, but worth a try!

I hope you enjoyed this list of my favorite restaurants in London, England, and found some to add to your list! Writing this post has officially made me want to buy a plane ticket back to London because I am now craving everything on this list. Let me know which spot you would try first!

Next week’s post will be the third and final post in my UK series. I’ll be talking about Weymouth, the southern city on England’s coast!

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