william wolfe’s guide to excellent living in london
The best restaurants in London
32 of the restaurants Mr Wolfe recommends in the Guide to Excellent Living in London, each reviewed at length, with an address and a fair warning where one is due.
D
55 Aldwych, WC2B 4BBThe DelaunaySince The turn of The millennium, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King have scored hit after unstoppable hit with their portfolio of restaurants…W
160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EBThe WolseleyThe inauguration of The Wolseley in 2003 changed the face of breakfast in London. Before that time, one’s options were limited to the…C
5A Burlington Gardens, W1S 3EPCecconi’sA link in an ever-lengthening chain that encircles the globe from Amsterdam to Mumbai, this consistently excellent Italian is as fast-paced…E
43 Elystan Street, SW3 3NTElystan StreetElystan Street The address lies at the heart of the most pleasing part of south-west London: polished, but not intimidatingly so. Elystan…G
30 Bruton Place, W1J 6NLThe Guinea GrillA favourite haunt of generations of the cognoscenti, the pub in which The Guinea Grill is housed has the longest pedigree of any business…H
26 South Audley Street, W1K 2PDHarry’s BarIf you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to dine inside a rose, ask a member of Harry’s Bar. They should be able to tell you. No, I’m…L
53-54 Brook’s Mews, W1K 4EGLPMLight, bright and irrepressibly summery, LPM is an outpost of the Mediterranean in the very heart of Mayfair. Tucked away behind…M
87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TWM. ManzeRarely performed these days but a smash-hit in its own, the musical Me and My Girl premiered in the West End in late 1937. Telling the…M
438 King’s Road, SW10 0LJMedlarQuiet but impeccable: that’s Medlar all over. Now in its tenth year of business, this discreet little restaurant at World’s End eschews…Q
88-94 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EAThe Quality Chop HouseBristling with architects’ practices and design studios, Clerkenwell is the stomping ground of an edgy and profoundly metropolitan crowd.…R
Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, W1A 2AAThe Restaurant at Sotheby’sFar be it from me to influence your cultural pursuits as authoritatively as I’m attempting to influence your choice of barbers and tailors.…S
38½ Cornhill, EC3V 9DRSimpson’s TavernIf it seems remarkable that we’ve come this far without me once applying the word ‘Dickensian’ to any of the establishments in this book…W
55 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6LXWiltonsWhen, in 2009, Tatler celebrated its tercentenary, it assembled no fewer than ten British dukes around one table. Where was that table?…B
18/18A Bruton Place, W1J 6LYBellamy’sI could lead on Bellamy’s in a variety of ways. I could explain that both the patron and the chef migrated to Bruton Place from the…D
20 Thurloe Street, SW7 2LTDaquiseMention polish food to the average Brit and you’re likely to incur either a furrowed brow or a moue of distaste. What could it possibly…F
50 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5HNFischer’sFrom The Wolseley to The Delaunay, the atmosphere of Old Vienna (which, give or take the minor interruptions of the First World War and the…I
1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQThe IvyIf The English have an affinity with an artform, it’s with the stage. And if the stage has an affinity with a restaurant, it’s with The…M
6 Old Court Place, W8 4PLMaggie Jones’sTo dine at certain restaurants is to become a kind of time traveller. At Rules, the clock froze at imperial high noon. At Zédel, one is…M
37 Monck Street, SW1P 2BLMa la SichuanBad food is bad food, no matter where in the world it originates. That said, I’ve had more than my fair share of inferior Chinese during my…N
51 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1N 3NBNoble Rot Wine Bar & RestaurantThere’s A whiff of The retro about the premise of a wine bar that Noble Rot (how about that for a moniker straight from Withnail?) does…O
55 Exhibition Road, SW7 2PGOgniskoSouth Kensington boasts two of the finest Polish restaurants in London. If Daquise specialises in hearty ‘rustic’ fare, the cooking here…O
Charlbert Street, NW8 7ENOslo CourtPeople either enter into the spirit of Oslo Court with gusto or regard it with a mingling of distaste and incomprehension. Either way…O
182 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1X 8EWOtto’sLondoners fall into two camps: those who know about Otto’s and those who don’t. I once promoted a casual acquaintance to the status of a…R
1 Abingdon Road, W8 6AHThe Raj of KensingtonDespite my addiction to dining out, there are odd occasions, usually at the end of a gruelling week or hectic weekend, when even I’m too…R
34-35 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LBRulesRules has satisfied the nation’s heartiest appetites since 1798. Continuity is the keynote. Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate…S
26 St John Street, EC1M 4AYSt JohnEstablished by fergus henderson and Trevor Gulliver in 1994, St John took up residence in a former smokehouse adjacent to Smithfield…S
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HEScott’sIf The essence of sophistication is self-possession – urbane places, like urbane people, have no need to assert their credentials – Scott’s…J
28-32 St Martin’s Court, WC2N 4ALJ. SheekeyIt’s safe to assume that the reviews of J Sheekey have, over its 125-year history, consistently trumped those of any of the productions in…S
Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, WC2R 1LASpringTo laud, in this guide to good living in London, a restaurant so apparently untethered to the turbulent city beyond its threshold may seem…T
300-302 St Paul’s Road, N1 2LHTrulloIslington is The chelsea of north London, minus the peacockery that, at times, renders the King’s Road a parody of itself. It’s a fitting…A
70 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DEA. WongIt’s probably easier to arrange a papal audience than it is to secure a reservation at A Wong. Tenacity and stamina are required of all who…B
20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7EDBrasserie ZédelWhat did londoners do before Zédel? I often wonder. The largest and liveliest member of the Corbin & King family, it rescued Piccadilly…
55 Aldwych, WC2B 4BBThe DelaunaySince The turn of The millennium, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King have scored hit after unstoppable hit with their portfolio of restaurants…W
160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EBThe WolseleyThe inauguration of The Wolseley in 2003 changed the face of breakfast in London. Before that time, one’s options were limited to the…C
5A Burlington Gardens, W1S 3EPCecconi’sA link in an ever-lengthening chain that encircles the globe from Amsterdam to Mumbai, this consistently excellent Italian is as fast-paced…E
43 Elystan Street, SW3 3NTElystan StreetElystan Street The address lies at the heart of the most pleasing part of south-west London: polished, but not intimidatingly so. Elystan…G
30 Bruton Place, W1J 6NLThe Guinea GrillA favourite haunt of generations of the cognoscenti, the pub in which The Guinea Grill is housed has the longest pedigree of any business…H
26 South Audley Street, W1K 2PDHarry’s BarIf you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to dine inside a rose, ask a member of Harry’s Bar. They should be able to tell you. No, I’m…L
53-54 Brook’s Mews, W1K 4EGLPMLight, bright and irrepressibly summery, LPM is an outpost of the Mediterranean in the very heart of Mayfair. Tucked away behind…M
87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TWM. ManzeRarely performed these days but a smash-hit in its own, the musical Me and My Girl premiered in the West End in late 1937. Telling the…M
438 King’s Road, SW10 0LJMedlarQuiet but impeccable: that’s Medlar all over. Now in its tenth year of business, this discreet little restaurant at World’s End eschews…Q
88-94 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EAThe Quality Chop HouseBristling with architects’ practices and design studios, Clerkenwell is the stomping ground of an edgy and profoundly metropolitan crowd.…R
Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, W1A 2AAThe Restaurant at Sotheby’sFar be it from me to influence your cultural pursuits as authoritatively as I’m attempting to influence your choice of barbers and tailors.…S
38½ Cornhill, EC3V 9DRSimpson’s TavernIf it seems remarkable that we’ve come this far without me once applying the word ‘Dickensian’ to any of the establishments in this book…W
55 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6LXWiltonsWhen, in 2009, Tatler celebrated its tercentenary, it assembled no fewer than ten British dukes around one table. Where was that table?…B
18/18A Bruton Place, W1J 6LYBellamy’sI could lead on Bellamy’s in a variety of ways. I could explain that both the patron and the chef migrated to Bruton Place from the…D
20 Thurloe Street, SW7 2LTDaquiseMention polish food to the average Brit and you’re likely to incur either a furrowed brow or a moue of distaste. What could it possibly…F
50 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5HNFischer’sFrom The Wolseley to The Delaunay, the atmosphere of Old Vienna (which, give or take the minor interruptions of the First World War and the…I
1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQThe IvyIf The English have an affinity with an artform, it’s with the stage. And if the stage has an affinity with a restaurant, it’s with The…M
6 Old Court Place, W8 4PLMaggie Jones’sTo dine at certain restaurants is to become a kind of time traveller. At Rules, the clock froze at imperial high noon. At Zédel, one is…M
37 Monck Street, SW1P 2BLMa la SichuanBad food is bad food, no matter where in the world it originates. That said, I’ve had more than my fair share of inferior Chinese during my…N
51 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1N 3NBNoble Rot Wine Bar & RestaurantThere’s A whiff of The retro about the premise of a wine bar that Noble Rot (how about that for a moniker straight from Withnail?) does…O
55 Exhibition Road, SW7 2PGOgniskoSouth Kensington boasts two of the finest Polish restaurants in London. If Daquise specialises in hearty ‘rustic’ fare, the cooking here…O
Charlbert Street, NW8 7ENOslo CourtPeople either enter into the spirit of Oslo Court with gusto or regard it with a mingling of distaste and incomprehension. Either way…O
182 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1X 8EWOtto’sLondoners fall into two camps: those who know about Otto’s and those who don’t. I once promoted a casual acquaintance to the status of a…R
1 Abingdon Road, W8 6AHThe Raj of KensingtonDespite my addiction to dining out, there are odd occasions, usually at the end of a gruelling week or hectic weekend, when even I’m too…R
34-35 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LBRulesRules has satisfied the nation’s heartiest appetites since 1798. Continuity is the keynote. Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate…S
26 St John Street, EC1M 4AYSt JohnEstablished by fergus henderson and Trevor Gulliver in 1994, St John took up residence in a former smokehouse adjacent to Smithfield…S
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HEScott’sIf The essence of sophistication is self-possession – urbane places, like urbane people, have no need to assert their credentials – Scott’s…J
28-32 St Martin’s Court, WC2N 4ALJ. SheekeyIt’s safe to assume that the reviews of J Sheekey have, over its 125-year history, consistently trumped those of any of the productions in…S
Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, WC2R 1LASpringTo laud, in this guide to good living in London, a restaurant so apparently untethered to the turbulent city beyond its threshold may seem…T
300-302 St Paul’s Road, N1 2LHTrulloIslington is The chelsea of north London, minus the peacockery that, at times, renders the King’s Road a parody of itself. It’s a fitting…A
70 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DEA. WongIt’s probably easier to arrange a papal audience than it is to secure a reservation at A Wong. Tenacity and stamina are required of all who…B
20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7EDBrasserie ZédelWhat did londoners do before Zédel? I often wonder. The largest and liveliest member of the Corbin & King family, it rescued Piccadilly…