There are few things London enjoys more than making dinner feel competitive. A table that is slightly difficult to get has always carried a certain social value, but right now the city’s restaurant scene is particularly charged: new openings are landing fast, established names are finding fresh momentum, and the places generating the most excitement are the ones with actual personality behind them.
So rather than rely on one all-knowing list of where to eat now, we asked a group of plugged in creators, editors and food insiders where they are genuinely booking. Their picks run from sustainable fine dining in Canary Wharf to cult Soho openings, polished Chinese dining, Roman comfort food, scene-y Mayfair addresses and one or two tables that already come with mild bragging rights built in.
Georgina King | @Eat.Snack.Repeat
Georgina King, known online as @eat.snack.repeat, is a London based food creator focused on uncovering the city’s most exciting new openings and standout dining spots. With a love for refined experiences and a signature eye for detail, her content captures the best of fine dining, usually with a damn good martini in hand.
Berenjak, Mayfair
How could this not be on the list? Berenjak is an iconic London spot, and their new Mayfair site might be the best of them all. The décor is divine, the restaurant is intimate and their hummus will always be part of my death row meal. Do not even get me started on the lamb chops.
berenjak.com/locations/mayfair
Tiella, Bethnal Green
Chef Dara Klein is a powerhouse in my opinion. After building a loyal following from her previous residency in Islington, her new trattoria on Columbia Road is outstanding, serving hearty, comforting Italian food that makes me want to come back for more. I also found the wine list stellar, and all the better for having been pulled together by her dad.
Maza, Mayfair
This new Greek spot from Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré, the co founders of Mazi and Stella in Notting Hill, has a great vibe and even better Greek food. They have sought to transport diners back to a 1980s Athenian taverna, with a top notch playlist to match, while dishes such as the spanakopita, ’80s disco fries with shredded veal and chicken thigh souvlaki all stand out. The baklava pistachio ice cream is a must.
Suze Renner | @luxurycolumnist
Suze Renner is the founder and editor of LuxuryColumnist.com, a luxury travel and lifestyle publication reaching 650,000+ monthly readers. Her work is syndicated to MSN and Newsbreak, and she has 500,000+ social media followers alongside over 195 million Google Maps views. A CATA award winner for editorial and photography, she covers the world’s most extraordinary destinations, restaurants and experiences, always with an eye for the exceptional.
Roe, Canary Wharf
Roe is rewriting the rulebook on sustainable fine dining, and we can’t get enough of it. What sets Roe, the sister restaurant of Mayfair stalwart Fallow, apart is its incredible on site indoor farm. Watching the kitchen work with ingredients grown just metres away feels genuinely revolutionary. The cooking is precise, seasonal and endlessly inventive, and the 3D printed décor is simply stunning.
Agora and Oma, Borough Market
Agora feels like the most exciting thing to happen to Borough Market in years. It’s a love letter to the Eastern Mediterranean: bold, smoky, joyful food in a space that perfectly captures the energy of its iconic surroundings. Soak up the lively vibe at Agora on the ground floor or head upstairs to Oma for something more refined and intimate. Every visit feels like a celebration.
Poon’s, Somerset House
Poon’s is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the palate. The décor is genuinely stunning, one of the most beautiful dining rooms in London right now, and the modern Chinese cooking more than lives up to its spectacular setting. It’s the kind of place that stops you mid conversation just to take it all in.
Elisabetta Basile | @theitalianfoodaholic
Elisabetta Basile is the creator behind The Italian Foodaholic, a social media platform she has been running for the past six years, where she shares Italian food in all its forms, from restaurant reviews in London to recipes and food focused travel content. Born and raised in Italy before moving to London ten years ago, she has explored and reviewed dozens of Italian restaurants across the city, building a platform dedicated to helping people discover authentic Italian food experiences.
Sale e Pepe Mare, Marylebone
Following the long-standing success of Sale e Pepe, the same founders have recently opened Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham, a refined seafood focused concept that brings a more elevated take on Italian coastal dining to London. It captures the essence of a classic Italian seafood meal, but in a polished, high end setting that feels both exclusive and transportive. It is exactly the kind of place for anyone craving a more dressed up version of coastal Italian dining.
Napoli on the Road, Soho
Led by award winning pizzaiolo Michele Pascarella, Napoli on the Road has quickly become one of the most talked about pizza spots in London. The Soho opening, in particular, has been packed from day one, offering a slightly more refined and contemporary take compared to its other locations. It’s a must visit for anyone interested in some of the best modern Neapolitan pizza in the city.
Taverna Trastevere, Clapham Junction
Taverna Trastevere brings a true taste of Rome to South London, with a menu centred around classic Roman dishes in a setting inspired by traditional trattorias in Trastevere. Known for what is often considered one of the best carbonaras in London, the restaurant has also recently been recognised by Gambero Rosso, further cementing its reputation as a go to for authentic Roman cuisine. It feels like a proper slice of Rome without the airfare or the airport queue.
Elena Sandor | @eat.wear.travel
Elena Sandor is a content creator and digital strategist with 19 years of experience, beginning with a cooking blog and evolving into lifestyle, restaurant and hotel content. She specialises in discovering and sharing standout dining experiences, from London’s newest openings to established favourites, both in the UK and internationally, and is known for curating trusted recommendations and staying ahead of what is worth booking right now.
House of Ming, St James’s Court
For refined Chinese dining, House of Ming is one of the best in London. The dim sum selection is exceptional, especially the scallop and prawn dishes, and the menu strikes a perfect balance between traditional flavours and a more elevated, modern approach. It’s a space that feels special without being overly formal, making it ideal for both occasions and a standout dinner.
The Cocochine, Mayfair
A four-storey townhouse experience that feels both intimate and elevated, The Cocochine begins with champagne and canapés before moving through the space. The real highlight is the chef’s counter, with just eight seats overlooking the open kitchen, where dishes such as lobster, turbot roasted to perfection and farm beef are beautifully executed. The onion brioche with black truffle butter and the layered pavé chips are unforgettable.
Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields
A true London classic, set within a stunning former chapel in the heart of Spitalfields, Galvin La Chapelle offers some of the best French dining in the city. It combines elegance with consistency, while dishes such as the duck liver and the seasonal menus showcase refined technique and flavour. It is timeless, impressive and always delivers, which is more than can be said for half the city’s trendier openings.
Jessica Khor | @ServedinLondon
Jessica Khor is a proud Londoner, born and bred in North West London, of Chinese and Malaysian descent. She founded @ServedinLondon in 2019, creating a trusted platform focused on food, hotel dining and London hotspots, shaped by a lifelong love of travel, hospitality and the city’s diverse culinary scene.
Ambassadors Clubhouse, Mayfair
The Ambassadors Clubhouse is a Mayfair restaurant and bar that celebrates the best food, drink and music from the region of Punjab. It recently earned a Michelin star in its first year at the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland ceremony and is the first Punjabi restaurant in the UK to receive one. Brought to you by JKS Restaurants, it feels like a table with both serious credentials and real energy.
Gouqi, St James’s
Gouqi is a multi-award winning fine dining Chinese restaurant near Trafalgar Square and easily one of our most visited restaurants since opening in early 2023. Dishes are crafted using techniques and ingredients from across China, creating an exquisite fine dining experience designed for sharing, but the Legendary Peking Duck remains the headline act and needs to be pre ordered 24 hours in advance. It may be on the pricey side, but it is easily the tastiest and juiciest duck we have ever had.
Tom Brown at The Capital, Knightsbridge
Tom Brown at The Capital is another restaurant that has recently been awarded a Michelin star and is perfect for those who love a tasting menu and seafood. Located in the heart of Knightsbridge, it offers Tom’s signature style of clean, creative and produce driven cooking, with bold dishes that showcase exceptional quality and inventive technique. Highlights range from lobster toast and nori with lardo to the cuttlefish ‘cacio e pepe’, and each plate feels like a love letter to the sea.
Kai Lutterodt | @the.soho.girl
Kai Lutterodt is a freelance journalist, founder of My Soho Times and creative agency The Culture Edit. A Soho resident, she documents London’s lifestyle and cultural scene through a storytelling led lens, with a focus on new openings, the people behind the spaces and the conversations that unfold around the table.
Upstairs at Ronnie’s, Soho
For over 65 years, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club has defined live jazz in London, hosting legends including Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Prince. Reopened in February, Upstairs at Ronnie’s is now the insider way into the experience, with plush seating, intimate tables and a layout designed around the stage that pulls the whole room into its orbit. It is also far easier to get into than the iconic room downstairs, making it a rare Soho table with atmosphere and a realistic chance of getting one.
MOI, Soho
Still riding the buzz of its July 2025 opening, MOI feels very much in step with London right now, open to interpretation. The debut from MAD Restaurants, led by former Gordon Ramsay executive chef Andy Cook, brings traditional Japanese techniques together with British ingredients in a more experimental approach, while the menu offers standouts such as smoked cod’s roe with doughnut like buns, raw tuna belly with citrus and tomatoes, and A5 wagyu nigiri with caviar. With its £38 Chef’s Choice Lunch menu and downstairs Listening Room, it makes a compelling case for one of Soho’s most exciting tables right now.
Tamila, Soho
One of Soho’s most exciting new openings, Tamila is a modern take on the classic curry house and already drawing a crowd. From the team behind The Tamil Prince, the Poland Street flagship brings South Indian cooking into a refined, design led space, with highlights including chicken lollipop with sweet chilli chutney, chilli cheese dosa, masala lamb chops with mint chutney and garlic masala prawns. Add Indian spiced cocktails and gulab jamun in delicately spiced milk, and it makes a strong case for one of the most complete new dining experiences in Soho right now.
Luisa Ruocco | @luisainsta
Luisa Ruocco is a London based lifestyle influencer, TV chef and culinary judge who has built a reputation for knowing exactly where to dine in the capital. Constantly eating out across London, she is drawn to places that feel exciting, whether that means a new opening, a hard to book table or something a little more under the radar.
Mountain, Soho
This is one of the hardest tables to get in London right now, and for good reason. Mountain blends Basque inspired cooking with an open fire kitchen, creating dishes that feel both rustic and elevated. The whole experience is energetic and a little chaotic in the best way, with standout plates like the spider crab omelette and perfectly grilled meats. It’s the kind of place that feels like a scene: buzzy, stylish and always full of people who know exactly where to go.
Carbone London, Mayfair
Carbone is all about atmosphere: glamorous, theatrical and always feeling like an occasion. A New York institution where reservations are notoriously hard to secure, its London outpost is so in demand I have even heard of people flying over just to finally get a table and try the world-famous spicy rigatoni vodka. For me, the best tables in London right now are not just about the food, but how they make you feel, and Carbone gets that exactly right.
Berenjak, Mayfair
I’ve always loved the Soho original, and the new Mayfair opening brings that same warmth into a more elevated setting. The food is exceptional, it is perfect for people watching, and as one of the most anticipated openings of the year it has quickly become a go to table. It manages the rare trick of feeling both buzzy and genuinely worth the fuss.
berenjak.com/locations/mayfair
Some names come up more than once. We’ve left them that way on purpose, because when a table is recommended independently by several people who know where to eat, that is usually the story.
