Must-see restaurants in England

  • Outside Polpo, a rustic Italian restaurant on Cowcross Street

    Polpo

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    London's take on a Venetian bacàri (small bar), Polpo dishes out sharing plates of pasta, meat and pizzette (petite pizzas), with excellent options for…

  • Entrance to Scarlett Green.

    Scarlett Green

    The West End

    A fabulous spot for breakfast, brunch or lunch, Scarlett Green, inspired by the café culture of Australia, is a surprisingly spacious venue yet the small…

  • Bundobust exterior

    Bundobust

    Leeds

    What could be more Yorkshire than craft beer and Indian street food rolled into one no-frills, brick-walled bar? The beers come from both local and…

  • Outside the Grand Cafe

    Grand Café

    Oxford

    Boasting of being England’s first-ever coffee house – though not, unlike its rival opposite, open ever since – the Grand looks very much the part, with…

  • Shears Yard entrance

    Shears Yard

    Leeds

    Acres of exposed brick, concrete floors and a soaring roof provide an industrial-chic setting (it's a former rope-making yard) for painterly presentations…

  • Diners in Sarastro Turkish restaurant.

    Sarastro

    The West End

    Sarastro is a flamboyant restaurant, with a foliage-covered exterior and Arabian Nights-inspired interior. The Turkish-Mediterranean fare is one draw,…

  • Exterior of Sophie's Steakhouse & Bar

    Sophie’s Steakhouse & Bar

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    A paradise for carnivores, Sophie's restaurant (there’s also a branch in Soho) serves up some seriously gourmet meat dishes. You can’t go wrong with the…

  • Hansa's Gujarati exterior, on North St

    Hansa's Gujarati

    Leeds

    A Leeds institution, Hansa's has been dishing up wholesome Gujarati vegetarian cuisine for almost 20 years. The restaurant is plain and unassuming (save…

  • Tharavadu Indian restaurant exterior, looking along Mill Hill

    Tharavadu

    Leeds

    This Michelin guide–recommended restaurant is the go-to for a classy South Indian meal in Leeds city centre, with a Keralan menu that’s heavy on fish…

  • The exterior of Opera Tavern

    Opera Tavern

    The West End

    Classy but accessible, the Opera Tavern is one of London’s best tapas restaurants (no easy feat), and enjoys an unrivalled location just around the corner…

  • The front of Edendum

    Edendum

    Brighton & Hove

    Equally suited to couples and families, Edendum serves authentic Italian food in a warm, slick setting. As to be expected, quality pizzas are on the menu,…

  • Belgrave exterior

    Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen

    Leeds

    This bar and music venue has two great kitchens. One serves artisan pizza (watch out for the napalm chilli sauce); the other offers brunch and probably…

  • Crafthouse entrance off Boar Lane

    Crafthouse

    Leeds

    This rooftop restaurant makes a big impression, with cool grey and black decor and huge picture windows overlooking the neighbouring church tower. The…

  • Outside Society Cafe

    Society Café

    Oxford

    Stripped-down, dazzling-white cafe, with a scattering of light-wood Scandi-style tables, where you can enjoy a good cup of coffee in a relaxed ambience…

  • The outside of Look Mum No Hands!

    Look Mum No Hands!

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    Cyclists and noncyclists alike adore this cafe-workshop, set in a light-filled space looking out onto Old St. Toasties and burgers are the savoury staples…

  • Fat Bear

    London

    Hidden above the Rising Sun pub, the Fat Bear is a temple to soul food from the southern US. The huge burgers are some of the best in town, but regional…

  • Outside the cafe

    George & Davis

    Oxford

    The original in a three-strong chain of Oxford ice-cream cafes, better known as G&Ds, this is where they actually make the stuff, with new flavours being…

  • The exterior of Oi Vita

    Oi Vita

    North London

    This lovely little pizzeria is run by two Italian guys – Nicola chefs and Matteo serves – who import most ingredients from their homeland. The pizzas are…

  • The Fable

    London

    This restaurant and bar is about as quirky as they come, with everything themed on fairy-tales, including the on-site wine shop, florist and library. Food…

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    Couscous Café

    Notting Hill & West London

    This quirky Moroccan eatery has a bit of an Aladdin’s Cave feel to it, cluttered as it is top-to-bottom with rugs, lanterns and various ceramic ornaments…

  • The exterior of By the Bridge

    By the Bridge

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    This artsy cafe with windows overlooking Regent’s Canal is a great spot for a coffee (the chai lattes are excellent) and a quick bite to eat. It’s easy to…

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    Cereal Killer Cafe

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    The first cereal-themed cafe in the country perfectly symbolises the hipster spirit – and gentrification, some might say – of its Shoreditch location…

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    Waterside Café

    Notting Hill & West London

    This canal boat cafe, moored in picturesque Little Venice, serves basic hot drinks, breakfasts and snacks, though its location is the real draw. Its…

  • Urban Social cafe in the Whiteleys shopping centre in Bayswater

    Urban Social

    Notting Hill & West London

    This impressive cafe has brought fresh energy to the rather tired-looking Bayswater shopping centre in which it has set up shop. It sells artisan coffee …

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    Aladin

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    Brick Lane in East London is world-famous for its abundance of curry houses, and Aladin is arguably the best of the lot. It serves dishes from India,…

  • Humpit diners spill out into the Corn Exchange

    Humpit

    Leeds

    Often, the simple things in life are the best. This humble food stall amid the grandeur of the old Corn Exchange serves hummus with pitta bread (hence the…

  • Farmacy

    Notting Hill & West London

    Pricey and well in step with dining trends, Farmacy aims squarely at wholesome, organic, gluten-free, vegan detoxing. For breakfast (Monday to Friday,…

  • Potli

    Notting Hill & West London

    With its scattered pieces from Mumbai’s Thieves Market, Indian-market-kitchen/bazaar cuisine, homemade pickles and spice mixes, plus an accent on genuine…

  • Wulf & Lamb

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Picture-perfect Pavilion Rd, a sidestreet tucked off Sloane Sq, has been redeveloped in recent years to create a village-like collection of independent,…

  • Wheatsheaf Inn

    The Lake District

    A sister pub to the marvellous Mason's Arms near Windermere, this classic pub near the Lyth Valley has a great reputation for its grub. Dishes are pubby…

  • Wallace Restaurant

    The West End

    Run by an outfit with broader catering experience, the Wallace Collection's cafe-restaurant is a notch above what you’d expect from a museum. Equally good…

  • Park Chinois

    The West End

    This opulent restaurant and club south of Berkeley Sq serves refined dim sum and other Chinese fare daily in the glitzy ground-floor Salon de Chine. From…

  • Arancina

    Notting Hill & West London

    With a perennial scrum around it thanks to its whiff of freshly baked pizza, Arancina sells Sicilian snacks and has half an orange Fiat Cinquecento (500;…

  • Al Boccon di’Vino

    Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court

    This stellar Venetian restaurant is generally crammed with eager gourmands. Rather audaciously, there’s neither menu nor wine list, but this adds…

  • Kensington Palace Pavilion

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Temporarily replacing the Orangery restaurant while it undergoes restoration until 2021, what the Kensington Palace Pavilion lacks in history it makes up…

  • Princess Victoria

    Notting Hill & West London

    Grandly restored, the roomy interior of this imposing former Victorian gin palace soaks up pretty much any hubbub thrown at it, with ample elbow space and…

  • Ship Inn

    Northumberland Coast

    Always humming with local chatter, the traditional, wood-beamed Ship has all the comfort of your favourite armchair. Its walls are pleasingly cluttered…

  • Comptoir Libanais

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    If your battery is flat after touring the South Kensington museums, this colourful, good-looking and brisk restaurant just round the corner from the Tube…

  • Dishoom

    The West End

    This branch of a highly successful mini-chain takes the fast-disappearing Iranian cafe of Bombay and gives it new life. Distressed with a modern twist …

  • Sexy Fish

    The West End

    The high-level Japanese restaurant and DJ bar Mayfair never knew it needed, Sexy Fish is pure flamboyance, with art by Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry, a…

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