Guide to Mediterranean restaurants in London

Oren is chef Oded Oren’s debut venture, drawing on the fresh flavours of the Mediterranean. There’s plenty of seafood on the menu, such as pollock pastrami and grilled mackerel, and veggie dishes like barbecued corn and fig carpaccio. There’s also a curated menu of low-intervention wines and a selection of cocktails to enjoy alongside your food.

What do you get when you pair the most extensive oyster list in London with a spectacular city view? Seabird in Southwark. This 14th-floor seafood restaurant serves a fish-focused menu of small plates, sharing plates and a raw bar in a stylish, sophisticated, plant-filled setting with epic skyline views.

Experience a taste of Italy and Spain at Salt Yard, a charcuterie bar and restaurant serving small plates from both countries. Seared Loch Duart salmon is served with bergamot dressing and pickled red onions, and grilled octopus comes with saffron potatoes. There’s also a variety of cocktails, aperitifs, wines, sherries and more to pair with your food.

Ember Yard is another Salt Yard restaurant celebrating all things Italian and Spanish. The small and large sharing plates by Head Chef Adam Kulikowski are all cooked using wood-fired grills, like the Barbary duck breast with broccoli puree and courgette flower with blossom honey.

Together with the founder of celebrated openings such as Koyn and MiMi Mei Fair, two-Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi is launching a new venture in Mayfair – an intimate French Mediterranean bistro. Decorated with playful murals and handpicked artistry, the eatery brings together food, wine, art and design, paying homage to the culinary traditions of the French Riviera and Provence.

The Hill in Greenwich serves a Mediterranean menu with a Latin American twist. Inside, the decor is simple, with walls pasted with vibrant art by the owner’s father. You can expect a menu of creative dishes, like Spanish black pudding on a bed of mixed leaves and Latin seafood stew with a hint of peanut butter.

This celebrated Mayfair tapas restaurant serves a menu that features a variety of tapas, including cheeses and cold meats, all best washed down with a glass or bottle from the menu of 140 Spanish wines. The set lunch option is popular, comprising two tapas dishes with bread, aioli and one soft drink. 

You probably won’t be able to resist heading inside to try the bounty of incredible food piled up in the windows of any of the Ottolenghi restaurants. It's all about vibrant, Middle-Eastern-inspired dishes here, with a mix of sweet and savoury to choose from, like charred hispi cabbage with pickled walnuts and coconut rice with runner beans and spicy peanuts. All of his restaurants are sleek, stylish and bright with a warm and welcoming home-away-from-home feel.

The lively Opera Tavern serves Italian and Spanish-inspired dishes in a trendy spot in Covent Garden. The menu showcases the best dishes from both countries, like courgette flowers, burrata and patatas bravas. Pair your food with a seasonal cocktail or a glass from the long list of wines.

For an authentic taste of Turkey in fine-dining fashion, head to Selale on Green Lanes, an area famous for its abundance of Turkish restaurants. The restaurant has won accolades for the best-value kebab in the British Kebab awards, but everything is delicious. There’s a vast choice of meat and vegetarian dishes, and a long list of drinks, including beers, spirits and wines from Turkey.

This lively Eastern Mediterranean restaurant plates up uncomplicated dishes in an aesthetically pleasing space, think mood lighting, wooden furniture and draping plants. Enjoy bread with different dips before moving on to mezze to share, like pan-fried saganaki with black fig honey and crispy aubergine skewers with herb sauce. You can even let Marcus choose your meal if you're feeling adventurous.

Discover the incredible flavours of Syrian cuisine at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, where they serve authentic dishes in a home-away-from-home setting. Choose from a small menu of sharing plates, like hummus, falafel and lesser-known regional dishes such as shisk tawook - grilled chicken with paprika crisps.

Nissi will transport you to Mediterranean shores without stepping foot outside North London. The menu is chock full of small mezze plates, chargrilled meat and seafood and plenty of vegetarian options. Everything is prepared using the freshest ingredients with seafood sourced from Billingsgate Fish Market.

This neighbourhood restaurant on Columbia Road serves small Mediterranean-inspired plates, including an ‘all things pork’ section. Grilled squid with coco beans and gremolata and guinea fowl with pork and porcini ragu are just two dishes you can expect to see on the menu. There’s also a long list of drinks, from aperterifs and ciders to soft drinks, wine and sherry.

When Mangal Ockabasi first opened in the '90s, it was the first of its kind in London, where food is prepared using charcoal cooking methods. The smell of grilled meats wafts down the street as you approach the restaurant, and as you enter, you'll pass the giant open grills searing your meal before your eyes. It's also BYOB (bring your own booze) so make sure you grab a bottle of your favourite tipple from the newsagent opposite before you sit down.

Chances are, if you’ve heard of Mangal Ockabasi, then you’ve likely also heard of Mangal II. Mangal Ockabasi was the first of its kind in London, specialising in charcoal cooking methods in a casual space. Mangal II soon followed, where weekly specials, natural wines and locally-brewed beers are served in a spacious and classy setting.

The grilled meats are on par with the grilled veggies at Berber & Q, a restaurant that's getting everything right regarding Mediterranean cuisine. The decor is on-point, with moody lighting and plenty of exposed wood, and everything is served family-style to encourage sharing.

This award-winning family-run restaurant in Belsize Park Village serves traditional Greek and modern Mediterranean cuisine in an unfussy setting. Enjoy high-quality food made with care and paired with a bottle from the wine list.

Check out Three Eight Four in Brixton for small plates and creative, seasonal cocktails. They take inspiration from the Mediterranean, with dishes like scallops, arancini and roasted radishes on whipped feta taking centre stage.

When Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit joins forces with acclaimed designer Tom Dixon, the result is Coal Office, a culinary journey through the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This restaurant takes the classics and modernises them, alongside a long list of drinks, from wine, tequila and mezcal to spirits, cocktails and soft drinks.

Moro opened in the late ‘90s as a homage to North African and Spanish flavours. Today, it’s still serving tapas-style dishes and large plates in a stylish setting, like charcoal-grilled lamb with aubergine, gum mastic & saffron pilaf and sea bream and gambas roja ceviche.

This kitsch Mediterranean restaurant is located in the old Crouch Hill ticket office. The food served is tapas-style sharing plates, like pumpkin croquettes, patatas bravos and saffron seafood risotto. There’s also a wine menu that’s been crafted to compliment the food.

Belvedere provides a slice of Southern Italian life in a gorgeously sun-soaked location. The historic building dates back to the 1600s and was once frequented by the like of Noël Coward and Queen Elizabeth. Only its ballroom survived the war, however, and was later converted into a restaurant boasting lovely views of the surrounding parkland. The relaxed Mediterranean eatery includes a balcony and a private dining room.

The Covent Garden Hotel Amano's signature restaurant is an elegant spot where the famed monthly dinner parties often result in dancing on the tables. The menu at this temperamental spot fittingly spans the Mediterranean, fusing Spanish and Israeli flavours in an array of tapas-style dishes, including an Israeli take on paella with lobster, frekkeh and gin-tomato sauce.

Islington restaurant Mem & Laz is a cosy and welcoming spot. This place has an authentic Mediterranean interior with hanging lamps and interesting decor. You'll find a broad choice of Mediterranean favourites on the menu, but the restaurant also does brunch, a set lunch, and choices for kids and bigger groups. Wine and cocktails are available.

Taking its name from its location, 42 Holborn extends the numerical motif to its menu, showcasing a 42-strong array of Mediterranean-inspired dishes, ranging from Tuscan chicken to Spanish lentil stew and everything in between. The dining space exudes a stylish and polished ambiance, adorned with artwork and murals. It's complemented by a cocktail bar boasting a floor-to-ceiling bottle display.

Andy's Greek Taverna has been dishing up classic Greek recipes in Camden Town since the 1960s. This family-run restaurant is rustic and welcoming, giving the feel of an authentic taverna. The menu features an array of classic recipes like spanakopita and moussaka, as well as Greek wine and spirits such as ouzo.

Discover authentic flavours from Palestine at Notting Hill's Akub. This restaurant from Fadi Kattan, an authority on contemporary Palestinian cooking, combines regional seasonings and British produce to showcase the diversity of Palestine's cuisine. The drinks are influenced by the region, too, including wines from Palestine and unique cocktails.