London's hottest restaurants right now

The younger sibling of The Tamil Prince, one of the most popular restaurants in London, The Tamil Crown is a buzzy pub serving flavourful sharing plates of spicy South Asian cuisine. Backed by excellent reviews and culinary pedigree – the kitchen team trained at the famed Roti King – getting a table at this establishment isn't the easiest of tasks. This goes double for Sundays, when there's an Indian-inspired roast dinner to be enjoyed.

Low-key Thai restaurant Singburi is one of the hottest tickets in town. It's a small East London spot where getting a seat is notoriously difficult. Once you manage to get in you can try out authentic and affordable Thai cuisine that's considered some of the best in the city. You can bring your own alcohol as well.

Check out Endo at the Rotunda if you want an indulgent Japanese meal with a whopping 20 courses. This popular restaurant from esteemed chef Endo Kazutoshi offers diners a unique omakase experience, served in elegant surroundings. The curved counter where diners are seated is made from 200-year-old Hinoki wood.

It's certainly not easy to get a seat at Roji, an intimate sushi spot in Mayfair. Just 10 spaces are available with nine sittings each week. An omakase sushi menu is served at this restaurant, run by a husband-and-wife team with some serious culinary credentials. Premium sake is served as well.

Formerly a busy market stall, in summer 2023 Sonora Taquería reopened in a permanent location in Stoke Newington. This simple spot is just as popular as the stall that preceded it. It's popular for its rich beef barbacoa and freshly-made tortillas. Eat here and you'll discover a regularly changing menu and authentic flavours from northern Mexico.

Modern Japanese noodle bar Koya has a simple style. There are a few sought-after locations around the city serving udon noodles and small plates. It's particularly popular for its Japanese breakfast offering. Sit at a communal table or at the counter to watch the chefs at work.

Established in 1994, St John has continued to be a hit with London diners and has held a Michelin star for over 10 years. The daily-changing menu offers up a unique experience on every visit. Whenever you go, a visit to St John means sampling British classics like Welsh rarebit and bread pudding.

Rated as one of the country's top restaurants, Bibi combines British and Indian ingredients to create inspiring plates of street food. Dishes are served in a low-lit venue that's full of laid-back cool. À la carte dishes and a tasting menu are available, with a wide choice of drinks on offer as well.

Bouchon Racine, a popular French bistro run by renowned chef Henry Harris, formerly of Bibendum, Fifth Floor, Racine, and other prestigious restaurants, can be found on the upper floor of The Three Compasses pub in Farringdon. Apart from classic Harris dishes, the family-owned eatery provides daily menus that are seasonal and prepared in the traditional style. To complement the meals, a French-led wine list is available.

Trullo is much loved in North London for its classic Italian cooking. Established in 2010, the clean and sophisticated setting draws a crowd. In the light and contemporary restaurant you can eat handmade pasta prepared just before service and dishes from the grill made from seasonal and sustainable produce.

Close to Holloway Road station, Xi'an Impression is an intimate local eatery offering the Xi'an Chinese food that's booming in popularity in London. This cosy restaurant offers hand-pulled noodles and street food like Xi'an style pork or beef burgers. Whilst the venue is modest, it's attracting attention with its fresh perspective on Chinese cuisine.

With stunning artwork by the controversial Damien Hirst sitting alongside 2,000-year-old antiques, this opulent Mayfair establishment is one of the latest hot-ticket items to land in Mayfair. Bacchanalia pairs its immersive artistic experience with a Mediterranean menu of classic Greek and Italian specialities, refined and updated through a prism of sophistication and theatrical flair.

Lyle's in Shoreditch offers daily-changing menus of British cuisine with ingredients sourced from throughout the country. There's also a carefully-selected wine list and vegetarian and pescetarian options available. The quality of the food and service has earned the restaurant a Michelin star. At Lyle's you'll find sophisticated dining and a modern approach in a cool, minimalist space.

Thanks to its chef Ben Murphy being named the National Chef of the Year, this elegant 1839 townhouse quickly shot up the ranks of the capital's buzziest eateries. The contemporary European fine dining is flamboyantly presented, and you can choose between à la carte options or a tasting menu highlighting a specific ingredient. The chef isn't the only one with accolades here either, as the selection of global wines has won awards as well.

Normah's comes without bells and whistles but it's one of the city's hottest spots for authentic Malaysian cuisine. The simple restaurant space is homey and makes guests feel comfortable. Classic dishes are on the menu, with meat, fish, and vegetarian options available. Malaysian tea and soft drinks are served too.

Asma Khan's iconic restaurant Darjeeling Express has now found a permanent home in Kingly Court. Led by an all-female team, this homey space is decked out in natural colours and textures. Choose à la carte dishes for lunch or the set dinner menu, both featuring Indian home cooking designed to share.

Sessions Arts Club is housed in a Grade II listed building, providing a restaurant, bar, and art and performance spaces. Private hire event spaces are also available. The restaurant serves an international menu in a pared-back environment, focusing on creativity and a sense of the collective.

One of the city's hottest tips for West African cuisine is Chuku's in North London. This family-run spot is all about social meals, with modern cooking, vibrant art, and a chilled playlist. Dishes combine traditional recipes with new innovations and are ideal for sharing. The restaurant runs supper clubs too.

Chet's in West London serves exciting Thai-American fusion food all day in a retro-styled restaurant with bold textiles and neutral colours. There's an all-day menu with salads, sandwiches, and Thai favourites as well as a night menu with more focus on Asian cuisine. There's a large choice of wine as well, plus distinctive cocktails with an Asian influence.

An intimate venture from the Big Mamma group, Carlotta features a skylit lounge with a terrace. Neapolitan and Sicilian dishes with an American touch are served here like seafood and grilled dishes. There's also a decadent dessert – a signature chocolate fudge cake with 10 rich tiers.

In King's Cross, The Midland Grand Dining Room is a glamorous space that's full of personality and serves a regularly-changing menu of sophisticated French cuisine. Signature dishes here include crab and elderflower pain perdu and chicken liver parfait with a truffle and madeira jelly. The decor brings the space's Victorian heritage into modern times.

Cafe Cecilia in Hackney offers all-day dining in a cool, contemporary setting with a crisp interior. Throughout the day you can sample British classics like kippers or pork and apricot terrine. Whilst British cooking is celebrated here, there's a nod to international cuisine too.

Enjoy authentic flavours from West Africa at the relocated Chishuru in Fitzrovia. You'll discover a modern set menu that explores the region's recipes and culinary traditions, blending new approaches with time-honoured methods. Vegetarian options are available as well.

Core by Clare Smyth has been named one of the 100 best restaurants in the world for 2023. This female-led Notting Hill venue has a whopping three Michelin stars. Elegant dishes are crafted here using artisan and sustainable British ingredients. Food is served in a light and airy dining space, plus there's an exclusive chef's table experience.

Brat is a sleek Shoreditch restaurant with one Michelin star, serving modern cuisine inspired by Basque cooking methods. You can expect plenty of fish and grilled food on the menu. Along with the food menu there's a sophisticated and varied wine list, which includes a monthly-changing highlight of a specific wine.

Modern pasta bar Padella serves up fresh hand-rolled pasta and has developed a reputation for offering value as well as quality. Choose from pasta with a choice of different fillings and sauces and a variety of different drinks at reasonable prices. There's usually a queue so be prepared to wait.

Rochelle Canteen is a welcoming sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of Shoreditch, housed in a converted bike shed. The menu changes each day and offers seasonal dishes inspired by British and European cuisine. Indoor and outdoor seating is available under a canopy for comfortable dining in all weather.

Kol is a Michelin-starred restaurant offering vibrant Mexican cuisine using high-end ingredients like caviar and wagyu beef. Fixed menus are offered for lunch and dinner, including vegetarian choices, or you can go for the chef's table experience and enjoy what Kol's innovative test kitchen has to offer. Having won multiple awards, this is one of the hottest tables in London.

The River Café is a go-to choice for London diners seeking a relaxing riverside meal with great views. Quality ingredients and rich Mediterranean flavours come together in a contemporary menu that changes each day. The ambience and high-quality Italian cuisine have earned The River Café one Michelin star.

At Akoko you can enjoy the flavours of Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria in a warm and earthy Central London setting. The menu offers elevated West African cuisine made using local seasonal produce. The set menus for lunch and dinner combine traditional and contemporary cooking techniques and are complemented with a list of international wines.

Roti King might be a humble eatery but getting a table is tough - waits have been known to last almost one hour in Euston. Diners are willing to queue for the authentic and comforting Malaysian cuisine available. Rotis are a big part of the menu - choose roti served alongside your choice of kari or a stuffed option filled with chicken or cheese and spinach.

Decimo in King's Cross offers elevated Mexican cuisine with a view thanks to its 10th floor location. Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias combines Mexican cooking with Spanish influences to create a simple contemporary menu. The Decimo tortilla with 50g of caviar really stands out on the menu. There's also a wide choice of spirits and cocktails.

Kudu is a warm and earthy restaurant in Peckham serving sophisticated South African cuisine blended with European influences. Menus are seasonal and include choices like peri peri duck hearts, biltong, and English asparagus. You can also enjoy brunch here at weekends. The food menus are accompanied by a South African-focused wine list.

Manteca is a Shoreditch venue offering a simple Italian-inspired menu. This restaurant is passionate about whole-animal butchery, hand-rolled pasta, and house-made ingredients, serving a varied menu including vegetarian choices. Manteca has a diverse wine list to accompany meals, including options from England and Wales.

Opened at the National Gallery in 2022, Ochre is already being touted as one of the hottest restaurants around. Modern and classic design are combined in this comfy bistro, which celebrates sustainable and seasonal British produce. Expect sophisticated dishes, stylish surroundings, and a varied wine and cocktail selection.

Shankeys is a new restaurant that opened in the latter half of 2022 after a wildly successful pop-up period at the old Spendeli premises in Hackney. The Well Street restaurant is stripped back, intimate and romantic, lit by candlelight in the evenings and seating only a handful of people. The menu is a fusion between Irish and Indian cuisine, with dishes like aubergine and tamarind curry with beetroot chutney and pickled rice and rum-glazed doughnuts with banana brûlée, mango, custard and coconut and lime. They also have an Irish-focused drinks menu and a changing selection of handpicked wines.

Mayha is a refined and intimate 11-seater restaurant and bar located in Marylebone, offering an exceptional omakase dining experience. It is part of the rising trend of omakase experiences in the capital, providing customers with a unique and personalized menu highlighting different Japanese meat and seafood dishes. For an even more intimate experience, guests can head to the six-seater Bar Downstairs, which offers a five-course omakase menu and signature drinks.

Nessa, located on the ground floor of an Edwardian corner building in Soho, is the latest undertaking from the former chef of Duck & Waffle and Loyal Tavern. The bistro draws inspiration from the area's bohemian history, offering inventive twists on classic British cuisine using fresh, high-quality domestic produce, flavourful herbs, and fresh fish. The inviting horseshoe bar features an extensive list of wine and cocktails. 

A venture by Big Mamma Group, the international team behind some of the capital's most gloriously over-the-top Italian restaurants, has immediately become one of the hottest tickets in town, even though there's seating for 170 diners at the four-floor venue. It's not just the outrageous decor, botanical mezzanine floor, jazzy disco toilet and decadent Italian dishes, it's also Big Mamma's proven track record with places such as this that is amping up the hype.

The original Sheesh in Chigwell has attracted the likes of Rod Stewart, Harry Kane, Olly Murs, Russell Crowe, Tyson Fury and other celebrity heavyweights, and you can expect a similar class of guests at the London branch as well. The restaurant offers upmarket dishes such as wagyu burgers, truffle steaks, and lobster rolls, as well as the charcoal-cooked shish kebabs that give it its name. The coolly elegant setting with iron-wrought chairs and chandeliers also features a bar.

Story Cellar comes from acclaimed chef Tom Sellers. With attractive views over Neal's Yard and counter seating, you can sample French menus of rotisserie chicken and charcuterie as well as changing daily specials and small plates like salad or seasonal terrine. There's a sophisticated wine list and private dining is also available.

Fine dining restaurant Taku is located in Mayfair. The focus here is on unique omakase meals, a Japanese tradition of leaving things up to the chef. This modern Michelin-starred spot has just 16 seats and three sittings each day. If you can get in you'll experience a 20 course tasting menu of luxury ingredients.

Speedboat Bar is bold and lively, inspired by Bangkok's Chinatown. There's a cosy upstairs bar serving Thai beer as well as the main dining area, decorated with photos of Thai speedboat racers. In this buzzy atmosphere you can sample dishes like drunken noodles, zingy stir-fries, and signature cocktails.

When it comes to hot tables in London, Dishoom is a fixture. This restaurant group is so popular there's virtually always a long queue extending from the entrance, even though there are multiple locations around the city. The restaurants are style-conscious and tastefully decorated, serving Indian street food in a modern environment. Food is served all day and it's known for its Indian take on a fry-up.

Claude Bosi is the man behind Socca, an intimate French-Mediterranean bistro inspired by the coast of the French Riviera, decorated with artwork and murals. The varied menu at this restaurant includes small plates, pasta dishes, salads, and meat and fish recipes. Classic cocktails and wine complete the experience here.

A gastropub in Kentish Town, The Parakeet has chef Ben Allen, formerly of Brat, at the helm. Inside it's a typical pub interior but the menu is pretty far from standard pub grub. Diners can expect refined European menus that are ingredient-led and change seasonally. The emphasis here is on cooking over fire.

Art lovers can't miss a meal at Mount St. Restaurant. The furnishings are inspired by famous artworks and you can dine surrounded by original pieces from the likes of Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse. Classic British cooking is on the menu but elevated for a fine dining feel. Food is served all day and private dining is available.

Café Deco in Bloomsbury comes from chef Anna Tobias who had previous stints at P.Franco and Rochelle Canteen. This is a restaurant, bar, and wine store set in a homey space with a noticeable tiled floor. The menu centres on fuss-free British cooking with dishes like braised rabbit or roasted monkfish. There's plenty of wine too.

Kiln dishes up imaginative Thai food that may not be traditional but is still some of the most popular in the capital. Walk-ins are welcome and you can watch the chefs from the kitchen counter. Thai curries, slow-grilled chicken, and laap sausages are just some of the dishes you can try out here.

Akub in Notting Hill comes from Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan. Dishes here combine distinctive herbs and British produce to show off the diversity of the region's cuisine. The space is homey with earthy colours and textures. The wine and cocktail list also shows influences from the Middle East.

Ekstedt at the Yard is the first restaurant outside Sweden from top Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt. It's a smart venue that still has an earthy and comfy feel. Set menus are available or you can indulge with a nine course tasting menu featuring the likes of slow-roasted pork neck.

Award-winning restaurant Nandine specialises in Kurdish cooking. It's also recognised for its warm and welcoming atmosphere. A range of classic dishes are served like mezze and kebabs, but the falafel here gets attention. It's made with lentils rather than chickpeas and is available in a wrap, burger, or on a platter.

In Islington you'll find Westerns Laundry, a simple and modern seafood restaurant serving a regularly-changing menu. The environment is airy with industrial stylings. Menus are written up on chalkboards, with small and large plates like fried monkfish and mussels with peas and tarragon butter. A concise choice of natural wine is available.

Supa Ya has developed a cult following for its noodle bowls, served in a cosy environment. The menus is straightforward but full of creative choices – think noodle bowls and small plates like whipped tofu with tomatoes. Desserts are also available and the menus change seasonally.

Homies on Donkeys was one of the buzziest restaurants in London despite being in a somewhat cramped spot far away from the city crowds, but they've since moved to a colourful, graffitied venue in Leytonstone – and the demand has grown even more. One of the most acclaimed taquerias in London and further afield, its secret lies in the creative fusion of authentic ingredients into tacos, tacos, nothing but tacos. Expect crowds of happy punters stuffing their faces – there's no cutlery here – whenever you stop by.

Kachori in Elephant & Castle is a hot tip for Indian food. This buzzy spot serves cuisine from regions across the country in the form of small plates like corn ribs, calamari, curries, and Tandoor dishes. The restaurant is spacious and also has a terrace for al fresco meals.

A restaurant at the reopened National Portrait Gallery, fittingly-named The Portrait is led by acclaimed Irish chef Richard Corrigan. Diners can take in scenic city views from its fourth floor location or enjoy the interior decorated with work from the gallery's collection. Seasonal British dishes and Corrigan's signature recipes are served here.

Mountain brings the renowned cuisine from Brat to Beak Street in Soho. The venue is bright and contemporary with a large wooden bar and a cosy basement space. Chef Tomos Parry is behind the traditional Spanish grilled dishes here, made with local produce and paired with wines curated by Noble Rot.

Elegant fine dining restaurant 20 Berkeley is all about celebrating British produce. It also has its own cocktail bar where there's a similar focus. The venue is smart and refined whilst the food revolves around seasonal menus made with fresh ingredients sourced from around the country. Private dining is available at this restaurant.

East London restaurant Papi emerged from a popular lockdown pop-up and serves vibrant food with global influences. Sustainability and zero-waste is key here, as well as a playful approach to cooking. The setting is simple and hip and the venue has an open kitchen as well as a bottle shop.

An NYC icon, Llama Inn has perched atop The Hoxton in Shoreditch for its first UK outpost. In the hotel's rooftop restaurant area, Llama Inn offers trendy South American cuisine with an emphasis on Peruvian ingredients, tastes, and traditions. It's an especially good choice if you're after an NYC-style cocktail like the one-shot martini, as the bartenders are well-versed in mixology.

A restaurant from renowned wine bar 56 West Smithfield, Origin City is all about British cuisine and nose-to-tail butchery. This restaurant butchers and ages all of its own meat and has been a big hit with restaurant critics. The dining space is sleek, neutral, and low-lit. It's a meat-focused menu here - sample regularly changing plates like charcuterie, pork rillettes, and smoked sausage.

Having already held a Michelin star, receiving the highest possible number of the prestigious AA Rosettes in 2023 only underlined the excellence and trendiness of Tom Aikens' signature restaurant. Within its glitzy, sophisticated setting, Muse offers a fine dining experience revolving around seasonal tasting menus inspired by the acclaimed chef's life and career. Chef's table experiences are offered as well.

The luxurious Raffles London at The OWO was one of the most anticipated openings of 2023, in part also due to its top-notch culinary offer. The hotel's flagship restaurant is helmed by three-Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco and revolves around his signature emphasis on locally sourced produce and hyper-seasonality. The exquisite dishes carry flavour from the Mediterranean, and the setting is tasteful and sophisticated.

The Devonshire is the inaugural collaborative venture between seasoned hospitality experts Oisin Rogers, ex-landlord of The Guinea Grill, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, and The Fat Duck chef Ashley Palmer. With such an acclaimed cast, this Soho gastropub has all the makings of a culinary blockbuster. Blending classic charm with modern cuisine, one of the hottest pubs in London boasts the first wood ember grill of its kind in the UK, an on-site butcher, and some of the best-pulled pints of Guinness around.

Bambi is a wine bar and restaurant with a curated music programme, a huge record collection, and a hi-fidelity sound system. This hip neighbourhood hangout is a sandwich and coffee spot by day and wine bar with small plates in the evening. There's a focus on low-intervention wines and cocktails here and a DJ spinning records to keep the vibe in check.

In the culinary hotspot of Borough Market, Rambutan specialises in Sri Lankan cuisine, served in an environment decorated with work by Sri Lankan artists and designers. The menu here changes frequently, dishing up street-style snacks, seasonal curries, and larger plates. There's a downstairs bar too.