London's best Michelin-star restaurants
London is in the top 10 cities in the world when it comes to Michelin stars – 74 restaurants across the capital have been awarded the accolade by the Michelin team over the years. But which spots out of the best London restaurants do our well-fed editors recommend trying at least once? Below, we've compiled the 11 Michelin-backed tables to book across the city. They include a Mexican restaurant from an ex-Noma chef, the only three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Britain to be helmed by a female chef, a Shoreditch wine bar and a West African dining room in St James. Read on for the inside track on these starry spots, and then read more about the Michelin-star winners across the UK in 2023.
John CareyIkoyi, The Strand
Ikoyi built a solid reputation for itself at St James’s Market. Now nestled on the streets of Temple, Ikoyi’s larger location expands on its existing earthy copper and butter-yellow decor. Additional elements of boldness are obvious as light glows in the curved walls and steel mesh ceilings maximise the space. The modernity of the atmosphere is reflected in the tasting lunch or dinner menus, which change with hyper-seasonal and local ingredients that are served in their optimal state. Superchef Jeremy Chan’s experience and takes on flavour are mirrored in dishes such as the smoked beef served with coal-roasted pumpkin, or the crowd-pleasing plantain garnished with roasted peanut and served with a spiced efo emulsion. Choose between the wine or tea pairings for five or eight courses, or select one of their balanced cocktails like the malt & apricot sour made with ogogoro and barley. Reservations open two months in advance to accommodate demand, so booking is essential. Vivienne Dovi
Address: Ikoyi 180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA
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Eleonora BoscarelliEvelyn's Table, Soho
The humble exterior of Evelyn’s Table, among the bustle of central London, starkly contrasts the eye-popping colours of Chinatown. We are ushered down a staircase below the Blue Posts pub, and greeted by an inviting and cheerful ambience in the tasteful, intimate space. Diners chat with one another while head chef James Goodyear welcomes everyone to the experience. We start by choosing our drinks pairing. The sommeliers are approachable and knowledgeable, inviting us to choose between two wine pairing styles - the ‘Firm Favourites’ and ‘The Path Less Trodden’. There are also ‘Half & Half’ or ‘No & Low’ options for those who don’t fancy boozing.
Each dish is presented beautifully, from the Iberico pork with winter vegetables and pumpkin seed miso to the Ike Jime trout with smoked pine and turnips. Our favourite, the Scottish langoustine with celeriac and koshihikari rice, is delicately sweet and tart simultaneously. Goodyear likes to keep his guests on their toes by surprising them with a few off-menu dishes like a malt sourdough with rose and beet trifle. And lastly, for pudding, jerusalem artichoke paired with truffle honey and tonka bean – an interesting take on the often neglected course. The team at Evelyn’s Table work together seamlessly, bringing their passion to the forefront of every dish and delighting guests with their unique and beautifully sourced menu. Amber Port
Address: Evelyn's Table, The Blue Posts, Cellar, 28 Rupert St, London W1D 6DJ
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Stefan JohnsonSt John, Smithfield
St John is around for a long time, not just a good time. Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver opened their first restaurant (they now helm a handful across London), in 1994, and won their first and only Michelin star in 2009. Menus change daily, but nearly always include the roast bone marrow with parsley salad (one of our most iconic dishes in London) and a number of other nose-to-tail dishes that make a serious effort to be zero-waste, making this one of the first London restaurants to champion what’s now an on-trend ethos. It’s not just worthy, though – all the plates are delicious, from starters of crispy pig cheek to Welsh rarebit to buttermilk pudding.
Address: St John, 26 St John Street, Barbican, London EC1M 4AY
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Hide, Mayfair
The first restaurant from young gun Ollie Dabbous – his eponymous Dabbous opened more than 10 years ago. It was an instant hit, winning a Michelin star just eight months after opening. In 2017 Dabbous, plus his other two London outposts, closed so he could focus his attention on Hide – an ambitious Mayfair restaurant in partnership with Hedonism Wines. It opened in spring 2018 – a three-floor behemoth with a ground-floor restaurant, a sultry basement bar and a more formal upstairs dining room. The risk pulled off – Hide, too, gained a Michelin star just months after opening.
Address: Hide, 85 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NB
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Pétrus, Knightsbridge
On a polished side street in Knightsbridge sits Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay. It is the perfect date spot: the intimate circular restaurant simultaneously fits 40-60 covers, centred around a glass-cased wine cellar in the room’s centre. There are several menus, including the à la carte, a separate lunch offering and two tasting menus showcasing imaginative British dishes. We recommend the Prestige menu with the wine pairings – a seven-course menu full of surprises. It begins with fragrant tomato consommé poured from a little teapot, followed by a tart filled with fresh tomato and basil, topped with creamy burrata and a ponzu sauce. Our highlight was the beautiful Herdwick lamb served with a flower-shaped pea garnish and intricately placed purple flowers. Supper finishes with a raspberry sorbet palate cleanser in a deep hollowed ceramic dish, followed by a highly indulgent plaisir sucré layered with gooey, decadent chocolate and hazelnut. For a special occasion, book the chef’s table downstairs, where there’s room for up to eight guests to dine on an eight-course menu prepared in front of you. Sophie Knight
Address: 1 Kinnerton Street, London SW1X 8EA
Website: gordonramsayrestaurants.com
The River Café, Hammersmith
The River Café might just be the most revered restaurant in London. Ruthie Rogers opened the spot in the late 1980s in Hammersmith to feed staff from her husband’s architecture firm. Since then, it’s gained a dedicated contingency of super fans who count the restaurant as one of the best in the world. There’s a beautiful terrace, a pizza oven that’s a shock of bright pink in the centre of the dining room, and a tried-and-tested Italian-flavoured menu that shifts seasonally – expect fresh pasta with asparagus and herbs in spring, perhaps, or lamb with chickpeas and horseradish in autumn. The restaurant was awarded its Michelin star in 1998, and has hung on to it for more than 20 years.
Address: The River Café, Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London W6 9HA
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Food Story MediaCore by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill
Clare Smyth was the first – and the time of writing, still the only – female British chef to win three Michelin stars at her first solo restaurant in Notting Hill. The dining room is serene – no tablecloths, clean white walls but with plenty of knick-knacks to keep it from seeming cold. The seasonal tasting menu might include scallop tartare from Scotland's Isle of Harris or Hardwick lamb with sheep's curd. There is an a la carte option (lunch is marginally less expensive than supper) with dishes such as crispy veal sweetbread and beef and oyster. For those with seriously deep pockets, the chef's table can be booked for private parties of up to 10.
Address: Core by Clare Smyth, 92 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2PN
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HDG PhotographyKol, Marylebone
Santiago Lastra’s Kol was probably the most anticipated opening of 2020. Lastra – who headed up the Noma pop-up in Tulum – has a plan to introduce London to real Mexican cooking. He shows off an array of different textures, tastes and heat – the way in which he uses chillies is special, varying from course to course while never blowing your head off. Things kick off with a seaweed and chilli broth that has a warm and hearty spice, while UK-grown pistachios make up the mole served with homemade corn crisps and an array of pretty British herbs and pickled crudités. A delicate ceviche turns out to be made with kohlrabi – the strength of flavour coming from a peanutty chilli sauce which you can spoon on at your leisure. Expect a wine list that's mostly biodynamic and sourced from Central and Eastern Europe, plus a carefully curated list of mezcal and agave spirits – and the spot won its first Michelin star in 2022. Tabitha Joyce
Address: KOL, 9 Seymour Street, Marylebone, London W1H
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Chris TerrySabor, Mayfair
Bilbao-born Nieves Barragan led Soho tapas joint Barrafina to a Michelin star in 2013 – so it follows that her first solo spot, Sabor, would join the ranks as well. Set on foodie Heddon Street, set just back from Regent Street, the two-floor Spanish restaurant is dominated by a long bar where diners can watch the chef’s work to plate immaculate monkfish tempura, seared tuna, octopus and croquetas. Upstairs in El Asador, the team leans on recipes from the Galicia and Castile regions – confit lamb shoulder, grilled squid, suckling pig to share. Our favourite spot might be the bar, where you can order Spanish vermouths, gins and sherries with plates of pintxos, tortillas or olives to share.
Address: Sabor, 35-37 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR
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Brat, Shoreditch
Brat has proudly kept its Michelin star since 2018, when the restaurant – helmed by ex-Kitty Fisher’s chef Thomas Parry – got a nod from the Michelin team. Since then, as well as serving Basque-accented plates (including the incredible whole turbot, for which the restaurant is named – Brat means turbot in Old English) at the Redchurch Street flagship, the team also cook at Climpson’s Arch in London Fields. The wine list focuses on small producers, with a monthly spotlight on winemakers from across Europe. It’s softer and far less buttoned up than many Michelin-awarded spots, dressed down for an East London crowd who want stellar menus without stiff service.
Address: Brat, 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL
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Leroy, Shoreditch
This is yet another follow-up restaurant from a team that earned a Michelin star in their first iteration. Leroy is an anagram of Ellory, the East London casual-cool spot from Jack Lewens and Ed Thaw, which won a star at London Fields’ Netil House before closing. They opened Leroy on a Shoreditch backstreet in 2018. Lewens and Thaw were inspired by Parisian cave à mangers, so there’s a lowkey dining room with jumbled-together tables and creamy siding that has more of a wine bar than a restaurant feel to it. Menus are set daily and might include smoked eel with chicken skin, courgette flower with ricotta or lamb saddle with ratatouille. The wine list is as thoughtful as you’d expect, and bottles start at a fairly reasonable £35. This is a hangout that doesn’t shout about its Michelin status.
Address: Brat, 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL
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