May 17th is a cause for celebration for Londoners as pubs, restaurants and bars resume normal indoor operations. While the days when we were packed on the rafters may be far behind (although a salvation is to order a beer in a London pub and it doesn’t take 15 minutes to arrive), it is many of the leading independent restaurants and bars of the capital I look forward to a full month – or three – bookings.
So that you can leave the rest behind, HYPEBEAST has put together a list of the best restaurants and bars in London. To make things even easier, break it down into the top three spots to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. So you can eat and drink to your heart’s content in the best IYKYK places.
breakfast
Dishoom
Haarala Hamilton
If we go the entire If You Know You Know route, Dishoom is probably a good place to start. We’re sure many of you are used to the restaurant’s walk-in policy and the perfect selection of Ruby Murrays, but how many of you know about breakfast portions? Opt for the Bombay breakfast if you’re particularly hungry and want something in the style of a traditional English, or try the Keema per Eedu – a Parsi staple that combines chicken keema, chicken livers, eggs, and sali.
(Different places)
The good egg
As the name suggests, this place makes eggs … well. It’s known for its all-day brunch, which features a range of offerings ranging from shakshuka to egg and cheese challah buns to options for fans of anything but eggs. For example, the salted beef Reuben Pitta or the squid braised with oranges and juniper make for daring things that you may never have had for brunch before.
Unit G9 Kingly Court, Kingly Street, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW
Brunswick East
Do you remember all the fuss a few years ago about flat whites and how the Australians did it best? Well, Brunswick East is here to prove it. It brings the Australian coffee culture to Hackney and Dalston and has an uncomplicated breakfast. Expect avocado on properly made toast, experimental egg dishes (which change over the months), and healthier options like Kentish asparagus with wild garlic. Oh, and a very good flat white too.
(Different places)
Having lunch
Native to Browns
Native to Browns
According to the mantra “What grows together goes together”, Native at Browns is all about the best products served on a series of small plates. So you can try as many small pieces as you like. It has a sustainable approach to culinary experimentation, making an assortment of delicacies from land, sea, forest or farms for you to taste. Now the Aboriginal Mission has been planted in Brown’s new Mayfair store, offering you an indoor space or an outdoor oasis in the heart of the city.
39 Brook Street, London W1K 4JE
Rochelle canteen
The Rochelle Canteen has had a loyal group of followers who frequent their hidden hideout in Shoreditch, East London, since it opened in 2004. Rochelle Canteen is an institution (although it is forever under the radar) and prides itself on high quality products and high quality cooking products. Expect modern European dishes like classic confit dishes like confit garlic and goat quark on toast, medium white belly with sprouting broccoli and mustard, and finally the blood orange sorbet.
16 Playground Gardens, London, E2 7FA
brawn
A stone’s throw from Rochelle Canteen is Brawn on the popular Columbia Road Sunday flower market. Brawn is perfect for all kinds of situations: if you want to give it your all, the turbot or lamb neck based main courses are a surefire way to keep you satisfied, while a couple of starters can be shared as small plates for a decadent lunch.
49 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RG
dinner
Top cuvée
Top cuvée
Top Cuvée – during the pandemic the local wine hotspot shop Cuvée – is again Top Cuvée. The neighborhood restaurant still serves a great selection of wines but again does what it does best: simple food, done right. While the menu has not yet been announced, expect an incomparable Sunday meal alongside plenty of eggs, fish, and high-quality meat from the region.
177B Blackstock Rd, London N5 2LL
oven
Set up the takeaway menu, Kiln offers Thai dishes like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. However, let’s rewind a bit before we get down to eat. You need to be prepared for tight pressure (although COVID rules may have changed that) and aim for the bar seating to get as close as possible to the chefs – that way you can see your food as you go is properly prepared in front of your eyes. When you eat, must-haves include the aged greed and cumin skewers, the smoked mackerel jungle curry, the Tamworth belly noodles and brown clay crab meat, and hands down the Burmese wild ginger and beef neck curry.
58 Brewer St, London W1F 9TL
Trullo
Trullo
Nowhere is opulence as accessible as at Trullo. It’s a British take on Italian cuisine that features an ever-changing menu of some of London’s finest Italian-influenced dishes. Staple foods like ricotta and sage butter ravioli or the famous Pici Cacio e Pepe keep popping up again. If you’re lucky, trullo will have scallops, beef shin ragu, or sea bass carpaccio on the menu when you arrive, and an excellent wine cellar will comfortably accompany any dish of your choice.
300-302, St. Pauls Road, London N1 2LH
beverages
Peckham Cellar
Peckham Cellar
Peckham Cellars says, “Let’s face it, nothing beats a good glass of wine.” And it’s right – name something better than a great wine on a breezy summer night, we’ll wait. Fortunately, this place has some of the best on the south side of the river and opts for over 100 different types that are picked based on taste alone. Peckham Cellars also only serves small manufacturers, so you can try something you’ve probably never had before.
125 Queen’s Rd, London SE15 2ND
Pamela
While wine is (always) an option at Pamela, the range of cocktails is sure to get you here. “Pammy Classics” are anything but classic, but you by no means step into the danger zone of “Oh, I don’t like that.” For example, Des Barres is made with jalistño-infused eristoff, kiwi juice, and a cube of coconut ice cream, which together make a great choice for those who like flavored margaritas or picantes. Then there are new versions of classics. If G&T is your thing, Pamela has that covered too.
428 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA
P. Franco
Benjamin Mcmahon
Noble Fine Liquor, Bright and Peg, owns P.Franco – a local bottle shop that’s much more than just a fancy wine list. Essentially, P.Franco works like a really good dinner party as you have to step in and hope that you can find a seat on the communal table before being served food by renowned chefs pouring each other glass after glass (and again more glasses) of wine before departure.
107 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NP
DISCLAIMER: We advise against irresponsible and / or underage drinking. Drink responsibly and legally.
