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The Infatuation
9 Restaurants To Make You Fall In Love With London Again
By Daisy MeagerJake MissingSinéad CrannaRianne ShlebakHeidi Lauth Beasley,
3 days ago
Sometimes it’s easy to feel sick of London. It’s crowded, it’s grey, and you can’t breathe without spending £20. So the next time you find yourself romanticising a quieter life, someplace where foxes and landlords don’t rule the streets, head to one of the spots on this list. At these restaurants you have a breather, connect with some of the things that show the best of London, and remind yourself that this is the greatest city in the world.
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No rating: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.
THE SPOTS
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Maureen's Brixton Kitchen
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A home-cooked meal is the cure for most forms of malaise. A home-cooked meal from Maureen’s will remind you that London isn’t just decent, it’s one of a kind. Everything about this Caribbean catering kitchen in Brixton is superb, from your entrance through Maureen’s garden gate, to her indoor-outdoor setup where plunge pool-sized pots of golden fried chicken bubble away and legs of charred jerk chicken lay basking in smoke on the grill. A takeaway order from one of our favourite maternal figures in London is likely to restore your faith in a lot of things. Not least that some of London’s most memorable meals don’t break the bank.
Stephen Rothe, the great grandson of the original Paul Rothe, always has a twinkle in his eye when he makes a sandwich. Whether he's spooning egg mayo between two white slices for a visiting New Yorker, or carefully placing hot bacon rashers on butter for an old dear, he does it with an infectious jolliness. Open since 1900, this Marylebone deli just knows how to warm your cockles. Jars of jams and pickles line the wall and Stephen’s father (also Paul) is behind the counter too. A regular weekday queue will feature as many Londoners as it will folks from around the world. Just don’t be surprised to hear a few questions on coronation chicken.
Cancellations on the District line? Normah’s curry laksa will keep you occupied. Got caught in the rain after the weather app lied to you? Normah’s fried chicken wings will make you feel better. Any bad day we’ve ever had has been made better by Normah’s roti beef rendang—and, of course, the welcoming one-woman-show chef herself. This Malaysian spot inside Queensway Market has a hold on our thoughts and our bank cards. But don’t worry, it’s one of the few London spots where you can eat a satisfying meal for under £20.
Three elbows to the ribs, two train changes (didn't get a seat on either), and one pigeon that shat on your Rains rucksack—and it's not even 9am. Take your bruised ribs to Beppe’s Café for breakfast when you need to be reminded why you live here. At the Farringdon caff, solo diners spread butter over a spread of broadsheets and the family working here are always on hand with a cheery word or a bit of gossip. Get the fry-up, which comes piled high with crispy-edged sausages, charred rashers of smoky bacon, and slices of fried bread. The green booths are ideal for a post-breakfast nap.
Around the corner from Columbia Road, on higgledy-piggledy cobbles that feel like a European holiday after too many glasses of wine in the sun, you’ll find Campania & Jones. It’s got mismatched wooden chairs that bring to mind a dusty antique shop run by a Ben Kingsley lookalike, and all around you romances are being formed or rekindled. The Italian dishes aren’t the best in the city, but for pure charm and romantic nook-loveliness, it’s hard to beat this candlelit Hackney spot.
London is massive. The traffic can be unbearable. And we’ve had a personal vendetta against the Piccadilly line since we can remember. But travelling nearly to the end of it, to Hounslow, is worth it for Taste of Pakistan. Better yet, cure any holiday comedown by rolling straight out of Heathrow and into this excellent Pashtun restaurant. Come dinner, it’s guaranteed to be heaving. It’s a destination, with 4x4s pulling up to its driveway and groups piling into the vast, white-lit dining room, before filling their table with juicy kebabs, bubbling karahis, and giant naans that hang from hooks like taunting sirens for anyone outside without a reservation.
Quo Vadis, the historic oyster-wielding institution and members’ club on Dean Street, is so distinctly old-school Soho that you feel like Jeffrey Bernard will walk in for the famed smoked eel sandwich at any second. The tower of profiteroles au chocolat is one of the best sugar hits within the M25, the shade of the never-want-to-leave banquettes is forever imprinted in our minds as ‘QV red’, and we challenge you to not break into a smile while admiring the illustrations on the menu of expert British classics. The pie, the martinis, the smooth as the terrine service—QV will make you forget about every time you’ve ever felt personally victimised by a teenager on a Lime scooter.
This one goes out to anyone who hisses “they’ll come crawling back” whenever your friends abscond to countryside villages, while simultaneously eyeing Castle Combe rentals every time you’re ghosted by an Uber driver. Llewelyn’s is the quaint little Herne Hill middleman. Stress has no place here. Instead it’s a trip to an imaginary town called Relaxville where you can snuggle up on the dark banquette with a menu that reads like a who’s who of seasonal delights—lemony whole fish, butter-glistening jersey royals, and berry compote puddings. Or sit out on the leafy terrace in the company of al dente tagliolini and—praise be—a tree with an actual bird’s nest.
Anyone who’s lost £20 just getting lunch from Pret knows the streets of London aren’t paved with gold. They’re paved with dried gum, fluttering week-old Metro pages, and feral pigeons. But Ciao Bella’s coveted pavement terrace is one stretch of concrete you won’t mind spending time on. Along Lamb’s Conduit Street, which makes a strong case for being London’s most idyllic road, it’s a place for slurping vongole and smoking Vogues while spaghetti-twirling and cackling. Even if you’re inside, this old-school Italian restaurant is endearingly raucous seven nights a week, and you’ll always be warmly welcomed into the Ciao Bella family.
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