5 Great Restaurants To Visit In London

When it comes to fine dining, you will not be short of places to go in London. The capital is full of excellent restaurants, where you can tuck into award-winning cuisine.

Below, we look at 5 great restaurants to visit in London:

The Square

One eatery where you will certainly be able to indulge in fantastic gourmet food is The Square (W1J 6PU). Located in Bruton Street, Mayfair, the restaurant has been serving French-inspired haute cuisine since 1991.

A three-course meal off the a la carte menu costs £80 and in opting for this you can select dishes such as ballotine of pigeon and camomile soufflé served with apricots and almond ice cream. Pick the tasting menu and the entire table will have a selection of dishes to choose from, with this costing £105 per person.

Co-owned by Nigel Platts and chef Philip Howard, the two Michelin star restaurant can be easily reached by tube, with Green Park and Bond Street being the nearest stations.

Gauthier Soho

A great place to enjoy fine French cuisine is Gauthier Soho.

Situated in Soho, the eatery opened in May 2010 and has already secured several prestigious awards, including a Michelin star and three AA rosettes.

Three courses off the summer a la carte menu cost £35, with red mullet poached in lobster broth and roasted lamb fillet served with fennel, thyme and parmesan gratin among the dishes you can select here. Alternatively, you could go for the £68 summer tasting menu.

Run by head chef Alexis Gauthier, the restaurant claims to stand out due to its use of intuition and the senses when preparing food. Indeed, the kitchen is said to be devoid of recipe books, timing devices and measuring equipment. With cool room shelving, ingredients and food items are separated, minimizing the risk of cross-contamination between different foods.

Among the many stars to have dined here are Lily Allen, Kate Moss and actor Hugh Grant, so you may well end up sitting next to some famous names upon booking a table.

The nearest tube stations are Tottenham Court Road and Covent Garden, although if you’re travelling by car, you will want to enter W1D 5AF into your sat nav.

Le Gavroche

High-end cooking can also sampled at Le Gavroche (W1K 7QR), which in 1982 became the first UK restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Run by head chef Michel Roux Jr, Le Gavroche serves French haute cuisine with Asian and Mediterranean influences, which can be seen in dishes such as red mullet served with beef marrow toast and lobster salad with avocado, mango, lime and basil.

Besides its three Michelin stars, the eatery has secured a range of other awards over the years and in 2008 was placed 22nd on the San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Situated close to Hyde Park, Le Gavroche is just a short distance from Marble Arch tube station, which connects to the Central line, and has a smart-casual dress code, with male diners required to wear a jacket.

Hibiscus

Just off Regent Street, you’ll find Hibiscus (W1S 2PA). Menus and prices vary depending on when in the week you eat; however, the a la carte midweek evening menu includes Goosnargh duck breast and toasted pistachio soufflé.

Dinner on Friday and Saturday evening, meanwhile, costs £85 for four courses and £100 for eight courses.

Opened in London in 2007, the Maddox Street-based eatery has two Michelin stars and was ranked ninth on the 2012 Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Restaurants chart.

The restaurant is accessible by tube and you will need to get on the Bakerloo, Central or Victoria lines and alight at Oxford Circus.

Gordon Ramsay

Visit London and you’ll find several restaurants owned by Gordon Ramsay. But it is perhaps his first, simply titled Gordon Ramsay, on Royal Hospital Road (SW3 4HP) that you’ll find to be the best. Who knows, you may even see the man himself when you eat here!

Opened in 1998, the 45-seater restaurant received three Michelin stars in 2001 and continues to hold the accolade to this day, with current head chef Clare Smyth the only British female to have secured this rating.

Oven-roasted pigeon and risotto of roasted veal sweetbreads are among the signature dishes, with the restaurant requiring you dress smartly. Shorts, trainers and cheap soccer jerseys must not be worn.

The nearest tube stop is Sloane Square.

With so many fantastic restaurants to choose from, dining at London’s top restaurants is sure to be a treat for the senses. London’s must-visit vegan-friendly places listed here. However, the above eateries are booked up quite quickly so it is a good idea to reserve a table several weeks in advance to avoid disappointment.