"Like all of the best Spanish tapas restaurants, Barrafina has no tables. In London’s Covent Garden, all the eating is done at a long marbled bar, lined with red leather stools, and there are no bookings: you get here first, you get served, all the while watching the chefs at work. The idea is that it’s just like being in Spain (the inspiration for Barrafina was Barcelona’s Cal Pep), and it really is: the atmosphere is chaotic and the food comes from all corners. One minute you’re eating a ortiguilla (a type of sea anemone found in the Balearics) in a paper cone, the next a chicken wing served in a Canarian mojo picón sauce."

"There’s a feeling of calmness when you walk into the stripped-back dining room at Lyle’s. Located at the industrial Tea Building in Shoreditch (the site of the old Lipton warehouse) the space is furnished almost entirely in white. The effect is a blank canvas for elaborate, beautifully presented food that revolves around seasonal ingredients: asparagus with walnut mayonnaise in summer; chicory, blood orange, and walnutsfor winter (and that’s just the vegetables). In the evenings, proceedings revolve around a four-course tasting menu—the only option, which you can argue is part of the charm."

"Kitty Fisher’s is the antithesis to the New York exposed brick brand of cool. Named after a Georgian courtesan, this tiny restaurant in Mayfair is rather a wood-clad room flickering with candles and exuding a intimate, “make yourself at home” vibe. The food is some of the best in London: the original chef, Tomos Parry, won the Young British Foodie award during his tenure, and his successor George Barson, formerly of the River Cottage, continues to surprise with innovative dishes cooked on the wood grill. If you can’t get a booking, fear not: a second restaurant, Cora Pearl, named for a 19th-century courtesan this time, recently opened onCovent Garden’s Henrietta Street."

"No trip to Heston Blumenthal’s Michelin-starred London restaurant is complete without sampling the meat fruit, a starter of chicken liver mousse artfully crafted to look like a mandarin orange. It’s a marvel, but then so is the rest of the menu, which brings together an array of historical British dishes so unique they’ve been researched by food historians at the British Library. Blumenthal is famously the brains behind The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, and has long been regarded the country’s most inventive chef. For that reason, it seems unfathomable that the dessert trolley, which uses liquid nitrogen to create instant ice cream tableside, would come from anyone else."

"Widely credited as one of the UK’s first modern gastro pubs, The Anchor & Hope is famed for its Sunday lunch, which include options as varied as wild rabbitand a seven-hour lamb shoulder served on a sharing plate to carve at the table. Despite this, it remains a popular drinking spot with a conventional bar separate from the dining room, serving spirits, wine and beer on tap. Located on the aptly-named The Cut, the road that links Waterloo station with the Young and Old Vic Theatres, mid week it’s filled with theatregoers. But you’ll also find locals, office workers, tourists, commuters, and friends who’ve crossed London to meet here. There are no rules; just a relaxed, lively atmosphere, cosy surroundings, and good food."

"Polpo Not many restaurants outside Italy advertise their cuisine as Venetian, but then there aren’t many quite like Polpo. Now a stable of six eateries, the brand began in 2009 as a Soho bacaro serving informal small plates with Prosecco and Aperol spritz. It quickly became something of a trendsetter, drawing queues down the street, thanks in part to it being one of the capital’s first restaurants to operate a no bookings policy. Now the pressure to get a table is off but the emphasis on delicious sharing food remains. The fritto misto and arancini are musts, and when you’re done, there’s a nightcap with your name on it in the basement Campari Bar. The original restaurant is in an 18th-century building that was once the home of the Venetian painter Canaletto, which you can’t argue, is a nice touch."

"Honey & Co. began life as a tiny Middle Eastern restaurant behind Warren Street tube station, and while its size and location hasn’t changed, word has spread. There are onlyten tables (and five seats at the bar counter for walk-ins) on offer so booking is essential, but once you’re in, it’s easy to see why critics rave about the aromatic lamb roasts and exquisite salads from husband and wife team Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer. A dish of poached quince with honeyed hazelnuts and fresh curd cheese has long been a staple on the menu, but there are also sumptuous breakfasts of green shakshuka (eggs baked in spinach, served with goat’s yoghurt and sesame bread) and sabich , packed with delicious roasted eggplant, plus an unavoidable deli of desserts. It’s criminal to walk past in the morning without picking up a sticky cherry and pistachio Fitzrovia bun, or to leave at night without the sweet and salty taste of kanafe , a Palestinian cheese pastry drenched in orange blossom syrup, lingering on the taste buds."

"Café Kick Inspired by the fussball bars of northern Spain, Café Kick is a local’s favorite and a place to blow off some steam at the end of your day by violently propelling a small white ball between rows of wooden men. Situated in the lively drag of Exmouth Market, the bar airsplenty of European soccer on its five screens and serves Spanish and Portuguesebeer. There’s good value soup and sandwiches at lunch, although if you work up an appetite later in the day you’re situated pleasingly close to the excellent Iberian/North African restaurant Moro (and its little sister, Morito). There’s a very decent happy hour too, from 4pm to 7pm."

"Vociferous carnivores searching for London’s best upmarket steakhouse need look no further than Hawksmoor. The city's franchise of six restaurants specialises in grass-fed, dry-aged beef cut beautifully thick and seared to perfection. Meat is not where Hawksmoor’s charm ends, however. Alongside the bone marrow with onionsand porterhouse steaks, there are glorious fish dishes such as the “roast shoulder” of turbot, starters ofDartmouthlobsterand fried queenie scallops, and an anchovy hollandaise you won't have encountered anywhere else. Of course, it helps that the staff keep you in well-made cocktails and the restaurants themselves are set in beautiful settingsin Borough, Seven Dials, Knightsbridge, the City, Soho, and Spitalfields."

"High Tea at Fortnum & Mason In the shadow of Buckingham Palace lies Fortnum & Mason, the department store with a royal warrant famed for its loose-leaf tea, luxury picnic hampers and sweet treats, including an excellent selection of macarons. You can buy all of these inside the store, as well as browse the gentlemen’s department,and cast your eyes up to the spectacular atrium, but the real highlight of a trip here is the afternoon tea, served in a gilded Diamond Jubileee TeaSalon, opened in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. An accompanying piano player sets the tone: at high tea, you can expect a charming display of finger sandwiches, individual pastries and cakesfrom the cake carriage, and scones served with Somerset clotted cream and Fortnum’s lemon curd. The extensive champagne list is also not to be ignored."

"St. JOHN It’s apt that St. JOHN’s flagship restaurant is located in a former bacon smokehouse on the fringes of Smithfield meat market; chef Fergus Henderson’s menu explores every cut of meat imaginable. The restaurant itself is brilliantly unfussy, retaining lots of the smokehouse’s original features, and the food very British, making St. JOHN something of a London institution. Dishes to try include crispy pig’s skin with watercress, or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, try the grilledox heartor kid liver. The restaurant’s own winery and bakery brilliantly fill in the gaps—you can even order a dozen airyMadeleines off menu."

"A highlight of the London restaurant scene for more than 30 years, the River Cafe is as iconic as it is delicious, and all the more remarkable when you consider it was intended as the employee canteen of an architect’s office headquarters. Run by Ruth Rogers, wife to that architect, Richard Rogers, who opened it with chef Rose Grey, it’s also a sublime riverside dining spot, perfect for an al fresco lunch. The Italian food is simple—think whole Dover Soleroastedin the restaurant’s wood stove and richdesserts such as their chocolate Nemesis cake—and by no means cheap. But rest assured, especially given the number of chefs that have trained in the River Cafe’s kitchens, from Jamie Oliver to April Bloomfield (of New York’s The SpottedPig), this is quality cooking."

"Small to the point of accidental intimacy—just getting yourself seated could spark your next relationship—this is the kind of noirish bar that wants to fly under the radar. Which is, presumably, why they’ve never named it. To those in the know, however, it’s a place of pilgrimage. Its founding mixologist, Tony Conigliaro, is a legend in cocktail circles, combining an expert hand with an experimental mind. He serves the classics with a modern, scientific twist, like his Prairie Oyster, which uses molecular science techniques to create an "egg yolk" of tomato juice, or his Oriental, cognac infused with frankincense. There’s really little else to it: $15house cocktails, and a small selection of snacks. But that’s what you came for."

"For those who love a chicken tikka or a lamb rogan josh, Britain is a famously fulfilling destination, with some of the best Indian food you’ll find outside, well, India. The curryhouses on Brick Lane will ladle out masalas and rice until your belly’s ready to burst, but for a different take, try Dishoom, which operates in fivedifferent London locations (and Edinburgh) and specialises in the finger food of Mumbai’s Irani cafés: a fabulous array of grills and snacks, from the delicious lamb kebab to the moreish keema pav ( minced lamb or chicken), served on a bun in an environment that recreates the décor of the colonial railways. If you can make it here for breakfast, the bacon naan roll or the spicyscrambled eggsare the perfect way to set up your day."

"Over the past two centuries, the covered market at Borough, not far from London Bridge, has become one of the country’s most famous foodie spots. From Wednesday to Saturday each week hundreds of traders gather to sell homemade breads, hand-reared pork, artisan chocolate and all manner of ingredients—plus excellent coffee, fresh juices and organic wine. Plentiful samples add to the convivial vibe, and restaurants around the market's edge provide additional sustenance for longer stops."

"If the Ritz is for those who like people to know how they’re spending their money, Claridge’s is for those who prefer a touch of discretion. Nestled in the back streets of Mayfair, it is arguably London’s classiest act, an aristocratic outpost that refuses to be anything other than itself. From the top-hatted doormen to the liveried waiters, it’s a hotel that maintains a high level of decorum, and you don’t have to splash the cash to stay here to experience it,come for thefamous afternoon tea served on jade-and-white striped china."

"Museum cafes are often depressing affairs, white formica boxes where you grab a curling sandwich on your way to the next piece of tourism. But the main cafe'strio of rooms are nothing like that. Designed, respectively, by William Morris, Henry Cole, and Edward Poynter in glorious Victorian excess, were the first museum cafe in the world, and they are today a rare example of a museum restaurant where you would be happy to spend time, revelling in the gorgeous details and stained glass windows. And the food's pretty good too; you can get all sorts of hot and cold meals, andit's a great stop for lunch or cakes, if you're doing the museum trail at South Kensington."

"Burgers and hotdogs don't get more delicious than at MEATmarket, part of the Meatliquor brand. Upstairs in the market at Covent Garden, you can get what is without a doubt the most delicious, meatiest and flavorful 'dog in the city, and wash it down with a boozy shake (my favorite is the vodka, Kahlua and vanilla one). The burgers are fantastic too, so rich and meaty and dripping in greasy yumminess that I've never yet eaten a whole one to myself. The queue moves relatively fast, and the "classified ad" signs will keep you amused while you wait."

"One of my favorite treats on a big shopping day is lunch in the fifth-floor café of Harvey Nichols—or, as we locals call it, Harvey Nicks. It's the smartest department store in London (sorry Harrods, but you've been out-chiced) and the fifth floor is a classy, airy haven where fashionistas clink glasses. It's a great way to escape thecrowds, and there are other restaurants and bars in the store, including 109 Bar + Kitchen, but the café, with its outdoor balcony and canteen feel, isjust the ticket."

"It's pronounced "Wool-zee," and it's a former showroom for the smart old cars that bear its name. Now a restaurant, it's been restored to its original 1930s glamour with a gorgeous art deco slant. If you want a true taste of old Mayfair and St James—from the days when the streets were full of men in top hats carrying canes, and everyone had a gentleman's gentleman—then a smart breakfast or lunch at the Wolseley can take you back in time. The food is classic British—and yes, that means there's grilled kippersand kedgeree on the menu, as well as other retro dishes such as chicken Kiev—and the service is fabulous. Anything with eggs is a must—the souffle is particularly brilliant—and they also do a marvelousafternoon tea."

"A gloriously eccentric venue, Sketch isn’t a restaurant so much as a collision of ideas, design, food, and frivolity in a large Mayfair townhouse. Its Parlour serves all day breakfast and then evening cocktails in an ambience that’s less Alice in Wonderland and more seriously deranged Hatter. The Gallery is designed by artist and comic genius David Shrigley, meaning that your afternoon tea withone-of-a-kind pastriesand cakes comewith a side order of wit and a pinch of bitter satire. Upstairs, the Lecture Room and Library delivers a Michelin-starred tasting menu, while there’s breakfast, brunch, and cocktails in the Glade. A trip to the bathroom involves sitting in your own individual egg; try not to be put off by the carpet of red wax oozing down the stairs on your way in."

"The Keeper's House at the Royal Academy of Arts There's something very special about the Royal Academy of Arts, hidden away off Piccadilly, and home to some of the greatest masters in history. The Keeper's House used to store some of the works that weren't on show, but in late 2013 it's been opened as a club for members of the Academy, with an excellent cocktail bar and a fine dining restaurant. The good news? It's open to members of the public from 4pm each day—so head there for dinner in arty surroundings."

"Tina's is a tiny place. In fact, it only has two tables, so be prepared to get chummy with your neighbors. But it's absolutely worth the visit to this trendy Dalston haunt (there's a second location in Stratford). Both for the flat whites—the house coffeemade lovingly by the Kiwi owners—and for the breakfasts, the stuff of a perfect weekend brunch. The breakfast bacon and fried egg on a bagelis a great option if you're battling a hangover; the pancakes are a delicious luxury at any time. Oh, and on the odd occasion, they'll get themselves a liquor license and set up as a temporary cocktail bar."

"Pork Ramen at Wagamama It's always a pleasant surprise when a famous restaurant lives up to the hype, but Wagamama was just what I wanted it to be: reasonably priced, fresh ingredients, and friendly service. My pork ramen bowl featured tender, juicy meat in Korean BBQ sauce and flavorful broth, but the unexpected standout was the manme bamboo shoots—so good I contemplated asking for an extra order on the side! Wagamama has many locations, but I went to the one at Cardinal Place, an iconic glass building with a full day's worth of shopping opportunities."