Let’s get real for a minute. London is without doubt one of the best cities in the world - it is home to a truly incredible restaurant scene, there is culture and history everywhere you look and it is pretty damn easy to make your way around on our (mostly) efficient public transport network. Of course, the obvious downside to living in this great city is how damn expensive it can be.
London is rightfully known as being one of the best, if not the best, restaurant cities in the world, with almost every cuisine from around the globe represented in our capital. London is also home to an incredibly wide range of drinking and dining experiences, with options to suit every taste, style and budget. Where else in the world can you enjoy a 2am dinner 40 floors above ground level (hello Duck & Waffle) or dive into an adult ball pit before sipping on candy-themed cocktails (yes, we are looking at you Ballie Ballerson). Of course, all of this fantastic choice comes at a cost and sometimes, the high prices at London restaurants and bars can leave you planning how to make your escape via the nearest fire exit.
London’s restaurant scene certainly offers up plenty of opportunities to part with your hard-earned cash. If you like gawping at the kinds of things rich people fritter away their money on (or better yet – you are actually loaded), you will probably find lots to love in our round up of the most expensive restaurants in London. If you want to broaden your culinary horizons, we have also included some of the world’s priciest restaurants, where you can spend more than a grand on a single meal out.
If these prices leave you with your jaw on the floor, just remember that pay day is never more than a month away, and there is always our round up of London's best cheap eats to see you through until then.
Most expensive restaurants London
Looking to blow the budget on your next meal out? These are the London restaurants where some meals can cost more than the price of a month's rent...
Nusr-Et Steakhouse, Knightsbridge
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What: Gold-leaf Tomahawk steak, £700
Why: Butcher and chef Nusret Gocke, otherwise known as ‘Salt Bae’, made a name for himself when a video of him sprinkling salt on steak went viral in 2017. He has since leveraged his fame to open more than 15 high-end steak restaurants around the world, with the London outpost of Nusr-Et Steakhouse causing a massive stir on social media when it launched in September 2021. The reason? Diners started posting receipts of their meals online, with some totalling £32,000. Alongside £11 Redbull and £9 Diet Cokes, you can enjoy a Tomahawk steak wrapped in edible gold-leaf, that will set you back an astonishing £700.
Where: The Park Tower hotel, 101 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RN
The Palace Lounge at The Rubens at The Palace, Westminster
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What: Rubens Golden Tips Tea, £500
Why: The Rubens benefits from a plum location overlooking The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, so it’s only right that the hotel serves tea fit for a queen. In collaboration with specialist tea merchants PMD Tea, The Rubens is exclusively offering its guests the rare Golden Tips blend alongside its afternoon tea, which also features finger sandwiches, pastries and freshly-baked scones. The tea boasts a smooth, light, mellow texture with hints of fruity notes – it can be infused up to three times, and is poured from a special silver tea set.
Where: 39 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PS
Imperial Treasure, Waterloo
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What: Signature Peking duck, £100
Why: Imperial Treasure already operates three locations across Asia (each boasting at least one Michelin star), and the group made the move to London in late 2018. Upon opening, the restaurant caused a stir among critics and the public for charging a cluckin’ hefty £100 for its signature Peking Duck. You do get some bang for your buck though, as the duck is presented in two courses – firstly with pancakes and plum sauce, and then with a choice of ginger and spring onion, black bean sauce or salt and pepper.
Where: 9-10 Waterloo Place, SW1Y 4BE
Royal China Club, Marylebone
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What: Caterpillar soup, £428
Why: Put down that tin of Heinz cream of tomato and head to Baker Street, where the Royal China group’s flagship Royal China Club serves a £428 soup – which you may be relieved to hear feeds four diners. It isn’t made with caterpillars either, but rather a rare herb found at high altitudes that is said to resemble a caterpillar, and, having been simmered for up to eight hours, is more like a tea than a soup – don’t try to add milk and sugar though. Note that the caterpillar soup must be ordered in advance.
Where: 40-42 Baker Street, W1U 7AJ
The Ritz London, Mayfair
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What: Caviar omelette, £180
Why: Breakfast, as our mothers all told us, is the most important meal of the day, and if you want to breakfast like a king (or queen), head to the dining room of The Ritz, a Versailles-style fantasy of golden rococo stylings that even Marie-Antoinette might have considered a little de trop. The English breakfast (£40) gives you a free run at the buffet as well as a full fry-up; lighter appetites may prefer the 30g oscietre caviar omelette, which, for £180, provides you with your breakfast-time omega 3s without having to go anywhere near a kipper.
Where: 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR
Sushisamba, City
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What: Kobe beef, £1,000
Why: Another one where the high price disguises the fact that it feeds more than one, Sushisamba’s £1,000 Kobe beef experience provides five diners with 1kg of the exclusive Japanese cow, so is actually good value, right? The beef is served ishiyaki style, with thin slices of meat cooked on a hot stone at the table and served with dipping sauces and pickled plums. Prefer not to share? You can buy an individual portion for £129 which, unlike the full experience, doesn’t require you to order it 48 hours in advance.
Where: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY
CUT, Mayfair
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What: Wagyu burger, £34
Why: Most people’s idea of pimping up their patty is to upgrade from Maccy D’s to Byron, but if you want to take it to a whole other level of luxury, CUT is for you. The Wolfgang Puck-helmed restaurant at The Dorchester-owned 45 Park Lane hotel serves a grilled Australian Wagyu burger topped with Ogleshield Cheddar, shallot-jalapeño marmalade and garlic aioli for £34 (lunch menu only). Add French fries or tempura onion rings for £8 a pop. To truly make it a happy meal, get someone else to pick up the bill.
Where: 45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN
Park Chinois, Mayfair
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What: Japanese Wagyu rib-eye, £120
Why: Whether it’s the plush furnishings in the main dining room, or the gold-plated columns found in the downstairs bar, Park Chinois is a visual spectacle. Considering just how over-the-top the interiors are, it should come as no surprise that dinner here will conclude with a hefty bill. Here, a 180g cut of Wagyu beef will set you back £120, while a sharing starter of Peking duck, served with pancakes, baby cucumber and duck sauce, clocks in at £98.
Where: 17 Berkeley Street, W1J 8EA
Sumosan Twiga, Knightsbridge
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What: Japanese rice hotspot, £65
Why: Sumosan Twiga has no shame in its game – it’s home to stunning art-deco interiors, impossibly good looking staff and a menu replete with luxury options, including ‘billionaire’ sushi rolls topped with Wagyu beef (£29 a serving). One of the most expensive items on Sumosan’s menu though, is the Japanese rice hotspot which is topped with grilled Angus beef, an Onsen egg and sesame chili – all yours for just shy of £70.
Where: 165 Sloane Street, SW1X 9QB
Sexy Fish, Mayfair
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What: Beluga caviar, £210
Why: Often packed to the rafters with celebrities and social media influencers, Sexy Fish is one of the flashier restaurants found on London’s streets. The menu is a tick box exercise of luxury ingredients, with plenty of truffle, lobster and Wagyu beef on show. If you want to stick to the fish theme, why not try the caviar, which is served with steamed buns and smoked tofu. The catch? Just 30g of the Belgua variety will cost you a mammoth £210.
Where: Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, W1J 6BR
Mr Chow, Knightsbridge
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What: Beijing duck, £82
Why: The old saying goes that if you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it. The same can be said of the London outpost of glitzy Chinese Mr Chow, which doesn’t feature prices on its website. Anyone stumbling into the restaurant who is unaware of its reputation might be shocked to come across dishes such as The Beijing duck, which must be ordered by a minimum of three people and costs £82…per head.
Where: 151 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7PA
Most expensive restaurants around the world
London is not the only place where it is easy to splash the cash. There are plenty of other restaurants around the world charging sky-high prices for gourmet food and drink experiences. Check out our list of the most expensive below.
Sublimotion
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What: 20-course Mediterranean banquet, £1,746.77
Why: Found at The Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, Sublimotion proudly bills itself as ‘the world’s most expensive restaurant’ on its website, but also promises to give diners a ‘multi-sensory’ experience, incorporating hi-tech features such as VR headsets, immersive projections and over-the-top table decor. Here, you can enjoy a three-hour long 20-course immersive banquet, but for most ordinary folk, dining here will set you back more than a month’s wages.
Where: Ibiza, Spain
Masa
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What: Omakase tasting menu, £1,278.51 (for two)
Why: High-end Japanese restaurant Masa, named after head chef Masayoshi Takayama, is rumoured to be the most expensive restaurant in America, although this has not been officially verified. Masa serves a single set omakase tasting menu (which means a series of dishes curated from the chef’s own selection) and the experience lasts around two hours. Currently, the restaurant charges £639.25 per person, which unless you plan on dining solo, means you’ll be forking out almost £1,300 for dinner here. The one saving grace? Tips are not expected or accepted here, as it is against traditional Japanese customs.
Where: New York, USA
Per Se
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What: 15-20 course French-American tasting menu, £623.77
Why: Headed up by chef Thomas Keller (the USA’s most decorated chef with seven Michelin stars to his name), Per Se is a glamorous French-American restaurant boasting views over Central Park. Here, guests can enjoy the regular nine-course tasting menu, or can instead plump for the special 15-20 course ‘Evolution’ offering. Regardless of which option you pick, diners essentially walk into the experience blind - there are no menus available on the restaurant’s website.
Where: New York, USA
Ultraviolet
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What: 20-course experience, £586.99
Why: It is notoriously difficult to secure a table at Shanghai’s three-Michelin star Ultraviolet restaurant - the fact that the dining room consists of just one singular table probably doesn’t help. Here, diners are treated to a singular tasting menu, which consists of 20 dishes, and has been designed by chef Paul Pairet.
Where: Shanghai, China
Kitcho Arashiyama
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What: Set menu, £513.61
Why: At this high-end Tokyo restaurant, the set menu will cost you an eye-watering 72,000 yen, which is equivalent to over 500 GBP. You could argue that you get a fair bit of food for your money though, as the menu consists of an appetizer, soup, sashimi, a side dish, a grilled dish, a slow-cooked dish, steamed rice and pickles, fruit, green tea and desserts.
Where: Tokyo, Japan
Maison Pic Valence
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What: 10-course tasting menu, £418.23
Why: Michelin-star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, who also operates La Dame de Pic in London, is the brains behind this sophisticated French restaurant. At Maison Pic Valence, you can expect to tuck into a 10-course feast which features dishes such as Mediterranean Rouget in a saffron broth and deer marinated in sake lees squab. Additional alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks pairings bump up the price, bringing you to a total of more than £400 for your meal.
Where: Valence, France
Aragawa
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What: Average cost of a meal, £403.48
Why: Found in Tokyo’s popular Shinbashi district, Aragawa is a sophisticated steakhouse restaurant, where an average meal will cost you around £400. The restaurant’s menu is full of top-quality and very pricey meats, with the title of most expensive going to the Wagyu beef steak, which costs £293.48. Wagyu beef is famous for being intensely meaty, which is said to be a result of the rearing process, in which cows are grass-fed and rubbed with sake.
Where: Tokyo, Japan
Guy Savoy
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What: 18-course ‘Innovations and Inspirations’ menu, £385.20
Why: Home of the Michelin Guide, France is known around the world for its high-end restaurants. It is no surprise then, that a place like Guy Savoy is so popular and can get away with charging some pretty eye-watering prices. There is an a la carte available here, but if you are after the full experience, you can opt for the £385 18-course tasting menu which features the luxurious likes of roasted lobster and artichoke soup with black truffle.
Where: Paris, France
Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville
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What: 11-course tasting menu, £304.45
Why: Switzerland is known for being one of the world’s most expensive places to live, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that one of the world’s priciest restaurants can be found here. At Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville, the 11-course tasting menu will set you back more than £300, thanks to the use of high-end ingredients such as Imperial Ossetra caviar. Other dishes on the menu include mussels with saffron and beef grilled with wild pepper.
Where: Crissier, Switzerland charges £304.45 ($415) per head and offers an eleven-course
Ithaa Undersea
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What: Set menu with paired wines, £234.75
Why: It wouldn’t be a list of the world’s most outrageously expensive restaurants without including an underwater restaurant, now would it? Found at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel and located five metres below sea level, Ithaa Undersea offers 360-degree views of the ocean, as well as a chance to see the multitude of fish here being fed - look out for sharks and stingrays! To enjoy this immersive experience alongside a set menu and paired wines, you can expect to pay well over £200.
Where: Maldives
If you like your restaurant interiors to be as glamorous as the food, check out our pick of the most Instagrammable restaurants in London.