The definitive list of cool and trendy restaurants in London

Stripped back interiors hold space for only 30 diners, so eating here very much feels like you’re among others ‘in the know’. Plus, it's totally veggie! Think potato latkes with garlic sauce and thick slices of fried aubergine doused in zhoug. 

Since Max Rocha opened Café Cecilia in 2021, it’s become known as the place to be and be seen in East London. Why? We think its menu of seasonal, unpretentious sharing plates might have something to do with it.  

The Water House Project feels less like a restaurant and more like an open house for a property you can’t afford. The seasonal monthly tasting menus are superb, but you’ll probably leave with some interior design inspo as well.

A dark horse for the award of London's most aesthetically pleasing restaurant, Leo's conjures the magic of the Italian riviera in the 70s and matches it with pinpoint precision cooking courtesy of former P. Franco chef Peppe Belvedere. Get a table in the back room if you can. 

The iconic River Cafe has spawned a smaller, more casual sibling, and it’s located right next door. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu spans seasonal Italian sharing plates cooked by River Cafe chefs themselves, while a lovely terrace overlooking the river is destined to be hot property in summer. Prices are far more approachable than the original site, too.

Any restaurant that the JKS Group touches turns to gold, so it’s no surprise then that Berenjak has a clutch of in-the-know fans. Serving affordable small plates and majoring in kebabs, Berenjak has plenty of showstoppers on the menu that beg to be devoured.

Over the park from another Newington Green trendy favourite, Jolene, Cadet is a no-bookings wine bar that hides some truly fantastic cooking behind the scenes. Don’t leave without trying a slice of pate en croute.

Arcade’s newest food hall delivers an array of delicious options, all housed inside the glorious, newly-renovated Battersea Power Station. This is what we want our food courts to look like from now on. 

The South Bank finally has a restaurant of real note - Lasdun - which sits tucked away inside the National Theatre. A tribute to Brutalist architect Denys Lasdun, Lasdun boasts a certain geometric majesty, and is worthy of much more than just pre-theatre dinners.

JOIA has pride of place at the top of art’otel Battersea, with stunning views overlooking the Power Station. It’s beautiful inside and out - the pastel shaded art deco styling really appeals to us.

Los Mochis seamlessly blends two worlds, mixing a colourful Mexican aesthetic with slick, modern Japanese design. Moody, buzzy interiors are a big part of the interest, but the food is bold, exciting and delicious too.

John Chantarasak’s AngloThai concept has taken many forms over the years, from must-visit pop-ups to sellout residencies, but in 2024 he finally opened a permanent site, bringing his dynamic, full-throttle Thai cooking to Marylebone. Don’t expect Pad Thai’s and spring rolls though. John's unique Thai cookery uses UK sourced produce to create boundary-pushing, flavour-packed dishes.  

Part theatrical experience, part restaurant, KOL is Marylebone’s latest Mexican restaurant. Watch as the chefs cook over grills in the centre of the room and enjoy innovative twists on classic cooking, like langoustine tacos.

Cult-favourite pop-up Four Legs has been hanging out at The Plimsoll for a while now, churning out cracking menus as well as arguably London’s best burger. Without doubt one of the hardest places to get (and keep hold of) a table in London.

Hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims head to Broadway Market for this achingly cool modern bistro and wine bar. Sune sits right in the zeitgeist but few restaurants nail this combination with such class and conviviality.

The hype restaurant of the moment from Four Legs' Ed McIlroy, Tollington's brings the essence of a great Basque pintxos bar to Finsbury Park. It's busy, the acoustics are pretty bad, and the stool-and-bench seating is not comfortable, but you can't deny the magic of the place, or the outrageously good fish cookery. Tollington's is worth the trip for the chips bravas alone. 

From the team behind Bob Bob Ricard comes bright young thing Bebe Bob, a rotisserie chicken-focussed concept designed to draw the crowds. Of course there's caviar, Champagne and beautiful interiors to keep people coming back for more. 

A quaint rooftop bang in the middle of London, and some very smart Middle Eastern cooking make Yasmin a pretty unique prospect by all accounts. If you’re looking for somewhere cool to show off to a visitor, we reckon Yasmin fits the bill perfectly.

Following Pidgin’s mourned closure, founders Drew Snaith and Hannah Kowalski quickly picked up the baton with SESTA, a neighbourhood restaurant and cafe serving a modern British menu and a dynamic natural wine list. Snaith’s electric cooking is filled with new ideas and fun surprises, like 'nduja scotched olives with ‘aggressive’ aioli. One of the hottest openings in the last 12 months. 

Flickering shadows, candlesticks, somewhat dainty British bistro plates and a wine list the size of a dictionary, Cloth doesn’t sound cool on the surface, but it has a restrained charm and beauty that we just keep coming back to.

Famously serene, Lyle’s whitewashed walls and sleek Scandi lines are the definition of wabi sabi restaurant style. The cooking is rightly lauded too.

This is what you get when you mix live fire cooking with a late-night vinyl dungeon, powered by an absolutely stonking custom sound system and a one-of-a-kind rotary mixer. A steady stream of vinyl selectors come to Caia each week, slinging out jazz, funk and disco sets. 

The Hero is the pub on everyone’s lips right now. It comes from the same team behind The Pelican and has had rave reviews since it opened in the summer of 2024. The ground floor pub offers comfort in the form of hearty snacks and pub classics, while the first floor Grill Room is a more refined affair serving speciality cuts of meat and fish cooked over an open fire.  

David Carter’s restaurant track record is as good as anyone, and OMA might just be his most aesthetically pleasing spot yet - the upstairs dining room is all sleek lines and jutting, angular furniture, and the view over Borough Market is a nice bonus. If this is the new face of Greek food in London, we’re here for it.

Bistro Freddie lives up to the name with candlelit bistro tables and a menu full of French-style comfort food you'll just want to dive into. Think seasonal starters, hearty pies, and larger cuts cooked over open flames. The sticky toffee pudding is a must.

The queues outside this walk-in-only Borough Market spot should be all you need to know about just how good (and how popular) AGORA has been since it opened. Boasting a phenomenal menu of dips, skewers and homebaked breads, classy cocktails and outrageously good prices, we'd queue for AGORA again and again. In fact, we have.

Lita fits nicely into a very mid-2020s archetype of food cooked over fire and ultra-desirable handmade wooden furniture, but it has a trump card in chef Luke Ahearne, who might just be cooking some of the best food in London right now.

Gorgeous interiors, a bustling open kitchen, and a menu of unusual but additive Indian plates inspired by the chef’s childhood makes this a winner. For Mayfair it’s surprisingly lowkey, and the service is top-class too.

Head to the back of Hackney Church Brewing Co to find Lagom, where chef Elliott Cunningham is manning the flames of an open wood fire and knocking out delicious steaks, smash burgers and more.

We’re huge fans of Akoko, and Akara offers a more relaxed entry point into Ayo Adeyemi’s dynamic West African cooking. The signature akaras are delicious, but there’s lots more on the menu worth trying too.

The same team behind Perilla has brought this beauty to the capital. Morchella bridges the gap between fine and casual dining, occupying a tastefully designed wood-panelled dining room in central Clerkenwell, and serving faultless Mediterranean food that’s imaginative and delicious in equal measure. 

Jose Pizarro has done it again with Lolo, an all-day restaurant serving everything from morning pastries to steak and cheese sandwiches in a gorgeous location on Bermondsey Street. The space is embellished with shimmery pink tiles, stone textures and golden lighting, while an eclectic menu spanning classic Spanish and southern European dishes showcases fantastic local produce.  

Has this Notting Hill celeb-magnet ever not been cool and trendy? After a few up and down years, Julie’s is back for good thanks to dream team Tara MacBain, Owen Kenworthy and Emma Underwood. The vibes are back too - Julie’s is let-your-hair-down fun and chic in the best way, but the brasserie-style food is also superb.

The energy at Papi is frenetic, joyful chaos, as messrs Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr sling out utterly unique dishes and cleverly matched wines. One of East London’s hottest properties right now.