Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in London

OpenTable

Updated 05 March 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best ambience in London? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea at Corinthia London

4.8

4.8 (1218)

£41 and over

Afternoon Tea

Charing Cross

About the restaurant

Afternoon Tea at Corinthia London offers one of life’s great luxuries. Illuminated by a spectacular Baccarat Chandelier and accompanied by uplifting melodies from a Steinway Piano, The Crystal Moon Lounge provides an idyllic atmosphere for a sumptuous afternoon treat.

Designed to showcase individual elements of a tea ceremony and with every aspect of a guest's experience considered, our expert Tea Master weighs and infuses bespoke tea blends for the perfect cup of tea. Delight in this wonderful interactive experience, with cakes and indulgent patisseries served from our heritage trolley on a bespoke line of Richard Brendon bone china. For a touch of elegance, enjoy a glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne in Baccarat Mille Nuits champagne flutes with a nod to the breath-taking Baccarat crystal chandelier overhead.

Top review

JeffVIP

Dined on 22 Feb 2025

7th time here at Corinthia, and Afternoon Tea was Superb. Our server, Matt, was outstanding! His knowledge of the menu, both food and drinks was great and he had me sold of the Sparkling Tea as an alternative as one of our party was tee-total. Thank you for a wonderful Saturday afternoon tea, this is definitely one of my top 3 in London. We will be back soon. J

Kebab Queen

4.9

4.9 (36)

£41 and over

Middle Eastern

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

KQ is the critically acclaimed fine dining project of Manu Canales, Ed Brunet & Stephen Tozer. Drawing from their vast knowledge in modern Middle Eastern cookery and their tenure in multiple Michelin starred kitchens, they've created a culinary masterpiece. Currently hosting the renowned chef Pamir Zeydan, KQ stands as a beacon of extreme creativity in the world of gastronomy. It challenges and disrupts the conventional norms of what it means to "fine dine". Forget what you know, and join us for a very unusual dinner.

At the heart of the Kebab Queen dining experience is our meticulously crafted menu. Chef Pamir's eight course tasting menu revolves around immersion and connection. Drawing inspiration from humble origins, he skillfully elevates traditional Turkish dishes to create an unparalleled dining experience. The menu celebrates the essence of Mediterranean cuisine, thoughtfully featuring dishes that blend comfort and ingenuity.

Top review

Diningdiva

Dined on 1 Mar 2025

A fantastic experience from first minute to last. The food was outstandingly good and that would have made it a great meal anyway but add the fun created by the setting and the format , the ambience, the care and personal attention from Pan and his small team and it was a once in a lifetime lunch. Except we will go back again , how could we not!!!

56 West Smithfield

4.8

4.8 (21)

£25 and under

Wine Bar

Farringdon

About the restaurant

56 West Smithfield was founded by a family of winemakers, with a passion for creating unique, hand-crafted wines.

Our family vineyard, Château De La Cômbe, is a small, boutique vineyard in Provence. Determined to make exceptional reds and whites in a region renowned for its rosés, we spent years lovingly restoring the chateau and estate, rebuilding the winemaking cave with state-of-the-art equipment and re-planting and tending to the vines. It wasn’t long before our organic wines began winning international awards – a testament to quality winemaking in Provence.

Eager to share our wines with the world, we partnered with like-minded, family-owned and boutique wineries to bring our rare and wonderful wines to you at 56 West Smithfield, without costly intermediaries.

Top review

Anita

Dined 3 days ago

Fabulous choice of sparking wine. Great service. Will be back.

Oi Spaghetti

5.0

5 (361)

£41 and over

Contemporary Italian

Peckham

About the restaurant

My name is Francesco and I cook spaghetti in this cabin restaurant with 3 tables, since 2015. I work solo. I don't serve more than 15 diners a day, and I will take care of your dinner like I would for my mother.

You can watch me LIVE on Twitch under "Francescocooksspaghetti".

Top review

John

Dined on 28 Feb 2025

What a lovely little gem tucked away behind Rye Lane, Peckham Very intimate and a real joy to watch Francesco at work in an unfussy way with perfect ingredients

B E H I N D

5.0

5 (86)

£41 and over

British

Hackney

About the restaurant

Welcome to BEHIND. We are an intimate 1 Michelin star fish-focused tasting menu restaurant run by chef Andy Beynon. Situated on the edge of London Fields, Hackney, BEHIND has 18 kitchen-table seats for lunch and dinner sittings, as well as a relaxed wine bar.

BEHIND is Andy Beynon’s first restaurant, opened in October 2020. After just 20 days’ trading it was awarded its first Michelin Star. Andy spent 15 years working in some of the best Michelin star restaurants in the country, including with chefs Claude Bosi, Phil Howard and Michael Wignall.

Top review

Bronwen

Dined on 27 Feb 2025

Fabulous food and so well explained. Wine pairing excellent too

Berut Bistro

4.8

4.8 (23)

£26 to £40

Lebanese

Marylebone

About the restaurant

A celebration for Beirut a city that always finds a way to thrive.

Top review

Carl

Dined 1 day ago

Such great food - lots of delicious dishes to share in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere

The Library Bar at The Lanesborough

4.9

4.9 (136)

£41 and over

Cocktail Bar

Knightsbridge

About the restaurant

One of the capital's most celebrated cocktail destinations, The Library Bar – distinguished by its outstanding mixology and venerable "liquid museum" of spirits – offers the warm and intimate atmosphere of a private club accompanied by a vibrant ambiance that makes it a popular choice with Knightsbridge and Belgravia's well-heeled locals as well as hotel guests. The bar, located within Hyde Park Corner's Lanesborough hotel, is home to cognacs dating back to the 1770s, as well as spectacularly prepared cocktails by a team of award-winning experts including Bar Manager Mickael Perron.

Top review

MarkVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Staff and experience was amazing and would recommend it to anyone visiting London Piano player was great

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Live Nights with Perrier-Jouët

Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay

4.9

4.9 (165)

£25 and under

Unspecified

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay has created a blend between unparalleled service, culinary creativity, and exquisite wines. Overlooking the famous Savoy Hotel entrance, Restaurant 1890 provides the perfect ambience and an unforgettable dining experience.

Top review

OpenTable DinerVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Such a great culinary experience. The portions are perfect and the flavors are delicate. Nothing was too overwhelming.

Little Duck The Picklery

4.7

4.7 (120)

£41 and over

European

Dalston

About the restaurant

A restaurant, wine bar and fermenting kitchen - we're open for lunch Wednesdays to Sundays and dinner all week.

Our menu changes monthly and our cooking is simple and seasonal. It's here we make all our seasonal ferments, pickles and drinks - all of which you can buy ready jarred from our fridge.

Our large kitchen counter is the centrepiece, and you’re invited to grab a seat, order something to eat and enjoy the workings of life in our kitchen. In the evening, the lights go down, dinner is served and you can enjoy wines by the glass and bottle from our ever-changing wine list of natural and biodynamic wines.

Top review

Laura

Dined on 6 Mar 2025

I am so sad I did not take any photos to show everyone I meet in the next weeks what probably was my favorite meal of 2025. The ambiance in this restaurant is outstanding and you can truly feel the attention to detail that goes into every element even beyond the food itself, this also might possibly be the best lit restaurant I have been in a while. Being sat directly in front of the chefs felt like the best seat in the house, there is something incredibly joyous watching the whole process of someone taking so much care to prepare a dish and then seeing it make its way to your table. Service is incredibly welcoming, there are delicious wines by the glass and just one look at the wine list makes you plan your next visit. House non alcoholic drinks are not to be missed as well and their bright acidity pairs well with the food without overpowering it. Perfect sourdough, expertly fermented golden kimchi, what can only be described as an elegant take on cod crudo with an incredibly well balanced amount of aromatics. Every dish works together with the next while no two things seem like they’re from the same universe. Cuttle fish is served warm, hearty, comforting, melt in your mouth chickpeas, sauce that makes you order more bread, fare la scarpetta for every plate at the end, almost an additional course in itself after you finish the main event, how could you not. We only tried one dessert and I will probably never come close to conveying how much it genuinely tasted like sourdough and jam while actually being two scoops of ice cream. Thank you so much for everything, whenever I’m back in London I will definitely plan my schedule around coming here again.

The Northall at Corinthia London

4.9

4.9 (2725)

£26 to £40

Contemporary European

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

The relationship between producer and plate is the essence of The Northall, offering a seasonal menu which showcases the best of modern European cuisine. With award-winning Executive Chef André Garrett at the helm, you are guaranteed a taste experience to remember.

Top review

AlexVIP

Dined on 22 Feb 2025

Exceptional in every way. Outstanding! Bravo Team Corinthia - Hospitality at its best.

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Experience

A Toast to Mum

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Easter Sunday at The Northall

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