The Top Bars for Foodies in London

by The OpenTable Team

Updated 09 November 2023

Whether you're looking for casual, post-work drinks with friends or a rooftop dinner and cocktails, London is a city that won’t disappoint. From Southbank bars to Mayfair pubs, all the way to the rooftop bars in Shoreditch on the fringes of the East End, there are hundreds of eating and drinking establishments to suit every taste. But where are the smartest, savviest diners eating out? Welcome to our Tastemaker List. We’ve pulled data from thousands of restaurants to find the top spots among OpenTable's most expert, seasoned diners. Whether you’re an alcohol aficionado or just like a glass of wine with dinner, we've tracked down the greatest pubs, trendy hotspots, and everything in between. Impress your friends and family and score a spot; we wish we could join you.

Hakkasan - Hanway Place

4.5

4.5 (6347)

£41 and over

Chinese

Fitzrovia

About the restaurant

This Michelin-starred eatery is at the forefront of Chinese cuisine in the city, but it’s also an excellent place to grab a cocktail. Try one of their original mixes—or a tipple from their award-winning wine list—while mulling over a sumptuous grilled Wagyu beef steak. Whatever you opt for, you’ll be able to enjoy it in elegantly decorated surroundings complete with an open kitchen.

Top review

Laurencevip

Dined on 7 Nov 2024

Amazing pre-theatre menu! Very good food , efficient service , everything was perfect

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Experience

The Devil Wears Prada - 3 courses & cocktail

Experience

Lost in Shanghai: Brunch at Hakkasan £98pp

Experience

Weekend Brunch

som saa

4.6

4.6 (419)

£26 to £40

Thai

Shoreditch

About the restaurant

The chefs at Som Saa serve up classic Thai food with a modern twist in an artfully remodeled building that was once a fabric warehouse. You can dine at a table or booth, or enjoy a range of snacks and drinks at one of the most refined cocktail bars London has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a quality green curry or something rather more exotic (shan-style custard with candied lotus seeds, anyone?), Som Saa has you covered.

Top review

Emily

Dined on 15 Oct 2024

Warm welcome, 4 of us for lunch. There was a la carte and a set menu to choose from, but the set menu is only provided for the whole table. Luckily, the dishes on the set menu today were cashew nuts with chilli and lime leaves, a beautiful, crunchy salad, duck curry, excellent mixed vegetables in garlic and oyster sauce, plus sticky and jasmine rice. We paid a supplement for a whole sea bass, fried. Dessert was also included.

Hakkasan Mayfair

4.6

4.6 (7846)

£41 and over

Chinese

Mayfair

About the restaurant

Hakkasan opened this second restaurant in London in 2010, and it soon garnered a Michelin star of its own. The huge new venue recreates the traditional decor of the original, but it incorporates a large, lively bar area. If you’ve visited one Hakkasan and loved it, make sure to stop by here too, since the menu features a number of dishes unique to Mayfair, not least of which is the stunning sliced blue abalone.

Top review

Plinio

Dined 3 days ago

It is our favorite restaurant in London. We were treated royally as always.

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Experience

New Year's Eve Lost in Shanghai £218pp

Experience

New Year's Eve Lost in Shanghai £268pp

Experience

New Year's Eve Lost in Shanghai £368pp

COYA Mayfair

4.5

4.5 (1762)

£41 and over

Peruvian

Mayfair

About the restaurant

For modern Peruvian cuisine there are few places better than COYA, where expert chefs fuse the flavors of lime, coconut and smoke with cooking techniques from Japan and Spain. The result is a vibrant range of dishes as colorful as the restaurant itself. The bar is equally well-equipped, featuring an entire library of unique, authentic piscos.

Top review

Silvinavip

Dined on 6 Nov 2024

Never disappoints. Great food and ambience and the service is impeccable

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Experience

Clásico Brunch at COYA Mayfair!

Experience

Sunday Lunch Menu

Experience

Luncheon Menu with a glass of Champagne

Park Chinois

4.5

4.5 (754)

£41 and over

Chinese

Mayfair

About the restaurant

Step back in time with an evening at Park Chinois—a restaurant that combines the Chinese fine dining with the glamour of Shanghai in the 1930s. Dim sum is particularly recommended—try a succulent Wagyu beef gyoza, or a blue swimmer crab and prawn wanton. The bar is fully-equipped with a range of spirits to make any cocktail you could name, and quite a few that you won’t find anywhere else—including an old fashioned infused with decadent black truffle.

Top review

Thomas

Dined 4 days ago

Fantastic place everything was amazing will be back

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Experience

Cocktails & Dim Sum in Salon de Chine

Yauatcha Soho

4.5

4.5 (6825)

£26 to £40

Chinese

Soho

About the restaurant

This all-day teahouse is well-known for its dim sum menu, which is available from its exclusive underground location in the heart of Soho. Yauatcha serves elegant food prepared with painstaking precision—delicate shui mai, flavorful dumplings, and pumpkin puffs suffused with juicy duck. You’ll find a long bar stocked with an extensive wine list, as well as exotic cocktails and a range of teas. Definitely one for grazers who want to accompany their drink with a snack or several!

Top review

Tanya

Dined 3 days ago

Delicious food, wonderful service and great atmosphere. Vegan set menu was excellent too, a good range of dishes and great value for money.

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Crispy aromatic duck - half

The Ivy Soho Brasserie

4.3

4.3 (10977)

£26 to £40

Contemporary British

Soho

About the restaurant

This all-day eatery offers a respite from the frantic bustle of Broadwick Street. Step inside and you’ll discover a polished onyx bar and a classic-yet-comfortable dining room. As grand as it looks, however, the Ivy Soho Brasserie offers a thoroughly relaxed experience, whether you’re tucking into delicious contemporary British fare or sampling a rosebud-infused white Geisha cocktail or craft cider from the bar.

Top review

Darrell

Dined 4 days ago

Love the Ivy Soho, always delivers on food, ambience and service!

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Experience

New Year's Day Brunch

4.4

4.4 (2416)

£41 and over

Peruvian

Soho

About the restaurant

What do you get if you combine the best of Peruvian and Japanese cooking? The answer is Nikkei cuisine, and Chotto Matte offers the best selection you’ll find in London, served within a strikingly decorated urban venue. Better yet, their ingredients are all local and organic. Try the sharing menu for a curated journey from delicate and refined items to hotter, spicier and fuller dishes, and then quench your thirst with something from their Tokyo to Lima cocktail selection.

Top review

markvip

Dined on 16 Nov 2024

Great food and service - very expensive though, especially the wine

St. JOHN Smithfield

4.8

4.8 (4075)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

Situated just around the corner from Smithfield Market, this deliberately unpretentious establishment specializes in nose-to-tail eating—they make use of every part of the animal to create flavorful creations you won’t find elsewhere. Opt for one of their pies if you want a wholesome, filling treat, and don’t forget to peruse their extensive wine list. You’re even encouraged to take a bottle home with you!

Top review

Lily

Dined 1 day ago

Complimentary bread was good. Main dishes were good, not great. Dessert was great.

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Popular dish

Eccles Cake and Lancashire Cheese

Popular dish

Welsh Rarebit

Popular dish

Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

Dean Street Townhouse

4.6

4.6 (4540)

£26 to £40

British

Soho

About the restaurant

You’d be hard pressed to find a more authentically British place to eat than Dean Street Townhouse. The dining room is part of a long-established Soho hotel, and it offers hearty English breakfasts, lunches and classic dinners. Drop by before a show to enjoy a fantastic buck rarebit and a house tonic by the roaring fire—or simply come in anytime for a drink from their comprehensive bar. Bliss.

Top review

Andrewvip

Dined 3 days ago

Enjoyed a lovely lunch with a friend. Delightful food and service.

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Popular dish

Steak tartare Burford Brown egg

Popular dish

Sticky toffee pudding vanilla ice cream

Popular dish

Monkfish & prawn curry rice

Kai

4.7

4.7 (1845)

£41 and over

Chinese

Mayfair

About the restaurant

For multiple years in a row “The Sunday Times“ has ranked Kai the highest out of all Chinese restaurants, and this means you can expect something special. While remaining respectful to tradition, the chefs at this classic Chinese establishment aren’t afraid to experiment. Start out with their “Pig in Blankets“ with a plum and lime dressing for a taste of their liberated approach. Their menu of wines, spirits and cocktails is just as adventurous, so drink up!

Top review

Zainab

Dined 1 day ago

Food was delicious, staff were attentive. 10/10. Will definitely be back

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Popular dish

Wasabi Prawns

Berners Tavern

4.5

4.5 (4446)

£26 to £40

British

Oxford Circus

About the restaurant

Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton has made this modern, elegant tavern into a gastronomic destination, with a range of contemporary British dishes. For a real treat, book for the weekend when you can experience the revolutionary Weekend Roast. Equal parts traditional and pioneering, this spread is bound to please, particularly when paired with one of their award-winning wines or a hearty ale.

Top review

Ryan

Dined 5 days ago

My first time dining here with family visiting. Great evening, with fantastic service, the food was unbelievably good. Would recommend.

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Popular dish

Chateaubriand

Popular dish

Berner's Tavern Mac and Cheese (vg)

Experience

Three-course Early Berners

Sartoria

4.4

4.4 (2084)

£41 and over

Italian

Oxford Circus

About the restaurant

As you might expect for an eatery on Savile Row, Sartoria is trendy, glamorous and popular. Serving up an all-day menu inspired by head chef Francesco Mazzei’s home region of Calabria, this contemporary Italian diner offers fresh pasta, brilliantly prepared seafood and seasonal vegetables. Head to the Librare bar for a selection of light bites, gorgeous wines and luxury signature cocktails, and round off the evening with a nightcap of brandy or amari.

Top review

William

Dined 3 days ago

The food was exceptional as always, just let down by slow and non-polished service which couldn’t cope with a deluge of walk-ins. Main was compensated due to hour wait and manager very apologetic. Still very fond of Sartoria.

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