Best Restaurants in London 2026: MICHELIN, La Liste and Local Legends on One Map

Notting Hill · Modern British

Clare Smyth opened Core in Notting Hill in late 2017 and it received three MICHELIN Stars in the 2021 guide. The National Restaurant Awards describe it as an elegant, relatively informal take on fine dining built around tasting menus.

Notting Hill · Modern British

Brett Graham opened The Ledbury in 2005 and reopened it in 2022 after a pandemic closure. Michelin credits his close ties with producers, including his own farm, and it re-entered The World's 50 Best extended list at No.83 in 2026.

Strand · Spice-led creative

Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale opened Ikoyi in 2017 and moved it to 180 Strand in 2022. It builds its menu around spices and British seasonal produce, and ranked No.15 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025.

Mayfair · Contemporary French

Alain Ducasse's dining room inside The Dorchester overlooks Hyde Park and has held three MICHELIN Stars since 2010. Michelin's inspectors note seasonal dishes served alongside Ducasse signatures such as the "Baba like in Monte-Carlo".

Mayfair · Modern French

A wood-panelled dining room in the Connaught hotel, where Michelin describes seasonal cooking that sometimes draws on Hélène Darroze's travels. The inspectors single out her baba served with a choice of Armagnacs.

Chelsea · French

Gordon Ramsay's Chelsea flagship holds three MICHELIN Stars. Michelin lists a Prestige menu, a surprise Carte Blanche menu and an à la carte with dishes such as lobster ravioli.

Mayfair · Modern French

The first-floor fine-dining room at Sketch, credited by Michelin to Mourad Mazouz and Pierre Gagnaire. Michelin describes a lavishly decorated room and a multi-course menu with unusual pairings.

Shoreditch · Creative British

Isaac McHale's tasting-menu restaurant sits in the Grade II-listed Shoreditch Town Hall. Michelin notes an open kitchen, strong produce and deeply flavoured sauces.

Mayfair · Classic French

Executive chef John Williams runs the gilded dining room at The Ritz, which holds two MICHELIN Stars. It tied for second place in the 2026 National Restaurant Awards.

Victoria · Chinese

Andrew Wong took over his parents' Chinese restaurant in Victoria in 2012 and turned it into a showcase for the range of Chinese regional cooking. It holds two MICHELIN Stars and ranks 31st in the 2026 National Restaurant Awards.

Bethnal Green · Creative

Brazilian chef Rafael Cagali opened Da Terra in the Town Hall Hotel in January 2019. It won its first MICHELIN Star eight months later and its second in the 2021 guide.

Soho · Japanese tasting menu

Angelo Sato opened Humble Chicken as a yakitori bar in 2021 and switched to a Japanese tasting menu with a European accent in 2023. It holds two MICHELIN Stars and now seats 13 at a counter after a 2025 refit.

Fitzrovia · Modern British

Chef James Knappett and sommelier Sandia Chang opened this counter restaurant in 2012 after working at Noma and Per Se. The National Restaurant Awards note it still serves only around 15 guests.

Mayfair · Modern British

Jason Atherton opened Row on 5 on Savile Row in December 2024 with former Ritz head chef Spencer Metzger leading the kitchen. It won a MICHELIN Star within months and was promoted to two stars in 2026.

Bermondsey · Modern European

Former Fat Duck executive chef Jonny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal opened Trivet near London Bridge in 2018. The National Restaurant Awards describe creative but stripped-back cooking on a regularly changing menu.

Soho · Modern French

Chef Alex Dilling's two-MICHELIN-Star restaurant occupies a quiet room inside Hotel Café Royal on Regent Street. Michelin praises refined, visually striking plates built on premium ingredients.

Mayfair · Modern French

Matt Abé, who kept Restaurant Gordon Ramsay's three stars for a decade, opened his first solo restaurant in the former Le Gavroche site in November 2025. It entered the 2026 MICHELIN guide directly with two stars.

Shoreditch · Basque-style grill

Tomos Parry opened Brat above Smoking Goat in 2018, modelled on the fire-led restaurants of Getaria in the Basque Country. Turbot grilled whole over coals is the signature dish.

Belgravia · Modern European

Claude Bosi's rooftop restaurant at The Peninsula is themed on the Brooklands motor-racing circuit, with a scale model of Concorde overhead. Michelin describes precise dishes built on British produce.

Knightsbridge · Historic British

Heston Blumenthal's restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental reworks dishes from old English recipe books. Michelin highlights the Meat Fruit, an illusion dish that hides a chicken liver parfait.

Mayfair · Indian

Styled on the social clubs of colonial India, Gymkhana spreads over a ground floor and a basement. Michelin describes a large, mostly North Indian menu and singles out the tandoori lamb chops.

Marylebone · Mexican with British produce

Former Noma Mexico chef Santiago Lastra cooks Mexican food almost entirely from British ingredients. KOL holds a MICHELIN Star and placed No.70 on The World's 50 Best 2026 extended list.

Bermondsey · Modern British

Tom Sellers' two-MICHELIN-Star restaurant on Tooley Street serves a surprise set menu. Michelin mentions seafood, premium produce and reworked versions of the chef's signature dishes.

Soho · Spanish-Welsh grill

Tomos Parry's Soho restaurant pairs Spanish cooking and open-fire grilling with Welsh ingredients. It holds a MICHELIN Star and won Wine List of the Year at the 2026 National Restaurant Awards.

Farringdon · Nose-to-tail British

Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver opened St. JOHN in 1994, and the National Restaurant Awards credit its nose-to-tail cooking with raising the profile of British food worldwide. Condé Nast Traveller ranks it first in its London list.

Covered by The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller

Hammersmith · Italian

An Italian restaurant on the Thames in Hammersmith, open since 1987 in a building by Richard Rogers. Michelin recommends a terrace table and notes the wood-fired oven and one of London's best Italian wine lists.

Covered by The Guardian

Notting Hill · Modern British bistro

Chris D'Sylva opened Dorian in 2022 as a bistro for Notting Hill locals, and it won a MICHELIN Star in February 2024. It ranks third in the 2026 National Restaurant Awards.

Soho · Thai grill

A small Soho restaurant serving Thai small plates, grilled skewers and clay-pot noodles, led by chef Meedu Saad. It was National Restaurant of the Year in 2018 and holds a Bib Gourmand.

Covent Garden · Traditional British

First opened in 1828, Simpson's has been revived by Jeremy King with its historic grill room, bars and a second restaurant, Romano's. It ranks eighth on Time Out's 2026 list of London's best restaurants.

Covered by Time Out

Farringdon · French bistro

Henry Harris's French bistro above the Three Compasses pub was named National Restaurant of the Year in 2026. Its chalked-up daily menu keeps staples such as steak tartare, escargots and crème caramel.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 82.

Tower Hamlets · English breakfast

TasteAtlas ranks it among the world's most legendary restaurants, known for its English breakfast. It opened in 1900.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 82.5.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 78.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 86.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 92.5.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 90.5.

London

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 80.

Bagshot

La Liste places it in its Top 1000 restaurants worldwide, with a score of 83.5.

Borough · Fresh pasta

A pasta bar beside Borough Market that makes its pasta fresh each morning. Michelin advises arriving early and joining the virtual queue by QR code.

Covered by Time Out and Condé Nast Traveller

Soho · Taiwanese

BAO grew from a market stall into a Taiwanese bun restaurant on Lexington Street. Condé Nast Traveller says queues still form outside years after it opened and recommends the fried Horlicks ice-cream bun.

Covered by Time Out and Condé Nast Traveller

Brick Lane · Bagel bakery

A Brick Lane bagel bakery open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Evening Standard calls it arguably London's most famous bagel shop and says the salt beef with mustard is by far the most popular order.

Covered by Time Out and Evening Standard

Covent Garden · Bombay café

The first branch of Dishoom, which serves Bombay comfort food all day, from breakfast to dinner. Time Out calls it an Indian-inspired mini-chain that has become a London institution.

Covered by Time Out and Evening Standard

Covent Garden · British game

Established by Thomas Rule in 1798, Rules describes itself as London's oldest restaurant. It serves traditional British food with an emphasis on game.

Covered by Time Out and The Guardian