Fitzrovia hasn't always been known for its food scene.
For a long time its popular neighbours Soho and Mayfair played rivals to its restaurant offering and trumped it every time.
That's started to change over recent years, with big names in the culinary world flocking to secure a spot in Fitzrovia as it’s fast become London’s hottest up-and-coming dining area.
Lo and behold — the Fitzrovia restaurant renaissance is upon us. Now there are all types of colourful characters lining the streets in the area. We’ve rounded up our favourite spots below, listed in no particular order.
Norma
A word of warning: Norma is narrow. It is a thin little sliver of a restaurant – no problem at point of entry, but troublesome on exiting when, inevitably, the stomach has doubled itself, and one has to squeeze down the aisle and onto the street. Ok, fine, sure – this is a slight embellishment. But the menu is so tempting here, and the food so comforting and encouraging (just a little bit more... no... go on then...) that overeating is practically a given. A very glorious given, as so much is so good: chef Ben Tish has put together a menu of squishy Silician flavours, served over this three story, plushly-fitted townhouse. This is food for sharing: a raw bar offering prawns, hake, even lamb, indulgent little plates to fight over that suit cocktails and conversation. The pasta is the comforting kind, for red wine on cold nights. Mains to follow are heartier still, like a rose veal chop with dripping, gluttony-inducing fat down the side and the slight bitter tang of kale. Puddings are suitably silly – it is the most childish course, after all – with, say, salted caramel ice cream served in a brioche bun, an unexpected twist on the burger that few will have known was needed. Tish has launched this with the Stafford hotel, where he is Culinary Director. They've something special on their hands.
8 Charlotte St, W1T 2LS, normalondon.com
Ampéli
Neighbourhood’s get the restaurants they deserve; it’s only fitting Fitzrovia would get somewhere as good as this. This, like Norma a few doors down, is one of the prides of Charlotte St. Greek-inflected, it’s been billed as a wine bar and restaurant, which rather undersells it; this is somewhere to spend an evening eating, as the food’s too good not to. Still, there is a flood of excellent wine: they’ve gone Greek, across the mainland and onto the islands, a good reminder that Crete and co do more than retsina (though they pour this too). No surprise, perhaps, as master of wine Yiannis Karakasis put the finely tailored list together. The food has a Middle Eastern influence, and much is boldly flavoured, like sweetbreads laid out with a Jerusalem spice mix, or the pickled okra tempura that accompanies crisp tomato and goat’s cheese fritters. It’s made for sharing, but you needn’t really, especially when it comes to the large plates. Ex-Nopi chef Oren Goldfeld on the whole doesn’t mess around: lamb chops came perfect pink, drenched in garlic, while beef short ribs were slathered in date molasses, the heaviness lifted with the smart addition of tart quince. Ultimately, it’s easy to be in, and that’s what counts; in winter, it’s warming. Come summer, we’ll be sat out the front with a bottle of Assyrtiko and another on the way.
18 Charlotte St, Fitzrovia, W1T 2LZ, ampeli.london
Sushi Atelier
This place is run by the folks behind Chisou in Mayfair and Knightsbridge so food here is a safe bet. The Great Portland Street spot attracts a humble crowd who have a genuine love for great Japanese cooking — very different to the showy types found at its pricier competitors. A long sushi bar governs the space, boasting fishy goodies in the form of salmon, tuna and yellowtail sets. Sushi aside, there are all types of wondrous dishes from gyozas and steamed dumplings, to ceviches and carpaccios. All are worth demolishing.
114 Great Portland St, W1W 6PA, sushiatelier.co.uk
Noizé
It’s hard to mention Noize without talking of Dabbous, the dark, metallic place where magic was made. Dabbous sat where Noize now is and while a hard act to follow, Mathieu Germond – once the co-owner, manager and sommelier of Michelin-starred Pied à Terre around the corner – has made this place his own. Gone are the burnished gym bars; walls are now light blue, tables have clothes on them, at night, the place is fuzzy with bistro lights. It’s French; try the beef tartare with smoked eel and pepped up with horseradish, or the simple charm of the cod. The wine list is predictably excellent and service is notably attentive. Despite the name, there isn’t nearly enough noize made about this place.
39 Whitfield St, W1T 2SF, noize-restaurant.co.uk, Read our review
Mere
If great expectations and perhaps a little fidgeting meant Mere had a warm but hardly ecstatic welcome on opening, it is a sensation now. Monica Galetti – the name and face familiar from time judging on MasterChef – opened this fine-dining Fitzrovia spot in 2017 with husband (and sommelier) David, after some years together at Michelin-starred Mayfair institution Le Gavroche. That the two found happiness in a kitchen is no surprise; there is an awful lot of love here. A stroll through the bar and downstairs to the restaurant mightn’t make this clear; once in, it is clinically cool, stylish in a way that would make the pages of something published by Taschen. But from the first drink here – and do have a drink first, the bar is really very good – what’s being served is near faultless, and better yet, served with a friendliness often missing in such high-end places. It purports to be a blend of classical French cooking with a say from Monica’s Samoan side. What’s plated is beautifully done, delicate food that’s stunning and smart, but not fatuously fussy. David's excellent wine list is just the same. Fitzrovia has plenty of fine places; this is easily among the best of them.
74 Charlotte St, W1T 4QH, mere-restaurant.com, Read our review
Hakkasan Hanway Place
Hanway Place is the original restaurant of the Hakkasan franchise. This Michelin-star restaurant, set up by Hong Kong restaurateur Alan Yau and head chef Tong Chee Hwee, offers Cantonese cuisine in a fine dining setting. Decadent dishes dominate the menu here, including Wagyu rib eye beef and seared scallop with foie gras sauce. Be warne that with such extravagant dishes there’s a hefty price tag to match.
8 Hanway Pl, W1T 1HD, hakkasan.com
Honey & Co
The founders of this cosy haunt on Warren Street are both ex-Ottolenghi chefs, so they know their stuff when it comes to Middle Eastern cooking. The Israeli food here has a homemade, rustic feel to it but with the finesse and flavour of the NOPI and Ottolenghi kitchens. The crowd-pleasing dish at this intimate spot is the roasted mauve aubergine with a BBQ tahini crust. It looks the part too, as it comes sprinkled with jewel-like pomegranate seeds on a bed of rice, like some kind of rich Middle Eastern treasure – which in many ways, it is.
25 Warren St, W1T 5LZ, honeyandco.co.uk
Portland
Portland landed on the Fitzrovia dining scene back in January 2015 — the early days of the area's restaurant revolution. It’s the brainchild of Will Lander (of the Quality Chop House) and business partner Daniel Morgenthau. Three years on and it’s gained a Michelin star and a baby sister, Clipstone, just down the road. The dining space is intimate, which is rather ironic considering the space used to be a soulless clothing showroom. As for the food, it’s refined, offering just a few dishes for each course, but the menu gets switched up on a regular basis.
113 Great Portland St, W1W 6QQ, portlandrestaurant.co.uk
Bao
Buns don’t come better than Bao. These steamed Taiwanese buns are little pockets of sunshine — light, fluffy and deliciously moreish. Each bun arrives prised open by the hearty filling, which include shredded pork, beef shortrib, black cod, confit and daikon. Fitzrovia’s Bao was the second of the restaurant empire, following in the footsteps of Bao Soho but across all outlets they retain a signature style. Everything from the self-service tick box menu to the simple countertop seating oozes minimalism and foodies flock here for this effortless charm.
31 Windmill St, W1T 2JN, baolondon.com, Read our review
Clipstone
Street names run in Fitzrovia restaurant families. This site is the little sister of the much-loved Portland, but despite the family relation, it has its own distinct identity. It has a contemporary seasonal European menu that rotates on a regular basis. Overall, the food is simple and light with clean flavours running throughout. Fermented goods feature heavily, too.
5 Clipstone St, W1W 6BB, Read our review
ROVI
Terrible name – Rovi as in FitzROVIa, darling – but Yotam Ottolenghi’s place has unsurprisingly been welcomed across the board. The space itself is a little clean, so modern that to our eyes it already looks a touch dated, but the food will impress. There’s lots of cooking over charcoal, plenty of vegetables, some messing about with fermentation and the like. It’s a little worthy, rather expensive, but mostly terrific. While it bills itself as vegetable-centric, some of the most irresistible bites are found in the fish and the meat; mussels are gorgeous little things, brought to life with a side of hay smoked pink fir apple potatoes, while the onglet skewer with beef fat and fermented green chilli is a comforting length of indulgence. Ottolenghi’s cap is so full of feathers it must be a headdress by now.
59 Wells St, W1A 3AE, ottolenghi.co.uk/rovi, Read our review
Salt Yard
It may be small and unassuming but this restaurant has proved it deserves a place in Fitzrovia’s restaurant repertoire. The popular tapas joint draws on Spanish and Italian influences, much like its sister restaurants Dehesa, Ember Yard and Opera Tavern, all of which focus on charcuterie, cheese and wines in a small-dish format. The courgette flower stuffed with goat’s cheese and drizzled with honey steals the spotlight here.
54 Goodge St, W1T 4NA, saltyardgroup.co.uk
Pied A Terre
Bravo to Pied A Terre, which has held onto its Michelin star for quarter of a century and even managed a second between 1996 and 2012. That the restaurant has remained popular since opening in 1991 is a testament to the food more than anything else. Certainly, it’s not a loud place: the doorway is so discreet as to be all but invisible on Charlotte St and inside it is very subdued – frankly, though it’s all kept spotless, it doesn’t feel as though an awful lot has changed since it opened. Still, the kitchen stays up to date and last year appointed Asimakis Chaniotis as head chef, who maintains the modern French touch. Incidentally, the wine cellar is among the finest in London, thanks partially to some very savvy investments in the early days. While the Chef’s Menu shows the best of what’s on, the lunch – at £29.50 for two courses – is the ideal introduction to the place. Don’t go expecting fireworks; the attraction is more of a slow burn that reveals itself after a few visits.
34 Charlotte St, W1T 2NH, pied-a-terre.co.uk, Read our review
Berners Tavern
It was smart of the London Edition to get Jason Atherton in to do their restaurant. It probably cost them but it’s worth every penny; when he’s in London, Atherton still swings by to check everything is running as it should be, which isn’t true for all of his places. People go crazy over the look of Berners Tavern, for the high ceilings and chandeliers and the feeling it could double up as a film set if needed. The paintings, frankly, aren’t all that but you can’t have everything. Food is a seasonal British affair, steaks and seafood, and they do a decent brunch and Sunday roast too. It’s elegant, all in all. Flexible too; smart, but mischievous.
10 Berners St, W1T 3NP, editionhotels.com, Read our review
Mac and Wild
This site on Great Titchfield St – the first of their three – is sound representation of everything Scotland does best. They’ve more than 120 whiskies, in a compelling list that evidently was thought about, lots of lovely game and – presumably as mandated by law – haggis. The veni-moo burger, where a venison patty is stacked on top of a beef one, is rightly heralded as a London classic, while their chateaubriand is a delicate thing, surprisingly flavoursome. A taste of the highland high life.
65 Great Titchfield St, W1W 7PS, macandwild.com, Read our review
Roka
Rainer Becker followed up the success of Zuma with Roka the best part of 14 years ago, and since then a handful of them have opened up. The one in Fitzrovia, on Charlotte St, is likely the best of the bunch and the one with the best atmosphere. Roka offers two things: high-end Japanese cuisine and the chance to spot someone off the telly. The menu has as much order as a shuffled deck of cards and service can be dangerously hands off, but the food is first rate. In particular, the black cod in yuzu mizo is a beauty, the cod crumbling under its charred coat and its delicately buttery flavour lasting like fine perfume. It’s all very expensive but, well, very good too.
37 Charlotte St, W1T 1RR, rokarestaurant.com, Read our review
Riding House Café
The draw of the Riding House Café is relaxed. It's reliable; an underrated virtue. It’s comfortable, somewhat fashionable, and serves a terrific breakfast. The details are fun; the walls are covered in curiosities worth seeking out yourself. The brunch menu has seemingly influenced countless others – in fact, it may be the most brunch-y brunch place in town. Still, it tends to buzz well into the evening; it’s built for catching up with friends of long dates that wind into the night.
43-51 Great Titchfield St, W1W 7PQ, ridinghouse.cafe
Elena's L'Étoile
They might call themself a Soho restaurant, but fortunately this legend of London’s eating scene is a much better at food than geography. This French bistro has been going well over a century and in that time picked up a reputation as an actors haunt, which unsurprising as it’s a place to be pampered. Is the food Fitzrovia’s best? Is the service? Is the decor especially fresh? The answer to all of that is no – but know none of that matters. Elena’s comforts and it soothes, and it needn’t do anything more.
30 Charlotte St, W1T 2NG, elenasletoile.co.uk
Barrica Tapas Bar
Built for a night of tapas, wine and laughs. It’s been doing the same thing for a decade, but that thing is excellent. Its unassuming but perfect when you’re unsure of where to go or what to eat – Barrica doesn’t fail. The squid is as good as it ever was, the garlic and chilli prawns are just as you’d want them to be, living up to the promise that this dish so often promises and rarely delivers. The ribeye with pancetta is gloriously indulgent, too. Don’t forget the sherry to wash it all down with.
62 Goodge St, W1T 4NE, barrica.co.uk
