Where to Eat in London: Four Restaurants I’d Go Back To

Every time I go to London, the same thing happens: I save far too many restaurants.

In my head, I am obviously going to fit them all into a three-day trip. The slight problem is that a day still only has three meals. Very inconvenient.

So I keep coming back to the places where I genuinely ate well. They are not always the most famous, or even the prettiest on Instagram. They are simply the ones I still think about once I am home.

This list has modern Indian small plates, an Italian restaurant in Soho, a smarter dinner in Mayfair and a very good pizza. That should cover most moods.

If you are looking for breakfast, I also wrote about where I have breakfast in Shoreditch, including Ozone and Beigel Bake

Kricket: modern Indian food in Soho

First up, Kricket.

When I first saw the menu, I had absolutely no idea what to order. This is not the sort of Indian restaurant where you immediately recognise every dish and order on autopilot.

Everything feels more considered, with modern Indian cooking and several small plates designed for sharing.

So, as usual, we ordered a selection and tried everything.

That is exactly what I enjoyed about Kricket. You are never entirely sure what is coming next, then the plates arrive one by one. The presentation is beautiful, the flavours change with every dish and sharing makes the whole meal far more interesting than everyone guarding their own plate.

There is a restaurant in Soho and another in Shoreditch. The menus are different, which is a perfectly good excuse to try both.

Kricket Soho
12 Denman Street, London W1D 7HJ
Underground: Piccadilly Circus

Kricket Shoreditch
35–42 Charlotte Road, London EC2A 3PB
Underground: Old Street

I'd advise booking, especially in Soho.

Polpo, for pasta and red wine

I had originally saved Polpo for the spaghetti and meatballs.

There. My priorities are very clear.

I love this sort of Italian restaurant: pasta, a few small plates and a carafe of red wine. Nothing needs overthinking and, honestly, that is sometimes exactly what I want.

Greg ordered the beef rigatoni, which I obviously tried. It was SO good that I nearly regretted choosing the spaghetti.

The room is dimly lit, with wooden tables and candles. Very beautiful, very Italian—rather like Greg. It is also lovely for dinner à deux in London.

Polpo Soho
41 Beak Street, London W1F 9SB
Underground: Oxford Circus

The Dover, for an evening in Mayfair

I had saved The Dover for a slightly dressier evening.

The restaurant is in Mayfair: white tablecloths, low lighting and an entire wall of records.

I love it.

It feels elegant without becoming one of those cold dining rooms where you are frightened to move your glass by two centimetres. You can dress up, order a drink and actually enjoy the evening.

I ordered the lasagne. Well… it is lasagne.

It was very good, but it did not blow me away. The room is beautiful and, given the setting and location, I admit we expected slightly more from the food.

It is not somewhere I would choose every night. For dinner à deux, an occasion or simply an excuse to wear a good jacket, though, it works.

I would keep The Dover for an occasion, a dinner for two or any evening when getting properly dressed feels like part of the plan.

The Dover
33 Dover Street, London W1S 4NF
Tube: Green Park

Booking is preferred.

Rudy's, for a good Neapolitan pizza

And finally, Rudy’s.

Because after all the more considered restaurants, there are still evenings when all you want is pizza.

A properly good one, obviously.

At Rudy’s, the base is thin in the middle, the crust is beautifully puffed and it is cooked exactly as I like it.

I usually order a margherita. You cannot really go wrong.

The Soho restaurant is lively and fills up quickly, although the service keeps moving and the whole thing remains easy-going.

It is the reliable address I keep saved for days when I really do not want to make another decision.

Rudy's Pizza Napoletana
80 Wardour Street, London W1F 0TF
Underground: Oxford Circus

Which one would I choose?

Honestly, it depends entirely on the evening.

• Kricket when I want to discover something different.
• Polpo for spaghetti and meatballs with red wine.
• The Dover for the interiors, the records and a more dressed-up evening.
• Rudy’s when I simply want pizza.

I could add another twenty London restaurants because my phone is full of them. I should probably return to these four first, before starting yet another list I will never manage to finish.

What is your favourite restaurant in London?