Diners' Choice: British restaurants in City of London

OpenTable

Updated 05 January 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall British cuisine in City of London? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyses more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favourites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Quality Chop House

4.8

4.8 (2543)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

The Quality Chop House celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019.

Our menus are seasonally-focused and change daily based around the best produce delivered each morning.

We suggest bookings, but do take walk-ins.

In addition to our a la carte menu, we offer a £29 set lunch menu (January to November), and on Sunday lunches we serve a splendid roast.

If you are interested in a table for more than 6 guests, we have a Private Dining Room that seats up to 14. A seasonal feasting menu is available. For more information please give us a call.

Top review

Ted

Dined on 7 Jan 2025

We went to QCH based on David Lebovitz May 7, 2024 article about eating in London. He wasn’t wrong. Waiter was witty and knowledgeable. Every course was amazing. Our only regret was that by the time we got to desert, we were no longer able to eat another thing. That’s on us.

Discover more

Popular dish

Confit Potatoes

Popular dish

Capezzana olive oil ice cream

Experience

Valentine's Day 2025

Restaurant St. Barts

4.8

4.8 (106)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

A British Tasting Menu experience for Dinner, and shorter Set Menu for Lunch - tucked away in London’s Smithfield the dining room overlooks the historical Church of St Bartholomew the Great. We received our first Michelin Star in March 2023 and were awarded a Michelin Green Star in February 2024 - making us the only London restaurant to hold both awards.

Tues - Sat Dinner | Tasting Menu | £160pp
Tues - Sat Lunch | Short or Long Set Lunch | £70/£110pp

Restaurant St. Barts is the culmination of passion & hard work from three long-term friends Johnnie, Luke & Toby - the team behind NEST restaurant in Shoreditch. It is a celebration of British produce in the heart of historical London.

Top review

Staci

Dined on 20 Dec 2024

Wonderful creative fine dining experience with delicious food that rivals the best I've ever had.

St. JOHN Smithfield

4.8

4.8 (4127)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

Fergus Henderson’s original home of “Nose to Tail Eating” opened in a former smokehouse around the corner from Smithfield Market in 1994.

Celebrating the finest of indigenous British produce and making the most of what is seasonally best whilst applying straight forward cooking techniques, St. John is now celebrated as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World and in 2009 was awarded its first Michelin Star.

Nose to tail eating means that, where appropriate, every part of the animal should be put to good use in the kitchen and so along with Roast Beef and Lemon Sole, diners will find Rolled Pig’s Spleen, Kidneys and Ox Heart, Liver and Chitterlings as well as the Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad, something of a ‘signature’ dish.

Top review

Liam

Dined 2 days ago

Some of the best cooking in London. The teal was perfectly cooked, really glad that I got to try the bone marrow and parsley salad and the deep fried rarebit

Discover more

Popular dish

Eccles Cake and Lancashire Cheese

Popular dish

Welsh Rarebit

Popular dish

Bread and Butter Pudding

Cafe Below

4.8

4.8 (437)

£25 and under

British

Bank

About the restaurant

In the atmospheric, mediaeval crypt of St Mary le Bow Church, the Cafe Below is a City institution. A quiet oasis from the hectic world above, serving a short menu of British and European dishes, with the occasional curry, the cafe has an ever changing seasonal menu. Being beneath the Bow Bells, naturally we are dedicated to all things London, so we source as locally as possible; our coffee is roasted in Hackney and our beer brewed in the East End. For breakfast, we are the perfect place for a moment of quiet before the day begins or a small or large business meeting, all with Homemade rye toast, River Farm smoked salmon, Brioche French toast and our own granola.

Jay Rayner hailed the cafe as being the "kind of restaurant any hectic city needs"; a quality driven, friendly place where you can meet mates, clients or colleagues, all in the unique setting of a Christopher Wren crypt!

Top review

Richard

Dined 6 days ago

Not fine dining but always tasty, wholesome food at a very good price and doesn’t seem to have been particularly affected by inflation. Efficient friendly service too

The Jugged Hare

4.3

4.3 (1441)

£26 to £40

British

Barbican

About the restaurant

London’s leading game restaurant prides itself on full flavours, innovative ideas and perfectly executed dishes at every service. From classic cuts and succulent steaks to squirrel croquettes and crispy crumbed pheasant, a focus on both traditional and lesser-known (but always seasonal), British ingredients served alongside independent boutique wines makes this handsome gastro pub a game-changing drinking and dining spot for the City.

Top review

RicardoVIP

Dined 4 days ago

BEST fish&chips ever. Cozy and lovely place. 100%

Discover more

Experience

Pre-theatre menu

The Williams Ale & Cider House

4.5

4.5 (81)

£25 and under

British

Liverpool Street

About the restaurant

The Williams is a cosy East London boozer, tucked between the busy City & the artistic Spitalfields. Priding ourselves on our extensive ale & cider collection – with 14 handpumps or gravity pulled ale & cider – as well as a menu of traditional British food & a jazzy atmosphere.

Top review

Andy

Dined on 16 Dec 2024

A very enjoyable afternoon, with a lovely lunch and great staff - thank you.

Polo Bar - 24 Hour Great British Café and Bar

4.4

4.4 (297)

£25 and under

British

Liverpool Street

About the restaurant

Polo Bar is a 24 hour Café & Bar serving Great British food around the clock.
We also serve alcohol 24/7.
We are located bang opposite Liverpool Street Station on Bishopsgate - easy to get to and to get home from!!
We are famous for our legendary English Breakfasts and our pancakes.
All our food is freshly made to order and we source products locally where possible.
If you cannot find a reservation here please call to see if we have any additional space - 020 7283 4889.

Top review

Linda

Dined on 1 Jan 2025

Great food good selection excellent location within the City. Friendly staff would definitely recommend for a quick meal.

Discover more

Experience

Polo Bar Burger Tower Stack and Challenge

Experience

Polo Bar Pancake Challenge

Experience

Polo Bar Famous Birthday Pancakes Stack

Duck & Waffle

4.4

4.4 (2302)

£41 and over

British

Liverpool Street

About the restaurant

Duck & Waffle restaurant is located on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate in the city of London. Inspired by broad European and British influences and spirit, the restaurant’s vibrant atmosphere encourages a convivial experience for guests through its array of dishes designed for sampling and sharing.

The interior features wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the expanse of London and notable landmarks, a bustling open kitchen, a 24 seat inside out bar offering artisanal cocktails.

With its sociable ambiance, unparalleled views, artful interpretations of regional cuisine and innovative design, Duck & Waffle embodies a truly unique dining experience.

Top review

Oliver

Dined on 8 Dec 2024

The views over the city of London were spectacular, and the service was good. The food was all very nice and the signature duck and waffle has to be sampled. Menu was a little limited and £4 for a single polenta croqueta was a bit excessive.

Paternoster Chop House

4.2

4.2 (2256)

£26 to £40

British

St Paul's

About the restaurant

We are bringing back the great British Chop House – harking back to a time when meat was king, portions were hearty and provenance was everything. Enjoy larger sharing cuts cooked on open charcoal grills, in Josper ovens or on spit roasts, alongside daily specials inspired by the best the British Isles have to offer.

Top review

Jane

Dined on 18 Dec 2024

Lovely food. Nice staff but had to ask for water a few times (3x) and chip sauces twice m seemed a little disorganised but overall a nice evening. Very good creamed spinach!

Discover more

4.4

4.4 (976)

£26 to £40

British

Bank

About the restaurant

Mercer Roof Terrace, located on the 7th floor of Vintry & Mercer, takes in the sweep of London’s skyline, from the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral to the glass tip of The Shard.

Outside, guests can enjoy an al fresco dining experience above the city lights in a partially covered settings with comfy blankets and overhead heating perfect for chilly evenings.

Inside, the atmosphere is warm and convivial, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening wide to the night’s sky.

You can enjoy a menu that celebrates the best of modern English cooking, showcasing farm-to-table meat, fish and seasonal vegetables cooked using our charcoal oven and our house infused craft cocktails displayed in colourful glass carafes on the bar.

Top review

Graham

Dined on 29 Dec 2024

Outstanding food, great ambiance and wonderful cityscape The perfect place for fine dining that created a truly memorable experience

Discover more

Experience

The Crown Afternoon Tea Experience

Experience

Beluga Winter Cabins @ Mercer Roof Terrace

Experience

Winter Igloo at Mercer Roof Terrace

Explore Diners' Choice best of City of London