Restaurants that guarantee a memorable time in London aren’t only those with highly decorated head chefs, they’re the ones that have a sense of fun – isn’t that what luxury hospitality is all about, after all? From Holborn Dining Room’s legendary pie-making to Tom Kerridge’s smile-raising British menu, here’s our pick of the best hotel restaurants in London and reservations that guarantee a memorable time.
The first London restaurant by Marlow-born chef Tom Kerridge is three years into its residency at the five-star Corinthia London. Despite his indisputable success, he wasn’t an obvious choice; Kerridge’s signature style is down to earth, hearty and generous. Corinthia, by contrast, is all soaring high ceilings, a jet-set crowd and some of the most expensive suites in the city. But it works. With the help of David Collins Studio, the vast space was transformed into a brasserie-style restaurant that feels timeless and intimate. Thankfully, the menu is very much pre-diet Kerridge, with crowd-pleasers like pig’s cheek pie with clotted cream mash, and dark chocolate pudding with malted milk ice cream, both of which pair brilliantly with a pint of real ale.
The best spots in the City are always several storeys about ground level, and Angler is among them. Located at the top of South Place Hotel, the Michelin-starred restaurant offers elegant reprieve from the trading floor (or wherever you may have escaped from). Light-filled and shimmering in silver filigree, the airy space features a covered rooftop terrace, plus a private dining room. Liverpool chef Gary Foulkes’ Asian-inflected dishes are almost as satisfying to look at as they are to eat, while Italian sommelier Alessandro Giani’s wine list is a worthy match. Fish is the thing, but not its only trick – the rack of Lake District lamb with boulangere potato and black garlic comes highly recommended.
This distinctive Mayfair five-star is the first hotel project by Corbin & King (of The Wolseley), so its restaurant was bound to be a success. As is their hallmark, the interiors invoke old-world glamour, eschewing newness in favour of timeless style. The menu is no different. Brunch is a Manhattan affair with hot cakes piled under caramelised apple sauce and honeycomb butter, or over-easy eggs with salt beef and hash browns. Come suppertime, steak is the stand-out choice, followed by a knickerbockcr glory and two spoons, if you’re still doing that. The Beaumont is currently closed for renovations, with plans to reopen by summer.
It was only a matter of time before the treehouse trend made its way into Zone 1, though it’s not a theme that’s been applied too literally here on Langham Place, next-door to BBC Broadcasting House. This urban oasis has its roots in the US and brings an air of carefree California to London’s most chaotic shopping district. Up on the 15th floor, Madera, which has branches in Hollywood and Arizona, serves up Mexican sharing plates under an awning of lush greenery. The signature dish is the ‘rocks’ – organic grass-fed carne asada served with chipotle over hot lava stones. Head to Nest, the rooftop bar, afterwards for margaritas overlooking Soho and beyond.
Londoners are a notoriously lethargic lot, but occasionally, a place generates just enough intrigue to coax diners out of the usual hotspots. Located in the Olympic Park over in Stratford, Allegra is one of them – though when you consider it’s only one stop on the high-speed train from St Pancras it’s not such a mission after all. This new-ish opening was brought by the team behind Chiltern Firehouse and the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel who, it’s fair to say, know how to whip up a bit of a buzz. With a muted, minimalist Scandi aesthetic, this classic fine-dining restaurant serves modern European cuisine under the mastery of Irish head chef Patrick Powell, who sources much of the ingredients from their own organic farm, 40 minutes away.
A hundred years ago, if you were walking into the daunting colonnaded entrance of this historic Tower Hill landmark, you’d most likely be paying your shipping dues. Today, the former Port of London Authority HQ is the second London opening by Four Seasons, and arguably even better than the Park Lane original. There are two restaurants here: two Michelin-starred French fine dining by the celebrated Anne Sophie-Pic, and the superb Mei Ume helmed by Vietnamese chef Tony Truong. The latter specialises in both traditional Chinese and Japanese dishes, with signatures including whole Peking duck and Szechuan crispy king prawns stung with chilli and peppercorn. Arrive early and take a seat at the cherry blossom-canopied bar, where smokey Japanese whiskey is muddled with vintage fermented tea. It remains closed currently, with plans to welcome diners back in summer.
Always bustling, the Rosewood’s grand brasserie glows warmly onto the grey High Holborn pavement and becomes impossible for suited pavement-pounders to ignore once the pie hatch is in view. Calum Franklin, aka “the pie man” and author of The Pie Room Cookbook, is the king of flaky, buttery, melt-your-troubles-away pastry and this is where to see the magic in action. The standout filling is the curried mutton with sticky mango salsa and curry sauce – afterwards, the strawberry and champagne jelly served with mascarpone ice cream is a perfectly light (at least, in texture) sweet to pep up with.
Berners Tavern is the brash, beating heart of Ian Schrager hotel, the London EDITION. At eight years old it’s entering the trickiest phase for a restaurant; not a hot-list newcomer, not yet a classic. Or, it would be, if it wasn’t such a jaw-dropping space with consistently excellent food by the Michelin-starred Jason Atherton. The scale of the room – 18-feet high with a stucco ceiling, ginormous chandeliers and walls galleried to the hilt in contemporary art – makes you feel like you’re in a baroque drama, while sound Sunday roasts and poached lobster mac and cheese keeps the experience nicely grounded.
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