The London restaurants you need to be eating at right now

The newest hot spots and the legendary establishments…

Landing in London, our first thought – after a pint at a classic pub, of course – is to hit the hottest bars and restaurants in town. But with an ever-changing dining scene, how to keep up? With our up-to-date hit list.

food resturants london fancy drink eat dining dishes — Duck and Waffle serves up just what you’d expect.

Navigating London’s dining scene can be as treacherous as a swim in the Thames. A veritable minefield of options lay before you, some breathtaking, some mediocre and some outrageously expensive. 2017 has seen successful pop-ups making the move across the city to permanent homes (with flavours of the subcontinent proving to be the hottest menu items), while hotel restaurants have gone from drab to fab with some of the best restaurant openings in town. Here’s our guide to uncovering the best newbies, with some classics thrown in for good measure.

The West End

Taking in the affluent inner city areas of Mayfair, Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Covent Garden and Soho, the West End is much more than just bright lights and tourist fare.

Covent Garden

Boutique Henrietta Hotel is a gorgeous design lover’s paradise with touches of marble, oak, and greenery throughout. This continues through the light-strewn restaurant with a seasonally led menu by Michelin-starred chef Ollie Dabbous – expect delicate plates featuring the impressive techniques Dabbous is renowned for. Drinks have been carefully curated and nod to the location’s rich past.

Charred octopus mashawsha (a type of hummus), eggplant sharabik and smoky baba ganoush; for truly amazing modern Mediterranean food that hints at the Middle East including Israel and Lebanon and back towards Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, The Barbary delivers. It’s also the hottest ticket in town and one that is now (thankfully!) taking bookings – mind you they’re for 12pm and 5pm sittings only.

Marylebone

The perfect spot to imbibe after a hard day’s shopping along Oxford Street is The Wigmore at The Langham. Set in a former banking hall, the menu is overseen by Michel Roux Jnr, the two Michelin-starred chef behind Le Gavroche in Mayfair (a timeless winner for its luxe French menu) and features a ridiculous XXL stovetop toastie, a beast of a cheese toastie that oozes aged cheddar and onion and comes under its own cast-iron press.

Soho

The brains behind the pillowy Taiwanese buns at BAO (Fitzrovia, Soho and Netil Market) have now opened XU in Chinatown. Pronounced ‘Shu’, this is grown-up Taiwanese – think unctuous char sui Iberico pork and cuttlefish and prawn toast with whipped cod roe – and all served in a gorgeous wood-panelled dining room with Art Deco touches and hand-painted murals perfectly exuding the 1930s vibe of Taipei’s social clubs.

What started as a tiny 20-seater in Brixton’s trendy Pop Brixton, Kricket now dishes up Mumbai flavours in its new Soho home. Crispy pakoras, Keralan fried chicken with curry leaf mayo, pumpkin makhani curry with puffed rice – whatever you order, everything is made to share and is ridiculously moreish.

Hoppers was a hit in Soho for its bold Sri Lankan flavours but deterred many with its no-bookings policy and huge queue. Newly opened Hoppers in St Christopher’s Place is taking bookings for its reinterpreted menu, and has a cocktail menu based on the flora of Sri Lanka’s spice gardens. Expect the same favourites such as the bone marrow varuval and a more expansive curry menu.

Other spots to check out include Kiln, Temper and Social Eating House. And what if you’ve found yourself in Mayfair and are in need of some Champagne? Bob Bob Ricard has table-side Champagne ordering buttons, or you can head to French restaurant and pink palace, Sketch, where drinks flow until 2am.

South London

South of the river entices with the Bermondsey Beer Mile, where craft beer makers are brewing interesting drops, and with Borough Market; a showcase of some of the city’s best fresh fruit and veg, butchers, dairy, bakers and food stalls.

Just a way down from the Tate Modern, Sea Containers London – Dandelyan Bar is shaking some very highly regarded cocktails in a luxurious Tom Dixon-designed space with incredible river views looking towards St Paul’s Cathedral. Recline on pink velvet banquettes as you sip on a concoction from award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana.

A little further west, Rick Stein, Barnes is the new seafood-led restaurant from the king of the seas and his first foray into the London dining scene. Head here for the freshest British seafood and a peaceful Thames-side outlook.

Other south London spots to check out include: Padella at Borough Market; The Dairy in Clapham and anything at The Shard – you cannot beat that view.

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East End

London’s East End continues to be the punk little sister to the ritz and glam of the West End. Spend time exploring the multicultural streets of Bethnal Green or soak in the vibrancy of Hackney – this is the place where almost anything goes.

It’s a simple premise; à la carte by day and a daily changing five-course tasting menu by night. Lyle’s serves up carefully layered plates of protein and veg that’s deserving of its recent one Michelin star. Podded peas have never tasted so fresh.

Bookings are essential for the weekly changing four-course menu at Pidgin, a cosy (read: tiny) restaurant that charms with its modern British flavours that span anything from highland beef with parsnip and peanut to charred baby gem lettuce and partridge with sweet corn and white beetroot.

Modern Indian with plenty of herbs and citrus, Dishoom has become London’s go-to Indian (and the lines out the front attest to that). Whether you’re at the Shoreditch branch or one of the other four locations (King’s Cross, Covent Garden, Carnaby or Kensington – set to open soon) expect excellent cocktails and fabulous vibrant food.

Other East End spots to check out include: brand-new Red Rooster at The Curtain, Fergus Henderson’s St. John Clerkenwell and Smokestak.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

By neighbourhood: these are London’s best restaurants