Best London Restaurants – 2013

To say I ate and drank well this year does not begin to describe how delectable 2013 was for me. Both in London and beyond, I had the pleasure of experiencing some of the best meals outside the home I’ve ever eaten. This was the year that Peruvian proved itself to the British palate and that a real choice of decent pizza was made available across London. Elsewhere (mostly France and Italy), I enjoyed fabulous meals in a variety fantastic settings that still have me shaking my head in disbelief at how delicious life can be.

Listed below in alphabetical order are the ten London restaurants I enjoyed visiting the most over the past 12 months along with five extra honourable mentions stacked up at 11th place. Keep an eye out for more posts over the coming days of listings od my favourite London cheap eats and pizza places, as well as the ten best restaurants I visited outside of London this year. Please note, these ‘best of‘ lists merely reflect how I chose to dine during 2013 and are comprised of long running and brand new venues as well as businesses that are local to me or somehow related to where work and play took me this year.

Here’s hoping 2014 is just as tasty as 2013 turned out to be.

Best London Restaurants 2013

Bo London
4 Mill Street, W1S 2AX
“Demon Chef” Alvin Leung’s “extreme Chinese” cuisine seduces the senses.

Cookbook Cafe
Intercontinental London Park Lane, 1 Hamilton Place, W1J 3QY
Chef Paul Bates’ masterful approach to doing the weekend in delicious style is a safe bet for London’s best brunch.

Coq d’Argent
1 Poultry, EC2R 8EJ
Visit Coq d’Argent for a City wine and dine of impeccably high standards.

Coya
118 Piccadilly, W1J 7NW
Chic bar, upscale digs, and luscious Latin flavours spice up the Piccadilly with Peruvian panache.

HKK
88 Worship Street, EC2A 2DQ
Newly opened HKK is a brilliant extension of the Hakkasan brand and a welcome addition to a stretch of ambiguous hinterland straddling the professional City and hipster Shoreditch.

Hutong
Level 33, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY 
Situated at the 33rd storey of The Shard, Hutong’s panoramic perch over London wows without fail while its incongruous “courtyard” setting beguiles and the dim sum menu delights.

Lima London
31 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JH
Balance and subtly are the hallmarks of any meal at Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez’s much lauded London outpost.

Mozzarella & More
257 King’s Road, SW3 5EL 
Rustic home-style Italian food served with a warm Sicilian smile.

Palm London
1-3 Pont Street, SW1X 9EJ
American steakhouse and Belgravia mainstay where you can expect friendly and attentive service in a low key but upscale setting and assume you’ll have an excellent meal whatever the occasion.

Quantus
38 Devonshire Road, W4 2HD
Lovely little Chiswick local offering an exquisite menu of modern European cuisine with a strong Latin influence and a wine list that’s inspired and decidedly Latin tinged as well.

Honourable Mentions (five London restaurants tied for 11th place)

• Berners Tavern
• Brasserie at the Tower Hotel
• Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar
• The Only Running Footman
• Pescatori Fitzrovia

To read more about the above listed restaurants and all sorts of other great eateries in London and beyond, check out my blog’s Restaurants category.