Here’s the last of my lists for the Best of 2019.
Looking back over the year, I ate exceptionally well in a variety of places. It got gluttonous a few times but my 2019 dining style was mostly quality over quantity.
Please note, this list merely reflects how I chose to spend my time during the year and is comprised of well established and brand new venues as well as businesses that are somehow related to where work and play took me.
Items appear in alphabetic order, not ranked.
Best Restaurants in London
Bombetta
51-53 Station Approach, High Street, E11 1QE
Just outside Snaresbrook Station, Bombetta is a shortcut to southern Italy serving excellent Pugliese cuisine with Mediterranean hospitality.
Chez Maiss
Unit 21a-22b Broadway Shopping Centre West, W6 9YD
Set within the Broadway Shopping Centre at Hammersmith Station, this independent family-run restaurant is a hidden gem in plain sight offering delicious food and drink in a convenient location.
Mãos
Blue Mountain School, 41 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ
Cofounded by James Brown and Nuno Mendes with Executive Head Chef Edoardo Pellicano creating seasonal menus for intimate communal dining, Mãos might be London’s most exciting (and understatedly so) restaurant. Dinner here was without doubt one of the best I’ve ever had in this town and certainly the memorable London dining experience of 2019 for me.
The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen
32 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8NA
Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen brings the best oysters, seafood and fish from across the British Isles to a pleasant (and pleasantly pared down) Covent Garden dining space.
This venue has made the ‘best of’ list for Restaurants in years past.
Theo Randall at the InterContinental
InterContinental London Park Lane, at One Hamilton Place, W1J 7QY
Theo Randall’s Park Lane outpost remains a top choice for an upscale dinner of authentic and seasonal Italian dishes coupled with one of London’s smartest selections of wines.
This venue has made the ‘best of’ list for Restaurants in years past.
Best Restaurants Beyond London
China Live
644 Broadway, San Francisco, California 94133, United States
Maybe the yummiest meal I had this year! China Live does epically flavoursome Chinese food served family style for true food fun in a bright and airy restaurant/shop.
La Estación
Carretera 987, Kilometro 4.20, Las Croabas, Fajardo, Puerto Rico 00738, United States
Low and slow with a tropical breeze! La Estación does locally sourced Nuyorican BBQ in an open air setting in a converted service station in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
The Farmgate Cafe
The English Market, Princes Street, Cork, T12 NC8Y, Ireland
Set above the bustle of Cork’s English Market, Farmgate serves traditional Irish dishes made with fresh ingredients sourced daily from the market traders below.
The Green Barn Shop & Restaurant
Burtown Little, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Everything about this farm-to-table restaurant appealed to my tastes: open planning, rustic but minimal furnishings, a walled garden to stroll around, and rural setting that felt very far away from the day-to-day fray, despite only being about an hour away from Dublin by car.
Noosh
2001 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, California 94115, United States
Chef-driven Eastern Med and Middle Eastern dishes with an open kitchen centred round a wood-fired oven plus amazingly brilliant cocktails, swift service and a “this is the place to be” atmosphere led to a delicious night out with I visited Noosh.
La Tasqueria
Calle Duque de Sesto, 48, 28009 Madrid, Spain
Seemingly telepathic service and an active open kitchen preparing some of the most adventurous, resourceful and smartly balanced food I’ve ever had: Chef Javi Estevez’s vision of what a restaurant should be is one I admire (and crave to experience again).
Ted’s Hot Dogs
2312 Sheridan Dr, Tonawanda, NY 14150, United States
Charbroiled hot dogs, cheeseburgers, onion rings – there’s nothing all that novel about this nearly century old fast food joint. But tasty is tasty! And I reckon my lunch at Ted’s was as satisfactory as any others I had in 2019, and way better than most!
More of the best of 2019 to follow!
