The best restaurants in London you should be booking

What is it? A family-run ‘modern Korean’ restaurant that immediately impressed east London’s fooderati. 

Why we love it: Miga is all about exhilarating dishes that smash your tastebuds with integrity and panache. The roots of Miga go back a couple of decades to another family-run spot in New Malden – but in 2024 the younger generation convinced their chef father to take his talent to Hackney in order to rattle the small-plates bistro boys. Mission accomplished – this lowkey, unassuming spot instantly became London’s most acclaimed new restaurant. Traditional flavours have been given a contemporary sheen; their landmark dish is yughwe, a ballsy beef tartare accessorised with skinny, crisp batons of Asian pear and a near-neon egg yolk. The soy braised short ribs and slices of pan-fried pork belly delivered in a glowing apple-and-mustard sauce are also must-orders. Do almost anything you can to eat here. 

Time Out tip: Struggling to score a table? Lunch seatings are easier to come by and you can follow it with a postprandial stroll down the Regent’s Canal or a pint at one of London’s best pubs; The Hare. 

Address: 1 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 4RP.

Opening hours: Tue 5-10.30 pm, Wed-Thu 12-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12-3pm & 5.30–11pm.

Expect to pay: Starters £9-16, mains around £20 and sides £5.

What is it? A sensational Greek-ish spot from David Carter, the brawny chef and restaurateur behind live-fire forerunner Smokestak and show-stopping Manteca.

Why we love it: Because Oma will insist on taking you on a serious culinary journey. Greek food is only the jumping-off point for a menu that begins on the Ionian islands before skipping off to the Levant by way of the Balkans, with a South American layover. Boldly, you’ll find it on one of the main drags of Borough Market, so you’ll have to brave a zombie-like parade of hangry tourists and an atmosphere as febrile as Paul Mescal’s DMs. It’s all worth it, though. Kick off with a half-size clementine gimlet before London’s best dip: the salt cod xo with labneh, and a spanakopita gratin. 

Time Out tip: Underneath the first floor Oma is Agora, also from David Carter. The two restaurants both opened in the spring of 2024, and its walk-ins only at Agora - as well as having a not-dissimilar menu at a slightly friendlier price point. 

Address: 3 Bedale Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AL.

Opening hours: Mon-Fr 12-3pm & 5.30-11pm, Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-10pm. 

Expect to pay: Dips and bread £3.50-6, crudo £12-16, small plates £11-15, claypot stews £26-55.

What is it? The UK’s first ever Michelin-star vegan restaurant.

Why we love it: Because it’s the hottest, and greenest, ticket in town. Chef Kirk Haworth (who you might recognise from BBC’s Great British Menu) runs the restaurant with sister Keeley and there’s a waiting list that’s months-long. But when you finally make it inside this cosy cottage-corn dining room, you’ll be the envy of every vegan in the land. It’s a tasting menu, so you’ll get what you're given, but keep your eyes open for the caramelised lion’s mane mushroom with cauliflower cream, smoked shio koji, rhubarb and fermented green peppercorn sauce, as well as the raw cacao gateau with sour cherry (one two puds).

Time Out tip: This spring Plates launched a chef’s table kitchen at their small Shoreditch space, as well as two bedrooms for overnight stays, so you can make a massive, plant-based night of it.

Address: 320 Old Street, Shoreditch, EC1V 9DR.

Opening hours: Wed 6-10pm, Thu-Sat 12-4pm & 6-10pm. 

Expect to pay: The tasting menu is £90 at lunch, and £108 for dinner.

What is it? A Malaysian flavour powerhouse and our 2024 restaurant of the year. 

Why we love it: This independent, modern-Malaysian joint moved from a food market in Peckham to a real restaurant in Clapton at the end of 2023. Chef-owner Abby Lee’s intensely flavoured dishes are served up in a welcoming, casual style and are so beautiful it’s impossible not to swoon over them. Abby takes hints from her grandmother’s own recipes. Make a beeline for anything fish-based, such as charcoal-grilled sardines served with pomelo and fried shallot salad. They say ‘Malaysian heat plus juicy wines’, we say ‘the finest sambal in town’.

Time Out tip: The otak-otak prawn toast is a menu staple for a reason. 

Address: 78 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, E5 0RN.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 5.30-10.30pm, Sat 12-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm.

Expect to pay: Starters and snacks £5-17, salads around £12, mains £16-27. 

What is it? Flashy New York-style Italian dining in Mayfair with a celeb-y clientele.

Why we love it: Most Mayfair joints are a little too flashy and eye-wateringly expensive for our liking, but The Dover is worth the splurge. First, there’s the gorgeous room; all walnut wood walls that look like they’ve been lifted out of a 1930s cruiseliner, and discreet corner booths perfect for having lunchtime martinis with people you shouldn't be having lunchtime martinis with. The menu is stacked full of on-point classics; spaghetti and meatballs, chopped salad, prawn cocktail and, as befitting an American-styled spot, don’t scrimp on size. 

Time Out tip: If you can’t land a spot in the main restaurant, pop into the no-bookings bar where it’s first-come, first-served. There’s a very decent menu of bar snacks, including burger and fries for £25, and you might even see Pedro Pascal.

Address: 33 Dover Street, Mayfair, W1S 4NF.

Opening hours: Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-late. Lunch Wed-Friday 12-2pm.

Expect to pay: Snacks and starters £8-25, salads and pasta £18-26, mains £23-65. 

What is it? Dashing sandwich bar by day, gourmet diner by night. 

Why we love it: Camberwell is truly blessed. Mondo Sando made their name slinging sarnies at nearby boozer the Grove House Tavern, but last year graduated from mere pub snack purveyor to superior sandwich bar. In the bones of an old kebab shop, Cafe Mondo is casual but classy; come by during the day and you’ll join the queue for some seriously good sandwiches (fennel salami with creamed mozzarella and confit tomato; harissa aubergine; tuna salad; fish finger etc), but swing in during the evenings and things get a little more sophisticated. There’s crostini using leftover bread from lunch service, topped with beef fat onions with anchovy, big butch latkes and elite patty melts. Best of all, it won’t leave you financially destitute. 

Time Out tip: The evening drinks menu is excellent; mini martinis, well-priced wine, pints of Murphy’s, Bailey’s slushies, Turkish soft drink Uludağ Gazoz or a ‘Camberwell handshake’ aka a can of Red Stripe and a shot of tequila. 

Address: 42 Peckham Road, Camberwell, SE5 8PX. 

Opening hours: Wed 12-4pm, Thu-Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-4pm. 

Expect to pay: Lunchtime sarnies around £10, evening plates £10-15. 

What is it? A small but perfectly formed and playful spot in the space once known as Pidgin. 

Why we love it: Sesta is all about the quirky creativity of head chef Drew Snaith, whose seasonal scran sees silliness sitting comfortably alongside seriousness. Think; smacked cucumber drizzled with thick, sweet raspberry hot sauce on a pile of pungent cashew cream and coastal cheddar and cider scones, topped with a turbo mouthful of creamy, fluffy cheese. Where else in London can you find beef ragu toasties and prawn-and-stone-bass dolma with ouzo butter? Nowhere, that’s where.

Time Out tip: You simply must order the n’duja-scotched olives, a bar snack which leg-drops the gilda into oblivion. Like a sly scotch egg, these are big, burly boys which arrive sliced down the middle and belly-up, the green, tart olive split with spicy sausage innards and cradled in a crunchy papoose.

Address: 52 Wilton Way, London Fields, E8 1BG.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 6-11pm, Sat 12.30-4.30pm & 6-11pm, Sun 1-7pm. 

Expect to pay: Starters and snacks £4-15, mains £26-30.

What is it? A trendy Spanish fish bar in a one-time chippy. 

Why we love it: From the same team behind nearby gastro boozers The Plimsoll, Tollington’s is spearheading London’s new wave of Basque cuisine. The space used to be a Finsbury Park fish-and-chip shop and still looks exactly like a Finsbury Park fish-and-chip shop, with tiled floors, old-school pine counters, and original signage intact. Which actually makes it feel more like a backstreet San Sebastian pintxos bar than any fancy refit ever could. The menu is nothing but small plates; sassy smoked eel omelettes, chunky chips done ‘bravas’ style, pickled anchovies, rosy red prawns cooked on the plancha, and cod cheeks with peppers. Booze is plentiful, with cute cañas of Estrella, as well as endless Txakoli. 

Time Out tip: The wibbly wobbly flan is the only pudding to order. Do it.   

Address: ​172 Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, N4 3AJ.

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 6-11pm, Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-6pm.

What is it? A friendly neighbourhood hangout with Caribbean roots. 

Why we love it: Mauby began life as Jerk Off BBQ, a West Indian-inspired pop-up that roamed south London. The founders took over this space in the summer of 2024 and whizzed it into a wilfully eclectic neighbourhood restaurant. Come here for sturdy, seasonal plates done well and with pride. There are flirty lamb chops, crispy crushed potatoes, incredible fried chicken with a mega pepper pickle and serious dollop of spiced mayo, as well as stewed black-eyed peas and harissa chickpeas. Dishes are super reasonably priced and the vibe is immaculate.

Time Out tip: Order the house Mauby cocktail with rum and lemon, and feel more refreshed than you would coming out of a pricey spa treatment. 

Address: ​1 Harefield Road, Brockley, SE4 1LW.

Opening hours: Wed-Sat 5.30-11pm, Sun 5.30-9pm. 

Expect to pay: Small plates £5-ish, bigger plates £10-15. 

What is it? A fabulously chaotic Thai bar and restaurant – with emphasis split equally between the two – inspired by authentic canteen grub.

Why we love it: Talk about escapism: to step into Speedboat Bar is to leave behind Soho and be transported to a theme park version of Bangkok’s own Chinatown. From the blaring stereo to the breakneck speed of service and kaleidoscopic décor – the ceiling is adorned with actual Thai racing boats, while the lighting is distinctly neon-hued and there’s a pool table in the first-floor bar begging to have Singha spilled over it – it’s a pitch-perfect homage. What makes this a pastiche rather than a parody, though, is the sheer quality of the food, from the fried whole mackerel in red curry to the epic tom yam mama noodles. Throw in their trademark dessert, a deep-fried pineapple pie, and you’re really immersed in Speedboat Bar’s modus operandi: maximum flavour, minimum fuss. 

Time Out tip: The dishes here are seriously spicy (look out for the pickled mustard greens and Chinese sausage in particular). Whatever your usual spice level is, go one notch below. 

Address: 30 Rupert Street, Chinatown, W1D 6DL.

Opening hours: Sun-Thur 12-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-1am.

Expect to pay: Snacks £5-13, mains £11-22, specials £13-29.