What is your favourite London restaurant/ cafe/ bar, and why?

[Absentmindedwoman]

I need some new places to go of all kinds, so fun places for brunch, or drinks, or dinner. Where do you go? What do you love about it?

Looking forward to hearing about all the hidden gems!

whoops this should be in chat..

Had the best dinner ever at Gymkhana last summer. I still get a bit delirious thinking about it! It's a Michelin starred Indian restaurant in Mayfair.

For afternoon tea, I love Libertys.

Peggy Porschen in Belgravia. The strawberry champagne cake is to die for.

Have you been to Camden Market lately? There are so many street food stalls impossible to choose! I had tortilla snack/bap which was delicious.

Borough Market. So much choice.

Benihana is good fun - as are Big Easy and Circus

Food at Nobu is amazing but it's very much a special occasion place as it isn't cheap

Another vote for Camden Market, the food village bit is fabulous. It's has a vast array of food from round the world and everything I've had so far has been brilliant.

Betjeman arms at st Pancras station

I went to e&o in Notting hill on Friday night for the first time in a few years. Had forgotten how good the food is and how fun the restaurant is.

Dock kitchen is fabulous.

Morito in exmouth market

The bar at the young vic

Fernandez & wells on Lexington st

Lantana for good coffee

Tinello in Pimlico for amazing Italian (it's the cheap locatelli)

Dragon palace on Earl's Court road for the best cheapest dim sum lunch

Caravan in Granary square @ kings x

My very favourite "special" spenny restaurant is J Sheekey - either the restaurant proper or the oyster bar

So many! is a glutton

Mildreds, Lexington Street

Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch - it really is a hidden gem; the entrance is a plain door in a garden wall.

It is housed in the bike shed of a former school, plus some outdoor seating among the flowerbeds - a real sun-trap. The food is modern British - simple, top quality seasonable produce; just a few items on the menu that changes daily. You bring your own wine if you wish.

Heddon Street kitchen was amazing.
DH and I had a hundred pound gift voucher to use and we totalled £112.50.

They waived the 12.50 and said don't worry about it!

Going back there again soon and can't bloody wait

had a lovely cocktail in Skylon, on the Southbank, swanky prices mind you

the food market there is good too...been there before, had a decent glass of champagne from a stall, and a nice Negroni, dh took up residence at the craft beer stall.

and found Gilgamesh at Camden...cocktails not too spendy and they seemed to have a decent enough speedy type lunch menu and assorted other foody options :o

Favourite chains: Busaba Eathai and Burger & Lobster

Independents: I never remember names. There's a nice okinomiyaki place off Leicester square, a Korean BBQ place in Holborn, a lovely little restaurant near the old Arsenal stadium (think it's called Juniper), and a Spanish Tapas bar in Soho. I'm a bit rubbish, I just fall into places.

Kensington Creperie, I really loved that for lunch when I lived in London!

My DD’s (age 18 and 23) were raving about Christopher's Kitchen in Covent Garden. They went there for brunch recently and said it was fab.

Brixton food market, and there's a place near Peckham attached to a small gallery but can't remember its name! It's set in an old house.

El Parador is a hidden gem of a tapas restaurant between Euston and Mornington Crescent tube.

I love El parador!

Keu - on poland st in soho. Its a little Vietnamese cafe which does the best banh mi.

NOPI innPicadilly is amazing Ottolenghi food.

Moro in Exmouth Market is great food and Exmouth market is fun and buzzy.

Honest Burger is my best burger chain, we like the one in Brixton Market.

The Marksman pub in Hackney has good food.

The KERB food market which pops up at various different places - I love the ice cream sandwiches from Blu Top and the veggie Indian food from Horn OK Please.

Lamb curry and roti from Roti King in Euston. It's a tiny dive of a place, but the food is brilliant.

Second the recommendation of Brixton, it's fab, particularly Franco Manca pizza and Mama Lan dumplings.

Scandi Kitchen near Oxford Circus is great for lunch - Swedish food, nice cakes and coffee.