Restaurant in central London

[MyBloodyBrother]

I’m staying in London for the weekend in a couple of weeks and really want to have a decent meal out somewhere. I’m staying in Tottenham Court Road so anywhere pretty central would be great. I love our in the stick and rarely make it to a proper town, let alone London so would love to try somewhere a bit different or unique.

Any recommendations?

What kind of food? Budget? You're right by Soho so the possibilities are endless.

Blacklock Soho.
My favourite restaurant in the entire city.
The cheesecake is to die for.

Budget wise I’d rather not go super expensive but could do about £100 a head with drinks.

That’s the problem, I don’t know what to go for. I’d really like something a bit unusual but as I’ve only got a couple of nights and won’t be visiting again for the foreseeable I really want to pick the right place.

Frenchies in Covent Garden might work. They really make you feel special in there.

Charlotte St, just parallel to Tott Ct Rd is chocka block with restaurants.

I'd say these are all in budget depending on how much you plan to drink
Mowgli is great Indian street food
Ousia is Greek sharing
Ampeli also Greek sharing

More expensive but still on Charlotte St
Norma is fusion med/arab cuisine and really special
Kazu is Japanese

Meraki is on Great Portland St and delicious, but also very noisy

Life Goddess on Store Street is one of my go to faves, really reasonably priced and lovely food (also sort of Greek sharing - I have a preference apparently)

There is a fusion pan African place in Jermyn St called Papa L's which is wonderful and the staff are just so great, like they are inviting you into their home.

Ottolenghi's restaurant Nopi in Warwick Street.

It's one of my favourite restaurants in London and close to Tottenham Court Road.

Hakkasan Hanway Place?

I fancy Gunpowder Soho but haven't been yet.

I don't rate Mowgli, but Charlotte Street would be a good place to look.

Life Goddess sounds nice.

I really like Viet and mowglis. Nope is lovely but £100 may not get you very far…

Bocca di Lupo in Soho. Modern Italian, excellent food, nice buzz, and if you don’t fancy their dessert menu, they have a lovely ice cream shop across the street with lots of unusual flavours.

Bull Steak Expert in Holborn is excellent.

Brasserie Zedel - French food but impressive art deco dining hall and cocktail bar. Also a cabaret room on the site.

Sticks and sushi
San Carlo on regent street
ham yard even if just for drinks

If you have a smart outfit, for £100 per head with drinks, this place does excellent food. I highly recommend it - even though it may be a little bit further away from where you are staying.

rules.co.uk/

Not a single veggie main course on the Rules menu!

Why would you expect there to be one? ! But I'm sure if you phoned Rules in advance they would accommodate you with a carefully crafted veggie or even vegan menu if you require it ....

Why would you expect there to be one?!
Well, I thought it was 2023. Silly me.

If you appreciate your wine, Noble Rot on Greek Street is fab, they have some really lovely wines on a Coravin system so you can just have one glass of something truly special that usually you'd have to have by the bottle for £££. Excellent French food as well - the chicken with morels and vin jaune is to die for.

Dishoom. There are a few.

That’s where I was planning to go but they’re fully booked ☹️. I’ve wanted to go there for years.

Maresco in Soho.

If you want a slice of history with your food, there's The French House

(It's a while since I've been there - is it still good?)

frenchhousesoho.com/#foodmenu
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_French_House,_Soho

Also there's Sarastros, Drury Lane - totally OTT and well within budget

www.sarastro-restaurant.com/about-us/

If you can stretch the budget I'd recommend Mere on Charlotte Street. One of my favourite places!

It's not cheap but it's AMAZING!