Dining out in any city can be confusing, let alone in London. It can be difficult to know where the best places are; are you getting a great meal for the price? Will you be underdressed or overdressed for a particular restaurant?
While it’s fun to try small local restaurants while out in the rural countryside, it can be tempting to eat at the ample comfortable options in the city, like fast food restaurants.
However, if you’re taking the time and spending the money to travel, it’s never a bad idea to get a taste of local cuisines or spend one evening as a date night at a Michelin starred restaurant.
London is a great place to do just that. The city is enormous and filled with a variety of award-winning restaurants you won’t want to pass up.
We’ve assembled a variety of some of the most high-class restaurants around London, with menus that vary from traditional British cuisines to French and even American fare.
London is even home to the only Chinese restaurant to earn a Michelin star, as well as to Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant. Each experience is unique and incredible.
Dine 28 stories up above the city and enjoy the view, or dine tucked into a dimly lit, private booth for a romantic meal. The choice is yours.
You’ll definitely have a hard time choosing where to dine during your stay in London!
The 12 Best High-Class Restaurants in London
1. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
This 3 Michelin star restaurant is run by Alain Ducasse, the most successful restauranteur in the world. This restaurant is his first in London and has earned him 3 of his 15 Michelin stars. This location is a hyper-modern 80 seat dining room with a distinctly French menu.
The menu is dedicated to craftsmanship and combines new and old techniques. While this is one of the most expensive restaurants in London at more than £100 per head, it’s an experience you can’t afford to miss.
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2. Galvin At Windows
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Galvin At Windows is a restaurant located on the Hilton’s 28th floor and offers stunning views of the cityscape. Galvin also serves French cuisine in a simple, yet attractive style. Prices at Galvin At Windows reflect both the delicious food and the fantastic views.
If you book a table at Galvin At Windows, take care which you pick; some of the tables in the middle of the dining room have poor views.
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3. Hibiscus
The two-Michelin-starred Hibiscus recently moved from Ludlow to Mayfair, bringing its winning formula with it. The restaurant focuses on Welsh ingredients, including lamb’s brain, Shropshire rose veal, and choux farci.
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4. L’atelier de Joel Robuchon
The London branch of ‘Atelier’ restaurants by Joel Robuchon has no bookings and offers some of the finest food in the world. The two-Michelin-star restaurant aims for simple foods, but the atmosphere of the dining area’s decor is incredible, featuring sweeping foliage and a central kitchen. If you sit at the bar, you can watch your food being prepared.
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5. Beast
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This steak and seafood restaurant may have a limited, set menu of USDA prime beef and Norwegian King Crab, but what it does do has critics raving. The large dining room resembles a Viking feasting hall, with enormous oaken tables and dancing candlelight.
Beast is a restaurant that targets big spenders, but its use of incredible ingredients that are perfectly and painstakingly prepared makes it one you won’t want to miss.
Just make sure to come hungry. The portions are enormous!
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6. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
This 1-Michelin star restaurant opened in February 2011 and is located on the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel in Knightsbridge. The restaurant offers a new-historical take on British recipes, and the menu includes offerings like Hay Smoked Mackerel, Meat Fruit, and Rice & Flesh.
The menu changes seasonally four times a year, but diners will always get refined British brasserie cooking.
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7. Aqua Shard
