Cool Foodies Share Their Favourite Restaurants of 2024

Café Francois: This re-interpretation of a classic is another absolute hit from the Maison Francois team, who are supremely talented. You can't possibly miss the anchovies, brioche and Café de Paris, as well as the lamb merguez flatbread, leek vinaigrette. The desserts are also an absolute masterpiece. Is anyone in London doing it better?

Cloth: There's something satisfyingly familiar about Farringdon restaurant Cloth, yet idiosyncratic at the same time. A well-executed, relatively short menu shows absolute confidence in simplicity. The wine list is also enviably well-priced. Order the fried pig's head croquette with celeriac remoulade and sauce gribiche, cod with smoked eel and the tarte tatin with calvados ice cream. 

Bao City: An unbeatable launch video for this ethereal new outpost was followed by a restaurant that is so detailed it leaves most behind. A transportative site that makes it easy to fill your boots. The prawn shia song, Taiwanese sausage and fish black bao is a good place to start. It's also bringing karaoke into a new age and doing it much better than anyone else. 

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Crispin at Studio Voltaire: I don’t often venture over to Clapham from east London but this was worth the trek. Crispin offers a unique setting with pleasingly pared-back, bistro style interiors by Jermaine Gallacher sat at the heart of artist organisation Studio Voltaire, a gallery space and home to 61 artist studios. Plus, if like me you’re already a fan of Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin then you’ll know what to expect from the kitchen. Menu must-orders include grilled cod and mussel sauce alongside chip shop style chips and homemade mayonnaise. Dessert has to be the brown butter cake with creme fraiche and rhubarb. 

Kioku By Endo At The OWO: The views from Whitehall across London at Kioku By Endo make this a special spot to dine at. On a warm day, you can eat on the terrace or go all out and opt for the chef's table. Third-generation Michelin-starred sushi master Endo Kazutoshi brings together Japanese flair and Mediterranean influences to create a standout menu. Never have I been quite as passionate about a potato salad until I ate here. Potato and seaweed salad, shiso, watercress and kombu is completely moreish. For dessert, go for the miso and soy sauce brioche with poached pears and amazake custard – it’s somehow light and not overly sweet. My recommendation, however, is to dine like a pro and indulge in the tasting menu. This is pure destination dining and it’s the perfect way to explore what Endo has to offer. 

Bruno in Victoria Park: This bottle shop and wine bar by the people behind Sager and Wilde has plenty of natural and interesting wines to sample in an intimate candlelit setting. There are also exciting chef residencies on rotation. 

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Agora: This is my favourite Greek restaurant in London. I love the buzzy atmosphere and open kitchen. Every single dish is phenomenal (expect lots of small plates) and perfect for sharing. Go with a friend and order as much as you can, especially the flatbreads and dips. 

The Hero: This is the new sister restaurant to Notting Hill’s The Pelican, housed inside a beautifully restored building in Maida Vale. Downstairs there’s a cosy pub, and upstairs a more formal restaurant: expect hearty pub grub done really well. It’s an excellent pub on a street otherwise devoid of good food spots. Make sure to order the cheese and onion pie. 

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La Maison Ani: I am always on the hunt for a good breakfast in London, ideally with some equally appealing interiors. La Maison Ani is my current favourite. I am working my way through its eggs section, which includes all the usual suspects, as well as more glamorous options such as oeufs brouillés à la truffe (truffle scrambled eggs with truffle with toasted baguette) and oeufs neptune (similar to eggs royale except that the salmon is upgraded to lobster). The shakshuka is excellent and they make a very good omelette too.

Julie’s: The restaurant famed for attracting the most glamorous of the glitterati from royals to rock stars reopened in Notting Hill earlier this year. The interiors feel somewhere between a members’ club and an eclectic home, plush and chocolatey with that perfect soft lighting that makes everyone look and feel ten times sexier. It feels like a slice of Paris in London. I fell in love with a dish of pea panisse that came adorned with pea shoots and Cornish gouda. The food is joyous – as is the service – and it’s perfect for a date night or just a good lunch. 

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Crispin at Studio Voltaire: As a south Londoner, I was delighted when the team behind much lauded Shoreditch restaurant, Bistro Freddie, opened this at an arts centre in Clapham. Expect a clean and contemporary space which lets vivid flavours do the talking – such as confit tomatoes, almond cream, pickled wild garlic, fennel, and charred leeks with herb yoghurt and salsa verde, not to mention stellar chips served with mayo. Don't leave without having a slice of brown butter cake.

Sol's: I am biased here, because this is the restaurant I helped launch this year, and the reason I've not been to so many openings as usual in 2024. What started as a wine bar and deli designed by Gabriel Chipperfield – with a handsome long central oak table, travertine floor and Portuguese tiles – evolved into a seasonal, Iberian-inspired all-day eatery with chef Harry Farrow at the helm. Right now, expect the likes of hake with olive oil mash and anchovy, or pumpkin with coco beans and taleggio. Sol's has put a sleepy street in Bayswater firmly on the map, and there's a banging wine list to boot, if I do say so myself.

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