London is one of the world’s fine-dining powerhouses. The city’s deep well of culinary influences—and a cavalcade of top chefs—propel it to the upper limits of gastronomy. From MICHELIN-starred gems to innovative places championing sustainability, romance-filled date night destinations and fancy hotspots with spectacular settings, the best fine dining restaurants in London promise an unforgettable time.
An Italian stalwart in Mayfair takes family-style dining to new heights—and has a MICHELIN star to prove it. A tasting menu-only institution in Notting Hill doubles as a launching pad for many successful city chefs. In Soho, a revered hotel restaurant turns out exquisite modern renditions of French gastronomic fare.
London has no shortage of formal restaurants to suit up for, but these places rise above the rest. Read on for a guide to the 14 best fine dining restaurants in London for a dazzling dinner to remember and book your table OpenTable now.
The best fine dining restaurants in London to book for a stellar meal out – read on for a guide
For one of the best fine dining restaurants in London from a celebrity chef – visit Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay in Covent Garden
This stunning MICHELIN-starred restaurant by Gordon Ramsay‘s team blends French fine dining with smooth service. The experience unfurls in a gilded dining room in the heart of the iconic Savoy Hotel. Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay is a tribute to chef and restaurateur Georges Auguste Escoffier, who took the helm of the hotel’s kitchen in 1890. These days, executive head chef James Sharp combines seasonal ingredients with classical techniques. The results are gorgeous, celebratory dishes such as Cornish red chicken with pomme Dauphine and Albufera sauce and confit yolk with smoked sardines and white beetroot.
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For one of the best Italian restaurants in London – book at Locanda Locatelli in Mayfair
Locanda Locatelli is widely regarded as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. There are plenty of reasons why spouse team Giorgio and Plaxy Locatelli’s flagship has retained its MICHELIN star every year since it was first awarded in 2003. The restaurant’s ethos is based on “la convivialità” (the spirit of conviviality), giving meals here a family-style vibe. The antipasti menu is full of simply prepared faithfuls, such as burrata, seabream carpaccio, and artichokes salad. But it’s the fresh pasta that blows diners away. Gnocchi and housemade spaghetti are topped with luscious seasonal sauces. The mango, passion fruit and vanilla soufflé dessert served with white chocolate ice cream is a masterclass in precision.
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For one of the best Chinese restaurants in London – don’t miss Hakkasan in Fitzrovia and Mayfair
Founder Alan Yau’s stylish Chinese restaurant created ripples in the capital when the original Hanway Place outpost opened in 2001 in Fitzrovia, and then Mayfair. Hakkasan’s refined Chinese dishes, sleek interiors, and inventive cocktails have since transformed it into a global nightlife brand. Expect a menu of Cantonese heavyweights featuring crispy roast Peking duck with Beluga caviar, delicate dim sum, and charcoal-grilled wagyu beef with sake and black truffle honey sauce. Savour them while sipping playful cocktails such as The Hakka, a blend of vodka, sake, lychee, lime, coconut, and passionfruit bitters.
📍 Fitzrovia — Check availability
📍 Mayfair — Check availability
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For a new 3 MICHELIN stars restaurant – book a table at The Ledbury in Notting Hill
Steered by chef Brett Graham, The Ledbury reclaimed its two MICHELIN stars in March 2023 after losing them due to closing during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was awarded 3 stars in 2024, becoming one of the six London restaurants to hold the most prestigious culinary award. This modern European institution also served as a springboard for the successful careers of many chefs in the capital, including Isaac McHale of MICHELIN-starred The Clove Club and chef Sally Abe, who ran the UK’s first MICHELIN-starred pub, Harwood Arms. A 2022 refurb brought reimagined interiors, featuring marble and wood accents and a unique mycelium wall (chef Graham is known for being obsessed with mushrooms). Deer are raised on the restaurant’s estate, and game often plays a starring role on the innovative and ever-changing tasting menu.
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For one of the best fine dining restaurants in London with spectacular dishes – try Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Knightsbridge
Get ready for chef Heston Blumenthal’s whimsical take on molecular gastronomy at his MICHELIN-starred Knightsbridge marvel Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Expect surreal and iconic dishes such as meat fruit (a vibrant chicken liver parfait shaped like an orange) and sherried scallop tartare with cauliflower cream. Feast on it all in a sleek, grey-toned dining room at the Mandarin Oriental. Groups of four to six should splurge for the chef’s table for a bespoke meal and a closeup of the thrumming open kitchen. Larger parties can book a private velvet-clad dining room, suitable for up to 12.
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For one of the best Indian restaurants in London with a MICHELIN star – visit Benares in Mayfair
MICHELIN-starred Benares is a flagbearer for modern haute cuisine. The subterranean space feels refined yet relaxed and makes an ideal backdrop to explore chef Sameer Taneja’s playful India-inspired menu. The food here pairs traditional South Asian ingredients with cutting-edge techniques, such as oyster and cured sea-bream chaat and tandoori Ratan platter featuring chicken tikka, king prawns and lamb seekh kebab. Get the tasting menu for the ultimate subcontinental odyssey.
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For one of the best French fine dining restaurants in London – book at La Dame de Pic in Tower Hill
Acclaimed chef Anne-Sophie Pic offers her inimitable take on French cooking at this Tower Hill trailblazer. Pic is known for evolving menus that bend European haute cuisine rules. Her lunch menu features creations such as pork loin with black miso served with cured belly tartelette and Cornish monkfish cooked over embers and served with coastal succulents. Opt for the six- or eight-course evening tasting menu to explore more of La Dame de Pic’s genre-defying dishes.
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For a culinary journey across California – book a table at SOLA SOHO in Soho
Californian sunshine comes to London at chef Victor Garvey’s elegant neighbourhood gem. SOLA SOHO’s plant-filled dining room evokes the natural beauty of the Pacific West Coast. Bright Californian flavours mirror the space with a tasting menu of colourful dishes such as oyster bake with caviar, crab cakes, hazelnut dumplings and langoustine served alongside seasonal flowers and vegetables. Enjoy them with your own wine (for a corkage fee) or one of the American-sourced vintages from an extensive list.
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For a dazzling theatrical show – don’t miss Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden
The menu at Adam Handling’s Theatreland restaurant is a sophisticated ode to seasonal and local cuisine. Frog by Adam Handling’s interiors, all plaid and leather, are adorned with illustrated maps that show the provenance of its ingredients and underscore the MICHELIN-starred restaurant’s commitment to transparency. Begin your evening downstairs at the Eve Bar for a pre-dinner drink before tucking into Balmoral quail with herbs and garlic or wagyu beef with morel, and black truffle. A stellar vegetarian menu features celeriac, with hazelnut and curds and turnip with artichoke and black garlic, an absolute must-try.
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For a 3-star dining experience – book a table at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in Mayfair
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester’s flagship restaurant has held three MICHELIN stars since 2010 and boldly challenges French cooking conventions. Chef and patron Jean-Philippe Blondet serves imaginative dishes such as lobster, artichoke, shiso and Périgord truffle or asparagus from Provence with kumquat and milk, plus unexpected sweet treats including apple and cider with smoked raw cream and sweet clover sorbet. Add a light and airy dining room with striking green accents, and you’ve got a fine dining experience to remember.
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For one of the best fine dining restaurants in London with spectacular interiors – try Claude Bosi at Bibendum in South Kensington
With its stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings, the opulent MICHELIN house is an ideal setting to enjoy Claude Bosi’s haute cuisine—it’s no surprise the restaurant regularly features on lists of London’s most attractive dining rooms. Check out the ground-floor oyster bar, then step into Bosi’s swanky MICHELIN-starred restaurant Claude Bosi at Bibendum. Expect a menu of three, five, or seven courses featuring tastes of the season. Indulge in the signature Bibendum egg, an umami-rich mushroom duxelles with coconut foam and curry powder, before digging into prawns with toasted rice consommé and crème fraîche and pigeon with tamarind sauce and satay.
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For one of the best fine dining restaurants in London with a modern twist – visit CORE by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill
Chef Clare Smyth was part of the team that led Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to bag three MICHELIN stars in 2001. She brings that signature firepower to the seasonal British menu at CORE by Clare Smyth, one of her solo ventures. The restaurant is a rustic-chic space that keeps regulars returning for its homely atmosphere and joyful—yet technically sound—food. Cases in point: creamy scallop tartare and chicken, cockles, clams and caviar. Get a group of 10 together to sit at the chef’s table for unparalleled views of Smyth’s open kitchen.
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For one of the best hotel restaurants in London – visit Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal in Piccadilly
Acclaimed chef Alex Dilling started his career at Alain Ducasse’s Adour in New York before moving to Caviar Russe, where he became known for his creative uses of caviar. His first standalone London restaurant, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, opened in Autumn 2022 and was awarded two MICHELIN stars. A hushed temple to French classics with just 34 seats, the chef’s eponymous restaurant is an intimate dining affair. Dilling’s elegant tasting menu changes often but could include Iberico, black pudding and foie gras pâté, wild turbot bouillabaisse with rouille and a magnificent baked Mont D’Or cheese served tableside with confit potato and sausage.
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For MICHELIN-starred dishes with a private sommelier – book at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in Mayfair
Hélène Darroze’s three MICHELIN-starred restaurant spotlights seasonal produce sourced from the farmers, makers, and growers with whom she has cultivated relationships. At Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, each picturesque small plate features a star ingredient, prepared with a variety of accompaniments. Onion is presented with Ibérico lomo (pork loin) and thyme, and skate comes with asparagus, clams, and seaweed. The dining room’s muted tones and yellow accents provide a sleek backdrop for Darroze’s refined dishes. For a one-of-a-kind meal, book the chef’s table experience: Diners are seated at a pink marble table overlooking the kitchen while a bespoke seven-course menu is prepared before their eyes.
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Shekha Vyas is a London-based reporter, writing about business, lifestyle, and food. Follow her on Instagram at @shekhav or on TikTok at @tastingbritain.
