There are two outposts of this contemporary French bakery in London; Covent Garden and Mayfair, where both interiors and bakes are aesthetically designed. Try the signature honey butter toast—warm, crunchy and fiendishly fluffy all at once. The French classics are exquisite (we’ve never seen lamination like it) or try one of the more adventurous creations which combine French methodologies with Asian ingredients, such as the mouthwatering miso bacon “escargot.”

There are two outposts of this contemporary French bakery in London; Covent Garden and Mayfair, where both interiors and bakes are aesthetically designed. Try the signature honey butter toast—warm, crunchy and fiendishly fluffy all at once. The French classics are exquisite (we’ve never seen lamination like it) or try one of the more adventurous creations which combine French methodologies with Asian ingredients, such as the mouthwatering miso bacon “escargot.”

Simple, cozy and well-located around central and south east London, Bancone offers sleek, modern interiors and award-winning pasta at exceptional value. All the pasta is freshly made; the signature “silk handkerchiefs” with creamy walnut butter and confit egg yolk are sublime, and there’s a good choice of fresh antipasti and elegant desserts too. Additional outposts can be found in Covent Garden and Golden Square.

Simple, cozy and well-located around central and south east London, Bancone offers sleek, modern interiors and award-winning pasta at exceptional value. All the pasta is freshly made; the signature “silk handkerchiefs” with creamy walnut butter and confit egg yolk are sublime, and there’s a good choice of fresh antipasti and elegant desserts too. Additional outposts can be found in Borough Yards and Golden Square.

Simple, cozy and well-located around central and south east London, Bancone offers sleek, modern interiors and award-winning pasta at exceptional value. All the pasta is freshly made; the signature “silk handkerchiefs” with creamy walnut butter and confit egg yolk are sublime, and there’s a good choice of fresh antipasti and elegant desserts too. Additional outposts can be found in Borough Yards and Covent Garden.

Starting near Tower Bridge, The Bermondsey Beer Mile is a favorite weekend activity amongst beer-loving Londoners. The idea is that you start at one end of this two mile (ish) stretch and work your way to the other, popping into the multitude of railway arches and industrial units that house more than fifteen craft breweries and taprooms, and even two gin distilleries, along the way. It’s a fun way to enjoy delicious drinks and meet those who make them. Start at the Fourpure Brewery Taproom and set off from there.

The original Blacklock in Soho was an instant hit with its excellent chops and creative cocktails, and they've now opened in the City. Indagare Review

A delicious Italian eatery in Mayfair is a great spot for lunch or an elegant family dinner or a fun night out with friends. The bi-level restaurant has an upstairs, farmhouse style room that is more sedate than the buzzy downstairs room with an open kitchen. The menu features delicious Italian classics like freshmade pasta and enormous thin crust pizzas as well as more substantial entrees such as osso bucco and grilled fish. The atmosphere is glamorous but casual. It is open for breakfast as well and offers 'bottomless pizza' brunches on weekends.

The grand Beaux Arts/Art Deco interiors by David Collins make this all-day brasserie worth visiting. The huge restaurant, a tamer British version of Paris’s La Coupole, is usually packed with a slightly touristy, less dressy clientele. Night owls can enjoy cabaret at the cozy white, black and red Crazy Coqs cabaret and jazz venue.

For weekday lunch, this classic Mayfair restaurant is delicious fun. Redesigned by Soho House’s Ilse Crawford, the modern, airy eatery with a Venetian feel is just off New Bond Street, ideal for a shopping break. The dining room, with a black-and-white tile floor and green chairs, is at its busiest during the week. Try the cichetti (Italian-style tapas) or the lobster spaghetti.

Restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the duo behind the Wolseley, Delaunay and Brasserie Zedel took over the space of Oriel, a tired café that still drew a following for its central location. The casual, brasserie–style Colbert is in the same vein as Paris’s Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, with all-day dining from breakfast until late.

Start your day in the city with a chic yet wholesome slice of the countryside. Daylesford’s aesthetically pleasing organic farm shop-cum-cafés offer delicious and nutritious breakfast menus filled with ingredients fresh from the farm, plus housemade artisan bread, preserves and freshly pressed juices. Additional locations can be found at Brompton Cross, Marylebone and Pimlico

Lady Carole Bamford’s eye for detail wins again at Daylesford’s Pimlico setting. The gleaming white marble interior and handmade willow staircase are exquisite, as is the shop’s selection of cheeses (especially the cheddar). After antiquing on the Pimlico Road (don’t miss Gordon Watson’s shop at No. 28), stop here for a cappuccino and a slice of apple, chestnut or pecan pie. There are additional locations in Notting Hill and Marlebone.

Joining its growing collection of ever-popular restaurants dotted across the capital, Dishoom recently opened its latest “retro futuristic” home at the new Battersea Power Station development. As per its other sites, expect eye catching, characterful interiors, a relaxed, playful approach and utterly delicious authentic, modern Indian food. The famous bacon naan roll is perfect fuel for a day exploring the iconic and architecturally impressive Power Station, which is home to a plethora of premium shops, boutique cinema and new attraction, Lift 109, which offers stunning views of London’s skyline.

This small Soho spot gets high marks for its natural wines; homespun, relaxed European approach; and delicious, often-changing menu (the menu is posted on Ducksoup’s website daily).

With six locations dotted around London (as well as Stockholm and New York), Fabrique is the spot for fika—the Swedish ritual of taking time to pause and enjoy a snack. This Scandi-chic bakery’s buns are served warm and squishy—the cinnamon is a favorite, but the cardamom and almond versions are dangerously delicious too. There are other tempting pastries on offer, as well as fantastic bread and good coffee. Head for its original bakery in Hoxton, set in a railway arch on a pretty cobblestoned street next to the overground station.

Known for its innovative food, carefully sourced ingredients and playful style, the breakfast menu at London hotspot, Fallow, is hard to beat. It is famous for its indulgent, Fallow-branded “royale with cheese” croissant roll and the “No Avo on sourdough,” which is instead topped with crushed English peas, smoked curds, coriander and walnut dukkah.

Fitou's has become a neighborhood fixture in this corner of northwest London. If you're in the area, it's an excellent, easy spot for authentic Thai.

Just minutes from the British Museum, this iconic bakery serves up a vast counter of hand-baked sourdough bread, cakes and artisan pastries every day of the week. The queue usually snakes down the quaint cobbled street, but the cream-filled beignets—one of London’s foodie must-tries—are well worth the wait.

The Hackney outpost of London’s beloved pizza joint, Franco Manca, is their sixth and most inviting restaurant, and the dominant eatery on a trendy street lined with drinking and dining options. Every evening, you’ll find a queue of local creatives and young families eagerly awaiting a seat. Pizzas have a crisp, textured sourdough base slapped with Italian-grown tomatoes and top-notch cheeses and cured meats. Organic red wine and locally brewed beer run freely, service is frenetic and unashamedly Neapolitan, and the functional dining space is reliably buzzy. This is the perfect spot for some comforting carbs before heading to the excellent gastropub Cat & Mutton on the corner, or Off Broadway opposite for innovative cocktails.

Popular with the Notting Hill ‘yummy mummies,’ this sunny spot makes a great breakfast and is a nice place to stop for a coffee. There are four other outposts in Marylebone, Chelsea and beyond as well.

Hide by Ollie Dabbous comprises a bar, a bakery and a fine-dining restaurant, each occupying a different floor in the three-story building and named appropriately, Below, Ground and Above, respectively.

Housed in a nearly 300-year-old building, this lush restaurant remains one of the hottest places to see and be seen, in part thanks to the romantic green garden out back with trailing wisteria and climbing roses. The extensive all-day menu features classic English treats like toasted crumpets as well as such international fare as tuna Carpaccio with spiced avocado, crème fraîche and coriander shoots. Don’t skip the crowd-pleasing chocolate bombe—a sinful sphere of chocolate which, when doused with warm salted caramel sauce, melts to reveal a core of milk foam, vanilla ice cream and honeycomb. Reservations recommended.

J. Sheekey in Covent Garden has been a British institution since 1896 when it first started catering to the after-theater crowd. It regained glamour when it was taken over by the owners of the Ivy more than a decade ago. Today, you'll find four clubby, interconnecting rooms decorated with black and white photos and a 30-seat horseshoe bar with classic mirrors and zinc countertops. The effect recreates the authentic Old World oyster bar that Joseph Sheekey first ran and is so convincingly done, you may expect ladies in white gloves and men in bowler hats to appear at the table or barstool next to you.

Tucked between Islington and Hackney, Newington Green is known for its laid back village feel. Here, relaxed neighborhood restaurant and bakery Jolene dishes up a daily changing blackboard menu of delicious small plates designed to be shared—think fresh pasta, crisp salads, cod’s roe and crudités, etc, all carefully crafted from sustainably sourced ingredients. Wines are natural, candlelight adds instant romance and the desserts are exceptional.

Indagare reviews Le Colombier brasserie in Chelsea, London—the perfect place for a cozy yet sophisticated, classic French meal in a lovely area of the city.

Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes created Lisboeta as a “love letter” to Lisbon. Set across three floors of a picturesque townhouse on Charlotte Street, this fun, lively spot serves an array of freshly made small plates designed to share, alongside larger tachos and travessas, all teeming with freshness and flavor. Conveniently, the British Museum is just moments away.

Not open for lunch on Mondays.