I’m a food writer and these 10 London restaurants are must-visits in 2025

We’re inactive slogging our mode done January 2025, but the upside of this agelong archetypal period is you’ve got an full twelvemonth up of you to devour and drink your mode astir London.

And if your New Year’s solution was to observe much of the city’s champion restaurants, cafes and bars, past I’m present to assistance you execute your goals.

As Metro’s specialist nutrient writer, I’ve visited immoderate of London’s astir spectacular eateries – from marque caller spots to little-known gems – and I’ve got immoderate cracking recommendations for what to devour successful 2025 arsenic a result.

So here’s a look astatine immoderate of the tastiest things I’ve eaten over the past year, from the best pizza successful the world, to exquisite meal pastries, and the astir unforgettable cocktails, and the places that created them…

Best pasta 

If, similar me, your Instagram provender mostly features food, it’s apt Bancone has made an quality erstwhile oregon twice. The Bib Gourmand restaurant, which present has 3 locations successful London (Covent Garden, Golden Square and Borough Yards), went viral successful 2024 for its delicious pasta, with prices starting astatine conscionable £9.50. 

While I’m not ever 1 to autumn for societal media frenzy, I person to admit this is 1 spot that’s worthy each the hype. I visited with friends successful September and we divided 3 antithetic dishes; the celebrated silk handkerchiefs, cacio e pepe, and the roasted herb and smoked stracciatella gnocchi.

The handkerchiefs, served with walnut butter, confit ovum yolk and plentifulness of Parmesan, was the standout, with a cleanable runny yolk and silky, buttery pasta. It was a 10/10 crockery that I could easy devour each azygous day, and for £11 it’s a bargain.

The lone existent downside to Bancone is its popularity, which makes getting a array beauteous tricky. If you privation to bushed the queues, hop connected the Northern Line and caput to Kennington. In the bosom of the country you’ll find The Triangle which is location to Didi & Franc, a tiny food and vino store that transforms into a edifice successful the evening. The pasta paper is small, and changes seasonally, truthful you ne'er rather cognize what you’ll beryllium getting but I tin committedness you that you’ll ne'er beryllium disappointed.

If the cacio e pepe is connected the menu, ORDER IT, spot me. And the basque cheesecake is besides a must. Wash the full happening down with a solid of vino – the enactment present is genuinely special.

Website: www.bancone.co.uk/

Best burger 

As idiosyncratic who spends a batch of clip trying the latest fast nutrient launches, you’d deliberation I’d beryllium sick of burgers, but it seems I conscionable can’t assistance myself. While I’m a large instrumentality of Popeyes’ celebrated chickenhearted sandwich, erstwhile it comes to beef burgers this twelvemonth I became a sucker for Supernova successful Soho, which is serving up LA-style smash burgers. 

They mightiness beryllium a spot of a fad, but I’m afloat connected committee with the smash burger conception and honestly similar them to a modular one. 

Personally, I deliberation Supernova’s location cheeseburger is excellent, particularly erstwhile paired with the fractional and fractional (a portion that’s fractional iced tea, fractional lemonade). It’s nether a tenner, combines a fig of textures successful an absorbing way, and is everything you’d privation from accelerated food, but elevated to the max – what’s not to love? 

Website: www.supernovaburger.com/

Best hidden gem 

Stoke Newington is simply a trek for those southbound of the river, but spot me, TA-KO is worthy the journey. Dinner astatine this Asian-inspired taco associated indispensable beryllium started with a cocktail – I urge the Jalapeno Spicy Marg, which is the spicy marg to extremity each spicy margs. 

Next bid the veggie tacos – sublime char siu jackfruit is conscionable similar eating pulled pork, but my favourite had crispy cauliflower with achromatic legume and tamarind ragu, avocado and capsicum mayo, it has such a bully crunch. 

An bid of tortilla chips with achromatic bean, miso and sesame dip is simply a must, on with the ‘MSG’ Fries. (Spoiler: They’re not really made with MSG, but done immoderate culinary wizardry, TA-KO has recreated the addictive sensation down to a T. And don’t adjacent get maine started connected the team’s blackberry sriracha, it’s divine. If they bottled that worldly and sold it, they’d marque a killing.)

Delicious drinks, game-changing food, and everything is gluten-free. 

Website: www.ta-ko.uk/ 

Best pizza 

You’d beryllium forgiven for reasoning that Europe’s champion pizza would beryllium recovered successful Italy, determination similar Rome oregon Naples. Luckily for us, it happens to beryllium close present successful London. Napoli connected the Road, which has restaurants successful Chiswick and Richmond, was precocious crowned the best pizzeria successful Europe successful the 50 Top Pizza Awards 2024. If that wasn’t enough, proprietor Michele Pascarella, a cook from Naples who has been making pizza since helium was 11 years old, was crowned the champion pizza cook successful the satellite astatine the astir caller World 50 Top Pizza Awards.

So is Michele’s pizza truly the crème de la crème? Simply put, yes.

Alongside classics and an ever-changing specials menu, the prima of the amusement is The Cheesewick (a play connected Chiswick), which is topped with Buffalo ricotta, fior di latte, buffalo stracciatella, crisp Parmesan chips, adust bluish Stilton, and tangy piennolo cherry herb jam. It’s fundamentally a very fancy 5 food pizza (don’t expect to find immoderate cheddar here). No wonderment Michele has been winning specified prestigious titles left, right, and centre. It truly is that good. 

Website: www.napoliontheroad.co.uk/

Best pastries

In the summertime I was fortunate capable to go down the scenes astatine Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley to find retired however the ‘god of pastry’ makes his marvellous creations, and it was casual to spot wherever the nickname came from.

While the £8 croissant was dreamy, with perfectly defined, flaky layers connected the extracurricular giving mode to a rich, buttery inside, it was the £23 peach Trompe L’Oeil that truly blew maine away.

I excessively initially balked astatine the terms tag — it’s much than I’d usually wage for a precocious extremity lipstick, fto unsocial a barroom — but aft discovering the sheer measurement of enactment that goes into making conscionable 1 of them, it’s overmuch easier to swallow the cost. The delightful sensation helps arsenic well. It’s delicious.

Despite being crammed afloat of filling, the Peach is incredibly light, with a swift tartness from the citrus to equilibrium retired the sweetness of the remainder of it.

There’s thing ‘naughty’ astir this dessert, nary gooey caramel oregon dense cream, it’s a antithetic benignant of indulgence altogether from what I’m utilized to. It’s luxurious and truthful beauteous to look astatine — this is without a uncertainty the pastry equivalent of a Michelin prima meal.

The acquisition wide is simply a small bewildering — logically I knew I was consuming immoderate benignant of pudding, but it had specified a caller and fruity sensation that it astir felt healthy.

It’s not thing I’d crave arsenic a prime maine up for a sweetener rush, oregon a saccharine I’d opt for arsenic a midnight snack, but for a peculiar occasion, this is precisely the benignant of happening I’d privation to dainty myself to.

Essentially, if you’re a spot of a basal b*tch similar me, devour 1 of these and you’ll instantly consciousness fancy AF. 

Website: www.the-berkeley.co.uk/restaurants-bars/cedric-grolet-at-the-berkeley/

Best drinks

If you’re going for drinks and privation to truly wow idiosyncratic by taking them to a chill spot with cocktails dissimilar thing you’ve ever tasted before, spell to Bar Kinky astatine 43 Charlotte Street. 

The bar, which is downstairs from Georgian restaurant, Kinkally, looks a spot similar the wrong of a spaceship, with sleek stainless alloy wrapped each the mode astir it and sultry temper lighting.

The champion spot successful the location is astatine the elephantine marble bar, truthful you tin ticker up adjacent arsenic unit hole the originative drinks – immoderate of which were brewed for 10+ hours. It’s a spot similar a chef’s array experience, but for booze. 

The paper changes each fewer weeks, truthful it’s a large spot to spell backmost to again and again arsenic you’ll ever beryllium capable to effort thing caller and exciting. Current highlights connected the paper see Light which is simply a twist connected a spicy marg and features coconut tequila, jalapeno Padron, tarragon and Irish Cream. There’s besides the Diva made with East London Vodka, beetroot, walnut and bluish cheese, and Bestie which combines gin, mango, curry, vermouth and brine.

And the champion portion is, the prices are beauteous tenable for a London cocktail bar, truthful you tin bask a mates of unsocial drinks without breaking the bank.

Website: www.kinkally.co.uk/

Best buns

Shoreditch is often touted arsenic 1 of the coolest parts of London, truthful it doesn’t astonishment maine that Bun House has chosen the country for its latest foodie venture. The iconic edifice successful Chinatown has launched a caller spot called Bun House Disco, which serves up each the celebrated fluffy bao buns (with a caller signature achromatic sesame flavour), arsenic good arsenic originative tiny plates and tasty cocktails with a twist – the Rose & Jasmine Spritz is similar turkish delight successful liquid form. There are neon lights, tons of heavy cherry reddish hues, colourful Chinese lanterns, and 1 ample disco shot that sparkles successful the country – it’s a existent vibe.

For food, the Aubergine with Gwaiwei condiment is hands down the tastiest happening connected the menu, speech from the buns, which I support are the champion you tin get successful London. The Sichaun Pepper Cabbagge is simply a large option, but skip the Mala Tater Tots – they don’t truly adhd thing peculiar to the meal.

If you sojourn implicit the festive period, beryllium definite to decorativeness disconnected with the Sticky Toffee Snowman Bun. It’s truthful cute that it astir feels incorrect to decapitate it to tuck in, but it’s decidedly an lawsuit wherever it’s truthful wrong, it’s right. The gooey instrumentality toffee filling makes conscionable arsenic overmuch messiness arsenic the fashionable custard buns (maybe more) and it’s ohio truthful indulgent.

Website: www.bun.house/

What was your favourite crockery of 2024? Share your tastiest memories successful the comments belowComment Now

Best dessert 

Anyone who knows maine volition cognize that I person a large saccharine tooth, and can’t defy cake, cookies, oregon chocolate, but I’ve added a marque caller C-word to the line-up this year: Crullers. 

I stumbled across Cardabelle astatine the Duck Pond marketplace successful Richmond and haven’t been capable to halt reasoning astir them ever since. 

For those who haven’t had the joyousness of trying one, a French cruller is simply a spot similar a ringing doughnut, lone it’s made with choux pastry, meaning it’s a batch lighter. Cardabelle past takes the pastry and elevates it with assorted glazes, toppings and fillings – everything from cocoa to crème brûlée and pistachio. 

The chromatic and brownish food (£4.20) is simply a classical and the perfectly cleanable prime to commencement disconnected with if you’re getting 1 for the archetypal time, but my all-time favourite has to beryllium the doubly baked almond cruller, which is simply a batch similar an almond croissant. So truthful so good.

And if you hap to beryllium successful Richmond, it’s besides worthy paying a sojourn to Gelateria Danieli’s connected Brewers Lane, wherever you’ll find the astir unreal blistery cocoa (£4).

It’s truthful affluent and heavy capable you tin devour it with a spoon. Remember the cocoa pudding with cocoa custard we utilized to beryllium served successful schoolhouse – it tastes similar that custard, lone 10000% better.

You tin adhd toppings similar cinnamon if you want, but it honestly doesn’t request thing else. 

Website: www.cardabelle-cruller-london.com/

This nonfiction was archetypal published January 1, 2025.

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