London’s chicest restaurants are rarely just about what’s on the menu.
The food matters (contrary to popular belief, fashion girls do eat), but the dining destinations that the style crowd gravitates toward all have an aesthetic of note. They don’t have to be glamorous in the most traditional sense, but they do need to have a strong visual identity and a buzzy atmosphere. During London Fashion Week, these restaurants – whether in East London or Soho – become meeting points for editors to debrief, and are where designers come to celebrate with a martini post-show. They are an unofficial extension of the schedule.
Here, we ask editors, writers, stylists and designers to share their favourite dining spots, from the big-hearted Italian restaurant in Bloomsbury to the Soho institutions that never lose their appeal.
Holly White, celebrity stylist: Suzi Tros
“Intimate, chic and with the most delicious food, Suzi Tros is a piece of Greece hidden in Notting Hill. There is nothing on the menu I don’t love – the grilled bread with tarama is heaven, and the Greek salad so fresh and delicious. Both the fish and meatballs are divine and the orange pie is a must. The couple who run it opened a new Greek restaurant in Mayfair this spring called Maza Mayfair, which I want to try.”
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Naomi Pike, Elle commissioning editor: Ciao Bella
“It’s hardly breaking news to say that London is full of fabulous, brilliant places to eat and new openings to discover, which tend to really come alive during London Fashion Week. For me, my happiest memories and most delicious meals have come late at night when my designer friends have sent their collections down the runway, read the reviews and so are able to finally take a beat and gather their collaborators and inner circle. Together, we sit down, eat, spend time together and truly take it all in. Nowhere is a better host for such an occasion than Ciao Bella on Lamb’s Conduit Street. Big plates of pasta (or Milanese for me as I don’t like pasta — I know!) come served up with equal parts excitement and exhaustion, pride and promise.”
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Virginia Norris, Virginia & Partners founder: Bistrotheque
“My favourite restaurant in London is Bistrotheque; it’s my neighbourhood go-to and an institution that is a constant in the ever changing restaurant scene of East London. I’ve been eating, drinking and dancing there since it opened in 2004, and have shared meals with friends, family and clients over the years, celebrating, commiserating and plotting life’s highs and lows. The atmosphere is always warm and friendly and I love walking up the stairs in to the main room to see familiar faces at the bar. They serve very good vegetarian food and I’ll always order the Farinata with a side of chips. The cocktails are very good, as is the wine list.”
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Ella Alexander, Citizen Femme fashion features director: Andrew Edmunds
“Andrew Edmunds is as perfect as a restaurant can get. I love everything about it – the candles that drip with wax over the wine bottles they stand in, the crisp white table cloths, the freshly baked bread and the windows that mist up in the winter. A Soho institution set in a Grade II listed 18th-century Georgian townhouse, it’s intimate and full of people who are as pleased to be there as you are. The staff tend to have worked there for years, and I’ve heard it said that Andrew Edmunds is where chefs go to die – once they join the team, they never want to leave. The seasonal menus are all handwritten (always a good sign), and change twice daily, with a focus on comforting, hearty and fuss-free Modern-European food. Andrew Edmunds could charge a fortune for its wine, but it doesn’t because the team believes that everyone should have access to quality food and drink. It is chic in a way that it knows who it is, and would never in a million years deign to follow a trend. I would move there if I could.”
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Charlie Gowans-Eglinton, journalist: St. John
“This is a bit of a cheat since it lets me pick all three of the St. John restaurants in London, each with a different menu. I’ve eaten at them with friends, alone, taken my parents there and gone with a date. Usually, I order whatever is on the specials board that day, the best thing they found at the butcher or fishmonger. The own-label house wines let me keep to a budget when I need to, which means I can eat there on more than just special occasions – although it always ends up feeling like one anyway, especially if I make time for the baked-to-order madeleines.”
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Anna Berkeley, stylist and Think Shape founder: Quo Vadis
“Quo Vadis is an institution. I love walking in there. I love the studded door and the way it discreetly opens up to go upstairs. I love the formality of it, but also the wonderful service you get – the staff are amazing. When it comes to ordering, I always go mad and tend to go for everything and pick at each plate. I especially like the fish dishes. I also really like Tower House in Richmond, and how they’ve brought the outside in with the huge windows, greenery and the beautiful riverside terrace. The menu lends itself to sharing, although the ragu is a particular favourite.”
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Frankie Graddon, journalist: The Delaunay
“One of my favourite dining spots in London is The Delaunay. I adore the old-school glamour of it all, from the beautiful building to the white table cloths and impeccable service. My favourite order is a nibble of caviar and blinis with a glass of fizz, prawn cocktail to start then the signature soufflé Suisse. Or if I’m taking the kids for lunch (the restaurant is child-friendly and has a kids’ menu), then hot dogs and fries followed by banana splits.”
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Stephanie Yeboah, author and content creator: Maai by Nikita
“I absolutely adore Maai by Nikita on Abbeville Road in Clapham Common. Every dish feels so thoughtful and meticulous, as well as full of flavour and vibrance. The atmosphere is glamorous and intimate without feeling stuffy, with a warm, lively energy that makes me want to stay there for longer than intended. I always order the brioche and lime pickle butter to start – an unconventional pairing – but it works gorgeously, alongside the Sichuan pork cheek and sesame cream as a main, and the jaffa cake and toasted almond ice cream to finish. Absolutely stunning.”
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Sophie McKay, Bar Jewellery founder: Shofoodoh at Filly Brook
“I always have intense cravings for Shofoodoh, which has an extended residency, at Filly Brook in Leytonstone. The Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is comfort food at its finest, layers of noodles and cabbage, tangy mayo, with beautifully light sake. Another favourite is the seriously moreish seasonal green salad with sesame dressing. Everything chef Fumio Tanga does is easygoing, but with really interesting flavours. The setting is part indoors and outdoors, so really casual, and it is also (helpfully) around the corner from where I live and work. Into the evening, there’s DJ sets, including sets from my incredibly talented friend DEM, which makes it even more of a favourite.”
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Tamara Abraham, Telegraph senior fashion editor: The Pelican
“The Pelican is too good to have ever been a neighbourhood secret, but it’s far enough from a tube station that Portobello-bound tourists don’t bother with it too much. It’s also the perfect low-key finale after a busy day at the shows. As evening falls it becomes a hub for attractive locals and their equally attractive dogs. The decor is elegant but informal, and the lighting is blissfully flattering. The menu is not for those with 16 kinds of intolerances, it’s the hearty, comforting stuff you want to eat when you’ve been trudging around in the rain at shows all day: salty bone marrow and sourdough, Welsh rarebit, a sausage roll. A glass of wine, a portion of chips, and some good company while people-and-outfit-watching is one of my favourite things to do.”
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Lead image: St John
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