Vivi
Reviews

Restaurants.

Every restaurant review in the Vivi archive, in alphabetical order. One critic per review. No anonymous aggregation. No star creep.

Bar Gemella interior at dusk, warm amber lighting, wine bottles behind a marble bar in Soho
soho

Bar Gemella

A small Italian wine bar on Lexington Street that takes walk-ins until nine. Three marble tables, a short list, and a cl...

££££
A whole turbot grilled over wood fire at Brat in Shoreditch, charred skin, lemon wedges
shoreditch

Brat

Tomos Parry's wood-fire restaurant on Redchurch Street is the most exciting dinner in East London. It has been, for most...

££££
A frozen-glass martini being poured tableside at Dukes Bar in St James's
st-jamess

Dukes Bar

The St James's hotel bar that Ian Fleming drank in is still the bone-cold martini benchmark in London. A two-drink limit...

££££
The open kitchen of Kiln on Brewer Street, clay pots over charcoal, counter seating in the foreground
soho

Kiln

Ben Chapman's tiny Thai counter on Brewer Street is still the best bowl of clay-pot noodles in London. Walk in at the co...

££££
The spare white dining room of Lyle's in Shoreditch, a single small plate and a wine glass on a plain wooden table
shoreditch

Lyle's

James Lowe's restaurant in the old Tea Building on Shoreditch High Street is the most precise tasting menu in London. Sh...

££££
The intimate wood-panelled dining room of Noble Rot on Lamb's Conduit Street, candles on every table
bloomsbury

Noble Rot

The original Lamb's Conduit Street wine bar remains London's best place to drink well, eat seriously and hear yourself t...

££££
A table set with colourful Ottolenghi sharing plates at Nopi in Soho, bright greens, roasted aubergine, labneh
soho

Ottolenghi Nopi

The Ottolenghi flagship on Warwick Street is still the best Middle-Eastern-tinged restaurant in Soho. Go for lunch with ...

££££
The pink-walled dining room of Quo Vadis on Dean Street with white linen and banquette seating
soho

Quo Vadis

Jeremy Lee's Soho institution on Dean Street is the best lunch in the neighbourhood. Go for the smoked eel sandwich, the...

££££
The walled garden of Rochelle Canteen at Arnold Circus, tables under plane trees
shoreditch

Rochelle Canteen

Margot Henderson's restaurant inside a converted Victorian bike shed, behind a locked green door off Arnold Circus, is s...

££££
Dimly-lit bar at Sager + Wilde on Hackney Road, wine bottles backlit on the bar shelf
hackney

Sager + Wilde

The original Hackney Road wine bar is still the best place in East London to drink a serious glass of something unexpect...

££££
A glass with a clear single ice cube and a twist of lemon peel at Satan's Whiskers in Bethnal Green
bethnal-green

Satan's Whiskers

The Cambridge Heath Road cocktail bar that changes its menu every day is still East London's best place to drink serious...

££££
The light-filled dining room of Sessions Arts Club above the old courthouse in Farringdon, a huge arched window
farringdon

Sessions Arts Club

Florence Knight's restaurant above the old courthouse on Clerkenwell Green is the most beautiful dining room in London. ...

££££
The white-walled, high-ceilinged dining room of St JOHN in Smithfield, a single black coat stand in the corner
smithfield

St JOHN

Fergus Henderson's Smithfield institution is still the benchmark for British cooking in London. Bone marrow on toast, a ...

££££
A cream-topped Irish coffee in a glass handle mug on the marble bar at Swift in Soho
soho

Swift

The upstairs cocktail bar on Old Compton Street is the best pre-dinner stop in Soho; the downstairs whisky and music roo...

££££
A silver martini trolley being stirred tableside at The Connaught Bar in Mayfair
mayfair

The Connaught Bar

Ago Perrone's martini trolley remains the most perfect cocktail service in London. Dress for it. Book a week ahead. Orde...

££££
A full English breakfast plate and a pewter tankard of stout at The Fox and Anchor near Smithfield Market
smithfield

The Fox and Anchor

The market-workers' pub next to Smithfield still does the best full English breakfast in London. Open from seven. Pewter...

££££
The narrow, photograph-covered ground-floor bar of The French House pub on Dean Street in Soho
soho

The French House

The Dean Street pub that serves beer only in half pints is still Soho's most civilised long afternoon. The upstairs dini...

££££
A white-tablecloth table at The River Cafe with a glass of wine, the Thames visible through a large window
hammersmith

The River Cafe

Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers invented something in Hammersmith in 1987 that has since travelled the world. The original res...

££££
The high-ceilinged, black-and-white marbled dining room of The Wolseley on Piccadilly
mayfair

The Wolseley

The all-day Corbin and King brasserie on Piccadilly is still the most London-ly lunch in London. Breakfast, tea, dinner;...

££££
A plate of handmade pappardelle with shin of beef ragu at Trullo in Highbury
highbury

Trullo

Tim Siadatan's Italian restaurant on St Paul's Road has been Highbury's best dinner for a decade. Handmade pasta every d...

££££