Best Fine Dining in Limehouse Basin

"Perhaps the most Instagrammable restaurant in London, Sketch boasts distinctive powder-pink interiors set in an 18th-century Mayfair townhouse. The Wes Anderson-esque space, the work of Paris-based interior designer India Mahdavi, comprises pink walls and matching scalloped, pink-velvet booths, completed by artworks courtesy of David Shrigley, who also designed the restaurant’s flatware. The food is equally well-designed, described by the restaurant as “site-specific sculptural works."

"I don’t think I know anyone who has been to Sketch and not ‘grammed a pic, so it’s no shock that this is one of the best places to take photos in London. Every detail at Sketch has been thought through, so make sure you capture some of them. Of course, you can take a photo in the egg/space ship bathroom, but it’s been done before!"

"Giving new meaning to the term 'theatrical dining', Sketch is taking guests on a culinary experience from start to finish. Take a seat in one of the West End restaurant's Wes Anderson-esque rooms and tuck into a luxurious breakfast, afternoon tea or three Michelin-starred meal."

"It's part of London's vast culinary mythology, and it feels a bit like stepping back in time to Covent Garden's theatrical heyday. J Sheekey offers a cornucopia of the city's freshest seafood in a darkly lit, brass embellished ambience which is perfect for highbrow romancing or laid back business dealings. Start with scallops in a halfshell with garlic and chilli for £17.50, and move on to a grilled Dover sole with bearnaise for £39.50."

"One of London's properly iconic restaurants, Sheeky's have been serving up seafood to Londoners for over 100 years. The setting, tucked in an unassuming passageway linking Charing Cross Road to St Martin's Lane, means it's always been popular with London's theatre folk, popping in here post-performance as well as other A-listers. Here's where you'll find local thespians enjoying the restaurant's classic fish pie and oyster platters."

"If it’s enduring love you’re looking for, J Sheekey’s passion for prime seafood has burned for more than 100 years. The West End restaurant has hosted many a star of nearby stages over the last century, and images of some of those famous faces line the walls. The Champagne bar makes a glamorous spot for two to linger, accompanied by shellfish aplenty and J Sheekey’s famous selection of oysters."

"Heston Blumenthal’s (really, head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts’) shrine to historically-inspired British cuisine continues to impress, holding two Michelin stars and one of six London restaurants placed on the World’s 50 Best’s counter-intuitive top 120, because it serves precise and innovative food with élan. Exquisite chicken liver parfait “Meat Fruit” is an essential order for the table. From there, each dish is dated and rooted to food from centuries ago."

"Not only are you getting a mind-blowing scientific experience at quirky Heston’s, but you’ll also be wowed with a British food history lesson, through a menu that explores the origins of the UK’s classic dishes. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal66 KnightsbridgeLondon SW1X 7LAVisit website: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. And just because, here’s a load more iconic London restaurants with well known chefs at the helm:"

"Heston Blumenthal's two Michelin-starred restaurant in Knightsbridge has one of the most beautiful terraces in town. Overlooking Hyde Park, you can enjoy signature dishes like the Meat Fruit or Tipsy Cake and - if you're very lucky - catch the Household Cavalry trotting past on their way to the Changing of the Guard."

"Restaurants British King’s Road. Given its name, you’d expect this horticulturally themed venue to tick all the alfresco boxes, and the Ivy’s terrace doesn’t disappoint. By day, its leafy trellises, bloom-filled terracotta pots, water feature and velvet chairs will put you in an off-duty mood faster than you can order an Ivy Garden Royale; at night, fire pits, roaring hearths and lap blankets keep diners toasty and the vibe as chic as can be."

"An Instagrammer's dream spot (and popular with the Made in Chelsea crew too) the Ivy Group brought in an award-winning designer to create the space at their King's Road restaurant. There's a covered upper terrace and a cosy firepit when the weather's not all that, but really it's just an evergreen dream out here."

"The Ivy Chelsea Garden dazzles a chic crowd of diners with its venue, light-filled space on King's Road with an orangery and leafy garden terrace in the back ideal for warmer-weath..."

"It may be a lesser known spot, but Chinese restaurant Min Jiang – perched on the tenth floor of the Royal Garden Hotel – boasts one of the best views in London. A hidden gem overlooking the picturesque Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang is renowned for its impeccable service, as well as its picture-perfect vista. Go for the house duck: a whole Beijing duck served two ways, the first with homemade pancakes, and the second a dish of your choice – fried rice, with diced or minced duck and a lettuce wrap."

"If you're used to dining in grand, hotel-based Chinese restaurants in Asia, you'll feel right at home in Min Jiang, located on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel. Service is slightly formal and clipped, the lighting a touch (only a touch) too bright, but the food – the main event – is sublime. The star dish is wood-fired Beijing duck in two servings, the second with a choice of four types of preparation."

"Chinese restaurant Min Jiang is placed in the centre of fashionable Kensington on the tenth floor of the Royal Garden Hotel. The dining room has stunning views over Kensington Gardens, offering a rare panoramic landscape of luscious green canopies in the midst of the big smoke.minjiang.co.uk"

"Oblix has two different dining rooms, with two entirely different views of London|Courtesy of Oblix. Tucked away in the rafters of the famous Shard is Oblix, a restaurant that tailors to your every need – even your choice of view, as it has eastward and westward dining rooms. If you’re more for robust grills and bracing cocktails, Oblix East is the place for you, allowing you a panorama of the city’s ever-regenerating industrial and financial centre."

"A post shared by Oblix Restaurant • London (@oblixrestaurant). Oblix is located on level 32 of The Shard and is split into two different spaces. Oblix West is a sophisticated and upscale dining room with a menu that showcases the best of British and European produce, with dishes from the rotisserie and grill in their open kitchen."

"It doesn’t get more fancy than The Shard, which boasts many wonderful restaurants. However, it is Oblix, with it’s rosé brunch and fabulous menu, that gets our pick."

"This June, Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany and Ravinder Bhogal’s Marylebone eatery Jikoni will become the first carbon neutral independent restaurant in the UK. Sustainability has been on the founders’ minds since opening in 2016, and since 2019 the restaurant has been powered by solar power, wind power and carbon neutral ‘green gases’. But over the past few months they’ve taken things to the next level by partnering with non-profit organisation Climate Neutral."

"If there's one thing we want to be seen doing, it's dining beneath a marigold awning. And so we shall be going to Jikoni to eat on their covered terrace. Complete with wool blankets, statuesque heaters and hot water bottles on request, even the most eclectic weather doesn't stand a chance here (and neither do the sweetcorn and lime leaf fritters once we've seen them)."

"Jikoni’s brunch is a many-splendoured thing: fenugreek waffles with tamarind-glazed bacon, aloo tikka channa chaat, mutton keema Sloppy Joe. The piña colada pancakes are worth saving space for — a substantial stack topped with caramelised pineapple and coconut ice cream. All the fun of the cocktail with none of the brain-freeze."

"The pandemic has postponed the ‘launch proper’ of new West Dulwich modern Indian restaurant Heritage, but the team behind it are raring to go. So much so that, in this interim period, they’ve launched a takeaway service featuring a range of set dining sharing boxes (£38 – £42 for two). The restaurant comes from executive chef Dayashankar Sharma, who honed his skills in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, Tamarind and Zaika among them."

"Coming from an ex-Tamarind chef, Heritage aims to cook "nostalgic family-taught dishes and unusual foods from lesser-known Indian regions and communities"."

"Chris and Jeff Galvin deliver French fine dining that’s both sophisticated and approachable. With six restaurants now under their belt, the acclaimed brother duo have proven that the atmosphere and hospitality of family-run businesses always works best. Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin La Chapelle, housed within the beautiful high-vaulted St. Botolph’s Hall, is the crown in their collection."

"The converted church setting of this fine diner makes any old evening feel like a grand occasion. Dishes include classics like truffle pasta and tarte tatin, and on Sundays there’s a great roast to boot."

"Otto’s may only have been open for seven years, but it feels like it’s been an integral part of London’s restaurant scene forever. And at a time when restaurants were all about sharing plates and open kitchens, this Grays Inn Road restaurant was properly old school from day one - reintroducing Londoners to the joy of Gueridon service with dishes like the steak tartare prepared tableside. But really there’s only one dish to order at Otto’s - the Canard Presse which is one duck for two guests over three courses of sheer theatricality."

"Dinner and a show is a classic way to impress a date – but at Otto’s, dinner is the show. The Holborn restaurant is something of a hidden gem favoured by food critics, and its famous dish of canard à la presse – or pressed duck – is a theatrical performance like few others in the capital’s restaurants. The bird is prepared tableside, often by the charmingly eccentric Otto himself, using a silver press to extract the blood (possibly not one for the squeamish)."

"Otto’s is somewhat of an institution when it comes to the best French restaurants in London. They do classic French cuisine which is old-school, traditional and deliciously hearty. Dine here if you’re after lobster bisque, foie gras terrine, French rabbit and veal sweetbreads."

"Miguel Barclay, who has a huge following for his One Pound Meal book is opening Miguel's Pizza. - a pizza by the slice restaurant that's all about affordable New York Style pizza, made fresh daily and on-site."

"The real American experience doesn’t involve words like ‘artisan’ or ‘brioche bun’. As authenticity is all the rage today in London’s culinary experience, why not extend the sentiment to the cuisine of our transatlantic cousins?. Perched by the river in the financial district, just down the road from Canary Wharf, sits a white and red metal trailer housing Fatboy’s Diner."

"Mind you, I wouldn’t recommend you going here if you are in fact watching your weight. Like its No Nonsense moniker Fatboy’s does what it says on the tin: Serves up cholesterol heightening, deep fried goodness that as long as you move your body a bit the rest of the time, it’s fine to indulge in occasionally. Let’s dive straight into their repertoire of devilish delights!"

"Restaurants Global Moorgate. It’s American dude food with attitude at this deliberately scruffy City hangout, which comes courtesy of London’s BBQ king Neil Rankin (Pitt Cue, Temper etc). Neon signage flashes and a punk soundtrack plays as punters sit at diner-style booths and hoover up dishes from a deliciously meaty, US-style menu – think pulled pork and kimchi hash, pancakes topped with fried chicken… and lots of good eggs."

": The perfect ‘hair of the dog’ cure for hangovers, this boozy brunch is great for hanging out in the normally desolate space known as ‘the city on the weekend’. Take friends and share strategically to taste the majority of the menu."

"Restaurants Global Moorgate"

"If you’re planning to be the ultimate “London tourist”, then this my friend is going to get you excited. Look out of your window and you’ll be greeted with Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and a whole lot more."

"We know what you are thinking but don’t worry, Kanye hasn’t got his little paws into the hotel and spa industry just yet. This Shepherds Bush-based hotel recently underwent a makeover of its own; now a glossy, glass-clad hipster-ish paradise with staff donning the latest in toned-down designer apparel, a restaurant that offers a ‘glam rock’ afternoon tea. Oh and did we mention an in-house DJ that rocks out the beats in the hotel lobby until 2AM on Friday and Saturday?"

"Book in for some freeze-thaw action at the K Spa at K West Hotel, an oasis of calm in a stylishly modernised former BBC office block in Shepherd's Bush. The basement spa is the first in London to feature a 'Snow Paradise' - the place to come when you want to cool off in minus 15 degrees powder snow."

"A luxury London retreat where friends and couples delight in the stylish, contemporary bliss of the spa before flirting with inventive cocktails and creative afternoon teas."