Mentioned by House & Garden
The best outdoor restaurants in London to book now
"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."
"Sheekey has been a firm favourite for the wealthy and well-known ever since, with the likes of Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Bradley Cooper recently spotted dining there. Located in Covent Garden, the fuss-free, deliciously fresh fish menu makes it a faultless dining experience."
"The Michelin starred restaurant is the jewel of Moorgate’s South Place Hotel, thanks to the exquisite touch of Executive Chef, Gary Foulkes. Foulkes’ way with fish and seafood is one of the best you’ll find in the capital, from the Japanese take on turbot – it’s served with Japanese mushrooms, salsola and an unami-fuelled bonito dashi to the tongue tingling raw Orkney scallops served with blood orange, citrus yoghurt and Greek basil. The tasting menu is a must-try for any special occasions and did we mention the restaurant has a gorgeous sweeping terrace too?"
"The Provence-inspired terrace and adjoining bar at Angler, atop the South Place Hotel in Moorgate, is a City of London sanctuary. Relaxed and refined, with great cocktails and bubbles, the terrace is the extension of a fish-focused, Michelin-starred restaurant that is one of London’s hidden gems. South Place Hotel, 3 South Pl, London , United Kingdom"
"Perched at the top of South Place Hotel, Angler is a Michelin-starred restaurant with a beautiful rooftop terrace, showcasing sustainable seafood from British waters with the best seasonal and local produce."
"This Mayfair institution has long been famed for its glorious terrace, where the tables have always been suitably distanced and heaters keep you warm as you sup oysters and crack into the freshest seafood around. For the reopening, the team has collaborated with Perrier-Jouët Champagne, so guests can rest assured the finest cuvees will be on offer."
"Scott’s is a London restaurant that holds fast against its glamour and quality fading, with its terrace still one of the most coveted reservations in the city and its seafood cookery still some of the most outstanding."
"The seas surrounding our little island are home to some of the best oysters on the planet – a fact Wright Brothers knows only too well. This crop of London restaurants began life as a Borough Market seafood merchants, and it still supplies oysters and seafood to more than 300 restaurants across the capital. Inside its own five restaurants, Wright Brothers serves a seasonally changing selection of oysters from across England, Ireland and occasionally France, which punters can enjoy dressed, smoked and cooked with variations including tempura fried with bonito flakes and sweet miso, or ceviche-style with lime and chilli."
"The Wright Bros. chain is one of our favourites, as they serve seafood of consistently high quality. They also have an oyster happy hour period from 3pm-6pm every day when you can guzzle oysters for £1 each (farmed on their own Cornish Duchy oyster farm), which is the best way to spend an afternoon we can think of right now. We enjoyed a full fruit de mer platter at the Spitalfields branch and have never felt happier."
"The seafood experts of Spitalfields (shown in lead image) focus heavily on responsible sourcing. And, having their own wholesale branch, they are heavily involved in how they get their produce. Fresh and sustainable seafood is key, ensuring the menu is always changing, depending on what was caught that day."
"Part fishmonger, part seafood bar, Prawn On The Lawn manages to be one of the most charming 'holes-in-the-wall' London has to offer, where fresh-from-the-ice scallops, monkfish, squid, langoustine, and of course the eponymous prawns get made in to colourful, delectable small dishes. Blink in Highbury and you could miss it: head downstairs to the 16-seater basement for an intimate dining experience. Try seared tuna with chilli, coriander, spring onion, mirin, and soy for £8.50, or Prawn On The Lawn fruits de mer for £60, which includes crab, prawns, mussels, clams, jumbo prawn, smoked prawns, langoustine, whelks, crevettes, and oysters."
"Fishmongers by trade, the team at POTL mean business when it comes to seafood and have builtt up one of Islington’s best-loved restaurants. With no actual lawn in sight and a lot more to offer than just prawns, they specialise in small and sharing plates, from monkfish satay with coconut sambal to lemon sole dripping in ‘nduja butter and tarragon. Then there’s oysters from all over the British isles, whole grilled fish for the table and the signature POTL Fruits de Mer (served chilled on ice)."
"This restaurant started out as 'just' a fishmonger, then expanded with a seated area downstairs. Their signature 'prawn on the lawn' dish is part of their 'fish tapas style' menu and it's a riff on the trendy avocado on toast, only with prawns on top. We love the way you get to walk past the glistening fish counter on the way down to the restaurant, reassuring that everything is perfectly fresh."
"The second restaurant from the Pachamama group, Chelsea’s Chicama is a charming seafood restaurant named after a coastal town in Peru – not the word chic, although that does describe it well. Unlike its sister, Chicama is meat-free, focusing instead on seafood and fish served small plates style: ceviche, blackened octopus, spicy prawns and trout cooked in banana leaf all feature on the menu. But there are also plenty of delicious, flavoursome vegetarian options, like aubergine with plantain miso, grilled cauliflower and green bean salad."
"The second restaurant from the Pachamama group, Chelsea’s Chicama is a charming seafood restaurant named after a coastal town in Peru – not the word chic, although that does describe it well. If you can pry yourself away from the pretty beach-inspired indoors, the outdoor terrace is an equally lovely dining spot for sunny days: a petite plant-filled space overflowing onto the pavement on a quiet section of the Kings Road. From here, tuck into a meat-free menu of vibrant seafood and vegetarian small plates alongside colourful cocktails."
"Found in the heart of East London's Blackhorse Beer Mile, Signature Brew Blackhorse Road is a sleek and modern brewery, fronting 12 lines of carefully crafted beer. Expect food courtesy of burger and wing gurus We Serve Humans as well as live music on the weekends. Alternatively, check out its Haggerston taproom, housed inside a former archway."
"Restaurants British Herne Hill. This Herne Hill hotspot is perfect for getting your weekend off to a good start – take a dip in the open-air pool (if you dare), then get some revitalising sustenance via the all-day brunch menu. Expect a lively veggie line-up taking in everything from coconut porridge and ‘green goddess’ superfood bowls to polenta scramble, celeriac and cavolo nero rösti, and a fake full English with seitan and tofu."
"In a nutshell: South London pizzeria takes over swimming pool restaurant Where is it?. Brockwell Lido, Brockwell Park, Dulwich Rd, London SE24 0PA Why should you care?. Popular South London pizzeria 400 Hundred Rabbits has taken on the art deco cafe at Brockwell Lido and they're starting with a strong brunch menu."
"First, stop in at the Lido Café for a fresh pastry and barista-crafted latte. This will give you the energy needed to explore more of the incredible manicured grounds."