Mentioned by Hot Dinners
The very best restaurants in London for eating alfresco
"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."
"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."
"J Sheekey, aka “Sheekey’s,” has been a major player on the West End fish and shellfish scene since the 1890s. It is as dependable as it is theatrical, and the exemplary fish pie’s velvety cream sauce over cod, salmon and haddock makes it a comfort-food superstar."
"South Place Hotel, 3 South Place, Moorgate, London, EC2M 2AF. The proud holder of a Michelin star, Angler in The City also boats an outdoor terrace and a stunning seafood-focused menu. Don’t skip a tartare to start and go all in on lobster for mains."
"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."
"There's nothing like a seafood platter to get romance flowing, and Scott's certainly delivers with its gargantuan plate of crustaceans – you can even add lobster for a little extra. Other delicacies at this fish-focused restaurant include skate wing, monkfish and halibut."
"As one of the oldest restaurants in London—it started out as an oyster bar in 1851—Scott's Restaurant has certainly proved its ability to evolve with the ever-changing trends of co..."
"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 restaurant group also sells wholesale and has its own oyster farm in Cornwall. While the original Borough Market site is cosy and charming — though often packed — the newer South Kensington venue comes complete with the elegant downstairs Mermaid cocktail bar. Because the oysters are fairly good value, you’ll be able to consume more of their aphrodisiac goodness."
"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)."
"Functioning fishmonger as well as a restaurant, this Highbury nook largely does very little to the quality seafood shipped up from its base in Padstow. Small dishes might include a tataki-style searing of tuna, cut with hot chilli and croaky spring onion, while a rotating cast of whole fish for the table best represents the considerable pedigree on show."
"Serving anything in a skillet pan and offering the option of grilled bone marrow (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) screams splendour, but the food here is also well sourced and great-tasting. Already hailed (by us) as one of the best fry ups in town, their breakfast for twoincludes smoked bacon chop, short rib bubble and squeak, meaty grilled bone marrow, trotter baked beans and trademark HP gravy. It’s the mightiest, meatiest brekky there is."
"If you’re all about the home comforts when it comes to your desserts then you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option than the peanut butter shortbread at Hawksmoor. Just make sure you save some room for it after your roast dinner!"
"Restaurants British Seven Dials"
"For eight years running, the 99 Comedy Club has won the award for ‘Best Comedy Club’ in the city for its stellar lineup of talent and the many LOLs that have reverberated around its walls. As the flagship 99 Comedy Club (the other is in Covent Garden), there’s always a buzz at this West London venue; almost every evening features funny humans, some of whom have residencies. Along with a coveted seat, which you can nab from £7, you can order various foodie packages like prosecco and a two-course dinner or pizza."
"A multiple winner of the Best London Comedy Club award, you’ll get a top class evening of entertainment with the likes of Russell Howard, Lee Mack, Stephen K. Amos, Andy Parsons, Jason Manford, Rich Hall, Lenny Henry among those to have performed. You’re more likely to see some of the world’s up-and-coming comedians do their stuff at the venue in the heart of Leicester Square or at additional venues in Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus the 99 Club has expanded to."
"There's top notch comedy at the 99 Club every day of the week. Even when they're big news, comedians continue to play here — of late the great James Acaster has been putting on something of a residency. Always good to sign up to their mailing list to get the last minute heads-up on their sooper-seekrit special guests too."
"This is my nomination as the most beautiful of the churches in the City of London. It was also built bySir Christopher Wren, and I’d go so far as to say that it’s a London must see. It’s a beautifully proportioned Church, appearing quite small from outside but inside there’s a soaring, lofty central dome and wonderful sense of space."
"Sir Christopher Wren is best known for the design and construction of St Paul’s Cathedral. He also built many other churches around London after the Great Fire. He probably did more to shape the appearance of London than any other single person, all the way through to the 19th century."
"Wildly regarded as Wren’s best City church, this was damaged during the Blitz so they commissioned Henry Moore to design a new altar"
"It is also home to Regent’s Park and the London Zoo, and Camden Lock is a popular place to start a canal boat ride along the Regent’s Canal. View of Regent’s Canal from Camden Lock Market"
"Next I would take some time to appreciate two of London’s most famous bridges, the London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Both bridges have exhibitions you can visit, although in terms of time I would choose to visit only one exhibition or just admire them both from the outside."