Best of London Food Shops , Restaurants and Wine establishments in 2021

 Here is my list of best of London food shops , restaurants and wine establishments for 2021.

Best Restaurant (s) in London : The Clove Club , Claude Bosi at Bibendum , Kitchen Table , The Ritz ,  , Sola Soho , Helene Darozze  , Maos, The Dysart Petersham , The Five Fields and Pied a Terre

Best Sourcing and Ingredients :   Sola Soho , Calude Bosi at Bibendum , The River Cafe 

Best Restaurant Wine Lists :  Chez Bruce  , Medlar , Noble Rot , Hunan, Les 110 de Taillevent London and Hide

Best New Openings : Trattoria Brutto , Kol , Sessions Arts Club , Oxeye and Black Salt

Best Argentinian : Zoilo

Best Italian Restaurant (Southern) :  Gola

Best Italian ( Sardinian) Olivo Group 

Best Italian Restaurant (Northern) :  Novikov ,  Locanda Locatelli

Best Pan Italian :  , River Café  ,  Boca di Lupo , (Francesco Mazzei 's) Sartoria and L'Amorosa

Best Trattoria : Mele e Pere  , Radici and L'Amorosa

Best Indian : Jamvar , Gymkhana , Roti Chai/Chai Ki , Black Salt and Dastaan ( just out of London)

Best Casual Indian :  Chai Ki 

Best Indian delivery : Motu

Best Indian (Modern) : BiBBi and Gymkhana

Best Pakistani :  Saloos and Tayyabs

Best Chinese : Hunan , Kai , Silk Road and A Wong

Best Dim Sum :  A Wong  and Royal China (Baker St)

Best Thai :   Som Saa , The Heron

Best Fusion : Novikov and Maos

Best Japanese : The Araki , Endo at the Rotunda and Umu

Best Vietnamese : nothing noteworthy sadly

Best Singapore/Malaysian : Rasa Sayang

Best Lebanese/Syrian : Ishbilia  Knightsbridge and Al Phoenic

Best Greek :  Catalyst Cafe , Opsos , Meraki and Horvada

Best "Politiki Kouzina " Peckham Bazaar , Yeni  and Dulwich Lyceum

Best Turkish : Gökyüzü and Yeni 

Best Iranian/Persian : Kateh and Berenjak

Best Sushi : The Araki and Endo at the Rotunda

Best French : Club Gascon, Claude Bosi at Bibendum

Best Vegan : Gauthier Soho

Best Modern British/European : Kitchen Table , Lyle's, Core and The Clove Club

Best Spanish : Cambio de Tercio  and  Pizarro 

Best Tapas : Tendido Cero , Barrafina , José

Best English : St John's , The Guinea Grill , Parlour and Quality Chop House

Best Fish/Seafood : Noble Rot ,  Parsons ,  The Sea The Sea Hackney/ Chelsea and Bentley's

Best Oysters : Noble Rot , Wright Bros , Bibendum Oyster Bar, The French House  and Bentley's

Best Gastro Pubs : Parlour , Harwood Arms , Anchor and Hope , Cadogan Arms and Eagle

Best Service : Noble Rot and Cambio de Tercio

Best Sandwich : Kappacasein's , Cheese Toastie

Best Pub : The Guinea and Cadogan Arms

Best Selection of Craft Beer :  The Rake 

Best Wine Bar : 40 Maltby St , Antidote Wine Bar, 10 Cases and Noble Rot

Best Brasserie : Bob Bob Ricard and Bob Bob Cite

Best Neighbourhood Restaurants : L'Amorosa , Peckham Baazar , Myrtle and Chez Bruce

Best Mavericks : Quality Wines , Mao's  Catalyst Cafe & Roasters and 40 Maltby St 

Best French Bistro/Bourgeois Cooking :  Casse Croûte  , Maison Francois

Best Burger :  Zoilo

Best "joint" Burger :  Patty and Bun and Meat Liquor 

Best Chain Burger : Patty and Bun

Best Steak : Guinea Grill , Zelman Meats , Flat Iron and Goodman

Best Steak Restaurants : Zelman Meats ,  Hawksmoor , Flat Iron , and Goodman

Best Pizza :  Santa Maria 

Best Pizza chain : Franco Manca

Best Deli : Prezzemolo e Vitale  and The Ealing Grocer

Best Street Food : Mr Falafel ( Shepherds Bush )

Best Value for money Wine List : Noble Rot, The Wild Tavern , Hunan and Andrew Edmunds

Best Value for Money Restaurants : Koya Bar ,  Flatiron and Peckham Bazaar

Best Breakfast : Koya Bar and The Guinea

My best meals in London 2021 . Calude Bosi at Bibendum , Sola Soho and  Black Salt

My best meal outside London in 2021 :  Timberyard , Edinburgh

My best meals outside the UK in 2021 :  Table ( Bruno Verjus) Paris ,  Aimsir , County Kildare  and Chapter One , Dublin , Ireland. Mavrikos , Lindos , Greece.

Best Bakery/Bread : Hedone Bakery RIP , Pophams , E5 and Little Bread Pedlar

Best  Chocolatier : William Curley

Best Patisserie : Arome Bakery, Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon and William Curley

Best Coffee : Prufrock Coffee , Queens Mayfair  Catalyst Roasters and Parcafe 

Best Coffee Roaster : Difference Coffee , Catalyst Roaster , Dark Arts and Square Mile

Best Tea : Lalani and Co

Best Viennoiserie :  Arome Bakery ( best in UK along with The Palmeston Edinburgh)

Best Gelato :  Oddono's 

Best Fishmonger : The Chelsea Fishmonger (Rex Goldsmith), Chelsea Green 

Best Fish and Seafood  Online : Pesky Fish

Best Butchers : South East - O'Shea's  * ,  South West - Provenence - West  - Brown's Artisan Butchers , North - Godfrey's

Best Greengrocer : Andreas Veg , Chelsea .

Best Cheese Shops : La Fromagerie , Mons, Buchanans and Neal's Yard 

Best Purveyor of French Charcuterie  : The Ham and Cheese Company

Best Purveyors of Italian Salumi : The Ham and Cheese Company 

Best Purveyor of British Charcuterie : Trealy Farm

Best Purveyor of Greek food and wine : Maltby and Greek *

Best Wine Merchants Retail :  Hedonism , Hansen Hayes and Clark , Nysa , Lea and Sandeman and Handford

Best Wine Merchants Wholesale : Flint , Fortyfive 10  and Raeburn Fine Wines

* Disclosure - In the past I was involved with these businesses in a non executive capacity.

Best Greek :  Opsos , Meraki and Horvada

Best "Politiki Kouzina " Peckham Bazaar  and Dulwich Lyceum

Best Turkish : Gökyüzü and Yeni 

Best Iranian/Persian : Kateh and Berenjak

Best Sushi : The Araki and Endo at the Rotunda

Best French :  Gauthier Soho , Club Gascon, Claude Bosi at Bibendum

Best Vegan : Gauthier Soho

Best Modern British/European : Kitchen Table , Core and The Clove Club

Best Spanish : Cambio de Tercio  and  Pizarro 

Best Tapas : Tendido Cero , Barrafina , José

Best English : St John's , The Guinea Grill , Parlour and Quality Chop House

Best Fish/Seafood : Noble Rot ,  Parsons ,  The Sea The Sea and Bentley's

Best Oysters : Noble Rot , Wright Bros , The French House  and Bentley's

Best Gastro Pubs : Parlour , Harwood Arms , Anchor and Hope and Eagle

Best Service : Noble Rot and Cambio de Tercio

Best Sandwich : Kappacasein's , Cheese Toastie

Best Pub : The Guinea 

Best Selection of Craft Beer :  The Rake 

Best Wine Bar : 40 Maltby St , Antidote Wine Bar, 10 Cases and Noble Rot

Best Brasserie : Bob Bob Ricard and Bob Bob Cite

Best Neighbourhood Restaurants : L'Amorosa , Peckham Baazar , Myrtle and Chez Bruce

Best Mavericks : Quality Wines , Mao's  Catalyst Cafe & Roasters and 40 Maltby St 

Best French Bistro/Bourgeois Cooking :  Casse Croûte  

Best Burger :  Zoilo

Best "joint" Burger :  Patty and Bun and Meat Liquor 

Best Chain Burger : Patty and Bun

Best Steak : Guinea Grill , Zelman Meats , Flat Iron and Goodman

Best Steak Restaurants : Zelman Meats ,  Hawksmoor , Flat Iron , and Goodman

Best Pizza :  Santa Maria and Pizzicotto

Best Pizza chain : Franco Manca

Best Italian Deli : Prezzemolo e Vitale 

Best Street Food : Mr Falafel ( Shepherds Bush )

Best Value for money Wine List : Noble Rot, The Wild Tavern , Hunan and Andrew Edmunds

Best Value for Money Restaurants : Koya Bar ,  Flatiron and Peckham Bazaar

Best Breakfast : Koya Bar and The Guinea

My best meals in London 2020 . Calude Bosi at Bibendum , Sola Soho  and Peckham Bazaar.

My best meal outside London in 2020 :  The Crown Burchetts Green  , Scran and Scallie , Edinburgh, The Star Inn, Harome

My best meals outside the UK in 2020 : Chez L'Ami Jean,  , Table ( Bruno Verjus) ,  Alliance, Le Clarence, and  L'Ambroisie , all in Paris. Aimsir , County Kildare , Ireland. 

Best Bakery/Bread :  Hedone Bakery

Best  Chocolatier : William Curley

Best Patisserie :  Hedone Bakery , Arome Bakery Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon and William Curley

Best Coffee : Prufrock Coffee , Queens Mayfair and Parcafe 

Best Coffee Roaster : Difference Coffee and Square Mile

Best Tea : Lalani and Co

Best Viennoiserie :  Hedone Bakery and Arome Bakery

Best Gelato :  Oddono's 

Best Fishmonger : The Chelsea Fishmonger (Rex Goldsmith), Chelsea Green 

Best Fish and Seafood  Online : Pesky Fish

Best Butchers : South East - O'Shea's  * ,  South West - Provenence - West  - Brown's Artisan Butchers , North - Godfrey's

Best Greengrocer : Andreas Veg , Chelsea .

Best Cheese Shops : La Fromagerie , Mons, Buchanans and Neal's Yard 

Best Purveyor of French Charcuterie  : The Ham and Cheese Company

Best Purveyors of Italian Salumi : The Ham and Cheese Company 

Best Purveyor of British Charcuterie : Cannon and Cannon

Best Purveyor of Greek food and wine : Maltby and Greek *

Best Wine Merchants Retail :  Hedonism , Hansen Hayes and Clark , Nysa , Lea and Sandeman and Handford

Best Wine Merchants Wholesale : Flint , Fortyfive 10 ,  and Field Morris and Verdun

* Disclosure - In the past I was involved with these businesses in a non executive capacity.

Is there such a thing as Italian Cuisine ?

As John Mariani observes in his book How Italian Food Conquered the World, Italian food is the most popular in the world, but with popularity comes commerce, and with commerce comes ubiquity, and with ubiquity, very often, comes mediocrity. Brilliant marketing and mass production has led to almost all Italian ingredients, including such staples as olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cheese, cured meats, tinned tomatoes and, indeed, pasta, being available on the shelves of retailers large and small the world over to such an extent that otherwise discerning consumers no longer know what is good and bad because they have never tasted the good.

In the UK some of the most high profile restaurant critics, food writers/ broadcasters either dismiss Italian Food claiming it is not a serious cuisine or tinker with it to such an extent that one would expect to see the books in the comedy section of a bookshop and the TV programme on a Comedy Channel.

Whilst Slow Food has been the antithesis to mass produced food and globalization one must not fall into the trap that Italy has not, and continues to be affected by these global realities. In Italy today most of the issues relating to food that one sees in say the USA or the UK are present.

In terms of retail, large supermarkets and hypermarkets many owned by pan European or multinational groups and their buying power threatens the small independent and specialist retailers in the same way as in the UK. Wherever you are, it is important to purchase Italian food products from a trusted source.

Italy is certainly not a junk or processed food free country as some people might expect. A recent book by a Canadian journalist, Jeannie Marshall, living in Italy shows that packaged snacks and junk foods are displacing natural, home-cooked meals even in Italy, a place we tend to associate with a healthy Mediterranean diet. Italy’s food culture is giving way to Americanised processed, packaged, and industrially produced foods. This certainly contrasts with issue 4 of the excellent Fool Magazine that is dedicated to Italian gastronomy. If read out of context it certainly propagates the myth of Italy as largely being a country dominated by superb designers, artisan food and wine producers and stupendous chefs.

What the editors of Fool do recognise is that Italy is still a young country and even today is more like a confederation of states. Regional differences are reflected in food and there is a very rich food culture. Traditions are defended but there is still much debate and disagreement on the pursuit of that myth called authenticity. The editors suggest that the rich food culture and tradition leads to a static status quo, obstructing development, curiosity, and creativity.

However, the history of Italian cuisine or cooking before and after unification would suggest instead that there has been and continues to be a veritable melting pot. What has gone into the pot has arrived with invaders, expatriates returning home and more recently through the technologies that facilitate mass communication and media.

If you are interested in this subject join me for an evening of delicious debate at the  London Review of Books , Bookshop. I will be chairing a panel of writers and chefs to discuss the question: 'Is there such a thing as Italian cuisine?'. 

On the panel will be food educator and journalist Katie Parla, historian Professor John Dickie and celebrated chef Francesco Mazzei. The talk will be accompanied by a menu of seasonal food and Rose and Brut Prosecco from Bisol/Jeio. The food is provided by award-winning greengrocer Andreas of Chelsea and L`Emporio Fine Foods.

Tickets are available from here