1707 WINE BAR
(British – inexpensive)
Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly, W1
Tel: 7734 8040
Inside the famous English department store. Named 1707 in honour of the store’s foundation year, the wine bar allows you to order a bottle of almost any wine from the adjacent Wine Department for only nominal corkage.

ALAIN DUCASSE
(French-expensive)
Dorchester Hotel
Park Lane W1
Tel: 7629 8866
Extremely good French cuisine set in very modern surrounds. Alain Ducasse works his magic.

AL DUCA
(Italian – moderate)
4 Duke of York Street, SW1
Tel: 020 7839 3090
Modern Italian / friendly service

ALLORO
20 Dover Street
Tel: 020 7495 4768
[Italian - moderate]
The same ownership as Zafferano and Aubergine, so how could this modern Italian restaurant fail!

AVENUE
(Modern European – moderate)
7 St James’s Street, SW1
Tel: 7321 2111
Excellent all rounder with a fun bar

BELLLAMY’S
(French Brasserie- expensive)
18/18a Bruton Place W1
Tel: 7491 2727
Discreet French Brasserie

BIBENDUM
81 Fulham Road, SW3
Tel: 020 7581 5817
[Modern French - expensive]
Housed in the fabulous Michelin Building, this is still one of the chic places to see and be seen.

CARAFFINI
61 Lower Sloane Street
Tel: 020 7259 0236
[Italian - moderate]
A true local neighborhood restaurant with the friendliest waiters in London.

CECCONI'S
5 New Burlington Gardens
Tel: 020 7434 1500
[Italian - moderate]
This famous old restaurant is reborn and reopened with Nick Bell (ex of Zafferano) in the kitchen.

CHOR BIZARRE
(Indian – inexpensive)
16 Albemarle Street, W1
Tel: 020 7629 9802
Admire the amazing collection of antiques at this fine traditional Indian restaurant

CLUB GASCON
57 West Smithfield
Tel: 020 7796 0600
[French - inexpensive]
One of my all-time favorite restaurants in London. Small portions allow one to taste lots of different things on this Gascon menu.

CIPRIANI
25 Davies Street, W1
Tel: 020 7399 0500
[Italian - expensive]

EAST@WEST
13 West Street, WC2
Tel: 020 7010 8600
[Modern British - moderate]

FIFTEEN
15 Westland Road, NW1
Tel: 020 7251 1515
[Modern British - moderate]
Jamie Oliver took a bunch of down and out kids off the street and taught them to cook. Now one of the hottest restaurants in town with a two month waiting list.

FIFTH FLOOR
Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge
Tel: 020 7235 2550
[Modern British - moderate]
The best place to have lunch while shopping in Knightsbridge. There is also a fun and trendy café for a quick bite.

FINO
33 Charlotte Street, W1
Tel: 020 7813 8010
(Modern Spanish – moderate)
Owned by the son of Tim Hart (Hambleton Hall), Fino is a fun restaurant with interesting Mediterranean cuisine. Particularly handy if you are staying at Charlotte Street.

GAUCHO GRILL
(Argentinean Steak-moderate)
25 Swallow Street W1
Tel: 7734 4040
If you are serious about steak this is the place to go.

GORDON RAMSAY
68 Royal Hospital Road
Tel: 020 7352 4441
[Modern French - very expensive]
Ramsay got his third Michelin star this year. Probably the best food anywhere in Britain today. Ramsay has also opened a restaurant at Claridges. Open Saturday and Sunday.

GREEN’S
(English – expensive)
36 Duke Street, SW1
Tel: 7930 4566
Traditional English food and excellent service / especially good for game

THE GRENADIER
(English – moderate)
18 Wilton Row, SW1
Tel: 7235 3074
Wonderfully atmospheric pub located in a lovely cobbled mews street

THE GUINEA
(English – moderate)
30 Bruton Place, W1
Tel: 7499 1210
Dining room of a pub in a small mews street -  great for steaks and grills and a fabulous steak and kidney pie.

HAKKASAN
8 Hanway Place, W1
Tel: 020 7907 1889
[Chinese - expensive]
Loud and great fun on a Friday and Saturday night, this huge and spectacular Chinese restaurant is housed in an old underground car park.

INCOGNICO
117 Shaftsbury Avenue
Tel: 020 7838 8866
[French - moderate]
Nico Ladenis's aim is to provide delicious Gallic haute-brasserie food at reasonable prices and he certainly succeeds.

ISOLA
145 Knightsbridge SW1
Tel: 020 7838 1044
[Italian - moderate/expensive]
Oliver Peyton's newcomer is large and Italian and overseen by Frenchman Bruno Loubet.

J. SHEEKEY
28 - 32 St. Martin's Court
Tel: 020 7240 2565
[Fish - inexpensive/moderate]
Owned by The Ivy and Le Caprice, this is a great fish restaurant in the heart of the Theater District.

KENSINGTON PLACE
201 Kensington Church Street
Tel: 020 7727 3184
[Modern British - moderate]
This place takes me back to my years living in London. Noisy and fun and always full of interesting people.

LANGAN’S BRASSERIE
(French/English – moderate)
Stratton Street, W1
Tel: 7491 8822
A Mayfair institution and  always fun.

LE CAPRICE
Arlington Street
Tel: 020 7629 2239
[Modern British - moderate]
Tucked away in St. James's. Consistently good food and fascinating people watching.

LOCANDA LOCATELLI
8 Seymour Street, W1
Tel: 020 7935 9088
[Italian - expensive]
The "hot spot" in London at the moment. Giorgio Locatelli, ex of Zafferano, has perhaps the most loyal following in London. Excellent Italian food and a chic David Collins interior.

L’ORANGER
(French – moderate/expensive)
5 St James’s Street, SW1
Tel: 7839 3774
A great favourite of mine - intimate and romantic

MIRABELLE
56 Curzon Street
Tel: 020 7499 5449
[French - expensive]
Marco Pierre White's flagship is a glamorous place for dinner. Consistently good food.

OLIVO
21 Eccleston Street
Tel: 020 7730 2505
[Italian - inexpensive]
Interesting Sardinian food simply done. An unpretentious but chic local crowd frequents this neighborhood restaurant.

OZER
5 Langham Place, W1
Tel: 020 7323 0505
[Turkish - moderate]
Sophisticated and chic, this elegant restaurant is the next step up for the owner of the popular Sofra restaurants.

PETRUS
(French – expensive)
Berkeley Hotel, Wilton Place, SW1
Tel: 7235 1200
Fine French dining at its very best.

PIED À TERRE
34 Charlotte Street, W1
Tel: 020 7636 1178
[French - expensive]
Along with Gordon Ramsay, this calm restaurant offers some of the best food in London in my view.

PORTRAIT
National Portrait Gallery
St. Martin's Lane WC2
Tel: 020 7312 2490
[Lunch - inexpensive]
There are few enough places to eat in London with stunning views, but this is one of them. Perched with the pigeons high above Trafalgar Square, this excellent lunch place affords views of Whitehall, the Houses of Parliament and the Thames.

RACINE
239 Brompton Road, SW3
Tel: 020 7584 4477
[French - inexpensive]
Simple, straight forward, simply prepared French food at very reasonable prices.

SKETCH
9 Conduit Street, W1
Toll Free: 870 777 4488
[French - moderate]
Wild combinations of art, design and food. Different rooms offer different experiences and three star Michelin chef Peirre Gagnaire designs the food on the plate!

TAMARIND
(Indian – moderate)
20 Queen Street, W1
Tel: 7629 3561
Michelin starred Indian restaurant, and one of the finest in London.

TARTINE
114 Draycott Avenue, SW3
Tel: 020 7589 4981
[French - inexpensive]
Nick Maddison from Bibendum has opened his own chic, stylish restaurant based on the French dish Tartine with delicious accompaniments.

THE ADMIRALTY
Somerset House - The Strand
Tel: 020 7845 4646
[Modern British - moderate]
This is the place to be for lunch after visiting the Courtauld Institute or the Gilbert Collection.

THE CAPITAL RESTAURANT
24 Basil Street
Tel: 020 7589 5171
[Modern French - expensive]
I am including this hotel restaurant, not just because I represent the hotel, but because it has just received its second Michelin star. Eric Chavot is truly one of the great chefs of London. There is a fabulously well-priced lunch menu that one can take advantage of while shopping at Harrod's and Harvey Nichols.

THE GREEN HOUSE
27A Hays Mews, W1
Tel: 020 7499 3331
[Modern British - expensive]

THE RIVER CAFÉ
Thames Wharf, Hammersmith
Tel: 020 7381 8824
[Italian - expensive]
The very best Italian food in London. After several books and TV shows, these two English women chefs are respected throughout Europe for their sublime Mediterranean touch.

THE SQUARE
6 - 10 Bruton Street
Tel: 020 7495 7100
[Modern French - expensive]
I have not written about this restaurant since it moved to its present location. The food is still some of the best in town, though expensive.

THE IVY
1 West Street
Tel: 020 7240 9333
[Modern British - expensive]
Some of the best food and people watching in London. Famous and difficult to get into - try before the theater.

THE WOLSELEY
160 Piccadilly, W1
Tel: 020 7499 6996
[Modern British – expensive]
This restaurant comes courtesy of restaurateurs Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, the duo who made The Ivy, Le Caprice and J. Sheekey famous. A great space in an old bank building, with superb modern British food.

UMU
14 Bruton Place, W1
Tel: 020 7499 8881
[Modern Japanese – expensive]

WILTONS
(English – expensive)
55 Jermyn Street, SW1
Tel: 7629 9955
Menu very strong on fish,  excellent wine list, jacket and tie requested

YAUATCHA
15-17 Broadwick Street, W1
Tel: 020 7494 8888
[Modern Chinese – moderate]

ZAIKA
1 Kensington High Street
Tel: 020 7795 6533
[Indian - moderate]
Positively my favorite Indian restaurant in London. Two Indian restaurants in London received Michelin stars this year, this one and Tamarind.

ZAFFERANO
[Italian – expensive]
15 Lowndes Street, SW1
Tel: 020 7235 5800

ZUMA
5 Raphael Street, SW7
Tel: 020 7589 4981
[Japanese - moderate]
Talented Japanese chefs create authentic flavors at this hip new restaurant. There is a sake bar with Japanese-style tapas, a robata grill and a sushi bar.