Neighborhood deli and steakhouse. Steak is the highlight but delectable side dishes such as the truffle pasta, octopus salad, and mushrooms are worth trying as well..
Industrial dining room atop a silo at the Old Biscuit Mill with views of Table Mountain and the harbor. The open kitchen sends out Asian-influenced small plates while diners tick off choices on paper menus.
Warm, intimate Italian spot centered on a bustling open kitchen. Counter seats offer the best view – chefs plating handmade pastas and wood-fired wagyu striploin.
Nordic plates are cooked entirely over fire, soot, and birch smoke without gas or electricity. The three-hour meal starts with snacks in the lounge and a standing tour of the blazing hearths.
Casual spot for Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles, made to order in a glass-walled kitchen. The main event is the beef noodle soup – choose your noodle width at the counter and ask for a free refill.
Sleek counterpart to fine-dining neighbor Ernst using the same pristine produce for casual à la carte dinners. Japanese techniques shape daily small plates served with natural wines in a minimalist, monochrome room.
Intimate 28-seat dining room with counter seating facing a busy open kitchen. The fixed tasting menu leans into rich French flavors and dishes like duck hearts or frog legs.
Compact Halal spot serving authentic Lanzhou beef soup with noodles hand-pulled in an open kitchen. The tight, simple room fills quickly for custom-thickness soups and complimentary sides from the self-service bar.
Javanese street food bar centered on a smoking charcoal grill. Marinated skewers arrive fast at the mahogany counter, served with rice cakes and fiery sambal.
Spacious open bakery centered on a wood-fired stone oven turning out slow-fermented sourdough and pizza. The canteen-style room stays busy with laptop workers and locals at long communal tables.
Vast industrial space combining an on-site roastery with an all-day brunch counter. Seasonal filter coffees are prepared with precision; everything from the bread to the jam is made in-house.
Southern American port city cooking served in a classic Parisian bistro from Savannah chef Mashama Bailey. Dishes like shrimp and grits and chicken country captain land on tables near the vintage marble bar.
Buzzy, slightly chaotic bistro with jungle-print wallpaper and a low-ceilinged mezzanine. The English chef sends out a daily-changing menu of modern French game dishes and natural wines.
Street-side stall making sweet crêpes and savory buckwheat galettes to order on sizzling hot plates. The classic ham and Emmental is a local staple, but the signature Grand Marnier crêpe – flambéed right on the griddle – is the real show.
Spacious, modern café with an open kitchen serving a refined, daily-changing menu of seasonal dishes. Specialty coffee is poured all day, but the homemade cookies are the true local obsession.
Borough Market stall stacking up trays of crusty sourdough and sugar-dusted doughnuts. Bakers work in plain sight while lines move fast for the signature crème brûlée filling.
Wood-fired kitchen in Borough Market cooking small plates and sourdough pizza over an open flame. The stripped-brick room stays busy all evening, pouring a serious list of natural wines.
Borough Market restaurant serving village-style Sri Lankan food from a central, open-fire kitchen. Counter seats have a direct view of the charcoal grill – from king prawns to simmering black pork curry.
Packed railway arch slinging eighteen-inch New York pies with thin, foldable crusts. The massive rounds are built for sharing, with most tables splitting toppings half-and-half.
Bright Chinatown restaurant where chefs fold fresh soup dumplings in a glass-walled kitchen. The extensive menu covers multiple regions; private karaoke rooms draw groups well past midnight.
Walk-in only udon bar centered on a long counter facing an open kitchen. The focus is handmade noodles and dashi, with a daily-changing blackboard of specials that consistently draws a queue.
Elegant brasserie tucked into a former timber yard, where the kitchen centers on an open coal fire. Seasonal Mediterranean plates drive the menu – moules farcies, grilled Iberico pork, and cuttlefish fideua are common sights.
Intimate 28-seat dining room serving sophisticated, sustainable seafood in Knightsbridge. The open kitchen turns out creative plates like lobster toast and cuttlefish cacio e pepe.
Modern Georgian dining room in Mayfair built around open-fire cooking. Counter seats line the pass as chefs fold khinkali and grill meats; the wine list runs deep on natural bottles.
Intimate sushi counter dedicated to the Edomae tradition of aging fish and seasoning rice with black vinegar. The experience is omakase-only; the chef prepares and explains each piece directly to diners.
Purist smash burger spot serving a deliberately short menu of two burgers, fries, and a sundae. Service is fast and the open kitchen is loud; expect a queue at peak times.
Vibrant Mayfair spot serving regional Mexican classics with British ingredients. The central comal is the room's heart, firing off house-milled corn tortillas for sharing plates of pork carnitas and ribeye costras.
Intimate 13-seat omakase counter built for a theatrical dining experience. Chefs prepare and plate a 16-course menu directly for guests, pairing dishes with a deep list of rare sakes imported directly from Japan.
Modern market hall built around its butcher and fishmonger counters, which supply two distinct in-house restaurants. One is a quiet Japanese izakaya; the other, a Spanish grill firing up premium cuts of Galician beef.
Chef-driven tasting menus served inside a discreet, art-filled Mayfair townhouse. The cooking blends French technique with Sri Lankan heritage – much of the produce comes directly from the restaurant’s own farm.
Warm, neighborhood-style dining room inside the Hoxton hotel, with a long open kitchen running down one side. Seasonal British sharing plates land on bistro tables; the bone marrow toastie is a direct nod to the chef's St John roots.
Loud, rustic pioneer of the gastropub scene with mismatched chairs and a busy bar. The open kitchen sits right behind the counter, sending out a daily Mediterranean chalkboard menu and the staple Bife Ana steak sandwich.
Dark green pub in Islington dishing up homestyle Tamil cooking from an open kitchen. Expect shareable curries and flaky roti – just be sure to book a table weeks ahead.
Classic corner pub with a proper bar on the ground floor and candlelit dining rooms upstairs. The open kitchen serves seasonal British fare – from classic pork pies to lamb chops and steak.
Intimate Marylebone dining room serving a fixed tasting menu of Thai flavors built from the British larder. The space is tight and energetic, with chili and charcoal smoke drifting from the open kitchen over packed tables.
Monochromatic dining room serving a tasting menu that merges Japanese and Italian cooking. The open kitchen turns out creative fusions – think unagi risotto – for guests at simple tables or the marble bar.
Buzzy Shoreditch spot with an open kitchen dishing up modern Greek small plates and namesake flatbreads. Crayons are provided for doodling on the paper tablecloths; the caramel cheesecake is essential.
Warm Ukrainian dining room filled with Carpathian oak and vintage rugs. The open kitchen cooks sharing plates and dumplings over live fire to go with house vodka infusions.
Intimate dining room serving inventive French tasting menus at communal tables. The chef’s counter lines the open kitchen, giving a direct view as the team works through the nightly courses.
Intimate wine bar and bottle shop with the scale and warmth of a dinner party. An open kitchen anchors the candlelit room, serving French small plates and rare pours.
Intimate Mississippi Avenue dining room serving scratch Italian share plates and handmade pasta. An open kitchen anchors the tight, loud interior, with an enclosed patio out back for seasonal crudo and wine.
Cambodian diner and food stall serving street food classics from an open kitchen in the Ferry Building. The signature is the kuy teav phnom penh, a pork-broth noodle soup, alongside crispy, peppery Khmer fried chicken.
Family-run diner serving Northern Chinese classics: savory beef roll pancakes, hand-pulled noodles, and pan-fried dumplings. The small, cash-only room is perpetually busy, with large portions built for sharing.
Lively izakaya serving yakitori grilled over binchotan charcoal and bowls of thick, hand-rolled udon. The space is a work of Japanese craftsmanship – from the hand-packed clay walls to the massive bar carved from a single slab of cedar.
Wood-fired Italian restaurant serving handmade pastas and hearth-roasted meats from an open kitchen. The focaccia is essential, and the freshly churned ice cream is the only way to finish.
Open-kitchen osteria serving house-made pastas and specialties from Puglia. The main event is the cacio e pepe – prepared tableside in a massive wheel of pecorino cheese.
Lively, opulent dining hall in a landmark Art Deco building, dedicated to the traditions of Roman cooking. Handmade pastas are the focus – specifically the four classics – alongside wafer-thin, wood-fired pizzas.
Street-side taco stand grilling carne asada over charcoal and shaving al pastor from a spinning trompo. Taqueros press corn tortillas by hand; the cash-only line moves quickly under a canopy of string lights.
Twelve-seat omakase counter accessed through a discreet door at the South Congress Hotel. Chefs serve a twenty-course menu of Tokyo sushi and Kyoto kaiseki directly across the wood.
Ten-seat omakase counter serving a 17-course tasting menu of new wave nigiri. The timed experience begins with a welcome cocktail in a reception lounge before guests are led to the main bar for service.
