The Best Casual Restaurants in London

An open woodfire restaurant that takes you to the Basque Country for a moment and really lives up to it’s reputation. The grilled turbot is out of this world but in fact all other courses are also tasty as hell! All in a no nonsense environment paired with a broad selection of top producers, sophisticated cocktails and attentive staff!

Tasty Thai food in the heart of Soho! Make sure to be on time and ask for a table at the kitchen counter and enjoy the ride.

Temple of gastronomy and place of pilgrimage, try the caracu.

Finally found my way to this place! Dan Keeling & Mark Andrew first created a no nonsense magazine that is going strong for 10 years already. In 2015 they opened Noble Rot Lamb’s Conduit. For me as a sommelier the perfect place. I could spend here hours. A cosy place, an extensive wine list, a broad amount of gems by the glass that change frequently, big smiles on the staff and fun conversations allround in the bar. Can’t wait to go back!

Personal, smart cooking by Sebastian Myers, brilliant wine list. Worth the trip to Haggerston!Such a great and personal restaurant in an unassuming location on a side street in Haggerston. The cooking by Sebastian Myers is fresh, seasonal, sometimes with surprising combinations and flavours but always delicious. Strong wine concept by founder Jonathan Alphandery - you could come here just for the wines. Separate tables and long communal bar table. Love this place!

Simple, casual and joyously delicious all day diningSimple seasonal dishes inspired by chef Max Rocha's time at St John and The River Cafe. Great pastas and puds. Tip: I spent a lot of time ogling the onglet on the next table and they seemed very happy with it, so order that. Smiley food.

Great lunch place!I had the polenta fries with truffle Mayo and the twice cooked whole baby chicken and it did not disappoint!

A neighbourhood restaurant with flairPerilla flys a little under the radar, but this buzzy neighbourhood restaurant has a real idiosyncratic style across it's a la carte and set menus that I love. Fantastic saucemaking and inventive dishes like cauliflower mushroom carbonara keep me coming back, plus it's very reasonably priced for the standard of cooking. Great bread too, I could sit there and eat it non-stop with their homemade brown butter. Perilla's like the quirky, quiet kid at school who ends up changing the world, or at least, is very, very good at cooking.

Northern Spanish food, cooked over fire, by chef Nieves Barragan.Sabor, run by chef Nieves Barragan, is a female-led business that is about traditional Northern Spanish food, but also with a nod to the South of Spain. All food is cooked over fire. Tapas counter on the main floor. Located off Regent Street.

Inventive, zero-waste cookingPlant-forward food in a cool industrial space. Everything is made from something else at closed loop Silo, from the cuisine utilising offcuts and byproduts, to the upccycled furniture and fittings. Chef Douglas McMaster is doing more than anyone else probably to demonstrate the possibilities of zero waste.

Peak modern BritishIn a quiet and secluded converted school yard, Margot Henderson, the other half of St. John's Fergus, serves up hit after comforting hit (don't, whatever you do, skip dessert) - British classics, European influences - utilising fantastic ingredients and demonstrating an unbridled love for feeding people the good stuff. Book yourself a long lunch, cancel all plans and settle in.

Like a rural farm-to-table smack bang in the centre of LondonOllie Dabbous' cavernous space on Piccadilly is split across three levels: a bar in the basement, a casual-ish restaurant on the ground and something fancier upstairs. The location, space, the fact they do breakfast, etc. actually do the restaurant a bit of a disservice, it screams Mayfair mediocrity, but the ingredients, cooking and service are all impeccable. There are lots of things going on in the dishes (I can only speak to my experience eating at the ground floor restaurant) but it all works and the abundance of fresh produce they use gives the whole thing the feel of a rural farm-to-table restaurant on one of the busiest streets in the city. One of the best meals I've had in London in recent times.

Southern Thai dishes and many specials on the black board. Possibly the best Thai in Europe.Singburi is possibly the best Thai restaurant in Europe. Very legit flavours. Prepare to queue though! Southern Thai dishes and many specials on the black board. Located in Leytonstone in the North east of London.

Portuguese style sharing platesGood sharing plates. My highlight were the pork tartlets and the charlotte potatoes with lard. If you can sit at the bar in front of the open kitchen.

My favourite restaurant in LondonEverytime i visit London, Trivet is top of my list! It just keeps getting better! An exceptional restaurant, with wonderful staff, a stunning wine list and utterly delicious food!!I was having such a good time i forgot to take any photos of the food!!

Fantastic simple food and lovely atmosphereSt. John or St. John Bread and Wine is a must-visit when in London.I had a long slow Sunday lunch here and everything was just perfect. The service was so professional, welcoming and friendly. The food was so simple plated and extremely tasty. Loved the grilled mackerel with chicory and green sauce. Could have sat there for many hours and just watch and follow them work and enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Amazing wine list / great cookingIncredible selection of wines by the glass / coravin plus really rather perfect cooking by chef Alex Jackson. They do a well priced menu du jour and I highly recommend trying the chicken with vin jaune and morels. Puddings too. All of them!

Unapologetically loud food and even louder music! I love going to Black on any day of the week! You always be greeted by the same energy – big! It is loud both in flavours and music, Lee and the team produce technical dishes delivered with flare. The lamb Offal flatbread is life-changing and the cod's roe, egg and squid ink flatbread is a goey Smokey disco delight!Everything is delicious including those cocktails that come with mini umbrellas!

Jolene is great, all day dining place, from pastries and coffee in the morning to a super nice and casual dinner menu.

Briny, avant-garde delights from Leo CarreiraChef Leo Carreira's chef's table experience in Haggerston (there is a more casual sister restaurant in Chelsea) is what you'd expect from an ex Mugaritz man. Very experimental and technical but with nods to and plays on Portuguese food culture and traditions that ensure there is still a warmth and fun there. All delicious. I had an incredible flourless langoutine 'wedding cake' (pictured) which was unlike anything I'd ever eaten before, and was again, a play on a traditional recipe (Carreira has also published an extensive Portuguese cookbook).