North of Oxford Street, there’s a lot to choose from – and it’s not all confined to Charlotte Street. Akoko is centred around West African cuisine and they say their aim is to “pay homage to the country’s culinary heritage by using best christmas dinners passed down through generations and traditional cooking techniques of smoking, curing and fermenting”. As the name suggests, multiple Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Quique Dacosta’s first London restaurant has a big focus on rice with loads of paella on the menu. But it’s not ALL rice and there’s a cracking bar upstairs too.
This is the second restaurant from the people behind the hugely successful Bao in Soho. You’ll find the usual bao buns here but with many small and sharing dishes that are unique to this branch. London’s media heartland for its standout tapas and excellent sherry list. This is the main restaurant at the London Edition and Jason Atherton is in charge of things.
Expect a more upmarket affair to some of Atherton’s other spots and a frankly jaw-dropping room too. This huge Caravan space has taken over an old BBC recording studio. There is coffee and brunch aplenty as well as the usual Caravan staples – there’s also private dining space here as well. This is their second restaurant and the first time they’ve opened in London. Expect classic, seasonal Italian fare alongside “good old-fashioned Italian hospitality. The Big Mamma Group’s second opening in London saw them hit up Fitzrovia with a massively OTT slice of Mediterranean charm and flavour. It’s extremely popular with a stunning looking room.