LDNGuide
The 16 Best Restaurants In Marylebone
An old-school deli, one of London's best upmarket Indian spots and, er, the Chiltern Firehouse.
Marylebone is one of those central London areas (also looking at you Mayfair and Fitzrovia) where your overriding association is big houses, big buggies, and a big old bill wherever you go to eat or drink. That last part may be true of a lot of places around here—you certainly have a wide choice of restaurants who use tweezers to assemble your food—but there are also lots of great ones as well.
THE SPOTS
Arguably London’s most revered restaurant name, St. John’s Marylebone restaurant serves dinky, delicious small plates that are best enjoyed with a glass that’s never left dry. There’s something about this version of St. John, smack bang in central London, that screams daytime grazing and gulping. Like all St. John spaces, it’s white and bright, with their innately composed staff gliding around the upstairs bar area and the downstairs dining room, always with a deep-fried rarebit in hand.
The oldest of old-school sandwich shops, this century-old Marylebone deli will do anything you like. You’ve got old friends like coronation chicken, a variety of cheeses on offer, pastrami, and all manner of sandwich mixes to peer into under the counter. We like to keep things classic with the egg mayo, anchovy, and chive combination on springy white bread. Inside it’s a mix between a caff, a deli, and a kind of Ye Olde Chutney Emporium. Manners are encouraged but don’t make the mistake of standing on ceremony: there are half a dozen or so tables plus a little counter, and it’s first come first served.
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Marylebone’s premier Viennese brasserie feels like it’s from another time. Gold-framed portraits of men with moustaches and women in cocktail dresses hang from semi-tiled walls, the toilet doors have a little golden curtain rail, and any number of things feel like they could happen in this room—from a murder to marriage. What most people are here for is gold-hued and crispy—Fischer’s schnitzel is a flat, crisp piece of meat big enough to throw around the park on a sunny day that’s best paired with chips. You can’t go wrong.
We would like to award Kol’s branded brown leather tortilla pouches with the title of Item We Would Most Like To Steal From A Restaurant. But frankly, we love everything about this upmarket British-produce Mexican-inspired restaurant on Seymour Street. A truly exceptional fine dining experience, your meal will pass in a mirage that goes from dazzling welcome broth spice fest to a glorious gooseberry salsa, quicker than you can say “another mezcal margarita please”. Be warned that getting a booking is genuinely harder than actively trying not to steal tortilla accessories, but if you sign up for Kol’s newsletter, you’ll get first grabs at new reservation releases.
The mousakas at Opso is a thing of béchamel wonder. A deconstructed take on the traditional involving a foundation of grilled aubergine, layers of braised beef ragu and béchamel, and topped with—insert sentimental tear here—crunchy potato crisp slivers. It is undoubtedly the standout dish at this upmarket Greek restaurant but the tzatziki, cherry pavlova, and tableside lamb shank show are all instant crowd-pleasers too. Prices stack up quickly but it’s worth it for a space on Marylebone’s most charming terrace.
Cavita on Wigmore Street is one of those restaurants you want everyone to see you at. Ideally while engaged in a hilarious conversation with a fabulous friend and drinking just the right number of spiced watermelon margaritas. Hint: enough that you get a little teary-eyed over all the lovely ceramics, not so many that you try to chat up the divine pig’s head tamal. Don’t write this place off as just a gorgeous foliage haven though—the Mexican food is excellent, the service is friendly, and splitting the whole grilled octopus is a must if you’re rolling with a group.
Given our heartfelt love of cheap wine and trips to the Waitrose alcohol aisle, our absolute favourite acronym is ‘BYOB’. Bringing your own booze is exactly what you can do at this old-school Persian restaurant hidden on Crawford Place, which—hello—makes this place perfect for an affordable Marylebone dinner where you can still get joyously tipsy. As well as giving you the opportunity to finally crack out that nice bottle of red, it also serves truly enormous flatbreads, juicy kebabs, and tender lamb that yes, you absolutely should dip in the shallot yoghurt.
No restaurant in Marylebone sums up the area better than Trishna. It’s an absolutely delicious, eye-wateringly expensive Indian restaurant that appears to be sort of casual, but isn’t really. It’s Gymkhana’s sibling, but more seafood-y. The whole Dorset crab is a must, as are the lamb chops, but just be wary that things add up here. Come for a special occasion or even better, when it’s not on you.
Although it doesn’t occupy quite as special a place in our hearts as the Soho original, Hoppers in Marylebone is equal to the original in serving some of the best Sri Lankan food in London. Set over two floors, it includes a big bright, slightly corporate feeling space upstairs, and an underground seating area with coves and larger tables to accommodate group dinners.
Some restaurants are made for those of us who eat everything. The omnivores, the all-consumers. Lurra is one of those. You’ll want to eat everything at this Basque grill spot. The Galician blond beef for sure, the turbot if you’ve got enough people, and of course some jamón and padron peppers to get you started. It’s a really tasteful restaurant—both in its Scandi aesthetic and in its food—so bring your favourite people to enjoy it with.
Do you find yourself inexplicably scrolling through the Daily Mail celebrity sidebar like a rabid dog, hungry for contentiously sourced photos of someone from Love Island 2020? If yes, then you’ve probably already been to Chiltern Firehouse. This was the place to be a few years ago. But the breakfast is still good and it’s still kind of fun to go in the evening for a drink or two.
The original Royal China Club on Baker Street is a restaurant that plenty of people get a little misty-eyed about. It’s an institution where the chilli oil or hoisin-stained white tablecloths can bring back all kinds of memories. Royal China’s lengthy dim sum menu is legendary for good reason. It ranges from the familiar (prawn cheung fun, say) to the fancy (crispy rolls with scallop and foie gras), so don’t be surprised that it can easily add up to west London club prices. That said, this is a club where everyone’s welcome and has a good time.
Marylebone isn’t exactly a boozer-on-every-corner kind of area. But the Grazing Goat is a very good pub/bistro when you’re looking for somewhere that serves drinks and decent food to have with it. Think pie of the day, scotch eggs, and mac and cheese. The atmosphere is relaxed but busy, making it perfect for post-work or pre-dinner, and there’s an alright-sized terrace for when the sun is shining as well.
Lots of places serve our beloved national dish of fish and chips, but that doesn’t mean they get it right. The Golden Hind is one of London’s legendary chippies that does. The cod is so long it overhangs the plate, the chips are chunky crispy, and the mushy peas are mushy—as they should be—rather than crushed. A classic.
Although it sounds like the techno DJ you got roped into enduring last weekend, Zoilo is actually a rather nice Argentinian restaurant that does lots beyond steak. It’s got everything from empanadas to dover sole, as well as, obviously, a choice of meats. The atmosphere is understated and suits the evening more than the day thanks to the bar seating. It’s an easy date and/or mate spot.
La Fromagerie is an extremely tasteful deli/cafe/restaurant/wine bar hybrid. The sort of place where you expect Nigella Lawson does her daily shop. The food is simple and delicious—hams, cheeses, and bread for nibbles. Some hot meat and fish plates. A wholesome essential that every neighbourhood needs.
