London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [105]
The Square.
££££ | FRENCH | The Square in Mayfair is a favorite among corporate folk due to the impeccable food, the impressive wine selection, and unparalleled service. Philip Howard’s sophisticated French haute cuisine, which may include langoustine tails, red mullet, Lincolnshire hare, and Brillat-Savarin cheesecake has the mainly business clientele coming back for more. | 6–10 Bruton St., Mayfair | W1J 6PU | 020/7495–7100 | www.squarerestaurant.com | Reservations essential | AE, MC, V | No lunch weekends | Green Park
Wild Honey.
£££ | MODERN EUROPEAN | Wild Honey’s notable set lunch or pre- and posttheater evening deals (£19.95–£22.95) are wildly popular. Book ahead at this wood-paneled clublike salon, with bright modern pictures and comfy booths, in swanky Mayfair. Try the tasty Exmouth crab and white peach, Marseille bouillabaisse, Dorset plaice with Swiss chard, panna cotta, or signature wild honey ice cream with crushed honeycomb. The food is unpretentious, and all 50-odd wines come in handy third-of-a-bottle carafes. | 12 St. George St., Mayfair | W1S 2FB | 020/7758–9160 | www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk | AE, MC, V | Oxford Circus
MARYLEBONE
Galvin Bistrot de Luxe.
£££ | BISTRO | The hard-working Galvin brothers blaze a trail for the deluxe bistro concept on a no-man’s-land stretch of Baker Street in Marylebone. Feted chefs Chris and Jeff forsake Michelin stars and cut loose under the brasserie banner. Loyal fans and a more mature crowd enjoy impeccable service in a handsome slate floor and mahogany-paneled salon. There’s no finer crab lasagna around, and mains punch above their weight: gilthead bream, calves liver with Morteaux sausage, stuffed pig’s trotter, and the veal kidneys with girolles mushrooms are all a triumph. The £17.50 set lunch or £19.50 early evening dinners (6–7 pm) are unbeatable and there’s monthly live Sunday evening jazz performed by the students from the nearby Royal Academy of Music. | 66 Baker St., Marylebone | W1U 7DJ | 020/7935–4007 | www.galvinrestaurants.com | AE, MC, V | Baker St.
Golden Hind.
£ | SEAFOOD | You’ll find some of the best fish-and-chips in London at the Golden Hind, a British chippy (a shop serving traditional fish and chips) in a retro 1914 Art Deco café, off Marylebone High Street. Locals and tourists alike love the fresh calamari, skate wings, and fish cakes, but it’s the perfect—nongreasy—deep-fried or steamed battered cod, plaice, and haddock from Grimsby, the classic hand-cut chips, and mushy peas that are the big draw. It’s corkage-free BYO and it’s open noon–3 pm weekdays and 6–10 pm Monday through Saturday. | 73 Marylebone La., Marylebone | W1U 2PN | 020/7486–3644 | AE, MC, V | BYOB | No lunch Sat. Closed Sun. | Bond St.
SOHO
Andrew Edmunds.
££ | MEDITERRANEAN | Rustic food at realistic prices defines this perpetually jammed, Dickensian, softly lighted romantic Soho restaurant—though it could be larger and the wooden bench seats more forgiving. Tucked away behind Carnaby Street, it’s a favorite with the Soho media crowd that come for daily changing, fixed-price lunch menus. Starters and main courses draw on the taste of Ireland, the Mediterranean, and Middle East. Pigeon breast, Roquefort soufflé, and swordfish with basil mayonnaise are all hale and hearty. | 46 Lexington St., Soho | W1F OLW | 020/7437–5708 | Reservations essential | MC, V | Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus
Aqua Kyoto.
££ | JAPANESE | Japanese spectacular Aqua Kyoto off Regent Street is a high-concept import from Hong Kong that looks like a set from a moody James Bond film, with a sunken central sushi counter that’s straight out of the Starship Enterprise. Set on the fifth floor of the former Dickens & Jones building, there’s enough culinary theatre and beautiful bento boxes,