London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [111]
Moro.
£££ | MEDITERRANEAN | Up from the City, near Clerkenwell and Sadler’s Wells contemporary dance theater, is Exmouth Market, a cluster of cute shops, a few delis, an Italian church, and fine restaurants like Moro. The menu includes a mélange of Spanish and North African flavors. Spiced meats, Serrano ham, salt cod, and wood-fired and char-grilled offerings are the secret to Moro’s success. Wood-roasted sea bass with capers and fennel sauce stands out. Sidle up to the zinc bar, or squeeze into a tiny table and lean in—it’s noisy here. But then again, that’s part of the charm. | 34–36 Exmouth Market, The City | EC1R 4QE | 020/7833–8336 | www.moro.co.uk | Reservations essential | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed Sun. | Farringdon
Simpson’s Tavern.
£ | BRITISH | This Dickensian back-alley City chophouse was founded in 1757 and is as raucous as the day it opened. It draws pinstriped City folk, who love the boardinghouse scene and old-school grub: oxtail stew, steak-and-kidney pie, potted shrimp (brown shrimp preserved in a pot of butter), and “stewed cheese” house special (cheese on toast with Béchamel sauce). The grumpy service and shared oak bench stalls are all part of the charm. Note that it’s open weekdays only from noon until 3. | 38½ Cornhill, at Ball Ct., The City | EC3 9DR | 020/7626–9985 | www.simpsonstavern.co.uk | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed weekends. No dinner | Bank
Sông Qué Café.
£ | VIETNAMESE | An urban trawl through Hoxton’s trendy boutiques, record shops, and art galleries is topped off at this great-value Vietnamese canteen. Block out the scruffy Kingsland Road location and the gaudy green decor and instead sample a slew of the 180 dishes—including green papaya salad, tamarind prawns, Vietnamese pancakes, pork vermicelli, stir-fried tofu, and oodles of pho (beef broth with steak and rice noodles). | 134 Kingsland Rd., The City | E2 8DY | 020/7613–3222 | MC, V | Old St.
St. John Bread & Wine.
££ | MODERN BRITISH | The younger sibling of nose-to-tail specialists St. John in Clerkenwell is a winner no matter what meal of the day: try porridge, prunes, and pikelets (small pancakes) and jam for breakfast; beetroot and pickled walnuts for lunch, and smoked sprats (a herringlike fish) for dinner. It’s similar to St. John in that you’ll find ox heart, pigskin, blood cake, and duck eggs on the menu. You can feast on a whole roast suckling pig that feeds 14. Note that it’s a handy spot before or after visits to nearby Brick Lane or Old Spitalfields markets. | 94–96 Commercial St., The City | E1 6LZ | 020/7251–0848 | www.stjohnrestaurant.com | AE, MC, V | Aldgate East, Liverpool St.
Sweetings.
£££ | SEAFOOD | Established in 1889, Sweetings is a remnant from the old imperial City of London heyday. There are some things Sweetings doesn’t do: reservations, dinner, coffee, weekends. It does, however, do seafood. Not far from St. Paul’s Cathedral, it’s patronized by self-assured City gents who drink tankards of Black Velvet (Guinness and champagne) and eat soused herrings, roe on toast, and skate wings with black butter at linen-covered raised counters. The oysters are fresh and desserts like spotted dick and syrup pudding are classic favorites. | 39 Queen Victoria St., The City | EC4N 4SA | 020/7248–3062 | Reservations not accepted | AE, MC, V | Closed weekends. No dinner | Mansion House
Tayyabs.
£ | PAKISTANI | Blythe City bankers and medics from the Royal London Hospital swamp this no-reservations high-turnover Pakistani curry canteen in Whitechapel. Expect a wait after dark, and bear in mind that it’s corkage-free BYO, jam-packed, noisy, and maddeningly chaotic. Nonetheless, prices are cheap and you can gorge handsomely for £17 on minced meat seekh kebabs, karahi prawns, or marinated and char-grilled lamb chops. | 83 Fieldgate St., The City | E1 1JU | 020/7247–9543 | www.tayyabs.co.uk | Reservations not accepted | AE, MC, V | BYOB | Aldgate East .
CLERKENWELL
Bistrot Bruno Loubet.
£££ | FRENCH | Beloved French chef Bruno Loubet creates so many distinctive dishes, it’s hard to