Traditional London Restaurants

St John. Copyright St John/Patricia Niven

For a true taste of British food in London, you needn't look far.

In recent years, traditional English grub has enjoyed something of a renaissance and restaurant owners have gone back to their roots in search of fresh, local food.

Restaurants

Simpson's-in-the-Strand

Part of the Savoy Hotel, Simpson's is a place for meat and fish lovers, though everyone will appreciate the stunningly ornate interior and air of times gone by. The place has been serving traditional food since 1828.

Porters English Restaurant

This Covent Garden favourite is extremely popular with tourists. Head to Porters if you fancy tucking into hearty, satisfying classics such as pies, cod and chips, and roast beef.

Notting Grill

The focus at Notting Grill is definitely on meat. Its owner is renowned chef and TV celebrity Anthony Worrell-Thompson. Rest assured you'll only get the best cuts, as he has searched the land for the finest livestock. Booking is essential.

Rhodes Twenty Four

If you're after views with your food, Rhodes Twenty Four delivers on both. Admire the cityscape and dig into haddock with crab kedgeree, Irish stew or globe artichoke. Don't leave without trying the jam roly poly!

Seashell

With its firm, flaky haddock and chunky chips, Seashell is a down-to-earth fish and chip restaurant, popular with locals and tourists alike. It can get busy but this only adds to the atmosphere.

Rock and Sole Plaice

Leave your diet at the door and dive in to the Rock and Sole Plaice for fine frying. Eat in or take away.

Rules

London's oldest restaurant is in the heart of Covent Garden. Serving up traditional British cuisine since 1798, Rules places an emphasis on game, oysters, pies and puddings.

St John

A traditional English eatery housed in a former smokehouse. St John specialises in what chef Fergus Henderson has termed "nose-to-tail eating", meaning that no part of meat is inedible.

Markets

Borough Market

A firm favourite with foodies, offering high quality, mainly organic meat, fish and veg, cheeses, bread, cakes and more. In fact, a shopping trip to Borough Market can fast become an entire day out as you wander through stalls, sampling the produce and enjoying the general bustle.

Spitalfields

While not strictly a food market, Spitalfields offers a wide range of organic fruit and veg, bread, cheese and meat. Sunday is the best day when there are also lots of arts and crafts stalls.