The 19 Best Restaurants In Marylebone

Located in a basement with lighting that makes everyone look 20% hotter, Nina is undeniably cool. People would come here for long lunches or sexy dinner dates even if the pasta was congealed, but fortunately the Italian food is excellent. Raw yellowtail floating on a creamy stracciatella boat and rich taleggio truffle arancini start every meal off strongly. And mains—classic spaghetti in tomato sauce with more stringy stracciatella, and chicken milanese slathered in parmesan butter—do a good job of maintaining that high.

We get teary-eyed whenever we think about this romantic Lebanese restaurant on Blandford Street. The rustic walls and candlelight make it charming enough that we’d probably fall in love with Severus Snape if he took us to dinner here. The cosy front section of Fairuz teeters into ‘accidentally dipping your pitta in the next table's moutabal’ territory, which is fine if you’re in a group. But if you’re hoping to seduce someone over creamy aubergine fatteh, head there early to snag a seat in the hidden-away back corner.

More spacious than the Soho original—with a couple of outdoor tables for sunny days—Hoppers in Marylebone serves some of the best Sri Lankan food in London. Things like bone marrow varuval and kothu roti are reliably excellent, and you should get involved in their drinks menu. The Ceylonese ice tea is flowery and the pandan Negroni is one vermouth remix we endorse. Set over two floors, there’s a big, bright, slightly corporate-feeling space upstairs, and a more romantic underground seating area with alcoves and larger tables.

The oldest of old-school sandwich shops, this century-old 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. There are half a dozen or so tables plus a little counter, and it’s first come first served.

At this walk-in-only, NYC-style pizza spot, exposed brick and chequered tablecloths transport you to the streets of Williamsburg. There's a dimly lit lamp on each table, a projector plays The Sopranos, and diners fill the buzzy, industrial-looking room, dipping chewy margherita crusts into fiery scotch bonnet sauce, and getting messy with a sweet onion jam-heavy mushroom slice. If you’re only getting one pizza, it should be the marinara with pools of stringy, creamy stracciatella.

Royal China Club on Baker Street is a Cantonese institution where the hoisin-stained white tablecloths can bring back all kinds of memories. The 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, it’s worth it for a special meal centred around special cheung fun.

We would like to award Kol’s branded leather tortilla pouches with the title of Item We Would Most Like To Steal From A Restaurant. But frankly, we love most things about this upmarket, British-produce Mexican restaurant on Seymour Street. It’s a fabulous fine dining experience that goes from dazzling welcome broth spice fest to a glorious gooseberry salsa, quicker than you can say “another mezcal margarita please”. Getting a booking is harder than trying not to steal tortilla accessories, so sign up to Kol’s newsletter for first dibs on new reservation releases.  

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 Pinterest mom over all the lovely ceramics, not so many that you try to chat up the beef shin quesabirria. Don’t write this place off as just a gorgeous foliage haven though—the Mexican food is excellent, the service is friendly, and if it's on, splitting the whole grilled octopus is a must if you’re rolling with a group.

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 casual, but isn’t really. It’s Gymkhana’s sibling, but more seafood-y. The whole Dorset crab is excellent, as are the tandoori 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.

This Thai-influenced restaurant feels ready to be listed on The Modern House, and the mahogany room is full of Tucci lookalikes drinking sunflower seed Old Fashioneds. Beyond the polished room, AngloThai has a menu that changes seasonally and is full of unusual combinations: moreish smoky grilled flatbread comes shining with yeast butter and brilliant charred red kale. This is Marylebone, so invention is paired with decadence, like the knock-out coconut ash cracker served with crab and caviar. It’s a starter that’s worth a visit alone.

This Mediterranean restaurant prides itself on lavish decadence that could seem vulgar if the extortionate food wasn’t so goddamn delicious. The room has a warm amber hue and it’s hard not to lean in from the very first bite of moreish pan con tomate. Flavours at Lita don’t introduce themselves—they charge like an elephant with a thirst for Old Fashioneds and salt. The move is to share some smaller plates at one of the many lively counters, and go for a Galician beef rib or a whole turbot in a group. Just try not to think about the bill.

Carlotta is unapologetically over the top. Big booths, big ego, big diva energy. This Italian spot is busy with people taking pictures of themselves in all the mirrored surfaces and the more-is-more space. Some of the dishes are hit and miss, so our go-to is the creamy fettuccine alfredo al tartufo for two. But the dramatic interiors and bathroom taps straddled by a virgin Mary statue are a not-so-subtle hint that you’re not really here for the food. Just make sure you don’t leave without trying the pistachio wedding cake.

Given our love of cheap wine and trips to the Waitrose alcohol aisle, our favourite acronym is BYOB. Bringing your own booze is exactly what you can do at this Persian restaurant hidden on Crawford Place, which makes this place perfect for an affordable Marylebone dinner where you can still get joyously tipsy. But even without all that, it also serves truly enormous flatbreads, juicy kebabs, and tender lamb that yes, you absolutely should dip in the shallot yoghurt.

Filipino bakery Panadera is an excellent reason to tackle Bond Street tube station. There isn’t much room inside the bright, white space to perch, but the sturdy takeaway packaging means getting it to go is a legitimate option. And it’s worth it for some of the best sandwiches in London. The sweet pandesal bread is toasted but soft, and the fillings are creative and perfectly executed—our go-to is the corned beef hash.

Arguably London’s most revered restaurant name, St. John’s Marylebone location 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.

This Argentinian-influenced pizza spot is from the people behind Zoilo (an Argentinian steak place around the corner) and the crispy-based pies are all-round winners. The stracciatella-topped pizza is our favourite and the moreish white crusts are the perfect thing to dip in the sriracha mayo. In the evening, the tiny space has serious date night lighting, so try to get a corner table and settle in until closing. 

The moussaka at Opso is a thing of béchamel wonder. It’s a deconstructed take on traditional moussaka, 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-topped desserts, and tableside truffle lamb shank show are all instant crowd-pleasers too. 

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, and it’s best paired with chips.

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 and crispy, and the mushy peas are mushy—as they should be—rather than crushed. A classic.