Some new additions for your wining and dining bucket list

It’s been another fun year of exploring London restaurants, one of my favourite pastimes. The running list of restaurants to visit on my Notes app is constantly growing, and I’m that friend who always makes restaurant reservations way ahead of time. Since I am often asked for restaurant recommendations, I thought I’d collate some top finds in 2022 in one place for you to refer back to!

Before we get into it, a few words on where I find restaurant recommendations, and how I decide which restaurants to visit:

• I often read restaurant reviews in papers like the Guardian, FT Weekend, and The Times, which offer in-depth evaluations of hotly anticipated openings

• Following foodie TikTok and Instagram accounts is a great way to stay abreast of new spots cropping up around the city, and to get an idea of whether or not a restaurant is one I think I’d enjoy

• The best recommendations often come from those who know an area well, so if I come across a place I want to visit and have a friend who lives nearby, I’ll make sure to ask if they’ve eaten there before / if they recommend it

• Reviewing menus online is fun, but I try not to decide what to have ahead of time: it’s always good to see dishes in person and peek over your shoulder at what the next table has ordered, and ask the waiter for recommendations

After sampling more than a dozen new restaurants in the capital this year, here’s a round up of my ten favourites (in no particular order). Let’s dive in:

Hope you enjoy these recommendations and they inspire you to make some restaurant bookings to kick off the new year! Let me know if you’ve tried any of these places before, and what your favourite spots for dinner and drinks are in London!

Xo,
Veena