As recently as 2017, Eater declared that an up-to-then omnipresent New York influence on London’s dining scene was ‘waning’.
But after a slew of recent NYC-inspired openings and a hype train picking up more pace than Amtrak’s flagship Acela, it’s transpired that the opposite is in fact true: New York is very much the Big Apple of our eye right now. Where food is concerned, at least…
Though it might suddenly feel as though London is heaving with New York-inspired restaurants, this is a bond that’s been cherished long before everyone started saying ‘red sauce’ and quoting the Sopranos whenever they fancied some spaghetti and meatballs.
You’ll be glad to hear, then, that if you’re up for New York-inspired food in London in 2024, you haven’t come in at the end. The best is not over. This is a love affair still very much alive. Here are the best New York style restaurants in London.
Grasso, Soho
Ideal for a warm Italian-American welcome and plates that are even more generous…
“You, Uh… Gonna Eat That?”
Italian-American cuisine is having a moment right now and Grasso – after a somewhat shaky start, admittedly – is where the stuff truly shines in Soho. A family-owned restaurant, the folk on the door are a big-hearted bunch, and make you feel like you’re friends coming home from a holiday every time you career into the restaurant a little unsteady off a few jars on Dean Street. For us – that’s been a lot of times lately.
The menu is reassuringly short, letting you be fully present with your expertly poured Soho Manhattan and the fine company you’re keeping, rather than having to endure the unseemly business of reading a menu for more than a few cursory glances.
Once a couple of those Manhattans have been dispensed with, order the endlessly stretchy mozzarella sticks with nduja and honey – they belong on every table. As do the meatballs which, made to a third-generation family recipe, have become one of Soho’s most cherished dishes – the neighbourhood’s denizens may well revolt if they’re ever taken off the menu. The chicken parm here is truly great, too; generously portioned and faithfully executed.
A plate of silky smooth penne alla vodka, a cornerstone of the Italian-American red-sauce repertoire, is a serious dish and is as comforting as it is elegant. If anyone ever tells you that this dish is kitsch, they are wrong. It’s a stone cold classic, though certainly shouldn’t be eaten stone cold, we should add; this guy congeals something rotten when it’s cooled down.
That vodka sauce rears its beautiful head again as part of the lobster linguine, which is a real showstopper with claws included for cracking and gnawing. You’d hope so too for £36 a plate. Flanking the pastas and the parm are a commendable lineup of American pizzas, though we’d suggest pies aren’t perhaps Grasso’s strongest suit. Not to worry.
Desserts are made every day by the owner’s mother, and it would be rude not to leave without sampling at least one. If there’s a cheesecake on the menu, that should be your order. Phew; you might have to wheel us out of here, you know…
Website: grassosoho.com
Address: 81 Dean St, London W1D 3SW
The Dover, Mayfair
Ideal for a classy, confident ode to 1970s New York glamour…
Wheel us to Dover Street, if you don’t mind, and to The Dover, another recently opened, hugely hyped ode to American-Italian food in London. This time, a distinctive touch of 1970’s glamour and sophistication is brought to the starched white table.
Very outwardly channeling a time when people still made a kinda stuffy sartorial effort for a night out, The Dover aims to challenge the notion that there isn’t a future for old-fashioned fine dining. It largely succeeds in that aim.
At the helm is Martin Kuczmarski, former Soho House head honcho. He told the Standard that an iconic Seventies scene of Sophia Loren eating meatballs with Al Pacino in Brooklyn was the inspiration for the restaurant. And so The Dover harks back to New York classic restaurants that provided the mise en scene for such stuff, all dark wood, flickering candles, pressed linen tablecloths and chess board flooring.
The food is as you’d expect to find in New York-style Italian restaurants and on the pages of Cucina con Amore. It’s not fancy, just delicious. If the white tablecloths aren’t splattered with red sauce from your spaghetti meatballs (or the blood of your enemies as Don’t Stop Believin’ plays) by the end, then you haven’t done things right.
Whilst the restaurant is currently one of the hottest tickets in town and the best in the state far as I’m concerned, you can usually nab a seat at the bar if you haven’t made a reservation. Just watch out for the fella in the Members Only jacket.
Website: thedoverrestaurant.com
Address: 33 Dover St, London W1S 4NF
Alley Cats Pizza, Marylebone
Ideal for London’s most talked about pizza…
Every time we find ourselves hungry in Marylebone, we find ourselves at Alley Cats Pizza. And every time we find ourselves in Alley Cats Pizza, we just can’t help but burst into that Dean Martin song. And with this pizza pie, it’s definitely amore.
Alleycats is one of the new-wave of New York / New Haven pizzerias that have hit London in the last couple of years, and, with good reason, it’s also perhaps the most popular.
It’s easy to see why; if you picked up an Alley Cats Pizzeria and plonked it down in the middle of New York, it would fit right in, seamlessly so; all wipe-clean gingham table cloths, exposed brick walls and Rega tomato tins holding your cutlery. The pizzas wouldn’t be out of place either, and would stand up to an Arturo’s (surely an inspiration here) or a Lucali’s quite capably.
Pizza geeks will be pleased to hear that the 72 hour proven dough is supremely digestible; slow-fermented and made with Canadian wheat and a thirty-year-old starter, these cats are operating on another level to many other doughs in the city. The resulting chewy yet crisp crust is made for dipping in Alleycat’s homemade scotch bonnet sauce.
The menu is short and concise; there isn’t much more on it than a handful of thoughtfully conceived pies. The pepperoni pizza with jalapenos and hot honey is everything you could want from a New York style pizza – smoky and tangy with those all important curled cups of spicy sausage. Sure, bright orange grease might drip down your chin with every bite, but you’ll be having the time of your life while you ruin your shirt.
If you’re in the mood for something without sauce (thought this was a brat summer, tho?), then try the carbonara pizza. Either way, you’ll want to start with some candied bacon and some meatballs, just to settle in. On the other side of the meal, the Alley Cats vanilla soft serve makes for the ideal finish.
The restaurant is open everyday from midday to 11pm daily, and is walk-in only until the dough runs out. Should you arrive and they’re already shutting up shop, then check out our thoughts on where to eat the best New York style pizza in London. We’ve got all your back-up needs covered in there.
Website: alleycatspizza.co.uk
Address: 22 Paddington St, London W1U 5QY
Papo’s Bagels, Dalston
Ideal for London’s best NYC-style bagels…
London’s bagel scene is small when compared New York’s, but it’s seriously good all the same. Of course, you could head to Brick Lane to get some mighty fine bagels, but it’s worth making the trip to Papo’s Bagels in Dalston if you’re after the very best gear.
This NYC-style takeaway bagel joint only started during the pandemic, when two homesick New Yorkers started baking and experimenting with bagels at home. The results were – and still are – bloody marvellous.
Chewy, golden and glossy, Papo’s brings true NYC bagels to London. The classic cream cheese and smoked salmon, topped with onions and capers, is the signature here, and for good reason; it’s generously (but not overly) proportioned, and the oak smoked salmon is prepared exclusively for Pap’s Bagels by the Isle of Bute Smokehouse.
Thankfully, they don’t operate a puritanical ‘no toasting’ policy here (New York bagels aren’t meant to be), as the tuna melt topped with popping pink pickled onions is always a good choice. Even better, the simple scallion schmear is a winner, letting those perfectly proved bagels do the talking. Whatever you order, bring home a bag of Papo’s famous bagel chips – crispy, crunchy, and salty – and you’ll be thanking your foresight long into an admittedly thirsty evening.
If you didn’t possess that kind of forward planning, you’ll be happy to hear that they deliver all over London, too.
Website: paposbagels.com
Address: 73-75 Shacklewell Ln, London E8 2EB
Darby’s, Nine Elms
Ideal for oysters, Guinness and slinky, swanky jazz…
A really good American restaurant near the American embassy; a simple stroke of genius, make no mistake. But Darby’s is so more than just a strategic location. Irish chef-owner Robin Gill’s father played the trumpet, living in and touring New York in the 50’s and 60’s, and this Manhattan-chic restaurant is in part an ode to those glitzy bars his father used to entertain in.
The restaurant combines the best of those American and Irish influences, sourcing the finest produce from across the UK and delivering it via an all-round classy and satisfying experience.
You’ll find us sitting at the central NYC-inspired oyster bar, slurping back freshly shucked oysters with a pint of Guinness in hand. Here, oyster happy hours (Tuesday to Friday, from 5pm to 7pm, and Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm and again from 9pm to 11pm) start at just £2 a slurp, and are an excellent way to kick off your evening here.
Once their briny liquid is bubbling up and out of you ‘till you can’t take no more (ew), sashay over to your table and order the Aberdeen Angus sirloin. Served on the bone with a side of gem lettuce that’s been positively doused in Caesar dressing and topped with pangrattato, it’s heaven. A shout out (you may well be shouting – it gets noisy in here) also to their beef shin and bone marrow pie – a true signature that’s been on the Darby’s menu since day dot and is one of our favourite dishes in London during the cold, comfort-food months.
In keeping with the whole Americana thing, there’s an onsite bakery, too, serving bagels until 3pm – a lifeline to those working at the nearby American embassy in need of a fix, no doubt.
Classy, delicious and fast when it needs to be, the atmosphere, food and service at Darby’s is pretty much flawless. We love this place.
Website: darbys-london.com
Address: 3 Viaduct Gdns, Nine Elms, London SW11 7AY
Bleecker Burger, Various Locations
Ideal for London’s, scratch that, the world’s best burger…
London is home to many great burgers. If we had to choose just one to spend the rest of our lives with, though, it would be Bleecker – it’s about as good as a burger can get.
We’re not the only ones who think so. These patties have developed a cult following across London in recent years, with a whole host of publications naming it as the city’s best. Earlier this year, the Bleecker Bacon Double even won the prestigious title of Best Burger in the UK. That’s some recognition right there.
So how did London come to get this fine specimen of a burger? We have Zan Kaufman to thank for that. After trying the “best burger” she’d ever eaten at Zaitzeff in New York (now sadly closed), she decided to set up a food stall that paid homage to this bun and beef experience. A bricks n’ mortar restaurant shortly followed, and fast forward to today, Bleecker is flipping patties in five locations across London.
The quality of those patties (always go for the double) really does come through. The beef comes from rare breed, grass-fed cattle from small farms in the UK, and it’s a meaty, flavourful affair. The rest of the thing is pleasingly prosaic – a yielding but supportive bun, plastic American cheese, and a simple house sauce (a mix of ketchup, mayo, mustard, pickles and secret spices) is all this one needs to send it on its way. When all these elements combine, it’s pure poetry.
Order a side of the beautifully piquant ‘angry’ fries, and a vanilla milkshake, because that’s what they do in the States, the latter of which is made with real deal Nielsen Massey vanilla, and you’ve got yourself one of London’s finest all-American meals.
The whole Bleecker Burger experience is indeed simple – just burger, fries and a shake. But just like Zaitzeff was the best burger Kuffman ate in New York, her Bleeker burger will likely be the best you eat in London.
Website: bleecker.co.uk
Locations: bleecker.co.uk/locations
Read: The best restaurants near London Victoria
CUT at 45 Park Lane, Mayfair
Ideal for a blowout steak night out…
In the mid 19th century, steakhouses arrived in New York City. Back then, they were men-only restaurants where gluttonous acts were on the menu – think pitchers of beer, plenty of manly chanting, and round upon round of meat, all to be eaten with the hands. When women got the vote, things changed and no longer were New York’s steakhouses just a place for men. At some point, cutlery was introduced too…
Today, from Midtown to Williamsburg, steakhouses are everywhere. It’s undeniably the city’s archetypal dining experience, which makes the UK’s very own Hawksmoor conquering New York all the more impressive.
Sure, Hawksmoor is great, but it’s proudly British, and we’re here for the best New York style restaurants in London today. To that end, and if you’re after that luxurious steak dining experience, head to CUT at 45 Park Lane. This Wolfgang Puck-led (Austrian, we know, but something of an honorary New York resident) establishment ticks all the boxes of a classic steak house – low lighting, dark wooden panels and booths…you know, steak. It also holds 10th position in the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, as if we needed another list like it.
Anyway, CUT’s menu reads as close to a classic New York steakhouse as one possibly could in London, offering lobster rolls, oysters and, of course, prime cuts of steak. The New York sirloin (also known as the New York strip), with its inherently rich marbling, is one of the most tender cuts on the menu, boasting an intense flavour that’s often sacrificed in favour of superior texture in American steakhouses. To get both here is a double-win.
If you’re wondering, the origin of this particular cut’s moniker is indeed thanks to those aforementioned New York restaurants that popularised the cut. It was a restaurant called Delmonico’s in New York City, founded in 1827, that first offered the New York strip steak as its signature dish. Whatever cut you choose, CUT at 45 Park Lane is a standout choice for a special all-American/Austrian steak night out in London. Oh, and their martinis are killer, too.
Website: dorchestercollection.com
Address: 45 Park Ln, London W1K 1PN
Flat Iron, Various Locations
Ideal for an unpretentious, affordable steak dining experience…
We all know that a steak dinner brings with it a certain premium price tag, and is usually reserved for special occasions. But what if you’re after a midweek steak that won’t break the bank? Enter Flat Iron, cherished London heroes who believe in the democratisation of steak, with the chief billing being that they offer ‘great steak for everyone’. Though we’re commies at heart, we believe in great steak too…
Confusingly, perhaps, this place has nothing to do with the Flatiron building in New York, but rather, the name is to do with a cut of steak – both of which resemble an old-fashioned metal flat iron. Kinda. If you’re wondering, they do use old-fashioned flat irons as weights for cooking their steaks, too, branding both their steaks and re-emphasising the brand. Nice touch guys.
Anyway, back to the cut. The flat iron is a well marbled thing, with a robust beefiness and, when cooked just right, as they do here, remarkably juicy and tender. If you’re in London looking for a medium rare steak, a side of creamed spinach and a glass of red (just like in New York) then you can’t do much better than Flat Iron. Oh, and the bit you’ve been waiting for; the signature steak is just £14.
Website: flatironsteak.co.uk
Locations: All over London, but our favourite is in Soho, close to Tottenham Court Road
Electric Diner, Notting Hill
Ideal for a date and a movie, American style…
The diner is a microcosm of the US, and a countrywide icon of American culture – we simply couldn’t not include one on our list of the best New York style restaurants in London.
Diners were actually born in New York State, originally taking the form of horse-drawn wagons. Later on, and to the present day, the setting became recycled, modified railroad dining cars, which is the vibe that you’ll find at Electric Diner in Notting Hill.
While there are a handful of diners in London, we think the best out of the bunch is here, brought to you by The Soho House group. It’s the prototypical American diner, complete with red booths and a long counter serving an all-day breakfast. Lean on that counter and flirt (respectfully) with the person pouring your black filter coffee, if you wish.
The menu here is rooted in all the classic diner dishes – chicken and waffles, cheeseburgers, Philly chilli cheese dogs, Caesar salad, mac ‘n’ cheese… You get the picture, and it’s one that’ll clog your arteries just by looking at it.
There’s the odd French flourish, too, for some reason. For mains, you’ll find baby back ribs and slaw sitting alongside a bavette with fries and béarnaise. From the appetisers, steak tartare slots in neatly alongside mozzarella sticks. Confused? It just makes sense to some…
The diner is attached to the Electric – a gorgeous old cinema. If you’re watching a film (sorry; movie) here, you get 50% off food from Monday to Thursday.
Website: electricdiner.com
Address: 191 Portobello Rd, London W11 2ED
The Colony Grill Room, Mayfair
Ideal for New York grills and ice cream sundaes…
Billing itself as a relaxed, sophisticated (we’ll be the judge of that) New York-style grill room with a timeless menu of transatlantic favourites and a big helping of old-world glamour, this all-day spot gets pretty close to that sprawling description.
Settle into the Colony Grill Room’s big leather booths, spill something on the crisp white tablecloths just for kicks, and get stuck into a menu that reads like a classic grill restaurant. It’s all stateside cuts here – hanger this and tomahawk that – alongside slaw, cobs of corn and that crazy American pronunciation of parmesan, we’re sure.
For an especially luxurious brunch, go for the warm brown butter waffles that come with a selection of traditional accompaniments and a nice big pot of caviar. Sure, you might need to print some more money to pay for it, but that’s the American way, no?
To be fair, this proudly U.S.A joint does an excellent Sunday roast, the sirloin cooked to a perfect pink and a towering Yorkshire pudding that makes all that ‘short king’ talk look really disingenuous.
Whatever day you visit, don’t miss out on the Grill Room’s iconic ice cream sundae where you can choose your own flavours and as many toppings as your inner child desires. Ours? It’s stracciatella over tiramisu, topped with honeycomb, rum-soaked raisins and an espresso sauce, thank you very much.
Website: colonygrillroom.com
Address: 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF
Double Standard, Kings Cross
Ideal for an all-American brunch…
In New York, brunch is a religion. They’ve perfected the concept of it. Its essential features and the city’s best purveyors are keenly debated over, erm, brunch. It brings people together and it divides them. Yep, brunch is a serious business in the business capital of the world.
Of course, this frivolous portmanteau and proud New York tradition traverses the world, from the city’s takes on dim sum and tacos to its waffles, pancakes and everything in between.
Unsurprisingly, brunch has also found a home in the Big Smoke. But where to eat a gold-standard version? Some may suggest Balthazar in Covent Garden for brunch if you’re in a New York State of mind. Mimicking the original French brasserie in Manhattan, we’ve found it a little hit and miss.
Instead, if you’re looking for a true American-style brunch that not only promises but also delivers on a menu of classic transatlantic favourites, then head to the Double Standard in Kings Cross, whose ‘Another Bloody Brunch’ menu nods to the brand’s New York roots.
Every Sunday from midday to 4pm you can enjoy classic brunch dishes like buttermilk chicken waffles topped with crispy bacon and maple syrup, eggs benedict and eggs royale. They even serve short rib mac ‘n’ cheese and baby back ribs for the carnivores/gluttons in the squad.
On the sweeter side of the menu, there are waffles with your choice of toppings and Knickerbocker glory – a dessert which is believed to have originated in New York in the early 1900s, named after The Knickerbocker Hotel in Manhattan. There’s us thinking the name meant something vaguely saucy…
Website: standardhotels.com
Address: Ground Floor, The Standard, 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG
Where The Pancakes Are, London Bridge
Ideal for, well, isn’t it obvious in the name?
Okay, we admit from the off that this one isn’t a New York-inspired restaurant, per se. In fact, the website makes a point that it was born in the Netherlands, nurtured in California and made in the UK.
But we have many a fond memory of being in the Big Apple eating pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company & Restaurant, a New York institution known for its pancakes whose brunch pulls in massive queues each and every week.
At Clinton Street, they griddle between 200 and 300 orders a day and the top seller is their blueberry pancakes. We’ve done the hard work and eaten our weight in pancakes in London to find something similar. Our research led us to the ‘American’ option from Where The Pancakes Are in, confusingly, London Bridge’s Flat Iron Square. It was meant to be…
@wherethepancakesare
With this order, you get a stack of three buttermilk pancakes topped with bacon, blueberries and real-deal maple syrup. While not the same as Clinton Street Bakery – the blueberries are served on the side rather than in the batter – this is everything you could want from an American pancake stack, fluffy and indulgent in all the right crevices.
If you’re a New Yorker (or Londoner) craving a comforting stack of fluffy pancakes at any time of day, even after dark, here’s your new go-to place. You can thank us later.
Website: wherethepancakesare.com
Address: Arch 35a, 85a Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 0NQ
Panzer’s Deli, St John’s Wood
Ideal for a New York-style Jewish deli…
Pastrami sarnies, Matzo Ball soup, big ol’ pickles… Jewish deli food and New York go hand in hand. Have you even been to New York if you haven’t had a Bagel with lox and cream cheese at Russ & Daughters? Or, a Pastrami on rye at Katz’s Deli?
Our go-to place for a New York Style deli experience was Monty’s Delicatessen. Beloved by many, it was renowned for it’s reubens and Jewish comfort food. Unfortunately, it shut its doors at the tail end of 2021, leaving many with a bagel-sized hole in their heart.
Since then, many have posited (and we agree) that Panzer’s is the closest thing in London to a gourmet New York Jewish deli. This institution has been selling salt beef sandwiches, chicken soup with matzo balls, and bagels with schmear for the good part of eighty years, and over that time they’ve somewhat perfected their craft.
Don’t stop there. Wander down the deli’s aisles and you’ll find American store cupboard staples like jiffy corn muffin mix and goldfish crackers (no goldfish were harmed in the making of these crackers, etc…).
Website: panzers.co.uk
Address: 13-19 Circus Rd, London NW8 6PB
RedFarm, Covent Garden
Ideal for NYC-style soup dumplings…
For many, the New York dining scene is synonymous with Chinese food. It’s been part of the Big Píngguǒ’s diverse cultural fabric since forever and an integral one at that.
Sadly, back across the pond in London, you won’t find the Americanised General Tso’s chicken; a beloved dish that originated in New York.
However, we have found some pretty darn special soup dumplings here. While they aren’t the same as those iconic soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai, you can have something similar(ish) at RedFarm, an offshoot of New York’s cult dim sum joint that set up shop in Covent Garden back in 2017. Dim sum master chef Joe Ng and Brooklyn-born Ed Schoenfeld are the brains behind the restaurant, and their London opening is the first venture outside Manhattan.
RedFarm is known for its contemporary, playful approach to dim sum, exemplified by the bulging, bulbous xiao long bao, which are served with a straw.
Your old school dim sum place this ain’t – there are more intriguing anomalies on the menu and in the delivery. See also the multi-coloured Pac Man shrimp dumplings, each decorated with sesame seed eyes, and the pastrami egg roll (whose meat was once supplied by aforementioned Monty’s Deli). This isn’t simply gimmicky food for the craic – both are delicious.
Speaking of gimmicky deliciousness, it’s impossible to order only one round of their cheeseburger spring rolls, which have – unsurprisingly – the comforting familiarity of a cheeseburger and the crunchiness of a spring roll. What’s not to love?
Website: redfarmldn.com
Address: 9 Russell St, London WC2B 5HZ
We’ll tell you what’s not to love, actually; the heartburn afterwards.