Every year, new words enter the dictionary to encapsulate concepts which previously didn’t need defining. ‘Post truth’, for instance, was Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year in 2016 – particularly pertinent in a twelve months which saw Trump, Brexit and Fake News dominate and discombobulate the headlines. 2013 saw ‘selfie’ enter the popular lexicon, with ‘binge watch’ and ‘photobomb’ also being used (and performed) by young and old alike; a surefire sign of the times, we think.
Providing a hyphen is inserted, we wonder if 2026’s’s entry will be ‘digital nomad’. With more and more young people opting (or having their hand forced, depending on how you look at it) to live a transient lifestyle away from the traditional confines of the office walls and clock, it’s only a matter of time before this loose term becomes a genuine job description.
Making money in this marketplace, however, is tough; the economy required often limiting the sense of freedom that you signed up for in the first place. That said, there are certain things you can do to keep costs low and profit margins high, and these are a good place to start; our 8 money saving tips to help make digital nomadism work for you.
Cafe Costs
In a game of such fine margins, where responsibility for earning falls solely on your shoulders, every hidden cost should be calculated and factored into your budget. Let’s start with every digital nomad’s safe space; the coffee shop. Even the most patient barista is going to expect you to buy at least a couple of drinks when you’re bedding in, wires everywhere and laptops sprawled across tablespace. Weigh up how much money you’ll actually make from being there against the cost of all the teas, espressos and snacks you’ll likely be ordering.
Equally, if the cafe is a place of distraction, with weird Ed Sheeran covers and other digimads chatting loudly about anything but work on adjacent tables, consider if the coffee shop is really the place for you at all. Which brings us to…
Choose Your Temporary Home Wisely
Sure, opting for the cheapest possible place to rest your weary head makes sense. Perhaps a dorm room bunk in that cute beach hostel? Or even better, the free offer of a crash on your yoga instructor’s sofa. On paper at least, this is budget savvy behaviour.
But if you’re technically ‘at work’, the cost of such a shoestring choice will soon mount up. If you don’t have desk space and a semblance of WiFi, you’re going to be taking a day off, let’s not kid ourselves. But if your place is a comfortable, pleasant place to spend time in, equipped with office-like amenities and free from distraction, then the extra money you spend on rent will be recouped quickly. This is an investment, digital nomad style.
Of course, choosing your temporary home’s location wisely is crucial too. You want to be in a place where the cost of living is low, but with an infrastructure which will keep you well connected and content. And if you’ve got your heart set on turning this into a career, abandon the illusion that you’ll be seeing new wonders most weeks, always on the move and make. Staying stationary is where it’s at…
Economise Your Movements
Time really is money, and every day spent on the road is one spent not working. After all, you’re not travelling, you’re at work, however fluid or remote it may seem. Island hopping and rarely staying anywhere for more than a night or two will blow your brittle budget in record time, as you’ll be leaving yourself very little time to actually meet any deadlines you may have. When you do have to up sticks, surprisingly, flying internally is often not much more than coach travel, but in a fraction of the time.
Economise your movements at micro level, too. If the nearest coffee shop is a half hour scooter ride away, stay put and get your head down. You could’ve earned some coin in the time it took you to get from A to B. In general, itchy feet are the enemy of earning, make no mistake.
As a digital nomad, you may still be required to pay taxes in your home country. It’s crucial to plan for this expense ahead of time to avoid a hefty tax bill at the end of the year. Consult with a tax professional to understand your obligations and potential deductions. The flip side of filing your own is that you may occasionally overestimate (always a good idea to err on that side, of course), and be due a tax refund.
Plugs Are Power
You’ll be able to identify a digital nomad by observing their behaviour when they enter a cafe. Eyes scanning furtively, perhaps even frantically, for a position close to a plug. Because everything runs on the strength of your battery, seeing it in the red can cause a whole day’s work to come crashing down. Always remember to charge all of your devices overnight, and choose workstations with ample plug provisions. Also, consider investing in a portable laptop battery charger – just remember to keep it charged. Simples.
Public WiFi Precautions
With no home, office, salary or the usual protections gainful employment affords you, keeping everything legit and profitable is a tightrope walk, each and every day. Having your computer’s security compromised could throw you seriously off balance.
Indeed, just because you’re using public wifi more, or the necessity grips you, doesn’t mean all norms of secure browsing should go out of the window. Check your emails, sure, your Facebook too, but leave anything transactional or balance checking based to a safer, password protected, non-shared connection.
Other precautionary measures apply; verify that the website you’re visiting is HTTPS before visiting and consider using a VPN, or even set up your own VPN router, to enable public WiFi connections to made private. Carrying a security audit on your website before travelling to make sure everything is as secure as possible is an extra blanket of safety to look into.
Unlike the salaried masses, your income won’t arrive in neat, predictable instalments on the last Friday of every month. Some weeks you’ll be flush; others, you’ll be refreshing your inbox waiting for that invoice to clear. This feast-or-famine cycle catches out even experienced freelancers, so building a buffer is non-negotiable.
Aim to keep at least two months’ worth of living expenses tucked away in an easily accessible account – three if you’re the cautious type. When a big payment lands, resist the urge to upgrade your accommodation or book that island-hopping trip immediately. Instead, skim a percentage off the top and funnel it straight into your safety net. You’ll thank yourself when a client ghosts on a project or that promised retainer falls through at the last minute.
Give Something Back
Living as a tourist in a place (typically) of lower than average income, earning money and trying to spend as little as possible…well, the ethics are a little questionable.
Bear this in mind in everything you do; treat the country you’re in with huge respect, engage with the culture and the people, learn a little of the language, at the very least. And give back; whether that’s via charity, volunteering or donating your skills to the community. Accept how lucky you are to have this freedom and pay your good fortune forward.
It’s a food critic’s trope as re-worked as a restaurant’s ‘soup of the day’ in its fifth menu iteration; ‘you can tell the quality of a kitchen by its bread’.
But for keen carnivores and the gluten-intolerant too, a more appropriate statement might be this; you can gauge something of a restaurant’s chops by its, erm, chops.
Or, more specifically, its steak.
A hallmark of a great restaurant both casual and classy, if a kitchen can’t respond to your request for blue, rare or, god forbid, well-done, then it’s back to Le Cordon Bleu that the grillardin should head.
Whilst London isn’t as iconic as, say, New York or Buenos Aires when it comes to steakhouses, the city is certainly catching up with those heavy-hitters, with the capital’s residents increasingly well-versed in prized Argentine beef, Grade-A Japanese Wagyu, retired dairy cows, and native breeds sourced from regenerative farming projects.
To put it more plainly, if you’re mad about meat, the city has got you covered; here’s where to find the best steak in London.
Lurra
There’s a lot to like about Lurra. To start, it’s a bright, calming space, refined in design with one glass wall overlooking a gorgeous courtyard dining area. Shortlisted for the Best Restaurant Interior Design Award in 2015, it’s undeniably a gorgeous space to spend time in.
It’s the food, though, that is the main draw. The menu here draws on the Basque region of Spain, meaning that you can expect some seriously robust flavours on your plate.
The signature dish of Lurra is their Rubia Gallega, meaning ‘Galician Blond’; a hefty 800g of beef from a Northern Spanish, 17-year-old cow; the age where the meat is said to have the perfect ratio of marigold-yellow fat and a rich, almost blue cheese-like flavour. Sourced from Mr. Txuleta, the premier supplier of Basque beef in the UK, this sharing dish is guaranteed to impress.
Alongside this fantastic, imposing cut (served on the bone, of course), the restaurant specialises in other beloved Basque staples, including a whole turbot, blistered and burnished from the grill, and to finish, the perennially popular burnt cheesecake. Though this dessert is so often imitated, Lurra’s version certainly couldn’t be called a duplicate; it’s terrific.
Hawksmoor Air Street is arguably a more youthful affair than its more regal six sister restaurants across the capital, its art deco stylings bringing the requisite lightness of touch to counteract that meat coma you’re due after settling the bill.
Doing away with the usual steakhouse decor of basement-level dining room covered in dark wooden trimmings and emerald green leather, Air Street is a (forgive us) more airy affair, with floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of natural light. Don’t worry; the restaurant still boasts that signature Hawksmoor service. You won’t feel rushed here as you settle in for an evening of feasting, that’s for sure.
This year named as the World’s Best Steak, the beef offered at Hawksmoor is undoubtedly acclaim-worthy, and you’ll have a selection of massive cuts marbled to perfection, all served by weight. Though you pay by the 100g, realistically the minimum you can order is half a kilo, which is a perfect amount for a very, very greedy punter, or for two to share quite happily.
All the meat is British-reared and sourced from various small farms scattered around the country, grass-fed and dry-aged for 35 days, creating beautifully textured steaks rich in flavour.
Their seafood, which at Air Street shares headliner status with the steaks, comes from Brixham market and is brought in fresh daily. On a previous visit, a whole tail of monkfish, grilled over coals and standing up more than capably to the restaurant’s signature bone marrow gravy, had this carnivore contemplating turning pesci (if it weren’t for that pesky bone marrow, of course).
There are plenty of great places to eat near Covent Garden, and even the most discerning steak eater would have to count wallet-friendly Flat Iron in that SEO-baiting bracket.
The experience of eating at Flat Iron is just as exciting as the steaks themselves. When you order steak here, this London based chain (there are now 11 outposts in the capital) serves their meat on super hot iron slabs that sear your steak right on the table. This creates an enhanced sensory experience, make no mistake, as the sounds and smells of the sizzling meat get that Pavlov-reaction going before a single slice of steak has passed your lips.
For a restaurant that prides itself on being on the cheaper side, the meat is reliably delicious and perfectly tender. Do the simple things well seems to be their motto; there are only three steak options on the menu, with the Flat Iron Steak clocking in at just £13. Sure, it may not be as thick cut as those at Hawksmoor or as rich as the gear at Lurra, but you’re paying a fraction of the price for the privilege of a damn-fine steak. In these tough times and at this position bang in the centre of the city, who are we to argue?
Blacklock is a steakhouse that also offers a vast array cuts of meat from a veritable ranch’s worth of animals, making it a great option if you don’t want to be locked into beef and are keen instead to explore the whole spectrum of your carnal desires without fear of judgement.
In addition to some admittedly beautiful steak, at Blacklock you can also sample some excellent pork belly, succulent lambcutletsor a lamb t-bone, via way of their ‘skinny chops’ offering. For the greedier members of the group, you can have them all, in their signature ‘all in’ dish alongside a freshly grilled stack of flatbread that’s perfect for mopping up all those wonderful meat juices. At £24, it’s a snip.
Anyway, back to the beef; there are six different kinds of bone-in beef on the menu and multiple side dishes and starters that you may not have encountered before (Pig’s head on toast, perhaps?) meaning even the most fickle of diners will find something to satisfy them.
The steakhouse is also great for a cheeky tipple, offering some delicious cocktails that follow their pip to peel philosophy; no fruit is wasted while they create their signature, tangy and sweet Lemon Drop Collins. Cheers!
Mangel 2 is something a little different to the other more dedicated steak places on our list, but the quality of their beef means we simply had to include the restaurant here.
With an esteemed history as one of Dalton’s most popular family-run Turkish grills, times have changed at Mangal 2, with the Dirik family’s two young brothers, restaurant manager Ferhat and chef Sertaç, introducing a menu that is happy to innovate on tradition.
The results are spectacular, whether that’s in the rugged, farmyard-forward hummus, the cult-favourite mushroom manti with fermented tomato, or the restaurant’s wicked way with cull yaw; essentially, aged mutton with heaps (and heaps) of deep, funky-tasting fat.
We’re here for the steak of course, which, admittedly, isn’t always on this regularly-changing menu. But when it is, it’s a must-order, with that old-favourite the dairy cow, here in sirloin form, hauled over hot coals until the exterior is charred and the middle still blushes.
A final word here. Make sure to save room for dessert; Mangal 2’s tahini tart, topped with a halva cream and a seasonal-fruit glaze (blackberry on our last meal here), is as good an encore as you’ll find anywhere in London.
Temper Soho offers a more smokehouse-style menu, using the commendable ethos that no part of the animal should be wasted. This makes Temper a resourceful steakhouse, with the result being that you can get prime cuts of steak that are real showstoppers in addition to smaller pieces that are made into skewers or fillings for tacos.
In addition, Temper offers a rotating menu of unique cuts, including anything from Tajin-doused beef brisket and porterhouse cuts.
Though it does have a reputation as being a great place to dine solo in the capital, all three branches of Temper have a party-like atmosphere any day of the week, which is enhanced if you dine on the weekend, as you’ll be able to pair your beef with bottomless drinks for £45 per person all-in. Just make sure you pack that paracetamol!
Tucked away in the cute, historic Bartholomew Close, Ibai brings Basque country’s obsession with perfectly aged beef to the Square Mile. This intimate City spot might look unassuming from the outside, but step inside and you’ll find yourself transported to a particularly well-heeled corner of San Sebastián, complete with txakoli being poured from height and serious-looking chefs discussing the marbling of their latest delivery.
The star of the show here is their selection of Galician Rubia Gallega – beef from mature dairy cows that’s been dry-aged until the meat develops an almost Roquefort-like intensity. Their signature txuleton (a hefty bone-in rib for sharing) comes with a properly caramelised crust that gives way to a tender, ruby-red centre. Yes, at £130 per kg it’s eye-wateringly expensive, but for beef of this calibre, you’d expect nothing less.
Start with their La Noir de Bigorre ham, served piled high almost comically over crisps with a further mound of smoked piparra peppers – it’s a masterclass in Spanish charcuterie and fun, frivolous theatre. The Croque Ibai, a decadent combination of carabinero prawn, boudin noir and Tomme de Brebis cheese, makes for another worthy prelude to the main event.
Address: 92 Bartholomew Cl, City of London, London EC1A 7BN
Located in the heart of the corporate Tower Bridge area, The Coal Shed stands tall as a chic and charming steakhouse which delivers everything you want from a traditional temple to all things cow. It has a warmth to it, helped by the faint scent of woodsmoke used to cook their selection of steaks and fresh fish.
There’s a great selection of succulent beef here, with the restaurant’s rib-eye arguably the finest thing on the menu, owing to a cholesterol-goating fat-to-meat ratio. That said, the small plates offered here really do steal the show. Your meal could quickly become a grazing experience without actually eating anything sourced from the queen of grazing, as their short-rib croquettes, plump and bouncy scampi, and crispy pork belly, the latter generously glazed with BBQ sauce and fragranced with burnt apple, are all superb.
The restaurant also has a sibling in Brighton, which we’ve included in our rundown of the best places to eat in The Lanes, Brighton. Booking in advance is essential.
With its baroque-style interior lined with grand portraits, Berner’s Tavern leaves a lasting impression even before your first bite of steak. This is a place to dress up for, as you’ll want to match the elegance of the interior and the food.
Berner’s Tavern – overseen by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton – serves sublime British dishes, with their steaks as a centrepiece. Be sure to try the sharing Coute de Bouef (priced at £110 for two) which comes from the Buccleuch Estate, and could well be the finest of its kind in all of London. Yep, Berner’s Tavern oozes old-timely class and is a fantastic, upmarket place to enjoy steak in the capital.
What started as a butcher’s shop with a few evening covers has evolved into one of East London’s most interesting spots for serious steak lovers. By day, Hill & Szrok operates as a traditional butcher’s, complete with sawdust-sprinkled floors and masterful butchery on display. Come evening, the marble counter transforms into a communal dining table, and the shop becomes an intimate restaurant.
The beauty here lies in the simplicity – you’re eating the same exceptional meat they sell during the day, cooked with minimal fuss but maximum skill by one of London’s truly outstanding chefs, William Gleave. Their rotating selection of cuts comes from small-scale British farms, with a focus on rare breeds and traditional farming methods. The only constant is the pinpoint cooking – a recent, perfectly pink wing rib was just about the best piece of beef we’ve had the pleasure of eating in recent times.
Don’t expect the usual steakhouse trimmings (although there are some exceptional fries cooked in beef fat); instead, you’ll find seasonally changing sides that make the most of whatever’s good at the neighbouring Broadway Market and beyond. The wine list, though compact, is chosen specifically to complement the meat, with some interesting natural wines sitting alongside more classical choices.
*January 2025 update: Sadly, Hill and Szrok served its last blushing wing rib last night. They announced on their Instagram that after 11 incredible years, the cook shop side of the business was closing. The butcher’s will remain open. This fine establishment will be well and truly missed!*
Nestled at the foot of Mount Etna, Catania is not only a city steeped in history and baroque beauty but also a culinary gem that offers some truly superb renditions of much revered though often misunderstood Sicilian cuisine.
The city’s vibrant food scene is a testament to its rich cultural tapestry, with influences from the Greeks, Arabs, and Normans. Whether you’re craving fresh seafood, traditional street food served from paper cones, or a fine dining experience, Catania’s restaurants have something to please every member of the squad, whether fickle or foodie. With that in mind, here’s our guide to the best restaurants in Catania.
Sapio, Piazza Gandolfo Antonino
When visiting Catania, one culinary destination stands out for its exceptional fine-dining experience: Sapio. This Michelin-starred restaurant (the only one in Catania, proper) is a testament to the high-quality cooking that can be found on this magnificent island, where ingredients are as hyper-local as they come, and seasonality is a religion rather than a buzzword.
At Sapio, guests are treated to modern dishes that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate, crafted with fresh, local ingredients by the talented chef Alessandro Ingiulla. The restaurant’s atmosphere is curated by Roberta Cozzetto, who ensures a courteous and elegant welcome, making it an ideal spot for a romantic evening or a special occasion. With its commitment to sustainability and inventive Sicilian cuisine, Sapio offers a dining experience that is both traditional and contemporary, reflecting the rich culinary heritage of the region.
Sapio’s menu features standout dishes such as ricotta cardamom risotto, butter lobster, and pecorino truffle raviolo, which are sure to delight any food enthusiast. The restaurant also provides options for those with special dietary needs, including vegetarian and vegan choices, ensuring an inclusive experience. The quality of food, service, and atmosphere have earned high ratings from customers, solidifying Sapio’s reputation as arguably Catania’s foremost dining experience.
A visit to Catania would be incomplete without a meal at Trattoria da Nuccio. This family-run establishment is a favourite among locals and tourists alike, known for its warm hospitality and traditional Sicilian dishes. The menu changes daily, depending on what’s fresh and available, but you can always expect to find classics like pasta alla Norma, made with aubergines and salted ricotta, seasonal caponata, and the catch of the day, grilled simply, whole, and to perfection.
The port of Catania isn’t just a truly wonderful place for a luxury yacht charter; it’s also where you’ll find some of the city’s most down-to-earth eateries, and just a short stroll from both the port and the iconic Piazza del Duomo, Osteria Acqualavica offers a culinary experience steeped in Sicilian tradition.
This charming establishment, which has earned a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide for its good quality and value cooking, is housed in a picturesque old boathouse that now features a wine-tasting cellar. Patrons can indulge in a variety of traditional dishes that showcase the flavours of the Etna region, including an array of seafood options – the most popular being the sarde allinguate (sweet and sour fried sardines), as well as an exemplary redfish carpaccio.
Don’t miss out on the signature bucatini with grated bottarga (salted, cured grey mullet roe that’s grated over the pasta like parmesan) a deceptively simple, utterly indulgent bowel if ever there was one.
In the evenings, the menu expands to include a selection of pizzas.
In Catania’s central Piazza Turi Ferro (formerly Spirito Santo), Me Cumpari Turiddu brings together restaurant, bistro, tea room and delicatessen under one storied roof. The space enchants with its vaulted ceilings, vintage crystal chandeliers, and walls of artfully distressed plaster—a setting that has earned it a Bib Gourmand from Michelin for its excellent value cooking.
The story begins with Roberta Capizzi, who left her law practice in Milan in the early 2000s to return home to Sicily and open Me Cumpari Turiddu. Under the direction of chef Gianluca Leocata, the kitchen crafts dishes using organic ingredients, many grown on Capizzi’s family estate. The kitchen celebrates regional specialties: macco soup with fava larga di Leonforte beans, spaghetti alla Turiddu with Masculina da Magghia anchovies, and their celebrated sweet couscous—a reimagining of a recipe from Agrigento’s Santo Spirito Convent, featuring Bronte pistachios and candied fruits on vanilla cream.
The wine cellar champions small Sicilian producers, focusing on organic and natural wines from the island’s valleys. Their commitment to local artisans extends to the deli counter, where you’ll find Modica chocolate, Donna Angelica IGP oils, and an array of Slow Food-certified products.
The restaurant serves dinner nightly, with weekend lunch services adding a bright, convivial atmosphere to the already charming space. The giant open kitchen and welcoming staff create an atmosphere that’s both sophisticated and deeply personal—much like Sicily itself. Booking ahead is wise, particularly for dinner.
Pizza is a staple all over Italy, sure, but Sicily has its own way with this beloved alchemy between dough, marinara sauce and buffalo mozzarella.
At Catania’s Eat Pizzeria, you’ll find some of the best on the island. This modern pizzeria takes a creative approach to its pies, with toppings that are a nod to traditional Sicilian ingredients. The dough is left to rise for 48 hours, resulting in a light, airy crust. The Pistacchio e Mortadella pizza, with a pistachio (arguably the island’s most famous ingredient) cream base, is a revelation and a clear crowd-pleaser.
You didn’t think we’d spend a significant slice of time eating in Southern Italy and only eat at one pizza place, did you?
Tucked away in a charming alleyway, Al Vicolo Pizza&Vino offers a romantic, patio-based setting for an evening meal and another delicious pizza. The restaurant specialises in gourmet pizzas that are a far cry from your standard takeaway. The ingredients are sourced from local producers, ensuring each dish sings with regional flavours. The wine list is equally impressive, featuring a selection of Sicilian wines that perfectly complement the menu.
A third pizza-friendly place because we’re on a roll now… Set along the scenic coastline, Cutilisci offers diners stunning views of the Ionian Sea. The menu is a contemporary take on Sicilian classics (with a pizza section, too) with an emphasis on sustainability and seasonality.
Owing to its alfresco dining area overlooking the sea, the seafood is, unsurprisingly, the star here. Whether you opt for the grilled octopus, the stuffed sicilian squid or the swordfish involtini, you’re in for a treat. The terrace is the perfect spot for a sunset aperitif, making it an ideal location for a special evening out.
For seafood lovers, Osteria Antica Marina is a must-visit. Located near the bustling fish market, this restaurant offers the freshest seafood in town. The setting is simple and unpretentious, allowing the food to shine. The antipasti platter, brimming with marinated anchovies, octopus salad, and red prawns, is a perfect start. Follow it with their signature spaghetti ai ricci, spaghetti with sea urchins, for a true taste of Sicily’s east coast.
Sicily’s seafood scene is revered and obsessive, sure, but perhaps the island’s most fervent culinary fascination are its sweet treats.
Indeed, the popularity of dolci, or sweets, in Sicily can be traced back to a history steeped in the exchange of ingredients and recipes through centuries of Arab, Norman, and Spanish influences. The Sicilian climate generously supports the growth of almonds, citrus fruits, and grapes, which are fundamental to the island’s confectionery.
Traditional sweets like cannoli, cassata, and marzipan fruits (frutta martorana) are not just food; they are a celebration of seasonal festivals and life’s milestones, embodying the Sicilian penchant for la dolce vita—the sweet life. The art of pastry making is passed down through generations, with each town boasting its own specialty. Fortunately for you, hungry explorer, Catania is home to one of Sicily’s most cherished purveyors of the sweet stuff; Pasticceria Savia.
Dating back to 1897, Pasticceria Savia is a Catania institution, famed for its exquisite pastries and cakes. While not a restaurant in the traditional sense, no culinary tour of Catania would be complete without sampling its delights. The arancini are legendary, and the perfect snack to fuel your explorations of the city. For something sweet, try the cannoli – here, the crisp pastry shells filled with sweet, creamy ricotta are fried in pork lard, just as it should be.
Scirocco Sicilian Fish Lab, Piazza Alonzo di Benedetto
For a quick and casual bite, Scirocco Sicilian Fish Lab is the place to go. This street food gem serves up calamari and other fried seafood delights out of traditional paper cones. It’s a great option for lunch on the go, allowing you to sample the streetfood of Sicily without breaking stride in your sightseeing.
Catania’s culinary scene is as diverse as it is delicious. From the traditional trattorias and bustling street food vendors to the innovative pizzerias and elegant seafood restaurants, there’s a dish and a dining spot to suit every occasion. When in Catania, indulge in the local cuisine; it’s an integral part of the city’s charm, a deep dive into the island’s complex history, and a feast for all of the senses. Buon appetito!
*Sadly, last night (24th January 2025) was the final service at Hill and Szrok. The restaurant wing of the operation will be closing and chef William Gleave will be moving on to an exciting new venture. Whilst we can’t wait to see what he does next, we’ll truly miss this restaurant; a real standout of the last few years in London. The Hill and Szrok butchers will remain open.*
Attention to detail is everything at butcher-by-day, restaurant-by-night Hill and Szrok. With a space this tight and places this sparse, it needs to be.
Now in its tenth year on Broadway Market, it’s a calm, unpretentious space to sink into, all flickering candlelights and smartly designed surfaces that temper the room’s boisterous chatter, turning it into something of a soothing soundtrack. In the centre of the room, a single, stool-high dining table that in the day doubles as the butcher’s counter reminds you of where you are – if the certainly not unpleasant smell of hanging meat hadn’t already done that. If you’re not the sociable type (or you don’t want to share a single beef fat chip), then book one of the counters that form the circumference of the room.
Wherever you park your carcass, you’re in for a treat. From a taut, tabulated kitchen with just an induction, compact charcoal grill and combi, chef William Gleave, formerly of P. Franco and Bright, coaxes the very best out of close-to-hand, carefully reared, hung and butchered ingredients, with a myopic, masterful vision of just how plates in such a hybrid space should look, taste and, interestingly, cost.
Prices on both sides of the Hill and Szrok operation are incredibly good value. In their own words, “We buy direct from farms by cutting out the middleman so we can provide the very best quality, the very best cuts with clear provenance and still keep prices reasonable.”
This is apparent in huge slabs of premium beef that would cost double – triple, even – a little further into town.
Image via @hillandszrok
They go on; “All our butchers’ staff are run through an apprentice scheme, giving local lads an opportunity to learn the trade, and bring a modern hand to a traditional trade.”
It’s a lovely touch; those butchers also make up some of the waitstaff each evening, furthering that connection between the two sides of the business, and able to talk you through the menu about which cuts, breeds, and preparations are particularly good right now. The twinkle in our waiter’s eye as he described a humble dish of cabbage stuffed with duck gizzards and chestnuts told us us we needed to know that it was an essential order.
Items are crossed off the day-and-dated menu with others scrawled on in replacement. It’s reassuring knowing that the kitchen are simply cooking what’s good on the day, and this cabbage number was a late addition to the line-up.
We were soon grateful for reading too much into that twinkle; that cabbage came wrapped around a tangle of braised offal like a cannellini, its accompanying cream sauce getting richer and deeper once you’d cut through the cabbage and its guts had spilled out. Reminiscent of peppercorn sauce, by the end that sauce was several shades darker, with a rasping heat and back-kick of the farmyard.
Cabbage stuffed with duck gizzardsSoused sardine soldiers
Soused sardine soldiers (just £4 for two), were a refreshing counterpoint. Served hidden under a fridge cold slab of tomato (the chill usually a sin – not so here) and atop a thin slice of warmed treacle soda bread, the interplay between hot and cold, sweet and sour, was so well thought out and satisfying.
With a couple of other appealing small plates on offer, including house beef sobrasada on toast and grilled sweetcorn with spiced honey, you could conceivably come to Hill and Szrok and eat very well without ever venturing into the headlining, heavy-hitting section of the menu, the one where words like ‘collar’, ‘chop’, ‘rib’ and ‘rump’ begin to proliferate.
But to do so would be insanity, because this is quite simply the finest meat cookery in the capital right now.
We went for a Lincoln Red wing rib, keenly priced at £50 for a hulking, heaving 550g piece that could have fed four, each thick and blushing slice blessed with cartoonishly perfect bark, and almost a single steak in itself. We took a couple of slices away – neatly wrapped in butcher’s paper and twine – with the noble intention of having a steak sarnie in the morning. We couldn’t resist wolfing it down on the short train ride home.
Anyway, its bank of fat – dutifully rendered of course – tasted sweet and mellow, with none of that unabating blue-cheesiness that comes with a retired dairy cow’s ubiquity.
Indeed, it was clear this guy hadn’t been excessively hung, with flesh that was perfectly tender, sure, but also fresh and essential tasting, tight and satisfying to chew. All too often, the current restaurant scene’s dedication to extreme ageing results in steak with a loose, wooly mouthfeel that isn’t – quite simply – all that pleasant. Real care had gone into the development of this wing rib’s texture and flavour, and it made eating it all the more enjoyable.
Back to that attention to detail; it was good to have a salt shaker on the table here. The way the meat was cooked and presented meant it did need a flake or two on each slice to bring it to conclusion. And sometimes, you do need that final twist at the table to truly make the steak your own.
It comes dressed in a glossy Madeira jus that you could genuinely do your hair in. It’s an absolute lip-smacker, tasting of concentrated resting juices and just a little sweetness and acidity, but never too much to interrupt the pastoral flavours of the beef itself. A little sun of English mustard brightened up the plate and offered a sense of place.
Just like everyone else, we’re sick of stodgy, dry triple cooked chips, once considered a culinary innovation are now bordering on passé, so the Burger King-adjacent beef fat chips were just the ticket. These beautiful batons were so satisfying to squash into the last remnants of those meat juices and jus with the back of a fork.
A sweet, vegetal side of peas and lettuce, braised until a homogenous unit, and a simple, piquant tomato salad, was all the spread required to see it on its way in surprisingly refreshing fashion. Plus a second order of those chips, of course.
After a meal that felt like a pitch perfect expression of seasonal British steakhouse (is that even a genre?) a chilled rice pudding with mango and jara lime felt like something of an outlier, but god it worked, the kitchen clearly having a little fun and flexing their creativity after such a measured performance with the mains.
Creamy, fragrant and perfumed with cardamom pods, it felt like an inspired take on a mango kheer, that classic scented Indian pudding, with flourishes of classic Thai streetside sweet treats thrown in for good measure. Yep, if kheer and mango sticky rice had a baby, this would be it.
The wine list at Hill and Szrok offers flashes of great value, too, with a handful of largely low intervention wines sold by the glass. That said, we went for a bottle of Azul y Garanza Tres Tinto, an easy drinking organic red with notes of black pepper and cherry. That ‘tres’ in the title refers to the blend, broadly Tempranillo with a splash of Grenache and an unidentifiable third grape – we’ll leave that to the experts.
We were told this guy is made in concrete, and takes on a kind of myopic complexity due to it not having been aged in oak or other vessels that impart flavour, instead letting the quality of the raw material shine through.
Anyway, it was beautiful with that beef. At £37 a bottle, you’d hope it would be, but considering this guy retails at £16, the mark-up feels modest and the value excellent for a semi-central London restaurant.Zooming out, and the whole bill came to ‘just’ £150, of which a third of it was drinks. For a meal of this unvarnished quality, that genuinely didn’t feel too painful on the wallet.
Anyway, before leaving head down to the toilet (must stop just going for the sake of it – my bladder’s fucked), and that sense of place hits you again. There are photos of the butchers sitting amongst carcasses adorning the walls, and on the ground floor, hanging rooms gently buzz, bringing you back once again to where you are, and to the layers of craftsmanship that’s gone into the meal you’ve just enjoyed.
It’s a dining experience that really does feel controlled, confident, beautifully paced and brilliantly managed. London Fields is lucky to have Hill and Szrok.
A good bowl of phở, with its broth both clear and rich and its noodles giving just right, can restore and rejuvenate even the most worn out soul. A great bowl can cleanse. It can complete.
But the very best bowl? Some might argue that’s a hard thing to find in London. Enjoyed at street stool level and seasoned by both the revving Vespa fumes of a previously parallel dining partner and decades of the same family’s same stockpot, there’s arguably no dish in the world better enjoyed at the source.
In recent years, however, London’s pho scene has expanded and evolved to meet an ever diversifying, discerning demand, and the city’s diners are now blessed with some truly excellent options of this most celebrated of noodle soups.
Whether you’re looking for an austere, savoury bowl of Northern-style pho, garnished simply with little more than sliced spring onions, or a Saigon-adjacent version heavy on the herbal accoutrements, spice and sweetness, then you’ll find it here, at these places serving some of the best phở in London.
Hai Cafe, Clapton
Ideal for soulful Northern-style pho done right…
There’s something about the rarity of the pho served at Clapton’s Hai Cafe that makes it even more appealing. Nope, we’re not talking about the slices of raw beef added à la minute to their pho boi tai chin, so it cooks just a little in the bubbling, lucid broth. Rather, we’re referring to the distinct lack of any actual pho on Hai Cafe’s main menu, which instead pulls its focus on southern-style curries, bun noodles and bánh mì.
But, cast your eyes up to the blackboard and on occasion (fairly regularly, to be fair) you’ll find an elusive pho or two gracing the specials. The bowls here draw from Northern pho sensibility, with the Hai in the cafe’s name coming from Hai Duong, a city that sits pretty much equidistant between the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and the northern industrial powerhouse Haiphong.
So, that means a light but deeply savoury beef broth, redolent of charred ginger, smoky black cardamom and star anise, sweet from bone marrow rather than excessive amounts of yellow rock sugar, and with a clarity uncluttered by frivolous additions like Thai basil or sawtooth coriander (you’ll get a side dish brimming with them, though).
The chicken version, here with several bouncy chicken dumplings bobbing about merrily, is equally soul-cleansing. For the vegans in the squad, deep fried tofu does the necessary. A squeeze of lime and a couple of fresh slices of long red chilli is all you need. Ask for sriracha here – or worse, hoisin sauce – and expect a scolding from Mama Hai.
Better, we think, to be scolded by that superlative soup, whose aroma is impossible to resist as soon as a bowl hits the table.
On London’s so-called ‘Pho Mile’, Kingsland Road in Dalston, there are more solid Vietnamese cafes and restaurants than you can shake a chopstick at (sorry, that’s a naff joke).
Reminiscent somewhat of the streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where thoroughfares are organised by the single item that’s sold on each – Bucket Street, Silk Street, Silver Street… – if you’re after pho in London, it’s to Kingsland Road you should head.
But ubiquity doesn’t necessarily lead to the very finest Vietnamese food you’ll find in the capital, with arguably the focal point of the country’s culinary scene now found over in Deptford.
There is a notable exception, however, and that’s Song Que Cafe, which is considered by many to be Kingsland Road’s (and perhaps even London’s) best Vietnamese restaurant. This place gets packed like Ho Chi Minh City’s Dong Van Cong Street at a red light, with weekends especially tough to get a quick table in the brightly lit, canteen-like space.
Like a great vat of pho broth that’s been bubbling for hours, Song Que is worth waiting for. Now in their third decade, the pho here is top notch; a crystalline broth dappled with beads of beef fat as the best pho broths are, and freshly blanched noodles with a little chew and plenty of give (pho noodles cooked al dente is, quite simply, a crime). We always go for the combo beef here, the peppery tripe and gelatinous tendon lending so much viscosity to the soup.
The chicken pho here, lighter and fresher and ideally suited for curing basically all of your ills, is fantastic, too.
Ideal for a rich and unctuous broth in London’s Vietnamese Quarter…
We’re heading to Deptford next, the epicentre of some of the most downright delicious Vietnamese food in the country, and to Eat Vietnam, a family run joint which hums with activity every day of the week. Yes, you will need to book come the weekend.
Though the menu is extensive and crowd-pleasing, it’s the pho we’ve landed in SE8 for, and it’s a bowl of life-affirming nourishment you’d too be foolish to miss.
Here, the chefs use beef knuckle and beef knuckle only for the majority of their 24-hour simmered broth, the marrow giving generously to the gently bubbling liquor over the course of that day. Beef shin – with more marrow exposed – is added in the final third, its meat picked off the bone for the signature pho bo chin. The result is an opaque soup and a mouth-feel that’s a little more unctuous and fulfilling than the other broths on our list, and no worse for it, if the mood (and weather) dictates it.
The welcome presence of some crispy banh quay (deep-fried, donut-like sticks inspired by Chinese youtiao) on the menu makes dipping and dredging the final thimbles of that beef broth a real pleasure.
And if you need even more reason to visit, the restaurant donates 10% of its tips to charities in Vietnam.
Ideal for a second bowl of the good stuff in Deptford…
We couldn’t leave Deptford without a bowl of Cafe Mama Pho’s superlative chicken pho. While the beef version of Vietnam’s national dish does seem to get the majority of the plaudits, its poultry-based cousin is equally life-affirming, particularly if tender, gamey thigh meat and a little offal is deployed.
At Cafe Mama Pho, a short hop from Surrey Quays Leisure Centre, both those caveats are satisfied, and it’s a glorious bowl of the good stuff, all gentle aniseed notes and a graceful silkiness from the poached, skin-on chicken thighs gift of its fat.
The move here? Order ‘tron’ (dry) style, which means the broth comes on the side, the bowl of noodles and poached chicken given richness and succour with roasted peanuts and deep-fried shallots. Add a few spoonfuls of broth and mix – it’s a deceptively simple variant that’s always a balm to Hanoi’s most hot and hectic days. If London is feeling the same, this is what you should be ordering.
Of course, there’s beef pho here too, as well as a generous bowl of pho dac biet (special). Whilst this title would usually indicate a veritable feast of beefy bits, from tendon to tripe, brisket and meatballs, here Mẹ has gone all in, with beef, chicken and prawn making an appearance in the bowl.
Cafe Mama Pho is walk-ins only and gets busy. Be prepared to queue. There is now a second branch in South Kensington.
Ideal for a heady mix of carefully cooked pho and carefully crafted cocktails…
A slicker operation than some of its neighbours on Kingsland Road – there’s wine, they serve cocktails and accept cards – Viet Grill is the sister restaurant of Old Street and Soho’s Cay Tre (who also do a great bowl by the way), and does one the best phos on the strip.
The noodle soup here is marked out by a ‘have it your way’ attitude, giving diners the choice of Northern or Southern styles of the dish, whether you’re going for a ‘Saigon Pho’ of pho tai nam gau, or a ‘Hanoi garlic pho’, tai lan-style, which sees thin slices of steak and whole garlic cloves wok-fried ultra-hot and smoky. The subsequent deglazing of that wok brings with it an umami-laden gravy into the bowl – magic.
Either way, an abundant plate of herbs and beansprouts is served on the sideand there’s hoisin on the table rather than in the bowl, the debate over which region’s rendition is better put to bed, for now. It’s a bowl that might put you to bed, too; it’s bloody massive!
If you’re looking for the best pho in London, you might instead want to make for Borough High Street, head up towards Elephant and Castle, and set your course for a bowl of pho as imagined by Vietnamese chefs and entrepreneurs Trang Nguyen and Nhan Van Mac.
You may have seen the team popping up at various food markets across the city, slinging their excellent banh mi, noodle salads and, of course, pho. In fact, the word ‘rao’ in Vietnamese refers to an on-foot food seller who traverses the streets with a bamboo pole slung across their shoulder, carrying various homemade parcels of deliciousness from charred corn to rice crackers and beyond.
That said, it’s at the bricks and mortar location of Rao Deli that we’re settling in for a steaming bowl of the good stuff, done in the Hanoi style without garnish or fanfare. Order the beef combo and dig deep into the bowl for chewy nuggets of tendon, that fibrousness a prized texture in the motherland. Having soaked up plenty of broth and contributed a little of its own gelatine, a good ol’ chew on the tendon reveals layers of flavour not divulged through slurping alone. It’s heaven.
For those still with an appetite to slake, resist the urge to return to Borough Market and queue for hours for Padella. Instead, the bun thit nuong (a noodle salad of barbecued, salty sweet pork belly, herbs and crushed peanuts) here is exemplary.
Ideal for hearty beef noodle soups on King Street’s Vietnamese strip…
On King Street, where several Vietnamese restaurants have made their home alongside a well-stocked Thai supermarket with imported, often esoteric ingredients hard to find elsewhere, Pho District stands out for its deeply satisfying, straight-as-a-die bowls of noodle soup.
The stretch has become something of a destination for those seeking out Vietnamese cuisine in West London, with options ranging from quick-service spots to more traditional sit-down affairs… Does the ‘district’ in the name refer to that proliferation? Or the formal names of different areas of Ho Chi Minh City? Or, something else entirely?
Who knows? What we do know is this is fine pho, indeed. Don’t be thrown by the menu’s modest description of their signature bowl as ‘Beef Stew (New)’ – what arrives at your table for a keen £13 is unmistakably a bowl of pho, complete with all the hallmarks of careful preparation. The rich beef broth, built on a foundation of slow-braised brisket, carries the deep savouriness that only comes from patient cooking. Fresh herbs and carefully chosen spices lift the whole affair, while properly cooked rice noodles provide that essential silky backdrop.
The restaurant itself is a welcoming space, with just a couple of large murals of the twinkling lanterns of Hoi An as backdrop, where the focus is squarely on the food rather than frills. It’s the kind of place where you might find yourself lingering over the last spoonfuls of broth, already planning your return visit. And with several other Vietnamese spots within walking distance, you could easily make an afternoon of exploring this pocket of West London’s Vietnamese dining scene, each bowl of pho driving you on rather than weighing you down.
That’s the beauty of this most restorative of noodle soups.
Perhaps the finest version of Southern style pho in London is found at Banh Banh, a family run operation who have now expanded from their original restaurant in Peckham and into Brixton.
Whilst the Peckham mothership offers a selection of southern small plates (the bo la lot here is top notch), it’s at the Brixton outpost that pho takes centre stage. Family recipes here come from the Nguyen family matriarch Nghiem Thuy Hong, a chef in Saigon before she and the family moved to the UK in the 1980s. At Banh Banh, in a sparse, blond(e) – they’ve got twoooo versions – wood space, a modern flourish is added in the form of ‘hot stone bowls’ for serving the restaurant’s signature pho.
Those bowls (exercise caution when handling!) keep the broth properly hot throughout your meal, with flat rice noodles served on the side rather than in the bowl to ensure they don’t overcook.
With a huge side plate of fresh coriander, sawtooth coriander, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint and the greens of spr’onion, as well as plenty of sliced chilli and red onion, this is an autonomous, customisable affair. For those who love to test and tinker, Banh Banh is the perfect place for the restless slurper.
Ideal for unique innovative pho with influences from Xi’an…
We end our tour of London’s best bowls of pho in London Fields, at Green Papaya, whose Xi’anese (Chinese Xi’an province and Vietnamese) cuisine has been gaining a devoted following in this corner of Hackney in recent years.
It’s an intriguing proposition, with Dan Dan and Mount Qi noodles rubbing shoulders with bun and pho on a hugely enticing menu. We’re here for the latter today, which delivers in spades, the oxtail used in the pho broth adding an opulent, well-rounded quality to the soup. The pho thai nam, a combination of long-simmered, fatty brisket and just-dunked, thinly sliced sirloin, is the highlight here.
Now we’ve traversed London in search of its best pho, care to join us for a selection of Ho Chi Minh City street food favourites? Go on, you know you want to…
With Dry January dispensed with and winter seemingly slowly but surely coming to a close, the world’s intrepid and timorous travellers are beginning to cast their gaze towards the skies and starting to consider their next adventure.
With belts tightening and concern about the impact of long haul flights on the climate growing, many are choosing to holiday a little closer to home for now, and the Emerald Isle is anticipating a major uptick in tourism as Spring begins. In fact, Tourism Ireland recently reported that last year, overseas visitor spend to the country grew by 10%.
If the short, inexpensive flight from London to Dublin (right now, you can fly in an hour and fifteen minutes for just £28 return) then you’re probably wondering how best to get to grips with the essence of this wonderful country. You’ve come to the right place to do just that; here are 9 places to experience the essence of Ireland during a long weekend away.
A Drinker’s Tour Of Dublin
We begin in Dublin, where every night of the week you’ll find fantastic food, flagons of foaming ale and that sometimes elusive, always appealing craic. The Irish capital simply has that x-factor, one which inspires jollity, frivolity and frolics each time you visit.
To appreciate the essence of Ireland, it’s essential to get to grips with its most beloved beverage at the Guinness Storehouse. This is the ultimate brewery experience, telling the tale of Ireland’s famous beer, with brewing tips, tastings and a rooftop bar.
A ten minute stumble away is the Teeling Whiskey Distillery, which also offers tours and tastings, and if you’re keen to continue your deep dive into famous Irish tipples, then another 20 minute’s walk east, you’ll find the Irish Whiskey Museum,
This interactive, ultra-modern whiskey tour offers the chance to learn about (and of course taste) Ireland’s favourite liquor – the uisce beatha, water of life, or as we know it, whiskey. Pack some precautionary paracetamol, we think.
Once you’re armed (it’s unlikely you’ll have legs by this point) with sufficient knowledge about the country’s revered beverage production, it’s time to put those smarts to good practice. You’ll be pleased to hear that our tight little saunter around the Storehouse, distillery and museum has all been focused in Dublin’s Temple Bar district.
Described as the city’s ‘bohemian quarter’, it’s also home to Dublin’s best pubs, including the Porterhouse, Quays Bar and the Temple Bar Pub, which has one of the largest whiskey collections in Ireland. All together now; sláinte is táinte!
Lovingly restored, lying in ruin, or standing proud against the sometimes harsh elements of the Irish countryside, the scope of castles in Ireland is astounding. A rough estimate puts the number at 30’000, some simply a pile of stones now, but some as majestic and proud as the day they were built.
Whilst you could spend months touring the Emerald Isle checking out its castles, we promised a long weekend here, so it’s best to keep things a little more compact. Fortunately, there are various toursavailable that take in the very best of the country’s castles in a managed manner, and we’d recommend embracing that spirit and narrowing down your sightseeing trip to just one county. For those wanting a guided experience, Ireland tours are a fantastic way to explore the country’s historic castles while enjoying breathtaking scenery.
One county particularly blessed with majestic castles is Tipperary, a two hour’s drive southwest of Dublin, and home to at least 21 such structures. The highlight here is perhaps Cahir Castle, one of the largest and best-preserved in all of Ireland. Overlooking the River Suir, it’s an imposing, deeply moving sight to behold.
Even more famous is the Rock of Cashel, whose history stretches back to the 12th Century. Overlooking endless green valleys (known as the Golden Vale), the castle is one of Ireland’s most spectacular archaeological and architectural sights, and a must-visit on your long weekend away in Ireland. You can reach the monument in under two hours by car from Dublin. Alternatively, the 768 bus from Dublin’s Heuston Station to Cashel takes two hours, and leaves four times day.
For the most spirited St Patrick’s Day celebration in Ireland, make your way to Kilkenny City. This medieval gem transforms into a five-day festival wonderland each March, offering what many consider to be Ireland’s most family-friendly and culturally rich St Patrick’s Day experience.
The city’s Medieval Mile plays host to a charming artisan market where local craftspeople showcase traditional St Patrick’s Day gifts, from hand-knitted Aran sweaters to delicate silver shamrock jewellery – keeping alive the centuries-old Irish tradition of giving small tokens of luck and blessing on this special day.
The Kilkenny St Patrick’s Festival stands out for its perfect blend of traditional celebration and contemporary culture. The city’s magnificent castle provides a dramatic backdrop to the festivities, which include not just the traditional parade but a full programme of events celebrating Irish music, dance, and storytelling. The narrow medieval streets come alive with street performers, while the city’s famous craft breweries and traditional pubs overflow with music and merriment.
What sets Kilkenny’s celebrations apart is the city’s commitment to showcasing authentic Irish culture. The Medieval Mile Museum hosts special exhibitions during the festival, while the Butler Gallery presents contemporary Irish art. The festival’s trademark event is the ‘Tradfest’ portion, where you’ll find impromptu traditional music sessions in centuries-old pubs and courtyards, offering a more intimate and authentic experience than larger city celebrations.
The History & Architecture Of Cork
It’s not just the Irish countryside that’s blessed with incredible historic architecture; the cities, towns and villages are replete with architectural intrigue, too. The cobblestoned streets of Cork, Ireland’s second-largest city, provide some of the most visually arresting urban planning on the planet.
The city is built on the River Lee and the centre actually sits on an island surrounded by two channels of the river; Cork’s characteristic pastel-hued houses overlook the water and the overall effect is an incredibly romantic one.
Exploring the city centre on foot, then, is a must. History buffs should check out St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, the Honan Chapel, and nearby Blarney Castle, as well as the English Market, one of the world’s oldest.
There’s also plenty of opportunity to get to grips with the essence of Irish history and culture at the city’s famous museums, the Cork Public Museum and the Cork City Gaol, a former jail turned museum. Finally, you can’t leave the city (well, you can) without ringing the Shandon Bells at St. Anne’s Church.
The Craggy Coastlines Of Ireland’s West Coast & The Wild Atlantic Way
The city of Cork is a wonderful place to visit in itself, but it also represents the gateway to the dramatic scenery of Ireland’s South and West Coast. Your starting point for exploration of the craggy, rugged and utterly bewitching coastline should be Mizen Head, a two hour’s drive southwest of Cork, and Ireland’s most southerly point.
If you’re looking to take a longer road trip instead of a quick weekend break away, consider exploring the entire Wild Atlantic Way, a coastal highway that stretches all the way from Kinsale in County Cork (on the south coast) to Donegal in the north, and comprises around 2’500 km of road.
There are countless places worth stopping at, including Sligo (which was one of Yeats’ greatest inspirations), Connemara, Galway, and Kinsale.
If you don’t have a car, fear not; there are plenty of trains in Ireland that traverse the Wild Atlantic Way. In fact, in many ways, exploring this iconic route by train is the best way to appreciate its beauty. And with Tourism Island currently promoting the idea of ‘Slow Tourism’ in Ireland (as in, sans car) there really has been no better time to hop aboard!
The Rugged Splendour Of Killarney National Park
Along the route known as the Wild Atlantic Way is another of Ireland’s true gems, Killarney National Park, in County Kerry. This was Ireland’s first ever national park, deemed so in 1932, and a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve since 1981.
But more than that, Killarney National Park, and its surrounding Ring of Kerry, is perhaps the finest visual rendition of the characteristic countryside that gave Ireland its nickname, the Emerald Isle. Covering over 25’000 acres, the park includes the world famous Lakes of Killarney, as well as mountains, waterfalls, and, of course, the odd castle thrown in for good measure!
Another fantastic example of rugged Irish landscapes at their finest is also found on the Wild Atlantic Way, in the shape of Connemara National Park. Check out our guide to it here.
We couldn’t finish up our pursuit of the essence of Ireland without getting down to some traditional Irish folk music. Neither could we head back to London without first having visited Galway, the festival capital of Ireland and a place which wears the pursuit of good times and great music proudly on its sleeve.
Galway has several fantastic old school pubs that play host to nightly performances from local bands. Taaffes Bar and Tig Choili are two of the best of their kind in the country, featuring concerts each and every night, but in Galway, all you have to do is wander the streets and keep your ears open, particularly in the Latin Quarter, to hear buskers and bands on the fiddle, flute and whistle, accordion, and pipes.
Ideal tip: The Irish language is largely spoken in County Galway. In fact, it has the highest percentage of Irish speakers of all administrative counties. When you’re here, learn a little Irish and say dia duit upon greeting a person or wish them good luck with a cheerful adh mor ort!
The Cliffs Of Moher’s Lesser-Known Neighbour
While the Cliffs of Moher draw millions of visitors annually, the equally dramatic Loop Head Peninsula in County Clare offers a less crowded but equally stunning alternative. This windswept headland, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, provides a raw, authentic Irish coastal experience that many argue surpasses its more famous neighbour.
The Loop Head Lighthouse, standing sentinel since 1854, offers panoramic views across the Shannon Estuary and Kerry Mountains. But the real magic lies in the rugged walking trails that skirt the peninsula’s edges, where you’ll find natural bridges, blowholes, and dramatic cliff formations that rival anything on the Irish coast. The Bridges of Ross, a remarkable natural sea arch, provides a photographer’s paradise, especially during sunset when the Atlantic waves crash against the rocks below.
What makes Loop Head truly special is its preservation of traditional Irish coastal life. The tiny fishing village of Kilbaha, the peninsula’s westernmost settlement, still operates as it has for generations. Here, you can enjoy just-caught seafood at the local pub whilst chatting with fishermen who know every mood of the Atlantic. During summer months, you might spot dolphins playing in the estuary or seabirds nesting in the cliffs, making this hidden gem a nature lover’s paradise.
The British holiday home landscape is shifting. While Cornwall’s Falmouth and the Lake District’s Keswick have long dominated both headlines and investors’ attention, sophisticated buyers are increasingly turning away from these oversaturated destinations, seeking authenticity and value in Britain’s lesser-known corners.
This movement reflects how British tourism is evolving: today’s holidaymakers increasingly value genuine experiences over postcoded prestige. They’re drawn to places where local culture thrives beyond the tourist season, where festivals celebrate real heritage rather than manufactured charm, and where the infrastructure supports modern needs without compromising character.
In this changing landscape, several regions stand out. Some benefit from improved transport links making them newly accessible to weekend visitors. Others are discovering fresh appeal through food tourism or outdoor activities. All offer the possibility of strong returns without the intense competition and premium entry prices of traditional hotspots.
The Northumberland Coast
Often overshadowed by its Yorkshire neighbour, Northumberland’s dramatic coastline represents remarkable value. The stretch from Alnmouth to Bamburgh combines vast beaches, historic castles, and designated dark sky zones. Seahouses serves as the gateway to the Farne Islands, offering reliable income from wildlife enthusiasts and photographers year-round. The working harbour ensures fresh seafood for local restaurants, while boat trips to see puffins and grey seals run nearly year-round.
Farne Islands -Home to an internationally significant breeding colony of seabirds and Atlantic grey sealsCraster is a small fishing village on the Northumberland coast of England, eight miles from Alnwick.
Famous for its kippers and coastal walks, Craster presents opportunities in traditional fishermen’s cottages. The village’s limited size and conservation status protect against overdevelopment. The nearby inland village of Embleton offers golf course views and beach access with more renovation opportunities. Newton-by-the-Sea, with its microbrewery and expansive beach, attracts premium rates despite its small size.
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne provides unique letting opportunities, with tidal isolation creating premium rates for overnight stays. The island’s new visitor centre has extended the tourist season, while the growing popularity of spiritual retreats ensures midweek bookings during shoulder seasons.
Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England,
The Welsh Marches
This ancient borderland between England and Wales remains curiously overlooked. Ludlow, the area’s gastronomic capital, hosts numerous food festivals throughout the year. The town’s architecture spans medieval to Georgian, with strict conservation policies maintaining its character. The surrounding villages, particularly Those in the Teme Valley, offer larger properties with land – increasingly popular for multi-generational family holidays.
Ludlow Castle, an 12th century castle on the Welsh / English border.
Hay-on-Wye’s literary festival has spawned year-round bookshop tourism, while newer festivals focused on food, crafts, and music maintain visitor interest across seasons. The town’s position on the edge of the Brecon Beacons offers additional appeal for outdoor enthusiasts.
Monmouth’s location at the confluence of the Wye and Monnow rivers attracts water sports enthusiasts, while its historic connections draw heritage tourists. The town’s recently improved theatre and arts centre has strengthened its cultural appeal. Nearby Ross-on-Wye offers similar advantages with better rail connections to London and Birmingham.
Ross-on-Wye
Suffolk’s Heritage Coast
This stretch of coastline combines cultural prestige with environmental protection. Aldeburgh’s music festival at Snape Maltings has spawned numerous satellite events, creating year-round cultural tourism. The town’s protected shingle beach and fishing fleet maintain its traditional character, while high-end food shops and restaurants ensure premium visitor demographics. The Garrett-Anderson trail and arts festivals have extended the traditional season well into autumn.
Southwold, with its working lighthouse and carefully preserved pier, maintains its traditional resort charm through strict planning controls. The presence of Adnams Brewery brings year-round visitors for tours and events, while the town’s golf course attracts a steady stream of sporting visitors. The harbour area’s recent regeneration has created new opportunities without compromising character.
The Little Fish & Chip Shop, East Street, Southwold, UKSouthwold,
Inland, Woodbridge combines maritime heritage with sophisticated shopping. The tide mill and riverside walks attract day visitors, while the town’s rail link to London supports a strong weekend market. Nearby villages like Orford, with its castle and famous smokehouse, offer unique letting opportunities. The area’s proximity to Rendlesham Forest capitalises on growing interest in dark skies tourism and UFO heritage.
The Moray Coast
Scotland’s forgotten riviera, the Moray Coast benefits from a unique microclimate created by surrounding mountains. Findhorn’s bay offers reliable watersports conditions, while its eco-village attracts wellness tourists year-round. The village’s spiritual foundation brings international visitors for retreats and workshops, ensuring midweek occupancy even in winter.
Cullen’s viaducts and harbour provide dramatic backdrops, while its position on the North East 250 route captures road trip tourism. The town’s famous Cullen Skink has spawned food tourism, with several new seafood restaurants opening. Nearby Portsoy’s restored harbour and traditional boat festival showcase authentic coastal life, while its appearance in major films has created screen tourism.
Cullen Skink
The area between Burghead and Lossiemouth offers reliable dolphin watching, with new viewing facilities planned. The region’s position on the Malt Whisky Trail provides year-round visitor flow, while RAF Lossiemouth brings regular business visitors. New distillery visitor centres at Benromach and Glen Moray have enhanced the area’s appeal to international tourists.
The Lleyn Peninsula
This Welsh peninsula combines dramatic landscapes with protected status. Aberdaron, once a pilgrimage stop for travellers to Bardsey Island, now attracts visitors seeking spiritual retreat and coastal walking. The National Trust’s significant presence helps maintain the area’s character while providing organised activities and maintained footpaths. The village’s new interpretation centre has extended visitor seasons beyond traditional peaks.
Abersoch maintains its reputation for water sports while developing a more sophisticated dining scene. The village’s strict development controls have preserved its character while supporting premium rates. The surrounding countryside, dotted with Iron Age forts and medieval churches, attracts heritage tourists year-round. Recent improvements to the Wales Coast Path have strengthened walking tourism.
Abersoch
Nefyn and Morfa Nefyn offer golf alongside beach access, with the famous cliff-edge course drawing international visitors. The area’s designation for dark skies tourism has created new winter letting opportunities. Traditional fishing villages like Porthdinllaen, owned entirely by the National Trust, offer unique stays with guaranteed preservation of character.
This chalk upland offers remarkable value in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Louth, the capital of local food, hosts regular markets showcasing Lincolnshire’s agricultural heritage. The town’s Georgian and Victorian architecture remains largely intact, while new food halls and independent shops have reinforced its appeal. The surrounding valleys offer numerous walking and cycling routes, recently enhanced with new signage and facilities.
Market Rasen, despite its famous racecourse, remains undervalued. The town’s position between Lincoln and the coast captures dual markets, while recent investment in mountain biking trails has attracted adventure tourists. The surrounding villages, particularly in the northern Wolds, offer renovation opportunities with strong letting potential.
The area’s ancient drove roads, now popular with cyclists and walkers, link characterful villages like Tealby and Binbrook. The Wolds’ dark sky status has prompted development of astronomy tourism, while its Viking heritage attracts history enthusiasts. The area’s recognition as a top spot for wild swimming has created a new summer market.
Many emerging areas have fewer restrictions on holiday lets compared to established destinations, though this requires careful research. Some regions are introducing new controls to balance tourism with local housing needs. Always check local development plans for future policy changes.
Infrastructure Development
Several highlighted areas are benefiting from improved transport links and internet connectivity, crucial factors for the modern holiday let market. The ongoing rollout of rural broadband is transforming once-overlooked locations into viable remote working destinations. Pay particular attention to areas receiving infrastructure investment through the Levelling Up Fund.
Climate Resilience
With climate change considerations increasingly important, locations offering natural protection from coastal erosion or flooding may command premium values in future. Higher elevation properties and those in protected bays deserve particular attention. Some local authorities now require flood risk assessments for holiday let properties.
Diversification Potential
The most promising locations offer multiple revenue streams: walking tourism, cultural events, dark sky viewing, water sports, or wellness retreats. Areas with diverse attractions prove more resilient to changing travel trends and seasonal fluctuations.
Tax Considerations
Rental income is taxable, but you can offset some expenses, such as repairs, insurance, and letting agent fees. Keep meticulous records – you’ll thank yourself when tax time rolls around. MTD for landlords (Making Tax Digital) is set to revolutionize how landlords manage their taxes from April 2026, requiring digital record-keeping and online submissions. Familiarise yourself with this initiative now to avoid any last-minute panic when it becomes mandatory.
The Bottom Line
The evolution of work patterns continues to blur the line between holiday homes and remote working retreats, creating opportunities in previously overlooked areas. Locations offering authentic experiences and natural beauty, while maintaining their essential character, are likely to see sustained demand.
The key to success in these emerging markets lies in identifying areas where tourism infrastructure is developing but hasn’t yet reached saturation. The most promising locations balance accessibility with preservation of the very qualities that make them special.
Investment in these unsung destinations requires patience and vision, but offers the potential for both lifestyle enjoyment and value appreciation without the intense competition found in established markets. The smart money is moving to these hidden gems, suggesting the time to explore these alternatives is now.
It’s that time of year again, when soup in all shapes and forms becomes our go-to meal. While ramen is a London staple year-round come rain or shine, when it gets colder we especially start craving more comforting bowls of the good stuff.
We still mourn the closing of Brixton’s Nanban (RIP), which was for a long time our favourite place to get a bowl of ramen on a rainy day. Their pork number really was a thing of beauty – its creamy, salty, buttery broth rich, nourishing and sent from the gods. We also miss those perfectly gooey-yolked, tea-cured eggs and the side of angry bird chicken wings, which was obligatory with every order.
We can’t be too sad about its closure though, as London still has many brilliant bowls brimming with soul-satisfying, umami-packed tonkotsu, shoyu, tantanmen and more, many of which surprise with every slurp. All seem to satisfy, even the bad ones…
Ramen comprises four fundamental components: the broth, noodles, tare (seasoning), and toppings. Since components can be altered, ramen is a flexible canvas for cooks and diners, making this particular noodle scene in London all the more exciting and, at times, properly innovative.
Whether you’re a purist seeking the comfort of tradition or an adventurer chasing the thrill of innovation, there’s a spot in London waiting to serve you the ramen of your dreams. Let’s get to it; say “Irasshaimase!” to London’s most remarkable ramen spots.
Ramo Ramen, Soho
Ideal for bowls of ramen that brim with originality…
A lot of Japanese food follows a rigid, quasi-religious formula, but ramen can be interpreted any which way the chef wants, leading to a unique personality from each individual purveyor of the good stuff. With this expression of personality through broth and noodles in mind, we start our list with Ramo Ramen.
Ramo Ramen is the brainchild of Omar Shah, who has a string of brilliant restaurants under his belt, including Panadera Bakery (our go-to place for an egg sando), Bintang, and modern Filipino favourite Donia.
At Ramo, Shah’s Filipino-Japanese fusion approach to ramen has garnered much attention, particularly for his innovative rich, nutty and creamy oxtail kare kare ramen, which sees a deliciously deep beef broth infused with peanuts and topped with pulled oxtail. If you know kare kare, the Filipino stew it’s based on, you’ll get what they’re doing here. If you don’t, just know it’s probably the best thing on the menu.
The bowls here are generous and seriously indulgent. Take their wagyu beef pares, which is based on a classic Filipino comfort food dish. Here, wagyu is marinated in a classic, properly garlicky pares blend, and then seared off for some extra umami. It’s served with the end trimmings of wagyu, fried garlic and onion, and it’s bloody delicious.
The kitchen’s creative spirit shines through in their seasonal specials. A recent standout was the soft shell crab ginataan – think tempura soft shell crab and prawn, both swimming in a coconut cream broth bolstered by seaweed and lime. Magic.
The bowls here pack plenty of punch and a commendable command of flavour-interplay. There are loads of places doing ramen in London, but Shah’s doing something different here – taking risks, playing with flavours, and most importantly, making it all taste damn good.
Interior of Ramo RamenWagu Beef ParesLamb Keema Ramen
Ideal for a serious, seriously good bowl of ramen…
This ramen offering from Monohon Ramen feels very much like a neighbourhood ramenya in Japan. You can’t miss the restaurant; there’s often a queue outside of people waiting to get in. Don’t be discouraged; this rare independent, walk-ins-only ramen joint of just 32 covers is well worth the wait.
Situated between Old Street and the Barbican, Monohon Ramen is helmed by Ian Wheatley, an English chef who trained at a ramen school in Japan. His dedication to the craft is evident all across the operation, from the house-made noodles all the way to the bilingual menu. Those noodles are made every day, using precisely softened water to get just the right texture. Indeed, London water is too hard for the rigorous discipline of ramen, as our brittle hair keeps telling us (must buy that filter). We digress…
…Anyway, Wheatley’s commitment to doing things right doesn’t stop at the noodles. The ramen broth is simmered for a whole day to achieve its rich flavour. They even monitor the soup’s viscosity with a refractometer to get the right final thickness – yes, such a thing exists.
Things get more serious with their shoyu tare (seasoning sauce), which is made from ten different ingredients, with salinity measured judiciously using a different refractometer to make sure the saltiness is the same in every bowl. Yep, every element of the bowl here is meticulously thought out, but it would all be a little performative if the ramen wasn’t top notch, Tokyo-level good. But we’re pleased to report it is a seriously fine bowl of the good stuff.
Winter means one thing at Monohon Ramen: their Fat Curry Men is back on the menu. The consummate comfort dish, it features Japanese-style chicken curry with that familiar low-hum of spice, paired with thick noodles and topped with a must-have extra onsen tamago (a very soft poached egg). It’s exactly the kind of soul-saving food you need in the colder seasons. Order a generous highball in a pint glass (that’s four shots of whiskey and soda here) and your cockles will be toasty AF.
This is also one of the better ramen restaurants for vegans. Monohon’s tantanmen, in particular, is a showstopper. It sees a creamy sesame-flavoured soup topped with spicy miso-fried seitan and lots of gubbins, and is, in our humble opinion, the best in the city. Seriously – it’s hard to understand how they get so much flavour into that broth with no animal fat.
Unsurprisingly, this place is wildly popular. If you want to get a seat, it’s best to arrive at least twenty minutes before they open.
Tucked away near the British Museum in Bloomsbury, this little ramen shop offers fiery Korean-influenced bowls of goodness, bringing a unique perspective to the city’s ramen scene. The restaurant’s 48-hour simmered, creamy, umami-packed pork and chicken broth, alongside flourishes of Korean flavour, presents a piquant contrast to the more traditional ramen offerings found across town.
The menu is short and sweet, featuring bowls like kimchi ramen, which has a spectacular-looking rusty broth, and gyoza ramen, which is a real crowdpleaser. Their seafood ramen, with satisfyingly savoury saline notes, brims with crab, prawns, and mussels. It’s a soulful bowlful, that’s for sure.
Whichever bowl you go for, you can choose your spiciness level and how you want your noodles cooked, with ‘hard’ being recommended for the latter – that’s ‘al dente’ to an Italian. For the former? We’d recommend pushing the boat out – these Korean noods are designed to coax some sweat out from that brow. There aren’t as many extra toppings to choose from as with other ramen joints, but sometimes simplicity is best.
This is a Korean take on ramen, so don’t come here expecting the traditional stuff, but it’s an excellent bowl nonetheless. Indeed, Menya Ramen House has quickly established itself as a destination for those looking to explore the intersections of cultural culinary traditions in a welcoming environment. On our last visit, this place was cash only. It probably still is.
Crashing into London on a tonkotsu tsunami in 2014, Kanada-Ya specialises in tonkotsu ramen and is known by many as ‘London’s most authentic ramen’. It remains one of the best places to head for a bowl of the good stuff and has maintained its solid reputation while expanding into five locations across London, all whilst ramen entered the city’s vernacular with increasing ubiquity.
The man behind the story of Kanada-Ya is Kanada-San, a once-professional Keirin racer, who, after an accident that meant he could never race again, decided to learn the art of ramen. Originally, he was turned away by all the ramen masters (known as an ‘Itamae’ in Japan) that he met. Then, after years of exploring and experimenting, he finally mastered the craft of ramen-making and created his distinctive ramen style. His ramen restaurant eventually became one of the most popular in Japan, and he opened a franchise. After lots of trial, error, and some treachery along the way, he finally opened his first foreign franchise in Covent Garden, bringing the same technique and preparation straight from Japan.
Good ramen starts with the broth, which needs to boil for a long time. At Kanada-Ya, their rich 18-hour pork bone broth gives an extra-meaty oomph – you can feel all that goodness from the collagen penetrating your soul (and coating your lips) with every sip. Noodles are handmade daily using a high-protein wheat flour and a proprietary blend of alkaline salts known in Japanese as kansui, giving ramen its signature ‘bite’.
While the Tonkotsu X, exclusive to London, is the number one selling ramen, we’re huge fans of the Gekikara, otherwise known as ‘the spicy one’. With chilli used to flavour the the spicy tan-tan minced pork, chilli oil, chilli powder and fresh bird’s eye, this bowl is recommended for folks who like to live a little dangerously. Be warned, the heat builds in this ramen – it’s our kind of winter warmer but it’s one to be approached with a modicum of caution.
The only dish we aren’t too keen on is their truffle ramen – with porcini truffle paste and white truffle oil, it’s a little too rich and one-dimensional for our taste buds. That said, it’s garnered something of a cult following amongst truffle (oil) lovers, and if you love truffle (oil), you’ll love this bowl of noodles.
Tonkotsu ramen reigns supreme in London. The restaurant of the same name was right at the heart of the beginning of the ramen revolution in London and has weathered the ramen craze and countless competitors to remain one of the city’s best. Now it has branches all over London and in Brighton, Bristol, and Birmingham, too – all the best B’s right there. You’ll often find us at our local Tonkotsu, shovelling down a bowl on the weekend after a heavy night of drinking. It’s that damn restorative.
The original branch of Tonkotsu in Soho is renowned for its creamy kyushu-style tonkotsu ramen, made from pork bones simmered for hours. It’s one undeniably spectacular bowl, packed with springy noodles and an intensely porky, opaque pale broth with a gorgeous buttery texture. The little globules of fat dappling the surface and meltingly tender pork belly bobbing within are simply outstanding. Indeed, for us, the broth at tonkotsu remains unrivalled.
Just thinking about the creamy pork broth and the thick slices of melt-in-the-mouth pork belly makes us salivate. For us, the thing that stands out about this place is their springy noodles. The owners spent months perfecting the recipe, and they now have a factory that supplies noodles to all their restaurants.
Similarly to Kanada Ya, Tonkotsu like to collaborate with other peeps in the food business. Their most recent collaboration is with Sebby Holmes of Farang to create a red curried fishcake ramen special. It sounds marvellous.
Anyway, don’t leave without taking home a jar of their Eat the Bits chilli oil; it’s become one of our store cupboard staples.
Stepping into Uzumaki is like entering a Japanese anime movie. Billing itself as London’s only immersive Japanese Anime restaurant, eating here is certainly an experience.
If you’re not into anime, then let us enlighten you; Uzumaki is a Japanese horror manga series telling the story of the citizens of Kurouzu-cho, a fictional town plagued by a supernatural curse involving spirals.
Luckily, nothing is terrifying about this Bloomsbury restaurant, and the only curse you’ll find is the one coming out of your mouth when you taste how good the food is.
One of the best things about Uzumaki (the restaurant) is that you’re always greeted with a warm welcome at the door – the anime community are a friendly bunch, that’s for certain. Like the series, the restaurant is visually stunning. Manga motifs adorn every wall, and every nook and cranny has some sort of artwork inspired by popular Japanese comic books and animated series, drawing diners into the vibrant world of Japanese pop culture. It’s not overwhelming, either – the restaurant is fortunate to be flooded with natural light, owing to an expansive skylight above.
The menu is as much a work of art. Intent on transforming your favourite anime dish into a delicious reality, the signature Naruto ramen should be your go-to order. A luxurious dish if ever there was one, it features ramen just the way the manga character likes his. So, that’s a tonkotsu miso broth, a double portion of chashu pork, a whole ajitsuke tamago, and a couple of slices of Naruto maki, along with nori, bamboo, and spring onion. Clocking in at £21.25, this isn’t the cheapest ramen on the block, but it’s one of the most generous – the bowls are massive!
And if you’re a fan of bubble tea, don’t leave without trying their Uzumaki Milk Tea. Their signature brown sugar bubble tea is thick, rich and with a lingering taste of caramelised sugar. Lovely stuff.
Ideal for a selection of regional soups other than tonkotsu…
From the world of anime to Tokyo’s Electric Town, circa 1975…
You can’t miss Heddon Yokocho, the animated model of a giant ramen bowl – dunking chopsticks and all – somehow manages to beckon you in before you even registered what you wanted for dinner.
Step into the restaurant and you’ll find yourself in a space reminiscent of an old-school Tokyo back alley (yokocho), just a little cleaner and with more neutral smells. Indeed, Heddon Yokocho attempts to capture the yokocho experience with a low, lit moody interior full of lanterns, beamed roofs, vintage posters, curtains, and glowing neon Japanese signage everywhere you look.
There are even Shuchu booths here. The word translates as ‘focus on flavour’ or ‘concentration booth’, setting the scene for slurping away without the distraction of conversation, truly losing yourself in a bowl.
Help, we’re drowning here!
When it comes to those bowls, Heddon Yokocho offers a diverse menu celebrating regional variations of ramen from across Japan. The lighter shoyu (soy sauce) and shio (salt) based broths here make for a refreshing alternative to the omnipresent tonkotsu.
Each ramen is date-stamped, telling you the place and year it was invented. You can choose from 10 different varieties, be it tantanmen from Tokyo in 1958, Tokyo shoyu ramen circa 1910, or tori paitan ramen from Osaka in 2005.
You soon learn that, unlike sushi, and despite its ubiquity, ramen is relatively new to Japan’s culinary repertoire. It wasn’t until 1910 that Japan had its first ramen shop, and it wasn’t until after the Second World War that ramen mania started to sweep Japan and regional varieties began to emerge. Anyway, back in the booth…
Heddon Yokocho also have a sister restaurant, Panton Yokocho, right next to Leicester Square, which describes itself as “a living ramen museum with red lanterns, retro music posters, and toys from your childhood that brings regional ramen to life!”.
Both restaurants close at 10.30pm on weeknights and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with last orders thirty minutes before closing time. This makes both restaurants an ideal spot for relatively late-night ramen.
As we’ve learnt this deep into the bowl, ramen can be pretty pricey in London. Thank the lord for Kokura, then, an unassuming ramen spot that serves some of the best value ramen bowls in the city.
The best deal is their lunchtime special, where you can enjoy a bowl of ramen for just £7.90, which in London is crazy cheap. For dinner, a bowl clocks in for just over a tenner; still a bargain.
A nine-minute stroll from Waterloo Station, you can’t miss the place. Outside, in classic Japanese style, plastic replicas of food adorn the windows. Inside, it’s no frills with the usual minimal Japanese look of wooden tables and stools and not much else. It’s just how we like it. Order at the counter, and you’ll be given a buzzer when your food is ready.
Noodles made on site are another plus here, but it’s Kokura’s inventive takes on ramen that make this place stand out. Alongside the classics, they always have a special on; be it sweet and sour tom yum tonkotsu, or spicy, tangy, tingly kimchi ramen. On a recent visit, we had a visually striking bowl of black garlic ramen, the smoky, earthy, umami-rich black garlic adding a whole new layer of complexity to an already gorgeous broth.
The rest of the ramen menu is small, with around five choices, including the usual side-order classics. Perhaps our favourite thing on the menu is then oyako ramen (oyako means parent and child), which sees ramen topped with meltingly tender free-range chicken (parent) and a marinated egg (child). Silly but lovely, and delicious too!
Don’t forget to order a draft of Asahi, which is served in an iced glass, and a side of karaage chicken – because crispy chicken and ice-cold beer is always a good thing.
Ideal for rock ‘n’ roll ramen with creative twists…
One of London’s most creative ramen shops comes from Nobu-trained chef Owner Ross; Bone Daddies. It’s another restaurant that opened at the height of London’s ramen mania back in 2012, and the restaurant quickly made headlines for its crazy concoctions and rock’n’roll grungerie.
Creativity is everything here, and Bone Daddies and its monthly specials keep the menu interesting and keep us coming back. On our last visit, they teamed up with Tajin to create a Mexican-inspired bowl of ramen – think al pastor pork, crispy nachos, and pineapple pico Tajin seasoning.
If you don’t eat pork, Bone Daddies has a whole section of ramen on the menu rendered in lighter chicken bone broth. Our favourite is the ‘Tokyo cock cock’ which has fried chicken, cock scratchings and a dash of spicy yuzu tare.
With a rock n’ roll vibe, expect to slurp your noodles while listening to the jams of the last couple of decades, wherever you’re manipulating your chopsticks. Bone Daddies now has seven locations across London, as well as sister restaurants Shackfuyu and Flesh and Buns. Soho was the original rock n’ roll bar, though.
The Bone Daddies restaurant in Leicester Square is the largest, with space for up to 80 people across two floors and has more of an industrial feel compared to its siblings. However, the window or bar seats at the Soho spot are our favourite – we love people-watching and sitting side by side here.
Ideal for experiencing noodles from a world-renowned ramen chain…
This Japanese import specialises in tonkotsu ramen. Don’t be put off by the word chain; like only a handful of restaurants in this umbrella category, this one is well worthy of your time. Quite simply, Ippudo offers a consistently excellent ramen experience.
While tonkotsu broth is what they’re known for, the karaka-men, which is a spicier version of the creamy original, is our go-to order. Billing itself as “a bowl full of stimulus”, it certainly does stimulate the senses – the karaka part is a spicy miso paste that is nirvana to spice lovers. Whatever you do, order a side of renkon chips which are deep-fried thin slices of lotus root served with sea salt and lemon. They are seriously addictive.
Images via Ippudo
The great thing about Ippudo is that you can sit and linger over your bowl. Its dining room is larger than other ramen joints in the city, meaning that you can come here with a group and sit happily for as many glasses of Choya Umeshu as you can drink.
Ippudo also has locations on Canary Wharf, Goodge Street, and Villiers Street. If you’re on a mission to try all the good ramen in the city, then Ippudo should be on your list.
Ideal for vegetarian options and late-night izakaya vibes…
Hakata Ramen in Bermondsey is a lively place that channels a Tokyo izakaya vibe. If you like your ramen served with a good time, rather than a reverent one, then this is a good choice.
The meaty, umami-laden headlining ramen here packs plenty of flavour, sure, but this is a good place to come if you don’t eat meat and like to have choice; there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu, unlike the majority of the other ramen restaurants on our list that have limited choices for non-meat eaters. There’s also a great selection of toppings to pimp your ramen up with, including burnt corn, garlic chips, and fermented bamboo – just a handful of what’s good here.
For dessert, have a katsu sando, that iconic Japanese sandwich. Here, soft, rich toasted brioche is filled with your choice of pork, chicken, or aubergine katsu, topped with shredded white cabbage, a little mayo, and a drizzle of traditional tonkatsu sauce. It’s lovely. And yes; to us, it’s a dessert.
Drink-wise, there is a great selection of biodynamic and Japanese wines, and sakes too. While they don’t have the usual Asahi on tap, if you’re a beer drinker the Orbit X HAKATA Rice Lager is just the ticket – together with Orbit Brewery it’s been tailor-made to complement the menu.
About the beer, they say that “the Rice Lager has a distinctive characteristic from Sorachi Ace, a hop variety developed in Japan in the 1970s. This brings delicate floral notes of coconut, lemongrass, dill, and coriander to this refreshingly light and unique lager”.
We might have to order another to see if we agree, but you’re not on the juice, they offer unlimited refills of green, jasmine, and tea.
After your meal, head to the basement bar for some Japanese-inspired seasonal cocktails. Low-lit and vibey, if a Tokyo dive bar and a NYC speakeasy had a baby, this would be it. On our last visit, we tried an alcohol-forward Okinawa Daiquiri to celebrate autumn. Made using Kiyomi (meaning ‘pure beauty’), which is a premium white rum craft-distilled in Okinawa using locally produced molasses, it’s shaken with yuzu sake and fresh blueberry syrup. They also serve bar food, just in case you regret not having that sando for dessert.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but you can wait in the ‘izakaya’ part of the operation and whet your appetite. While you could probably have better ramen at more specialist places on our list, the cocktails and izakaya vibe make the whole package here a great experience.
Ideal for rich kotteri-style ramen in a traditional setting…
Opened in 2006, Cocoro was a favourite among Japanese diners long before ramen mania swept the capital. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel as though you’ve stepped into a small Tokyo eatery, despite being in the bustling heart of London. Now with four restaurants across the capital, Marylebone is their original no-nonsense restaurant.
The menu covers everything from sushi to donburi, but we’re here for the ramen. Our favourite thing on the menu is their kotteri tonkotsu ramen – a richer, creamier, and thicker version of the more widely known tonkotsu. Kotteri broths are made by boiling the bones at a higher heat for longer, which makes the broth opaque in colour, fat emulsifying as it bulles and giving an altogether richer and fattier consistency. It’s balm for the soul, quite honestly.
A family-run spot known for its delicate shoyu and miso ramen, Seto was established over a decade ago by the Tanaka family, who sought to bring the authentic flavours of their hometown in Japan to the vibrant food scene of Camden, and they have been perfecting their craft ever since.
The restaurant prides itself on offering broths that are eminently slurpable (as in, made with chicken stock as well as pork), providing a counterpoint to the heavier pork-based broths found elsewhere in London. You can ask to have your noodles hard-boiled – a nice touch giving you control over your preference.
The no-frills, no-nonsense interior reflects a minimalist Japanese aesthetic, with warm wooden accents and soft lighting. Settle into it a little longer, as you don’t want to leave the restaurant without ordering a side of gyoza. They will immensely contribute to the enjoyment of your meal here. In fact, these plump little beauties are the best thing on the menu. The homemade chilli oil on the side, brimming with umami dried shrimp, is perfect for dunking them in. Come with a friend and get them to order the katsu-ni, a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, too. It’s terrific.
This place gets busy, so it’s a good idea to make a reservation.
Ideal for authentic Hakata-style ramen and sake pairings…
With more outposts than you can count on two hands and reportedly more to come, Shoryu Ramen must be doing something right. You can find Shoryu Ramen all over town, but their Soho spot is our favourite, and no, it’s got nothing to do with the fact that they have the largest selection of sake, shochu, and umeshu in the UK with over 130 options to choose from.
This joint specialises in Hakata tonkotsu ramen, which comes from the Hakata district of Fukuoka city in the South of Japan. This is where the Executive Chef Kanji Furukawa was born, and the owner also comes from these parts, so it makes perfect sense.
Of equal importance to the dining experience is the pairing of ramen with their gyoza – delicious, fried dumplings. The finest found here are filled with pork, further enhancing the piggy credentials of this must-try ramen joint.
Come back another time for one of the curries with rice, as Furukawa has developed his very own authentic Japanese curry sauce over the years by working and studying in kitchens across Japan. His complex curry sauce is made from a secret blend of over 18 different spices and a mix of vegetables, and it’s an intoxicating thing indeed..
Back to the ramen though, and it’s good to know Shoryu have an early bird ramen deal running from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 6pm, the time when most kitchens are quiet. During this three hour window, you can have a bowl of their signature ramen for just £9.99 – any other time the same bowl is £14.25. Oh, and if you ever wanted to have a ramen party, their subterranean private dining room can seat up to 16 people. Don’t forget our invite!
As 2025’s pretty bleak winter remains as unpredictable as ever, many of us ourselves with an abundance of firewood.
Sure, it’s a necessity for when the winter chill starts nipping at our noses and those cosy, crackling nights by the fire finally arrive. For now, however, all that firewood is posing something of a storage conundrum.
But what if we told you that this practical necessity could also become a charming part of your home decor?
Stylish Firewood Features
Indeed, firewood can be much more than just fuel for your fireplace. With a bit of creativity and a dash of inspiration, it can transform into a rustic, country chic element that adds warmth and character to your home. So, let’s turn that pile of logs into a stylish feature with these innovative decorating ideas.
A Firewood Feature Wall
Should you have invested in a bulk bag of logs that isn’t going down as quickly as you’d anticipated, then why not make a statement with a firewood feature wall? Stack your excess logs neatly from floor to ceiling in a recessed area of your living room or dining room. This creates a striking visual texture and adds a rustic charm to your space.
Firewood Bookends
For the bookworms out there, firewood can make for some sturdy and stylish bookends. Slice a log into two equal halves – ideally using a bearded axe for maximum precision and control – and use them to keep your favourite reads in place. It’s a simple yet effective way to incorporate a natural element into your home, whether you’re using the kiln-dried, real thing or something manufactured and therefore more uniform, like wood briquettes.
A Log Coffee Table
A log coffee table is a fantastic way to bring a touch of the outdoors inside. Simply secure a few similar-sized logs together, add a glass top, and voila! You have a unique, conversation-starting piece of furniture, and you’ll be promoting eco-friendly upcycling, too!
Or, get some scented candles burning with the scents of the season, perhaps combining the rich, warming aroma of spiced cherries with a hint of clove, encapsulating the festive spirit. Alternatively, for a scent reminiscent of a crisp, frosty morning, a blend of cinnamon, clove and fresh orange can create a sublime winter atmosphere.
Firewood Storage Bench
If you’re handy with a hammer and nails, consider building a firewood storage bench. It’s a practical solution that also provides additional seating. Plus, it’s a great way to keep your firewood neatly stored and easily accessible.
Firewood Art
Get creative and arrange your firewood into an artistic statement or sculpture. Whether it’s a heart shape on the wall (live, laugh, love, and all that) or a geometric pattern on the floor, the possibilities are endless and, often, a little bit tacky, we have to admit.
Firewood As A Functional Decor Element
Of course, you needn’t necessarily repurpose your firewood to use it for decoration. One of the most practical and stylish ways to decorate with firewood is to simply integrate it as a functional decor element. You can do this by storing your firewood in a way that turns it into a visually appealing feature. Here are a few ideas:
Firewood Wall Storage: Install custom shelves or wall-mounted brackets to store your firewood decoratively. Arrange the wood in a pattern or stack it neatly to create a stunning focal point in your living room or by the fireplace.
Firewood Baskets: Decorative baskets or bins can be a practical way to keep your firewood organised and add a touch of rustic charm to your space. Place a basket near the fireplace or in a corner for easy access.
Log Racks: Log racks come in various designs and sizes, allowing you to choose one that complements your home’s aesthetic. These racks keep your firewood neatly stacked and within reach.
Combining Firewood With Other Decor Elements
Firewood pairs well with various other decor elements to enhance the overall aesthetic of your living spaces. Here are some ideas for harmonious combinations:
Faux Fur Throws: Soften the rustic look of firewood with cozy faux fur throws or cushions. This combination provides a pleasing contrast and adds extra warmth to your decor.
Greenery: Incorporate houseplants or winter greens like pine branches and holly into your decor. These elements complement the natural feel of firewood and add a touch of life and color to your space.
Rustic Furniture: Choose rustic furniture pieces, like wooden coffee tables or reclaimed wood shelves, to complement your firewood decor. This cohesive design approach can create a harmonious and inviting atmosphere.
Neutral Colour Palette: Stick to a neutral color scheme with earthy tones, whites, and grays to create a soothing and balanced decor. The natural beauty of firewood stands out against a calm backdrop.
The Bottom Line
Remember, the key to decorating with firewood is to keep it neat and organised. It’s about adding a touch of nature and a sense of cosiness to your home. So, this winter, don’t just see your firewood as a practical necessity – see it as an opportunity to enhance your home’s decor and create a warm, inviting space.
From storage to country chic, firewood is more than just kindling for your fire. It’s a versatile, rustic element that can add a unique charm to your home. So, embrace the chill of winter and let your firewood take centre stage in your decor.
Fishing has always been a big part of Edinburgh’s DNA, particularly the district of Leith, which was one of the first British ports to welcome spices from Asia centuries ago.
If you were to stroll down the cobbled, industrial streets of Leith in the early nineteenth century, you would have been slapped with the stench of brine and the crisp smell of sea salt, not to mention the pungent fragrance of fresh – and not so fresh – fish resting in ice buckets and barrels alongside the racket of merchants and shoppers trading and selling.
You can still find this scene in pockets of the city, such as in Newhaven, where Welch Fishmongers welcomes regular dayboats into the harbour, and in The Fishmarket (actually a restaurant) here, which cherishes the tradition of the past while embracing new-world flavours. Their menu sees battered haddock and chips rubs shoulders (or should that be ‘fins’?) with curried monkfish, reflecting the time and place found in the first paragraph oh-so succinctly.
If you combine this citywide history with the institution of Scottish freshwater salmon, caught from one of the almost 400 different rivers that crisscross the country like a tartan print, it makes sense that Edinburgh has become an oasis of high-quality seafood restaurants in the intervening years, serving as culinary reminders of the city’s maritime heritage.
We’ve spent some time shucking every oyster and pinboning every mackerel in Auld Reekie so you don’t have to, all in the name of bringing you this; our guide to the best seafood restaurants in Edinburgh.
White Horse Oyster Bar
The Royal Mile of Edinburgh, flanked by Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood palace at the other, is a famous thoroughfare that got its name from being a common procession route for past royal members to parade down.
And tucked away in the site of the oldest pub in the area is a seafood banquet fit for a king, that’s for sure. But be warned; when you enter White Horse Oyster Bar, you’re not greeted with a blast of the herald’s trumpet. Rather, you’re welcomed by a massive lobster tank that bubbles away gently as unassuming crustaceans clamber around. We know which we’d prefer.
The rest of the venue is quaint and compact, and blends old-timey charm with modern flourishes dexterously. An exposed brick wall looms over sleek, jet-black leather seating, creating a contrast in line with the soul of the city and the seafood served within it.
The food at the White Horse is designed to be a communal affair, to get everyone involved; this isn’t the place to be shy about rolling your sleeves up and showing your elbows.
Allow for saucy fingers as you tuck into their iconic sharing platters, filled to the brim with garlic-heavy whole lobster, fragrant pickled mussels, scotch bonnet salmon (a fruity kind of spicy rather than one that overwhelms the elegant flavour of the fish), delicate tuna tartare, and octopus that has been marinated for hours in a sauce made of sea herbs to lock in the flavour. Because what grows together goes together, right?
If you’re more of a lone diner who loves soaking up the vibe without distraction, you can also neck a single portion of oysters, served straight to your perch at the pub’s wooden-panelled bar. Mine’s a Radical Road Pale, if you’re getting them in.
Alongside the obligatory oysters, a must order are the crab straw fries, where thin crispy batons of potato are topped with a generous portion of sweet crab meat and dollops of brown crab mayo. Just lovely.
Image via White Horse Oyster Bar
The restaurant relies on a line of bespoke suppliers to individually source all the seafood from within Scotland, with Fish Brothers, Mara Seaweed, and the aforementioned Welch Fishmongers all bringing boxes to the White Horse door each morning. This ensures that the produce is squeaky fresh, with that taste of the sea that every piscivore savours all present and correct.
Address: The Royal Mile, 266 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA
Although Edinburgh has a deep history of seafood in its own right, Ondine seeks inspiration from corners further flung.
Sure, the fish here is sourced from the centuries-old, traditional fishing spots off Scotland’s East Coast, but the cooking techniques and flavour profile of the dishes buck the trend and instead dive headfirst into global influences, giving Ondine a globetrotting identity in tune with the increasingly multicultural nature of its home city.
Ondine is the brainchild of head chef Roy Brett, a chef with some serious pedigree; he cut his teeth at The Savoy before earning his seafood chops at the famous Rick Stein restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall. He’s now found his home in Edinburgh, offering diners a culinary voyage around the world through the medium of seafood.
The menu’s prosaically named ‘fish and shellfish soup’ is a case in point, with the humble dish embracing the flavours of Marseilles via North Africa in its use of saffron and orange. Equally, the restaurant’s salt and pepper squid is also given clout and vigour with a Vietnamese-inspired lime, ginger, and chilli dipping sauce.
Images via Ondine
Ondine also offers fine British meats (there is a single nod to a bone-in sirloin in the mains section) but it’s their divine seafood platters served on crisp, crushed ice that keeps bringing patrons through their doors. The sound of that ice gently granulating as you drag the first shell over it (what, you don’t do that?) is enough to set off a Pavlov-like reaction in this particular diner.
Ondine’s interior is adorned with porthole-styled mirrors, the restaurant’s support columns bejewelled with grey-scale tiles that evoke fish scales shimmering in the sunlight under the ocean. It’s certainly evocative, its sense of mise-en-scene far more fruitful than Heston’s ‘sound of the sea’ palaver.
Ondine was awarded the Best Restaurant in Scotland at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards as recently as 2021, meaning it will be a seafood spot that satisfies all your desires. If those desires concern dinner, of course!
*At the end of 2024, it was announced that Ondine would be closing temporarily and relocating to a city centre location. It’s not yet known when the new Ondine will open*.
The Ship on the Shore sits on Leith’s waterfront, in a former chandler’s shop where sailors once stocked their vessels. Today, this seafood restaurant and champagne bar strikes a careful balance between its maritime heritage and modern dining, much like the surrounding neighborhood that’s transformed from working port to culinary destination.
Behind the striking navy and gold frontage, brass fixtures and nautical details accent the dining room without tipping into theme-restaurant territory. Tall windows frame the Water of Leith, where small boats still dock alongside the cobbled shore. It’s all very romantic and entirely fitting with what’s on the plate.
The restaurant’s fruits de mer platters have earned their reputation among Edinburgh’s seafood enthusiasts. These generous platters showcase the best of Scottish waters: Loch Fyne oysters, hand-picked crab meat, North Sea langoustines, and fresh lobster kept in tanks on-site.
That said, it’s The Ship’s dedication to breakfast that perhaps sets it apart in these waters – a rare find among Edinburgh’s upscale seafood venues. Their morning menu features Arbroath smokies (hot-smoked haddock) with poached eggs and bacon, while their hot smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on sourdough draws early crowds, especially on weekends.
Evening service brings more refined dishes. The cullen skink here does justice to the Scottish classic, built on Shetland smoked haddock and finished with single malt whisky. Their lemon sole meunière demonstrates restraint – just brown butter, capers, and herbs to complement the fish’s delicate flavour. It’s bloody gorgeous.
The wine cellar focuses heavily on champagne, with one of Edinburgh’s more extensive selections. There’s something right about watching harbour traffic while working through a plate of oysters and a glass of good fizz.
The building’s history shows in its stone walls and wooden beams, creating a space that works equally well for special occasions or casual lunches. It’s a restaurant that knows what it is – a serious seafood establishment that doesn’t need to shout about it.
The Fishers name has been synonymous with fresh fish in the Scottish capital for over two decades now, with three sites now serving up the good stuff here.
It’s the original location in Leith that’s the pick of the bunch. Housed in a 17th-century watchtower right by the waterfront and offering dramatic views of the harbour, you can gaze over gently shimmering water while you dig into some classic Scottish seafood dishes, such as revered Shetland mussels and Anstruther smoked salmon.
In the summertime, you can even dine outside and feel a part of the harbourside hubbub while letting the water-spray breeze and salty air create a more sensory-pleasing culinary experience. Did we already mention Heston’s ‘sound of the sea’? You get the picture…
Fishers prides itself on offering a relaxed, approachable vibe, not wanting to scare off the working-class diners that have made up the majority of its clientele over the years. The exterior remains simple, with a classical, verging-on-parody colour scheme, utilising the navy blue and white combination you’d see on a cartoon sailor’s shirt.
Images via Fishers
The inside is far more subdued and sophisticated, with marble dining areas and a charming backboard that details the day’s specials in hurried handwriting. That said, it still maintains its charm thanks to a massive mermaid figure hanging over the bar. She’s actually rather sexy, if you don’t mind us saying…
Anyway, let’s not get distracted, we’ve come hungry. Here, Shetland Coley comes marinated in spices and cooked in a creamy tamarind coconut curry, served with king prawn bhajis. How good does that sound? Keep going and order the warming green harissa seabass with baba ganoush and pistachio dukkah, offering an earthy yet bright counterpoint to the main event. Just lovely.
Cadiz is named after the famous fishing city in Spain, home to one of the biggest freshwater fishing markets in Europe, and aims to translate the energy of the former market town while also paying homage to its bold Iberian flavours.
Cadiz (the restaurant, and the town, we guess) is a celebration of Spanish seafood, and that much is evident the second you’re ushered to your table. The venue boasts highly detailed and sculpted ceiling beams, a classy touch undercut by quirky paintings of lobsters, exposed brick walls, and muted leather seats.
Mussels and mull scallops, favourites among the Spanish, feature heavily on the menu. Although caught in Scottish waters, naturally, they’ve been given a Mediterranean twist that diners haven’t been able to get enough of… Booking in advance is very much recommended.
Cadiz opened fairly recently and already commands a cult following, with the Cumbrae oysters served with either an acidic lemon, sherry vinegar, and shallot dressing, or a fiery chilli, soy, and pickled ginger option, a particular favourite of ours.
Don’t stop there; the Shetland mussels are served with braised chorizo, chilli, saffron, and tomatoes that will send your palate straight to the southwest of Spain.
Image via Cadiz
Come back to Scotland; the main event here is arguably the seafood arroz, a plate of prawns, calamari and mussels all bedding down on rich and giving braised rice. It’s an absolute steal at £18; just don’t call it paella.
If the buzz of the bar and dining room is a little too much for you, a more intimate experience can be found at the chef’s table, a hidden area separated from the main restaurant. Here, you’ll have a full view of the chefs at work, allowing up to 14 diners to get a more personal connection with the food.
Wherever you choose to dine, you’re going to be fed very well here.
Opened in late 2020, Fin & Grape is a seafood spot for diners in the know. Located in the Edinburgh suburb Merchiston, it’s a good spot for locals to sample some delicious seafood and offers a sense of come-hither to tourists looking to branch out from the central sector of the city and drop anchor elsewhere.
With a seasonal menu curated by experienced hand Stuart Smith, Fin & Grape showcases the chef’s love for grilled seafood, with most meals prepared using a Japanese Konro BBQ that adds an unrivalled smokey texture and flavour to the dishes.
Smith isn’t a chef to experiment and play with a multitude of diverse flavours. Instead, he likes to keep things simple, with salt being his prized ingredient, using the mineral to unlock the deep flavour hidden within the fish itself.
As it’s a seasonal menu, you can be sure that all dishes are fresh and carefully considered, using ingredients that are most abundant each season that helps the restaurant stay new and exciting throughout the entire year. If you dine at the right time, you’ll be able to sample some line-caught mackerel, cod mousse, hake croquettes, and the catch of the day, all reimagined and enhanced via the power of smoke and flame.
The dishes are designed to be shared among friends, with a range of small bites and a la carte plates available. Despite the dining room being what an estate agent would charitably describe as ‘cosy’, the large windows that allow you to peer out into the foliage of nearby greenery add a sense of space, and it has a homely feel thanks to its dark blue trimmings and copper hanging lights that build a pleasant ambience that doesn’t distract from that’s on the plate.
And chiefly because of what’s on those plates, Fin & Grape was added to the Good Food Platinum List in 2021, one of only two Scottish venues to receive the accolade. We can’t wait to go back.
It’s 2026, and we’re all well versed in the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, particularly one exacerbated by the monotony of desk work. According to recent analysis, over 70% of UK office workers are now classified as sedentary, spending more than six hours a day sitting down – a figure that should give us all pause.
The warnings from health authorities couldn’t be clearer. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases and death worldwide, with regular physical activity reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke by 19%, diabetes by 17%, and depression and dementia by up to 32%. The WHO has long stated that sedentary lifestyles increase all causes of mortality, double the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, and increase the risks of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, lipid disorders, depression and anxiety.
What’s perhaps surprising is just how much our working day can impact our overall levels of inactivity. BMC Public Health posits that office work contributes significantly to overall sedentary exposure and therefore the associated health risks of sedentary behaviour.
The good news is that there are simple adjustments you can make to your daily routine to address inactivity and get moving, even when you’re at work. From simple desk exercises to ditching the car and walking to work, here are some of the best ways to avoid being sedentary for long periods during the working day.
Take Time To Move Around
Whilst it’s never a bad idea to do some exercise, you’ll need more than just a couple of workouts a week to stay in good shape if you sit at your desk all day.
For that reason, you should take time to move around several times during the working day. Try setting the alarm every hour or two to remind yourself to get up, even if it’s just to have a stretch and grab a quick drink. Doing this will also help avoid aches and pains associated with sitting too much – such as back pain from poor posture at your desk.
If you work for a larger company, you may already have clubs and sessions going on throughout the day to ensure that their employees remain psychologically happy and healthy. Take advantage of engaging with these during work hours; insist that such classes are a benefit to the company, and should happen ‘on the clock’, rather than during your well earned lunch break. You could suggest to seniors that the formation of a yoga or meditation club will help colleagues relax both your body and your mind, too. Every little helps!
Look At Your Diet
If getting enough movement into your day is impossible, then it’s essential that you take control of your diet. Often, a sedentary job and a poor diet go hand-in-hand, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
Instead of stopping off for a muffin and a latte on the way to work, make time for a healthy breakfast before leaving home, or bring something homemade with you. Go further; instead of tea and biscuits during your morning break, why not bring a more substantial yet healthy snack such as nuts or dried fruit if you need a sugar boost?
Try swapping sugary drinks for water or green tea, too. You’ll be amazed how many fewer calories you can consume just by making some simple swaps in the refreshments department. And hey; each time you have to stand up from your desk to brew up a new green tea represents a chance to get some steps in…
Generally speaking, we tend to overestimate how active we are throughout the working day. But by putting that responsibility in the hands (or should that be feet?) of a pedometer, you will be able to see just how active you really are. You could even start a challenge against your workmates to see who can do the most steps during the working week to help motivate yourself.
Invest In A Pedometer
In fact, many smartphones now come equipped with a pedometer, or you can download an app, so you don’t have to invest in a specialist watch or old-school device worn on the hip if you don’t want to. Some will even warn you when you have been sitting for too long, which is a great cue to get up and start moving (and a brilliant excuse to exit a particularly boring conversation with a colleague, too!).
Fit A Walk Into Your Routine
If you know you have some time between meetings or calls, why not use it to go for a quick walk rather than scrolling through social media? Even if it’s just five or ten minutes, you can take a short stroll around the block, down the corridors or better still, up and down a staircase or two.
Invest In A Standing Desk
Standing desks are becoming more and more popular as a useful tool in the fight against an increasingly sedentary working day. Nowadays, there are plenty of options on the market to choose from. If you do make the switch, it’s worth investing in the best shoes for standing all day, too – your feet will thank you.
There are many possible benefits to using a standing desk; for example, they can lower your blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of weight gain, and lessen your chances of developing back pain. In recent years, treadmill desks have also entered the market, something of a natural progression from the standing desk. Consider asking your employers to invest in some for your office.
Walk To Work, Even If You Work At Home
We’ve all heard this tip before. Even if you live far from your workplace, there are always options to increase your step count before arriving at the office.
For example, if the journey is too far to walk, try getting off the bus or train a stop earlier and walking the rest of the way. Or, if you have to drive, try parking a few streets away if possible, or at least on the far side of the office car park.
If you work from home, you can factor in a short commute at the beginning and the end of each day. Try walking the same distance before and after starting your working day at home – it’s a great way to mentally bookend the working day, too.
Try Exercising At Your Desk
If you can’t get away from your desk often, there are plenty of small stretches and exercises you can do while sitting at your desk to get the blood flowing and your muscles engaged.
Start with some breathing exercises to focus your mind and reduce stress before moving on to some upper and lower back stretches. You could even try sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair to keep your core engaged all day.
Stay Hydrated
Of course, drinking plenty of water is essential for your health. But, it can also be an excellent opportunity to get up and moving during an otherwise sedentary working day.
Taking breaks to use the water cooler or refill your water bottle is a great excuse to have a quick walk around the building. And, drinking more will make you need to visit the bathroom more, too! If you work in a large building, try walking to a bathroom further away, on a different floor if possible, to get your step count up.
Walk To See Colleagues, Rather Than Emailing
Here’s another easy way to take more steps when you’re at work – instead of emailing your colleague with a question, why not walk across the office and pay them a quick visit instead? This is also a great way to reduce misunderstandings, and you might get an answer quicker than waiting for them to see your email – it’s a win-win situation!
Have Lunch Away From Your Desk
We all know that eating lunch at our desks isn’t good for our health. There are even employment laws in the UK which forbid bosses from forcing their staff to do so. So, what can you do instead? On a nice day, why not bring a healthy packed lunch and take a walk to the nearest park to enjoy some sun during your break?
Or, if there’s a cafe you love a few streets away, increase your step count by popping in for a bite to eat rather than grabbing something from the office canteen and returning to your desk.
And with that, we’ve just realised that we’ve been sitting at our desk for too long writing this. We’re off for a walk. Goodbye!
There’s something irresistible about a perfectly crafted burger. Although a simple dish in theory, no two burgers are the same and can be influenced by the quality of the meat, and the combination of condiments and toppings.
Cardiff is a fantastic place to grab a burger. Wales is prime farming real estate, with its livestock sector being world-leading in many regards. With some of the best native-breed beef farms, such as Gower Meadow Beef, plus plenty of game shot wild in the valleys, supplying the various restaurants within Cardiff, the city is filled with both traditional and innovative burgers for you to try.
Cardiff has multiple options to suit various tastes, whether you’ve got a hankering for beef, prefer some out-the-box vegan options, or wish to sample something a bit more upmarket.
Here are some of the best places in Cardiff to sink your teeth into a ridiculously good burger.
Honest Burgers, Church Street
Boringly predictable, predictably boring or just plain, well, honest? Though it’s a country-conquering chain, there’s no denying the quality of the burgers here. Taking up residence in the heart of Cardiff’s Castle Quarter, Honest Burgers has brought its critically acclaimed burgers to Wales with the same commitment to quality that made them famous in London, Brighton, Bristol et al. Their Cardiff branch maintains their signature style of serving medium-rare British beef patties (unless requested otherwise) alongside their rightly regarded rosemary salted chips that come with every burger.
What sets each Honest joint apart and helps the brand rise above those ‘chain’ accusations from a paragraph previous is their dedication to local collaboration – they’ve created a Cardiff-exclusive burger featuring (for some reason) Thai fried chicken and spicy accoutrements, in collaboration with local restaurant Brother Thai. The restaurant space itself perfectly suits Church Street’s historic character, with simple wooden furnishings and exposed brick walls creating a relaxed, contemporary atmosphere. Their bacon gravy – glossy, viscous and saltier than the sea – always hits the spot if you’ve enough cold beer to hand.
Although these guys are located in the heart of Cardiff on Mary Ann St, there’s nothing Welsh about The Smoke Haus. Instead, the burger joint specialises in burgers influenced by the traditions of American BBQ culture in the South, with all their meat slow-cooked over wood fires. This not-so traditional burger technique punctuates each burger with a distinct smokey flavour, accenting the beef, adding depth, as well as making it a more texturally intriguing burger than we’re generally used to.
To lean into the American theme – stetsons, cowboy hat, Stars’n Stripes and all – order their Baby Bertha burger, a fully loaded option topped with stretchy cheese, streaky bacon, fried onions, jalapenos, and special burger sauce. It’s a rich burger with deep tastes unlike anywhere else in Cardiff.
Another all-American creation here is the donut burger; two beef burgers topped with melted cheese, smoked streaky bacon sandwiched between two glazed donuts drizzled in ‘sweet sauce’. It sounds like a strange, sickly sweet combination and a cardiac arrest waiting to happen, but this sugar-in-savoury burger somehow works. You’ve simply got to try it to believe it!
As expected, the restaurant has an urbanised American diner aesthetic, with iconic red leather booths alongside faux brick walls covered in graffiti and street art. Oh, and they do a mean fried chicken, too. Well, it would be rude not to, right?
Address: Mary Ann St, St Davids Centre, Cardiff CF10 2EN
Spit & Sawdust is more than a burger joint; it’s a community hub that offers an incredible place not only to eat but to hangout, too. With a skatepark and art studio on site, it’s clear that this is a buzzy place where you can spend the entire day (and evening) if the mood suits you.
Thankfully, if you’re not into skating (or hanging out, for that matter), the burgers alone make it worth a visit. Served out of their small cafe adjacent to the skatepark, they offer affordable options starting at just £7.50. Their classic option uses organic beef and positively drenches the patties in a beautiful house burger sauce that has a pleasantly tangy taste. If you don’t like the taste of McDonald’s gherkins, this one won’t be for you is all we’re saying…
Anyway, Spit and Sawdust is a bit out of the way from the city centre but is well worth the trek for its cool vibes and simple yet tasty burgers.
Address: Unit B, Rhymney River Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF23 9AF
Despite being a reasonably big burger chain, with its origins in Birmingham, SLAMBURGER still delivers by offering an authentic burger experience from its Cardiff outpost, with every meal being crafted by you, for you.
This is because each order is created at the point of ordering, Subway style, allowing you to add extras and customise your toppings to unlock new taste combinations… Get you, Heston.
The base of each burger is their grilled patties, which you can have either thick or smashed, and is made from 100% local British beef, all of which is Halal.
The interior has a distinctive hot-red colour palette that is reminiscent of the old McDonald, but SLAMBURGER is head and shoulders superior to its faster-food siblings.
Taking pride of place on Whitchurch Road, Got Beef has evolved from one of Cardiff’s first street food ventures to become a proper burger institution that has punters making the pilgrimage to the city’s north western suburbs. Their commitment to quality shows in every aspect – from their locally-sourced Welsh beef patties to their house-made sauces. Each burger is cooked to order, allowing diners to specify their preferred doneness.
The restaurant maintains its street food roots with an edgy, urban vibe featuring graffiti art and industrial styling. Their signature Dirty South burger has achieved local fame, featuring a beef patty topped with American cheese, maple bacon, whiskey-caramelised onions, and their secret recipe burger sauce. They’ve also earned praise for their loaded fries and impressive selection of local craft beers.
If you’re looking for large portions (hey, who isn’t?), Fat Hippo has you covered, as every menu item comes with not one but two patties of either beef or buttermilk chicken. Size isn’t everything, though, as Fat Hippo also comes through on flavour, offering some quirky options such as their Born Slippy beef burger, filled to the brim with a double patty, garlic mayo, American cheese, braised pork rib, chilli jam, and jalapenos.
Eating at Fat Hippo is a messy experience, as their burgers ooze with juice – best wear black for this one, we think. Their monochrome tiled interior adds to this vibe (game of chess, anyone?), with the restaurant spilling out onto Church Street, slap bang in the Castle Quarter, until the early hours, bringing that party atmosphere which the thoroughfare is so well known for.
Those steering clear of beef will be pleased to hear that Fat Hippo is one of the best burger joints in Cardiff for lovers of chicken burgers. Not only are their options stacked with the good stuff, but the fillets are double-fried, locking the juices inside and ensuring a golden, crispy finish. Each meal also comes with a generous portion of hand-cut fries, too, making this a mammoth, massively satisfying meal.
Incidentally, the guys at Fat Hippo contributed to our guide on how to cook the perfect burger at home. Do check it out, but not before checking out some of the entries on our best burgers in Cardiff list!
East London’s Hackney Wick is an area that’s leaning into its industrial history to help shape its future. Even as recently as the start of the century, Hackney Wick was largely defined by abandoned industrial warehouses, barges, and canal boats, with the commercial potential of the neighbourhood yet untapped.
Now, some of these abandoned spaces have been given new life, transforming Hackney Wick into a world-class creative quarter, filled with over 250 artist studios and 100 businesses within the creative sector, with Hackney council citing the positive influence on the 2012 Olympics as a major factor in the area’s development.
Opinion is divided on whether this development is entirely a good thing, with many accusing developers of pricing out the working class from living here, the artistic side of the area also at loggerheads with property developers keen to build flats rather than cultivate a creative community.
In addition to both those art studios and unwelcome residential developments, however, the once-neglected spaces of commercial Hackney Wick have also been turned into some of London’s most exciting places to eat and drink. In this area, you’re spoilt for choice regardless of what you’re craving, with many of the best restaurants and bars housed within the famous Hackney Wick horseshoe, an eclectic medley of curiosities that curls around Hackney Wick Station.
Slowly but surely, Hackney Wick is building itself brick by brick into one of London’s grooviest neighbourhoods, continuing to resist gentrification via important community trusts such as Wick CDT, and generating buzz thanks to its bohemian art, a counter-culture nightlife scene, and, of course, fantastic dining spaces.
If you’re ever in the area taking in some of the great street art and brutalist architecture and find yourself getting peckish, here are some of the best places to grab a bite.
Barge East
Ideal for casual fine-dining aboard a floating barge…
As Hackney Wick is crisscrossed with various canals and waterways, historically used to transport produce and steel across the city and beyond, it makes perfect sense for restaurants to hone in on this unique landscape to help define what they do.
Barge East is a charming, floating venue housed within a 118-year-old Dutch barge that gently bobs off the calm canal waters. Tastefully renovated and updated over the years, the barge is easy to spot thanks to its olive green hull and bright white cabin area where diners eat.
Barge East isn’t the only floating restaurant in London, sure, but not many have the accolades that Barge East possesses, with it having won multiple awards over the years, including the Taste of London award in 2022 and recently a prestigious two AA Rosettes in the 2023 batch of the Automobile Association’s restaurant accolade announcement.
Images via Barge East Facebook
The food on board Barge East is the brainchild of Stefano Camplone, who channels his Italian heritage to create delightful dishes made with local, seasonal produce. Highlights include braised ox cheek, rich and succulent, served with a unique coffee-salt baked celeriac to build a plateful that interplays between the bitter and the sweet brilliantly.
Or, go for the restaurant’s ever-changing market fish of the day, sourced from Billingsgate Market and grilled simply, served with potatoes, seaweed dumplings, and a perfectly pitched seaweed beurre blanc.
Barge East’s interior evokes Hackney Wick’s ethos: repurposing something old and derelict into something new and exciting. There’s a lot of rustic wood for the dining and bar area, with gigantic slabs serving as make-do tables. It all feels succinct in a deliberately rugged kind of way.
If you haven’t yet got your sea legs and prefer to be on solid ground while you eat, Barge East also own a nearby garden area that’s one of the largest in London, filled with upcycled materials and herb gardens that they regularly pick to help keep things sustainable. It’s a great location to sip a drink or too, including an excellent Petalo, an off-dry white from Spain with loads of stewed-apple flavour. You can also enjoy a 90 minutes of bottomless brunch here every weekend. Go on; you know you want to.
Address: River Lee, Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Ln, London E9 5EN
Ideal for authentic Texas BBQ in a graffiti-covered East London landmark…
After years of sitting derelict as one of Hackney Wick’s most photographed buildings thanks to its ever-changing street art facade, the Lord Napier reopened in 2021 as the Lord Napier Star. This beloved local landmark has preserved the building’s iconic exterior (though now with a permanent design by the celebrated street artist and self-declared cynophile Teddy Baden), while the interior cleverly balances the raw industrial heritage of Hackney Wick with modern comfort. The original Victorian features sit comfortably alongside contemporary artwork and salvaged furniture, creating a space that feels chimes nicely with the carefully, chaotically curated vibe of the wider area.
The pub (Hackney Wick’s only one, strangely) is now home to Red Dog, who bring their take on Texas barbecue to this storied East London corner. The kitchen team smoke their meats fresh daily using imported hickory wood from the States, with the USDA brisket taking centre stage in smokers they’ve flown in from across the Atlantic. Their St Louis Cut Pork Ribs and pulled pork showcase the versatility of their smoking technique, while the burnt end nuggets offer a moreish taste of proper barbecue tradition that just pairs so well with a cold one.
Beyond the smoker, Red Dog’s menu extends to burgers ground in-house using aged cuts. The Gooey Louie exemplifies their approach to excess, combining hickory maple bacon and mozzarella sticks with American cheese and their signature sauce, while their Nashville Hot Chicken brings the Tennessee heat.
For those wanting to sample the full spectrum of Red Dog’s smoking expertise, the Carnivore Platter (minimum two people) offers a feast of USDA brisket, St Louis Cut Pork Ribs, Buffalo Wings, Hot Links, and Hickory Smoked Pork Shoulder, served with all the traditional fixings. It’s your for £25 per person.
The rooftop terrace remains one of the best viewing spots in Hackney Wick, looking out over the Olympic Park and the area’s street art-adorned buildings – an ideal spot to work your way through both the impressive beer selection and the Red Dog menu. Sure, it might not be the finest American barbecue we’ve ever tried, but it doesn’t half go well with a beer or tow.
Perched along the Lee Navigation canal, Gotto Trattoria has been bringing a slice of Italian riverside dining to East London since 2016. The restaurant, opened by the team behind Soho’s Mele e Pere, was founded by three brothers and a friend who grew up in northern Italy, with the aim of creating a genuine neighbourhood trattoria reminiscent of the family-run establishments of their childhood. This waterside spot has become something of a Hackney favourite for its combination of thoughtful Italian cooking and relaxed canalside atmosphere, and whilst we doubt sitting in the shadow of the ArcelorMittal Orbit calls to mind familial Lombardian dining, there’s no denying that the vibe at Gotto is agreeable, regardless if it quite nails the whole dolce vita thing.
Everything possible is made in-house, from the fresh pasta rolled daily to their 48-hour proved pizza dough, which develops its character in Gotto’s unique microclimate, a combination of a hot kitchen and the ripe breeze blowing in off the Hackney Community Sauna, perhaps. On the menu, the brooding fettuccine al nero with squid ink, king prawns, courgette and chilli has depth and earthines, while the house-made pork and fennel polpettine in San Marzano tomato sauce is a bowl of pure comfort food.
The pizzas are decent, too; too crisp to qualify as Neapolitan, and too delicately adorned to be erroneously labelled ‘New York’ by yet another vlog of someone holding a slice aloft to check its structural integrity, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The wine list is exclusively Italian, thoughtfully curated to include everything from easy-drinking Terre Forti to more premium options like their Barolo from Angelo Veglio. Their spritz selection and signature negroni make the canalside terrace a perfect spot for aperitivo hour, especially during summer evenings when the light plays off the water. You’d be fucking mental to sit outside here during the winter, let’s be honest.
Ideal for chicken wings that perfectly fuse American flavours with a certain British sensibility…
Randy’s Wing Bar is perfect for those who like to get their hands dirty and white T-shirt written off while sampling some of the best chicken wings in London. The venue has maintained a cult following among locals and has taken this recognition in its stride, innovating to create sought-after drinking food.
Randy’s wings perfectly fuse American flavours with British sensibilities, and nothing demonstrates this more succinctly than their tongue-in-cheek afternoon tea chicken platter. Here, instead of having a tiered stand filled with scones and tiny, tasty treats, the platter is instead layered with fried chicken bathed in a variety of sauces, creating an eating experience that, admittedly, is more Instagram-able than manageable in the flesh.
Beyond the tea stands, there’s nothing fancy about Randy’s Wing Bar, with the interior instead using wooden tables and worn communal benches that, alongside the exposed ceiling and air vents, give it a bare, open feel, which allows for the wings to take centre stage.
Image via Randy’s Wing Bar
There’s plenty of choice and customisation available at Randy’s Wing Bar, with grilled chicken on offer for those afraid of the fryer, as well as vegan-friendly cauliflower wings for the plant-based eaters in the crew.
From here, you can dose up your wings with a medley of delicious sauces that give the wings life, such as Great Taste Award winning Korean BBQ sauce that’s sticky and sweet and served with a coating of roasted peanuts. Alternatively, Randy’s smokey Kansas BBQ sauce is a great match for the restaurant’s grilled wings – add a little chipotle mayo to the mix for extra luxury.
If you’re not feeling wings, fear not; a signature chicken burger is to hand; a butterflied piece of chicken thigh that’s been marinated in tenderising buttermilk and served with special burger mayo, chipotle cheese, and southwestern sauce. This spicy sauce fuses the Californian and Mexican flavours of sour cream, paprika, and dijon mustard to leave a warm tingle on your lips that lingers long after you’ve paid the bill.
You can also take some of the fun home with you, as they sell bottles of their award-winning sauces. If you’re looking for the best time to visit Randy’s Wing Bar, try and clear your calendar on Monday, as on these days the wings are all-you-can-eat.
Ideal for burgers & bbq ribs alongside vegan food and good vibes…
No. 90 is more than a restaurant; it’s grown into a major focal point of Hackney Wick culture and community. The restaurant, housed in an expressive urban warehouse adorned in murals and street art, has become a major hang-out in the area for those with a creative spirit.
The venue hosts a rich tapestry of artistic articulation, ranging from DJ sets and raves to poetry sessions, expert talks and life drawing; it even has its own in-house art exhibition showcasing established and up-and-coming artists from the area. With fingers in so many proverbial pies, you’d be forgiven for thinking the actual food might be something of an afterthought.
It isn’t. Instead, fortifying, filling burgers take centre stage, with the signature here the 90s burger, which sees beef patties topped with two types of cheese – smoky cheddar and Monterey jack – alongside thick slices of smoked, streaky bacon and sriracha mayo sauce. Yep, this one’s an umami bomb and a half, and it fills a certain hole with aplomb.
Though you’ll certainly be well fed here, you’re not likely to be leaving with a spring in your step; ‘small’ plates are equally hefty, whether that’s a rack of BBQ baby pork ribs or surprisingly punchy, funky mushroom and truffle arancini with garlic mayo. They also do a pretty decent roast on Sunday’s.
Though No. 90 pays lip service to the warehouse energy of its surroundings with repurposed pieces of art and furniture, the dining room here – vast and spacious – is defined by a giant disco ball overhead, twinkling over the room and adding some much-needed frivolity.
When night falls, you’ll catch the disco lights twinkling off the canal, the bright lights of metropolitan London in the distance. Although some will end their evening here (No. 90 closes at 1am at the weekend), if you’re keen to keep the night going then local legend the Colour Factory is just a moment’s stroll away.
Just a little further east, and if you’re looking for tips a good feed before watching West Ham play, immersing youself in ABBA Voyage, or simply doing some shopping in Westfield, then check out our take on where to eat in Stratford. We’ll see you down the front for Dancing Queen?
Last year, Barcelona’s Disfrutar was crowned the winner of the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants List . This remarkable achievement highlighted a culinary rise through the rankings to the ultimate culmination for this experimental, playful restaurant.
Attention grabbing, sure, but perhaps even more eye-catching in this influential rundown of the world’s best restaurants was Dubai’s keen representation, with its esteemed eatery Trèsind Studio securing 13th position on the list and being named second Best Restaurant in the Middle East and Africa to boot. First place in MENA’s 50 Best is also in, you guessed it, Dubai. With the 2025 list dropping next week, it would be something of a surprise if Orfali Bros Bistro isn’t again crowned as the best in the region.
Indeed, the emirate has emerged as a prominent gastronomic destination in recent years, with the standard of both its local and international food offerings now reaching the lofty heights of its famed skyscrapers. Global recognition has followed; not only on the aforementioned World’s 50 Best list, but also with Dubai’s inaugural Michelin guide, which was released in 2023 and whose smattering of stars has been increasing ever since.
We think it’s fair to say that no trip to Dubai would be complete without sampling some of the city’s most groundbreaking restaurants. Today, we’re honing in on arguably the City of Gold’s most affluent and well-appointed shopping and dining destination; the Palm Jumeirah.
We’re hitting this artificial archipelago hungry, in search of where to eat on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
Trèsind Studio
We had to start here, at Trèsind Studio. Located on the rooftop of flash, opulent Nakheel Mall, it has quickly become one of Dubai’s most sought-after dining destinations.
The restaurant has received numerous accolades, including two Michelin stars as well as those awards we dropped two paragraphs ago. Helmed by the talented, precocious chef Himanshu Saini, who honed his culinary skills at the renowned New Delhi dining institution Indian Accent, Trèsind Studio offers a unique and innovative take on the food of the Sub Continent which now ranks as the most acclaimed Indian restaurant on the planet.
The restaurant’s intimate, exclusive setting, with only 20 seats available per seating, provides an unparalleled theatrical dining experience. Guests are treated to a 17-course degustation dinner menu that showcases a mélange of global ingredients and modern cooking techniques combined with traditional Indian elements. Standout dishes include the blossom chaat with pumpkin mash and trio of chutneys, and the Mangalorean ghee roast crab with burnt cinnamon and curry leaf tempura. Being Dubai, of course no expense is spared when it comes to premium ingredients.
The menu is constantly evolving, ensuring that each visit to Trèsind Studio is a fresh and exciting gastronomic journey – talk about keeping those well-heeled customers coming back for more! With its exceptional cuisine, impeccable service, and stunning location, Trèsind Studio is undoubtedly one of the best places to eat, not only on the Palm Jumeirah, but in the whole of the Middle East and beyond.
While the Palm Jumeirah boardwalk is known for its range of food trucks peddling very capable servings of shawarma, cut inland just a little into the Avenues at Atlantis, and you’ll find perhaps the finest shawarma in the whole of the city at Shawafel, an assuming restaurant that does the simple things just right.
This order-at-the-counter eatery has gained a reputation for serving some of the best shawarma in the area since its lowkey opening back in 2015. In a city known for such fanfare and fanfaronade, a visit to Shawafel feels like a welcome tonic.
It’s not only about the shawarma here; Shawafel specialises in a variety of Middle Eastern specialities, its falafel particularly good, too. Although the surroundings and story of Shawafel may not be as grand as some of the other places on the Palm Jumeirah, its unpretentious nature and satisfying shawarma sets them apart.
Kinoya, located in The Onyx Tower 2 in The Greens community of Dubai, right at the entrance to the Palm Jumeirah, has quickly become the Middle East’s premier ramen specialist. This izakaya-style restaurant, founded by self-taught chef Neha Mishra, offers an authentic Japanese dining experience that has its roots in a sold-out supper club, A Story of Food.
Mishra’s passion for ramen began as a personal quest to create the perfect bowl in a part of the world where hefty noodle soups perhaps feel a little out of place. This quest eventually led her to open Kinoya in April 2021, and we’re so glad she did. The restaurant’s menu features a variety of ramen bowls, including shio, shoyu, spicy miso, and wontonmen, as well as other Japanese ‘everyday’ favourites like gyoza, yakitori, karaage, tempura, and omurice. What’s not to love?
Being Dubai, the familiar porcine notes of a nourishing ramen broth are understandably absent, but in their place, deep and rich chicken and duck broths offer an elegant richness. For those seeking something lighter to take the edge of the Emirati heat, the yuzu shio ramen is particularly fine; piquant, perky and refreshing, the famed citrus brings the perfect respite.
The interior of Kinoya is designed with a zen layout and decor, featuring monochrome colours, rice paper screens, pendant lights, and compartmentalised seating areas that include a ramen counter, an open seating area, a bar, a chef’s table, and two tatami rooms for private dining, further emphasising that sense of gentle intermission from Dubai’s profound heat.
In January 2022, Kinoya was named the One To Watch as part of the inaugural World’s 50 Best Restaurants MENA awards program, solidifying its reputation as one of the best places to eat in Dubai. A Michelin Bib Gourmand soon followed, denoting great food and even better value. Which, in Dubai, is something we could all use a bit more of…
Below the waterline at Atlantis The Palm, Ossiano transforms fine dining into pure theater. The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows look directly into the Ambassador Lagoon, where 65,000 marine creatures swim past as diners savor their meals – a setting that’s extraordinary even by Dubai’s ambitious standards. This underwater spectacle caught the attention of Netflix’s popular series Somebody Feed Phil, with the show’s seventh (and most recent) season featuring Ossiano as a prime example of Dubai’s audacious approach to dining. The episode captured what local food enthusiasts have long known: that Ossiano delivers not just a meal, but a complete sensory experience that epitomizes Dubai’s flair for the dramatic.
The restaurant earned its Michelin star under the direction of Chef Grégoire Berger, who departed at the end of 2024 after an acclaimed tenure that helped establish Ossiano as one of Dubai’s most significant culinary destinations. As the restaurant enters an exciting new chapter in 2025, its commitment to precise technique and creative vision continues, though diners should expect fresh interpretations and new gastronomic directions from the kitchen.
Under Berger’s leadership, the multi-course tasting menu ‘Metanoia’ guided diners through an immersive oceanic journey. His signature dishes included an intricate arrangement of sea urchin with Osetra caviar and yuzu, while the langoustine course paired the delicate crustacean with vanilla-scented parsnip and a rich sauce made from its coral. While the specific menu has likely evolved with the restaurant’s transition, Ossiano’s dedication to celebrating both local waters and premium ingredients from around the world remains at its core.
The restaurant’s underwater setting adds an unrepeatable dimension to each meal. As rays glide past and schools of fish dart by, the aquarium’s blue glow transforms each dinner service into something distinctly Dubai – a place where luxury dining reaches for new depths, quite literally. In a city that constantly pushes boundaries (sometimes in welcome directions, quite honestly), Ossiano stands out by offering an experience that feels both grounded in gold standard culinary technique and elevated by its unique surroundings.
One of the best places to eat on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai for 2025 is undoubtedly the Lebanese seafood restaurant, Ibn Albahr. Located at Club Vista Mare, this popular dining spot has gained a reputation for serving some of the freshest and most authentic Lebanese seafood dishes in town, with a cooking sensibility that combines the generous and the modest dexterously, appealing to Dubai diners of all stripes and statuses.
The restaurant’s name, which translates to ‘Son of The Sea’, reflects its deep connection to the ocean and its bounties. With a beautiful terrace offering stunning sea views and a décor featuring fishing paraphernalia like ropes, anchors, and even a boat, alongside some gorgeously intricate blue and white Lebanese tiles, Ibn Albahr truly captures the essence of Lebanese beach culture succinctly.
The culinary team at Ibn Albahr takes pride in using age-old recipes with a fresh twist, creating a deep connection with the motherland to the north-west.
It’s a connection that’s not gone unnoticed; Ibn Albahr is the holder of a Michelin Bib Gourmand. But perhaps even more tellingly in a city blessed with such a wealth of dining options is that Ibn Albahr is packed for lunch and dinner every day of the week, right until closing time well beyond midnight. It’s certainly one of the most fashionable places to be seen in the city.
The menu at Ibn Albahr is extensive, and features a wide variety of seafood dishes, but you can’t go wrong with the centrepiece ‘catch of the day’, which showcases the freshest seafood from local markets in a statement display, all sparkling whole fish laid over ice. Coming with two straightforward but satisfying sauces, one tahini-based, the other a light lemon and olive oil dressing, this is simplicity at its finest.
All of this can be paired with perfectly cooked aromatic Lebanese rice or a selection of flavourful mezze (or both, of course) which arrives theatrically in a large circular basket. Whole prawns, butterflied through the belly and splayed open across the grill so they catch their cashew nut dressing, are particularly good.
Rüya, situated in the luxurious Grosvenor House Dubai at the Palm Jumeirah’s Marina, is one of the best places to enjoy Turkish cuisine in Dubai. This upscale restaurant has gained a reputation for offering a confident, well-drilled dining experience that showcases the rich culinary heritage of Turkey.
Rüya, which means ‘dream’ in Turkish, is the brainchild of renowned chef Colin Clague, who has expertly crafted a menu that combines traditional Anatolian recipes with contemporary techniques and presentation.
The restaurant’s stylish interior features a blend of modern design elements and traditional Turkish motifs, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that perfectly complements the subtly innovative dishes served, of which the short rib pide – blistered and burnished in all the right places – is a clear highlight. Do leave room for the exquisite desserts, of which the baklava and künefe are especially indulgent, and as delicately crafted as we’ve had anywhere in the world.
Rüya has received numerous accolades for its outstanding cuisine, including being named the Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in Dubai by Time Out Dubai in 2021.
We’re heading next to the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, and to La Mar by Gastón Acurio, one of the best places to eat on the Palm Jumeirah without a doubt.
As Peruvian food continues to gain popularity across the world and in Dubai, La Mar stands out as a premier destination for those seeking an authentic, exceptional dining experience.
The restaurant is helmed by the renowned chef Gastón Acurio, who has earned an illustrious reputation globally for his innovative approach to traditional Peruvian dishes. So much so, in fact, that Acurio won a Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2018, as voted for by the world’s top chefs. He is also the Ambassador of Peruvian food worldwide.
La Mar’s menu showcases the diverse flavours and ingredients of Peru, with a focus on fresh seafood and vibrantly colourful presentations. The natural start and end point here is the Cebiche Bar, which serves a lengthy list of sliced and marinated to order dishes, all impeccably, squeakingly fresh. From the larger plates, the arroz verde (green rice) with premium shellfish generously heaped on, is always a winner, too.
With the aforementioned Ibn Albahr doing its thing on the other side of this set of manmade islands, it’s tempting to think of the Palm Juremiah as something of a ‘Little Lebanon’, such is the quality of the cuisine served at Ayamna, too.
Housed in the same imposing structure as La Mar, this elegant restaurant offers a luxurious dining experience that showcases the rich culinary heritage of Lebanon. Ayamna, which means ‘the good old days’ in Arabic, transports guests back in time with its nostalgic atmosphere, traditional recipes, and warm hospitality.
The menu at Ayamna is expertly crafted by the talented Chef Ali El Bourji, who brings over 20 years of experience in creating exquisite Lebanese dishes. The restaurant’s interior features a blend of modern design elements and traditional Lebanese motifs – all ornate white marble columns and arches, and mosaic tiling – setting the scene for a veritable feast of authentic flavours.
If you’re celebrating a special occasion (or, you know, just another day in Dubai), don’t miss out on the whole roasted lobster with saffron, which boasts just the right level of bounce and floral tang. Paired with Ayamna’s impeccably balanced freekeh salad, you’ve got yourself one of the finest, lightest lunches in the city right there. And in a city of such abundance, leaving lunch with a spring in your step sounds rather nice, don’t you think?
A series looking at the best dining options within walking distance (1 mile) of city landmarks worldwide. Here, we offer our the best restaurants close to Manchester’s Picadilly Station.
Talk of Manchester’s food scene has been dominated by one familiar refrain for years; just when will the city boast a Michelin starred restaurant? Well, now that the dust has settled on Restaurant Mana finally being bestowed with that coveted, controversial honour, we can put the speculation to bed and finally appreciate the city for what it is; a thriving, thrilling place to get fed.
Yep, a foodie revolution is afoot. With trains taking just two hours from London Euston, and plenty of great restaurants just minutes from the city’s main station Manchester Piccadilly, there really is no excuse not to get stuck into the UK’s latest restaurant destination. With that in mind, here are 5 of the best restaurants near Manchester Piccadilly.
Erst
Now six years old, Erst is predominantly a natural wine bar, but one which happens to serve some downright delicious food. You’ll know from the empty bottles which line the windowsill, and from the soundtrack of clinking glasses and good cheer which meets you in arrival. Dingy gentleman’s club, smelling of stale cigars and chauvinism this is not; the facade of huge windows both lets the light in and beckons you in from the street, arms wide open.
The food is anything but an afterthought. It’s a small plates affair with a vaguely Mediterranean bent. Expect to see the ubiquitous flatbreads and ferments, nduja and bitter leaves…you know the score. But Erst happens to do these things very, very well indeed.
On a recent visit, their boudin noir (black pudding, ish) with a sharp, garlicky sauce was sensational, and a dish of gnudi and grilled leeks deeply comforting in the depths of a chilly Mancunian winter’s day. Following a glowing national review in The Times recently, Erst only looks set to get more popular; get in there while you can.
We won’t bother with all the obligatory intro, of a combative Twitter personality and a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign; you know all that already, right? But Gary Usher’s newest venture in a string of affordable, perfectly pitched modern bistros has well and truly found its home on King Street, just a 15 minute stroll from the station. True to the consistency and confidence of the cooking which defines all six restaurants which fall under the Elite Bistro’s umbrella, there’s superb, affordable food to be found here, and an experience made warm and welcoming by capable, charming service.
A class act from the moment you walk through the door to your final farewell, it’s obvious every detail has been considered and accounted for. The focaccia is an early hit, warm, crispy and just the right level of rich. The signature braised beef (here, feather blade) with truffle and parmesan chips is as good as it sounds, as in, bloody good, but vegetarians are equally well catered for; an excellent Middle Eastern style roast cauliflower is given pep via green chilli and cured lemon. Although it’s only been open for just under a year, Kala is already one of those places you trust to feed and look after you brilliantly, regardless of what you order. We love a restaurant which gives us that kind of confidence.
We think it’s safe to say that the superb tapas bar El Gato Negro, on Manchester’s King Street, was a success story from the start. Rammed from the very first night, it quickly racked up the accolades, including a Bib Gourmand from that Manchester loathing Michelin man.
It’s a gorgeous place to settle into for an evening, with three floors of fun and frivolity. Take a stool leaning on their lengthy bar to watch the action go down on the first floor, or the chef’s table which overlooks an open kitchen on the second, but perhaps best of all is the gorgeous terrace on the top floor, with banquette seating and plenty of boisterous cheer when the weather’s right.
With such a splendid setting, the food needs to be damn good to match, and it doesn’t disappoint; it’s a menu of all the good stuff done just right. So, patatas bravas are a proper size, rather than the dice you increasingly find, with the perfect mix of punchy aioli and an angry tomato sauce, pimenton all present and correct. The house tortilla oozes just the right amount of egg, and is given complexity with lightly caramelised onions. But it’s the seafood that’s the real star of the show here, with the grill doing most of the hard work and simplicity quite rightly favoured. The chargrilled bream, if on the menu, is a must order.
Proving very much that vegan food needn’t sacrifice on flavour, or dare we say, indulgence, is the Allotment. The vibe here on Lloyd Street is 100% plant based, with clever use of ingredients meaning a meal here will have you wondering if you’ll ever go back to meat again.
There’s a pan Asian bent to proceedings, with a tofu laksa sweet and soothing through coconut milk but with that crucial slick of chilli oil very much in the mix. A simple kale and edamame manages to handle both grassy and zingy ginger notes deftly. Dishes are all thoughtfully presented, and desserts way more decadent than you might expect. Who said vegan food couldn’t be fun?
Just a short jaunt from Piccadilly, this Grade II listed former meat market has been transformed into one of Manchester’s most impressive food halls. The Victorian building’s soaring glass ceiling and cast-iron framework create a rather grand setting for casual dining, whilst managing to feel properly convivial rather than corporate. Unlike some food halls which can feel a bit soulless, Mackie Mayor has genuine character in buckets and spades.
The joy here is in the variety. Tender Cow serves up some of the city’s most beautifully barked steaks, whilst Pico’s Tacos headliner dish are ace – their fish tacos, in particular, are bang on the money with perfectly crisp batter and a zippy lime crema. Tortillas are made fresh daily, just as it should be.
The real scene-stealer, though, might be Honest Crust’s pizzas. Their naturally leavened sourdough, proved for 36 hours and blasted in a wood-fired oven, produces something really quite special – perfectly charred, pockmarked crusts and just the right amount of chew. The mushroom pizza, humming with garlic and thyme, is worth crossing town and enduring the chaotic acoustics (think children’s swimming lessons) for.
Address: 1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5BU
The Refuge
Housed in the stunning Kimptown Clocktower Hotel, the Refuge by Volta is one of those rare hotel restaurants that’s become a genuine destination in its own right. The setting, described as ‘glam industrial’ by the restaurant, is impressive – all Victorian tiles, soaring ceilings and elegant archways – but it’s the quality of the food that keeps the punters coming back.
The menu takes influence from globe-trotting travels but never feels confused or trying too hard. Housed in the stunning Principal Hotel, the Refuge by Volta is one of those rare hotel restaurants that’s become a genuine destination in its own right. The setting is properly impressive – all Victorian tiles, soaring ceilings and elegant archways – but it’s the quality of the food that keeps the punters coming back.
The menu takes influence from globe-trotting travels but never feels confused or trying too hard. Their small plates are perfect for sharing, with the lamb shawarma particularly a highlight – tender meat that’s been enthusiastically spiced, served with a harissa sauce that packs just the right amount of heat. The vegetable dishes aren’t mere afterthoughts either; their roasted cauliflower with raita and crispy curry leaves is a crowd-pleaser whatever your plant-based persuasion. The Sunday roasts have become somewhat legendary locally, with their beef sirloin and all the trimmings drawing crowds week after week. The yorkshire puddings, we’re pleased to report, are absolutely massive.
