Founded by New Yorker chef Gabe "Papo" Gomez and his wife Georgia, Papo's Bagels is now settled into a railway arch on Amhurst Road and is widely regarded as the best bagel in London. Every bagel is hand rolled each morning, with a properly crisp crust and dense, chewy interior that is the real thing. The classic combination of oak smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, onion and tomato is the one to order. Get there early as they sell out.
Smokestak is a Michelin Bib Gourmand barbecue restaurant from David Carter, who grew up in Barbados and spent time travelling America's Deep South before bringing his obsession with smoke and slow-cooked meat to East London. The industrial space of blackened walls and rough wood sets the mood perfectly, and the beef brisket, slow smoked overnight over English oak and served in a brioche bun with pickled red chillies, is one of the finest things you can eat in London.
The name translates roughly as "wonderful hamburger steak" and sits directly opposite Shake Shack and Bleecker on Buckingham Palace Road, which tells you everything about the confidence of this Asian-inspired smash burger joint from Turkish-born chef Fatih Alkan. The short menu takes the American burger format and runs it through Japanese, Korean, Thai and Chinese flavours, from a kimchi burger with house-made kimchi to an Isan burger loaded with bird's eye chilli, all served in soft potato buns with double wagyu patties. One of the most genuinely original things to happen to London's burger scene in years.
A multi award winning chicken wing restaurant, Wingmans has built a devoted following for its large, freshly cooked wings tossed in a rotating cast of bold global sauces. From classic buffalo with blue cheese to Japanese curry, Shanghai Oriental and Jamaican hot sauce. Gloves are provided, a bone bucket sits at every table, and the truffle mac and cheese with beef short rib is the side dish to order.
