A Westminster institution since 1946, the Regency Cafe is the definitive London caff: original art deco tiles, Formica tables and a full English breakfast that draws everyone from builders to politicians. Its distinctive black tiled exterior and no nonsense charm have made it one of the most filmed cafes in Britain, but the real draw is still a proper fry up at a very honest price.
London's premier Mexican churreria, tucked just off Covent Garden, Aguamiel does one thing and does it brilliantly: freshly made churros, cooked to order and served with your choice of dulce de leche, chocolate or condensed milk. Founded by chef Bernardo Pro, who trained in high end kitchens in California and Paris, everything on the menu is made in house, right down to the horchata and the spiced Mexican hot chocolate that is absolutely the right thing to order alongside.
Housed in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse on Conduit Street that was once Christian Dior's London atelier, Sketch is one of Mayfair's most spectacular and deliberately hard to categorise destinations. Created by restaurateur Mourad Mazouz and French chef Pierre Gagnaire, it spans five wildly different spaces, from the forest-filled Glade and the golden Gallery to the three Michelin starred Lecture Room and Library upstairs, all united by an obsession with art, design and theatre. The egg shaped pod toilets alone are worth the visit.
Dishoom's more relaxed, bar-forward sibling, Permit Room opened its first London outpost on Portobello Road in 2025, housed in the former Portobello Road Distillery. Named after the drinking dens that sprang up in Bombay after prohibition was lifted in the 1970s, it serves all-day Bombay-inspired small plates, smoky grills and Dishoom classics alongside inventive cocktails and resident DJs, with the walls covered in art and two boutique hotel rooms upstairs for those who want to make a proper night of it.
