Top London restaurants to visit in January 2026
Despite record restaurant closures in the capital, brave souls continue to open new ones. But as tempting as it is to visit the latest hotspot or search for new trends you should never ignore the iconic restaurants in our city.
Some classic London favourites I have visited recently include The Maine, Bob Bob Ricard City, Oblix, Quaglinos and (as CEO of the latter two, I can testify that they both had a record year in 2025).
January, meanwhile, has thus far taken me on a culinary journey of roasts, dumplings and celebrity hang outs in New York – here are this week’s recommendations.
Top London restaurants: Dim Sum Library
There’s a high incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs and restaurateurs so words such as ‘algebra’ or ‘library’ often trigger fear among my peers. A very different library is David Yao’s new Dim Sum Library on Long Acre.
It’s a brave call to open a dim sum restaurant this close to China Town but hailing from Hong Kong (he’s an alumnus Aqua at the Shard), you are welcomed into a decadent Georgian townhouse, previously a retail space I once considered for a restaurant when I was CEO of Gaucho.
I was dining with fellow entrepreneur and eyewear guru Tom Davies and David Bruce, CFO of Sunderland Football Club. We kick-started the meal with a perfectly filthy Smokey Sichuan cocktail. Next was the signature Wagyu beef puffs, ginger lobster bao and dan dan xiao long bao accompanied by a perfumed (and nostalgic) bottle of Cloudy Bay (£85).
Next were noodle dishes: ho fun flat noodles with wagyu and black beans was sublime and the vermicelli with pork char and shrimp was pig and prawn perfection. Pair with a bottle of incredible value Ken Forrester Old Vine Chenin Blanc (£75) for a magnificent match.
Top London restaurants: Corner Street Store
Now let’s turn to Manhattan, where I was visiting the Evolv Collection’s remarkably successful Guastavino and Queensyard restaurants, housed on the Upper East Side and in Hudson Yards, respectively. Next month our Liverpool Street Chophouse – the ‘best new restaurant opening of 2025’ – will bring a beautifully modern interpretation of London Victorian dining to New York as we open an understated ‘Hudson Yard.
After a day on the hunt for new locations for our iconic Bluebird and Sartoria brands in the Big Apple, I joined filmmaker and co-founder of Cygnet Gin Andrew Levitas on a night out ahead of the Golden Globes. We took refuge in Soho House founder Nick Jones’ new restaurant The Corner Store. Already a favourite of Taylor Swift, this tiny, shiny, celeb filled hotspot is undoubtedly a scene. Grab a table via the clever ‘Dorsia app, which is very useful for those times the traditional booking computers say no!
The food is crowd pleasing and excellently executed, including the most sublime beef sandwich I have ever tasted, setting a benchmark even in the city of steaks. A bottle of Duckhorn Chardonnay ($120) also shone, and if you want to try it at home, it’s on offer in Majestic.
Top SW4 Sunday roasts
In the rain and cold, red meat and red wine are comforts I adore, particularly during a month when sobriety and veganism take the headlines. It’s a month to take solace in pubs, which along with restaurants and hotels need our support from the government’s paralysing business rates, due to hit in April. My favorite approach to a Sunday pub lunch is a Guinness sharpener, followed by a proper roast, accompanied by fine red wine.
I was recently in Clapham, where quality locals include the award-winning Pigs Head in the Old Town, a place that’s consistently impressive in terms of menu, experience, sustainability and social impact. At the nearby The Rose and Crown, the duck croquettes alone are worthy of a visit. The Ox on Clapham High Street sources excellent steak and ages it perfectly in-house, ready for Sunday carving. One to avoid is Abbeville, an old haunt which has lost its way and falls short of its sister venue Avelon, serving soggy, overcooked, grey chicken legs, marginally saved by a great value Cullieron Condrieu (£110).
Finally, a note of thanks: the festive season was a huge success for my Evolv Collection, in no small part to City diners who hit Coq d’Argent, Madison, Le Pont de la Tour, 14 Stories, Angler and our Chophouse venues with unprecedented vigour. May I send heartfelt gourmand gratitude and best wishes for 2026 to all City PM readers.