What makes a restaurant feel romantic? It's not a slow-burning candle on the table or the chocolate fondant for two on the dessert list. Instead, it's a sense of intimacy that makes the room beyond your table pleasantly hum in the distance. Of course, these restaurants also need to have excellent food and staff who make you feel looked after; nothing is more of a vibe-killer than the stress of being ripped off, or furiously signalling for the bill for 25 minutes.
London's best romantic restaurants set the tone without making you feel like the atmosphere is engineered for a conveyor belt of couples. Whether it's a tenth-story Mexican eatery with fireside tables that look out over the twinkling city, or a dimly-lit Soho hiding hole, where the candles on the tables feel charming rather than tacky, with these restaurants, any night can feel like date night.
The Most Romantic Restaurants In London
Umu, Mayfair
In lieu of overt signage, there’s a backlit button marking the entrance to Mayfair’s most seriously authentic Japanese restaurant, which you must press in order to activate the secret sliding door. But don’t turn around on sight of this Shoreditch-style gimmick, because this is where the jarring modernity ends.
Inside, you’re firmly back in good, reliable restaurateur hands. Blending classicism with a few fun new twists, Umu’s multi-course kaiseki experience skirts that very fine line of being memorably novel but still undeniably good-tasting (let’s be honest: no one has a foam, froth or essence on their desert island menu).
Margaritas are infused with matcha, smoked abalone is lifted by quick-pickled cucumber, and tea-infused tiramisu comes spiked with sparkling sake. You’re really here for two things though: the sushi (specifically, the glistening sweet red prawn nigiri) and the grade 11 Wagyu beef, which is served on red miso over a charcoal fire. Turns out, away from the stilettos and showmanship of Hakkasan and the incessant cod-photographing at Nobu, you can find an impressively curated, quietly authentic Japanese menu in the depths of Mayfair.
4-16 Bruton Pl, London W1J 6LX. Umurestaurant.com
Zapote
Despite what Americans on Twitter/X might say, there are plenty of brilliant Mexican restaurants in London. Truly authentic ones, with nary a sizzle plate, comedy-sized margarita or offensive prop in sight. One of the best examples we’ve visited recently is Zapote in Shoreditch, the first outpost from co-founders Tony Geary (Sketch, Aqua) and Mexican chef Yahir Gonzalez, who bring a modern approach to proceedings while paying respect to traditional methods and, perhaps most importantly, fresh ingredients. The standout dish – both on the menu and on your phone’s photo roll – is the grilled octopus on pipius verde, but the tacos layered with short rib of beef are a must as well.
70 Leonard St, London EC2A 4QX, zapote.co.uk
INO
London has no shortage of Greek restaurants, but few of them are as innovative or appealing as INO, a recent opening just off Carnaby Street, where even the most traditional dishes, cooked over charcoal, are given a modern spin. The taramasalata arrives with bottarga Greek “caviar” and a slow cooked egg yolk on top, plus hand stretched pitta to mop it up. There’s a winning yellowtail ceviche combined with a Greek salad. An octopus taco, with smoked tomato, onion crisps and olive oil flatbread. The souvlaki — a standout — combines skewered prime rib eye steak with garlic yoghurt and more of that moreish flatbread. In other words: classics, with a twist, alongside an almost entirely patriotic wine list, served with warmth and enthusiasm, at a long bar and a handful of small tables at the back. There’s also a £30 three-course set menu at lunch: fantastic value for excellent cooking in stylish surroundings.
4 Newburgh St, London, W1F 7RF; inorestaurant.com
Jolene
Each of the numerous restaurants and cafés owned by this group (see also: Western's Laundry, Primeur and Big Jo) have charm in spades, but it is the low-lit, snug dining room – which twinkles enticingly as night draws in – at their Newington Green outpost that is our pick for most romantic. The menu focuses on sharing plates of simple but delicious pastas, grilled meats and inventive salads, as well as a great list of low intervention wines. Don't skip dessert, which often features a mind-blowing, River Café-inspired flourless chocolate cake.
21 Newington Green, London N16 9PU, jolenen16.com
Oren
For “I know this great little place…” vibes, Oren is the one. Just a few minutes off the bright lights of the busy Dalston strip, this cosy, candle-lit restaurant from chef Oded Oren is perfect for a romantic evening. The small plates menu is inspired by Oren’s Tel Aviv heritage and the dishes – many of which are cooked over a charcoal grill – stretch across the Mediterranean, so expect anything from raw gurnard with labneh and zhoug to lamb shawarma served up with a tangy tahini yoghurt, while there’s always some spectacular veggie offering, too: brussels spiked with green harissa perhaps, or barrel-aged feta with butter beans, mopped up with their flatbread. Ask the server for a glass of their current orange wine.
89 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, E8 2EB orenlondon.com
Andrew Edmunds
A Soho institution that has sat inside an 18th century townhouse on Lexington Street for more than thirty years, Andrew Edmunds has remained while fads around it have come and gone. Its staying power is testament to the classic cooking and inviting atmosphere that it offers; the charmingly dingy dining room bustling with the clatter of wooden tables and positively glowing with life to anyone who walks past. The menu, scrawled daily on a piece of paper, is a lovingly curated jumble of perfectly cooked fish, meat and other seasonal fare. The perfect spot to wile away an evening as your glass is topped up and conversation (hopefully) flows too.
46 Lexington St, London W1F 0LP, andrewedmunds.com
Kudu
This South African grill in Peckham marries adventurous, modern cooking with an intimate atmosphere. Part of the Kudu Collective, a family-run group of restaurants, a cocktail bar, gallery and private dining room, this, their original outpost, blends South African delicacies with modern European cooking. The menu features snacks like peri peri duck hearts, kalahari spiced biltong, or chicken liver parfait choux buns with rooibos quince. The wine list is heavy on South African bottles, too, and excellently curated.
119 Queen's Rd, London SE15 2EZ, kuducollective.com
Rochelle Canteen
The grounds of a primary school might not sound like the perfect location for a romantic meal for two, but Rochelle Canteen's unusual setting is very much part of its allure. The sister restaurant to nose-to-tail spot St. John, this is a place for those in the know and the restaurant for sunny afternoons with a vermouth and tonic (if you're fortunate enough to bag a table in the garden during the summer, that is). Known for rich and comforting fare, you can't go wrong with one of their excellent pies, but make sure to leave room for something sweet; dessert is arguably the course that puts this restaurant in a league of its own.
16 Playground Gardens, London E2 7FA, arnoldandhenderson.com
Sessions Arts Club
The dining room that launched a thousand 'where are you?!' comments underneath the Instagram posts of those able to snag a reservation, this colourful spot is the London haunt du jour. Set in an 18th Century courthouse in well heeled Clerkenwell, and with some truly impressive attention to detail in terms of decor, Sessions Arts Club bills itself as 'a place to disappear' – the perfect adage for a romantic evening of sipping blood orange margaritas and slurping calamari pasta under the looming artworks and glowing lights.
Old Sessions House, 24 Clerkenwell Grn, London EC1R 0NA, sessionsartsclub.com
Sushisamba Covent Garden
Sushisamba offers a culture clash of Asian and South American cuisines — specifically, the cooking of Japan, Brazil and Peru. It has outposts in Las Vegas, Doha and Dubai, as well as two in London: a spectacular site atop the Heron Tower in the City, and a colourful, glass-roofed restaurant overlooking the Piazza in Covent Garden. The stress here is on well-heeled hedonism, rather than old world formality, and the food is first-rate. Start with aperitivos (edamame, miso soup), move on to small plates (crispy taquitos, wagyu gyoza), then something from the raw bar (tuna seviche, yellowtail tiradito), and charcoal grilled anticochos — Peruvian skewers — from the robata. Main courses, as you’d expect, incorporate both surf and turf, including superlative Kobe beef. Save room for the extensive and excellent nigiri and sashimi menus. Service is friendly without being overbearing. And the striking, light-filled interior/exterior offers an unusually exotic point of difference in London’s stereotypically crepuscular dining scene.
35 The Market Building, London, WC2E 8RF. Sushisamba.com
Decimo at The Standard
Perched on the tenth floor of the The Standard's London outpost in Kings Cross, this Mexican-Spanish restaurant fuses the drama of its surrounding cityscape with an inviting and warm atmosphere, thanks in part to the fire at the centre of the sprawling dining room. The cocktail menu features a strong selection of mezcal and tequila-based options, from palomas to margaritas, as well as unique varieties of Spanish wine. The food, too, borrows from the best of each country, with plates of Ibérico jamón, fluffy golden tortillas and a wicked pepper dip to start, and fresh tacos and chargrilled meats to follow that are anything but tex-mex.
The Standard, 10th Floor, 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG, decimo.london
Noble Rot
A wine-lovers haven, the wine bar and oenophile magazine recently ventured into the full restaurant experience, opening a cosy spot in Soho which has proved a huge hit. The wine, of course, is excellent, and a great tip is to explore the by-the-glass list, as there's often something exciting that's just been opened – an activity we imagine would help lend some fun to a date or romantic evening. The food takes its cues from their origins as a bar, with delicious plates of fatty meats, terrines and charred bread with salty butter to soak up all that juice. There's also more polished fare for those wanting a larger meal, like Cornish monkfish with mashed potato, or pappardelle with rabbit ragu.
2 Greek St, London W1D 4NB, noblerot.co.uk
Casse-Croûte
For a taste of Parisian romance that doesn't include queuing at Eurostar security, this London Bridge bistro is just the ticket. This experience extends beyond the traditional interiors, with a menu comprising of a couple of options on a blackboard in French. This is somewhere to sink into and take their recommendation as to what's good, though it goes without saying that should the beef wellington be on offer, it is obligatory. Order the house red, which comes in glass jugs and offers a slice of European romance on Bermondsey Street.
109 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XB, cassecroute.co.uk
Side Hustle
Proving that romance isn’t all three-course silver-service meals, this hip-but-hidden spot in Covent Garden will cement you with serious kudos on a date, and that’s before you’ve even ordered. Go for the zingy clamato granita-topped oysters, then a selection of their tacos: baja-prawn bites, the classic carnitas, or go fully carnivorous with the bone-in ribeye to be messily assembled together at the table. Side Hustle also boasts some of the best cocktails in London, in our humble opinion.
Old Police Station Entrance, 28 Bow St, WC2E 7AW thenomadhotel.com/london/side-hustle
NoMad Hotel
But if it’s true decadence you’re after, then a hop and skip down to the NoMad’s flagship restaurant is the way to go. Boasting one of London’s best restaurant atriums (up there with the Landmark Hotel in Knightsbridge), the grand setting belies an understatedly impressive food and drink menu. The show stoppers undoubtedly live on the ‘For Two’ section: we went for the perfectly cooked roast bone-in rib-eye of Hereford beef with tomato & peach salad and salsa verde, but the ‘Creedy Carver Chicken’ – stuffed with foie gras, black truffle & brioche – has become something of a fan favourite.
Nomad Hotel, 28 Bow St, WC2E 7AW thenomadhotel.com/london
Brindisa
In the Soho of 2022, it can be hard work finding a menu that doesn’t need ‘explaining’. The sharing concept rules supreme, whatever the cuisine may be, and the food will come out when it’s good and ready, sir. There’s no doubt that Brindisa, the Spanish food supplier-turned-tapas restaurant that opened its first Soho outpost in 2008, was one of the harbingers of this movement, albeit with more justification. Starting out in Borough Market before extending its steamed tentacles across London, Brindisa has since rolled up in South Kensington, Richmond and Battersea, in the newly spruced up power station. But our favourite is still Soho’s Broadwick Street location: intimate and simmering with energy, with the same light and tasty tapas that’s made it such a bustling presence for all these years. Even if you just sip an Estrella by the barrel outside, it’s a worthy date spot.
Trullo
Long before pasta bars became a “thing” in London (and we’re not knocking the likes of Padella, Manteca and Pastaio, just the queues outside them) Trullo was the first and last word in Italian carbs. And it still is, in fact, 12 years on from when it first opened its doors on Highbury Corner. It’s a romantic staple for north and east London dwellers; on any given night it’s likely to play host to at least a couple of anniversaries, such is the consistency of the charming ambiance and the heart-warming food. The ‘picky bits’ are always exceptional, like dropping by a particularly well-stocked Bolognese deli, but many of the repeat visits are for the pappardelle with beef shin ragu that’s never taken off the menu. It’s stunning. The sharing plates for meat – a Belted Galloway T-bone on a recent visit – make for a hearty banquet and dessert has to be a sliver of their chocolate tart with a drizzle of olive oil. Play your cards right here, and you might end up being one of those anniversary-celebrating couples in a few years time.
300 - 302 St Paul's Road, London, N1 2LH trullorestaurant.com
