Best restaurants in Marylebone

Best Marylebone restaurants to visit

Lita, Marylebone

Elegant Mediterranean sharing dishes

Chef Luke Hearne heads up the kitchen of this elegant Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Marylebone. Earthy-hued interiors – parquet stone floors, brushed concrete walls and Italian red marble counter tops – are given a homely edge with kitsch knick-knacks, frilly lampshades, wooden dressers, hand-stitched vegetable napkins and jars of ferments. Eclectic seating areas create variety in the large space – from burnt orange velvet banquettes and mid-century tables to brass-edged booths and stools to perch at the bar and open-kitchen counter.

There’s a succinct list of sophisticated cocktails – strong, sour currant and plum gimlet; fragrant, tequila-based Vetiver Margo; and delicate jasmine highball topped with Aperol caviar. The menu is split into four sections and dishes are designed to share. Starters include Hereford beef tartare with shoestring fries; crunchy Kentish radishes with smoked cod’s roe and onion ash; and thinly sliced tuna with chopped peppers, coriander and capers. Highlights from the primi-style section are veal sweetbreads in a gently spiced lobster bisque; Aylesbury duck ragu that clings to strozzapreti pasta twists and seasonal squash with creamy ricotta and caramelised hazelnuts. Monkfish – grilled then finished in the brick oven that takes centre stage in the open kitchen – rests on pumpkin purée with umami-rich chicken butter sauce and trompettes to garnish. For dessert, a contemporary slice of Sicilian pistachio and olive oil cake comes dressed with jammy figs, fresh blackberries, crème fraîche and pistachios. Prices are high but the excellent cooking and stunning setting provide ample justification for a special occasion. litamarylebone.com

The Cavendish, New Cavendish Street

Tucked away on a semi-residential street in Marylebone, the Cavendish is a little oasis of calm just a few blocks back from the buzz of Oxford Street. Downstairs, there’s an airy, high-ceilinged pub with outside pavement seating for sunnier days, and upstairs is a more grown-up dining space with smart blue-velvet banquettes, wood panelling and brass fittings. This is not your standard pub grub: the menu from ex-Oyster Shed chef Laura de Fillipis is full of surprising and inventive small plates, like delicate crunchy pan puri filled with smoked mackerel and mussels, or a starter of jellied beetroot cannelloni stuffed with goat’s cheese and served with a walnut gremolata. Larger dishes, like king prawn tortellini served in a tomato prawn bisque with nori crisps, show there is a real love of fish cookery here. Service is warm, friendly and chatty, and the dog-friendly vibe extends to a canine dining menu, so your furry pal can enjoy a meal, too. Order an ice-cold pint of crisp Cornish Harbour IPA served in a frosted glass, or choose a summery watermelon and aloe vera spritz from the quirky cocktail menu. 35newcavendish.co.uk

Florencio, Seymour Place

Chef Diego Jacquet has opened a pizzeria near his contemporary Argentinian grill, Zoilo. Pizzas are made from a 48-hour fermented dough and finished with toppings including Buenos Aires’ popular three-cheese muzza style. Options include
El Cuartito topped with chorizo, grilled peppers and jalapeños, and Martita laden with gorgonzola béchamel, courgettes and walnuts. florenciopizza.com

Kol, Seymour Street

Ex-Noma Mexico chef Santiago Lastra’s opening takes London’s Mexican restaurant scene to a new, fine-dining level. The vibe is kept casual, though, with clay pots of all shapes and sizes displayed against mottled red-orange walls, cute turtle salt pots (crafted in Mexican communities) sat on wooden tables, and Santiago and his mustard t-shirt-clad team calmly tending to multiple pans on the go in the open kitchen.

Order a mezcal negroni or Kol margarita to start, the latter made with Volcán De Mi Tierra tequila and verjus. Santiago sources the finest English ingredients (save corn, chillies and chocolate from Mexico) to create six or nine courses of Mexican dishes. Habanero chillies give a kick to roasted gnocchi, crab and gooseberries; a vibrant beetroot mole adds richness to salt-baked kohlrabi; and wild samphire and oxeye daisies sit atop hen of the woods and king oyster mushrooms. Squeeze sea buckthorn juice from a langoustine head over a sourdough taco stuffed with the crustacean’s meaty flesh and a smoky chipotle mayo. For the main event, fill handmade corn tortillas (kept warm in a bespoke leather pouch) with fall-apart 18-hour cooked short rib smothered in rich pasilla chilli mole along with lamb fat carrots and Mayan scotch bonnet pickled onions. Finish with chocolate tamales in hand-tied parcels and corn husk ice cream. Opt for the wine pairing to taste some unique eastern European natural numbers – aromatic, cloudy Slovakian orange bursting with orange blossom, bright Czech Republic riesling and a herbal German pinot noir made by a two-man operation in the Black Forest. kolrestaurant.com

Kol Mezcalería, Seymour Street

Tucked away on the lower ground floor of Santiago Lastra’s refined hymn to Mexican cuisine is this slinky, subterranean bar. Inspired by the mezcalerias of Mexico, it’s decked out in soothing earthy tones and natural textures, with dark wooden furniture, rattan lamps and traditional Mexican artifacts on the walls. The cocktails are masterminded by Matthias Ingelmann and echo the restaurant’s emphasis on British seasonal ingredients, with lots of homemade infusions. The menu is a clever concept, where five ingredient duos are spotlighted, with the option to try the flavours paired in a cocktail with either an agave or a Mexican gin, rum or whisky. Take woodruff as an example. It's infused into Campari and served with a zero-waste coffee liqueur and Sierra Norte corn whisky in the Boulevardier, while also infused into white chocolate foam and mixed with Dangerous Don Café Mezcal in the 'Hot and Cold'. Elsewhere, carrot is blitzed for juice to make a syrup with marigold flower to create two contrasting drinks – the earthy, floral, pisco-textured Mountain Main and the fresh, botanical White Americano. kolrestaurant.com

Kima, Paddington Street

It’s all about the small details at this minimalist dining room in Marylebone; wave-inspired crockery is handmade in a studio in Corfu and the restaurant’s name, which means “wave” in Greek, is elegantly displayed on one wall. Whole fish glisten on ice at the front, while a selection of cuts for the gill-to-fin menu age in glass-fronted fridges. An example of this zero-waste dining style is sea bream crudo lifted by thyme and lemon zest followed by the ‘shank’ of the same fish served with bacon-studded cabbage fricassee. An elegant take on a Greek salad accompanies, with aged feta crowning a bowl of chopped tomatoes and cucumber, doused in Greek olive oil poured from a carafe to meld with the juices, in which diners are encouraged to dip homemade sourdough. The “wave” theme extends to dessert, where caramelised seaweed plays a glorious role in a crisp millefeuille-tiramisu hybrid layered with coffee cream and caramelised nuts. Cocktails are infused with Greek ingredients – mastic Votanikon gin adds herbaceous notes to a basil cocktail, while clarified feta is used to create a unique twist on a sour. The selection of Greek wines includes a minerally white from Santorini, thoughtfully recommended by one of the very helpful, friendly Greek servers. kimarestaurant.com

Carlotta, Marylebone High Street

The fifth restaurant in Big Mamma Group’s glamorous collection is possibly its most lavish yet. Enter from Marylebone High Street into a jewelled abundance of glassware and aperitif bottles and continue through into the glitz of an old-school Italian American film set. Silky folds of material line the walls along with black and white photographs and framed memorabilia on the ground floor, while downstairs is a spacy concoction of red and blue velvet reflected in mirror-lined curved walls. Food is equally lavish and fun, with starters such as tempura prawn cocktail and meaty ossobuco croquettes. The rich, bisque-style sauce in the Sicilian red prawn spaghetti is our highlight of the primi menu, while truffle butter fettuccini for two is the most Instagrammable, theatrically prepared at the table in true Big Mamma style. Opt for panko-crusted Milanese lamb cutlets for main if you like the sound of cheesy, meaty lollipops. Save room for pud – Carlotta’s wedding cake is a riot of meringue, delicate almond sponge and zesty coulis, while pistachio gelato is a texture sensation topped with pistachio cream and caramelised pistachio crumb. bigmammagroup.com

Bao Mary, James Street

BAO Mary is the fifth iteration of the much- loved cult Taiwanese steamed buns and xiao chi small plates concept which has been delighting Londoners since 2013 when friends Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang and Wai Ting Chung served their first gua bao on the streets of the city. Small in footprint but big on flavours, it’s a welcome addition to an area in Marylebone that’s otherwise lacking a taste of Southeast Asia. They’ve made themselves right at home with modern, sleek interiors – a far cry from their humble beginnings. baolondon.com

Cavita, Wigmore Street

Cavita, Adriana Cavita’s debut after a stint at powerhouses including Spain’s El Bulli and a successful pop-up at The Dorchester, is London’s newest, most vibrant Mexican offering. The gorgeous space on Wigmore Street is warm and inviting, with food that fills the belly as well as the soul – think pig’s head tamal wrapped in charred collard greens; mole verde with wood-grilled, herb-fed chicken; and pan de elote with cajita, a sweet cornbread topped with a goat’s milk caramel. Cocktails are inventive, with a secret bar below offering small-batch artisanal mezcal, tequila and the opportunity to learn more about Mexican culture. cavitarestaurant.com

Mayha

This Japanese omakase features just 11 covers – guests sit around a curved wood and stone bar, behind which chef Jurek Wasio sends out plate after meticulously crafted plate in a daily-changing tasting menu. As a guest, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ensuing feast. Start with a sparkling sake and a round of raw dishes – blue fin tuna belly tartare on sourdough topped with a briny mound of Polish caviar is a particular highlight. Meat dishes include wagyu tenderloin dusted in shaved summer truffle, as luscious and deeply umami as you might expect. The sushi sequence of the meal is the highlight – a stream of plump nigiri that showcase the impeccable quality of the produce used at Mayha: creamy scallop; lightly seared, butter-soft salmon belly; delicately sweet langoustine; dry-aged blue fin tenderloin; the list goes on. Fragrant cups of bamboo dashi and lobster miso, and a palate-cleansing rhubarb sorbet punctuate the meal. It all ends simply, but effectively, with a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a grassy pool of Sicilian olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Head downstairs before or after dinner to Mayha’s intimate six-seater bar, which offers its own five-course omakase meal paired with cocktails. mayhalondon.com

Roketsu, New Quebec Street

Daisuke Hayashi, trained at Yoshihiro Murata’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant Kikunoi, learned the principles of kaiseki from one of its masters and has been delighting Londoners looking for an authentic taste of Japanese fine dining since opening Roketsu in 2021.

With a more relaxed à la carte experience in mind, Daisuke opened the Bo-Sen wine and dining room downstairs in 2023. With just eight covers, the experience is intimate, the wooden panelling and low mid-century furniture creating an atmosphere that’s just as refined as the minimalist counter-dining space on the ground floor. Daisuke’s handling of seasonal produce remains respectful, balancing flavours and ingredients precisely. Light dishes crafted to be enjoyed alongside extensive wine and sake lists include vegetable takiawase of simmered vegetables with dashi jelly, tsukuri of the day comprising four kinds of beautifully cut sashimi and flavour-packed homemade curry.

Plating is artful and every detail of the Bo-Sen space has been considered, from the elegant furnishings in rich colours to the bespoke Kyoto crockery. roketsu.co.uk

The Italian Greyhound, Seymour Street

Sipping a sgroppino with passion fruit sorbet (flavours change daily) in the sunshine-flooded room of the Italian Greyhound, it’s hard to believe you’re a stone’s throw from the traffic-heavy Edgware Road. The ambience is calming: light wood, long walk-in bar, plants and patio windows that open onto the villagey vibe of Seymour Place. Sit by the open windows and soak up the breeze on a summer's day. The menu uses British produce, simply executed, divided into five sections: small plates, all day pizzette (light and thin with toppings ranging from courgette to mortadella and pistachio pesto), pasta, larger plates (think aubergine parmigiana, chicken Milanese and sea bream) and dolci. From the small plates, crispy tiny pea arancini are a highlight – a clever combination of traditional British flavours into an Italian classic. Pasta prices are on the higher end of the scale (but understandable given the location) and portions are generous. Spaghetti is silky, coated with shreds of Cornish crab, fennel seeds, chilli and lemon. Orecchiette with lamb bolognese is deeply comforting and loaded with Parmesan cheese. If you have room left, ensure you try the pillowy custard bombolini with dark chocolate sauce, perfect for sharing. theitaliangreyhound.co.uk

Lina Stores, Marylebone Lane

Head chef Masha Rener’s antipasti, perfect pastas and sharing dishes are as top-notch as ever in the Italian deli brand's fourth pasta-focused restaurant. The iconic white and mint awning ensures the newest outpost is unmissable to fans, while signature aesthetics continue inside. Soft globe lighting casts a golden glow over the contemporary Italian canteen and marble counter, mirrors line the wooden cabinet above the bar to shine the spotlight on rows of Italian aperitif bottles, and shelves groan with bespoke artisan deli products.

Kick off with refreshing cocktails including wild oregano infused limoncello spritz, a delicate pomelo and basil martini, or the silky nogroni. Antipasti classics include a panzanella of rainbow-hued heritage tomatoes, golden cubes of sourdough, tropea onions and toasted buckwheat; alongside crisp pillows of focaccia slathered in creamy cultured butter and topped with salty anchovies. For the pasta course, choose between the likes of gomiti tubes glistening with umami-rich, knobbly pieces of guanciale, fresh peas and caramelised onions, and al dente casarecce coated in a tomato sauce with a slight chilli kick and plenty of plump prawns. Though pasta is the restaurant’s hero, we highly recommend treating yourself to the veal milanese for two, coated in a light, golden crumb and generously blanketed in Parmigiano Reggiano. Finish with a scoop of homemade gelato, decadent chocolate mousse or crunchy Sicilian pistachio cannoli piped with fluffy ricotta. linastores.co.uk

Chameleon, Marylebone Road

Taking over the impressive event space One Marylebone in London, Chameleon has opened as a multi-experiential venue that features a large outdoor restaurant as well as a café, private members’ club, market and more. The outdoor restaurant is now open and serving a Tel Aviv sharing menu created by Israeli chef Elior Balbul, who also has two restaurants in Tel Aviv, and features dishes such as kubaneh brioche bread, aubergine carpaccio, yellowtail sashimi, whole seared sea bass, poussin skewers and a Manjari chocolate crémeux for dessert. Cocktails start at £11.50 and a bottle of Dalton Estate rosé is £45. The restaurant also serves ThreeDots CBD water. chameleon.london

Taka Marylebone, Marylebone High Street

Take fills a much-needed gap between London’s high-end Japanese restaurants and casual ramen joints. Contemporary interiors include a wall installation of parasols that double up as lampshades to cast a warm glow across oak tables and a sleek, sake-bottle-lined bar downstairs, or you can head upstairs to the large dining room with a view over Marylebone High Street. Japanese-inspired cocktails feature the likes of the Old Oak Fashioned: a bottled concoction of Nikka whisky from the barrel, vanilla coffee syrup and chocolate bitters, infused with cherry wood smoke that billows out as you pop the cork and pour into the glass.

Choose a selection of about six small plates between two, including popcorn shrimp with spicy mayo, super-soft aubergine in an umami plantain miso sauce, crunchy tuna avocado rolls and chicken yakitori grilled over hot coals. Don’t miss the homemade mochi breads to scoop up silky chicken liver pâté topped with crispy chicken skin. The showstopper, with a price to match, is the wagyu sando. Savour four flavour-packed rectangles of fat-rippled wagyu beef and miso spread between perfectly cut fried milk bread.

takalondon.com

Lurra, Seymour Place

Tucked away on Marylebone’s pretty (and seriously foodie) Seymour Place, Lurra is a contemporary, sophisticated Basque-inspired restaurant. It’s sister to Donostia, just across the road, and the building has a shiny new extension. There’s more to this trendy joint than its good looks though: ingredients are key. With a meat import business (think 14-year-old Galician Blond, 67-day hung beef) supplying the likes of Kitty Fisher’s and Chiltern Firehouse, and a cellar downstairs housing top Spanish wines (including an incredible Louro from Valdeorras), owners Nemanja and Melody know their stuff.

Read our full review of Lurra, Seymour Place, here

Hoppers, Wigmore Street

Named after the lacy, bowl-shaped pancakes that are a staple of Sri Lanka, Hoppers has quickly established itself as one of London’s hippest hangouts. From the can-do-no-wrong team behind Michelin-starred Gymkhana, Hoppers references the food of southern India and Sri Lanka. There’s a succinct menu starring traditional hoppers: light fermented rice and lentil pancake bowls, with a softly steamed egg and a selection of confidently spiced karis.

Load up on the ‘short eats’, though. Mutton rolls are like crunchy cigars – with a golden crumb, shredded gamey meat and lightly spiced tomato chutney. Bone marrow is so seductively sauced that you would be forgiven for refusing to share. The best, perhaps, are buttered devilled shrimps: juicy and fiery. There a fab and refreshing cocktails also.

hopperslondon.com

Carousel, Blandford Street

The rotating chef residencies at this foodie event space mean that you could visit Carousel every week and enjoy completely contrasting cuisine – from Japanese ‘temple food’, to new Bolivian cuisine and Thai tapas. There are always 5-6 courses, with the option of adding in another main for an extra tenner-or-so. There are long wooden tables that encourage a communal dining atmosphere, or if you want more privacy sit at the bar or the counter lined with pretty tiles. There’s also a dinky garden that catches the early evening sun, perfect for sipping cocktails in, surrounded by an oasis of exotic pot plants.

It’s like being at a friend’s house for dinner, with a casual, get involved ethos ­– the host clatters a spoon against a swinging lamp to announce the chefs; kitchen staff prepare sushi, dress salads and toss noodles in the tiny semi-open kitchen; and staff shake cocktails house cocktails against a backdrop of shelves lined with toasted rice vodka, jars of olives and plenty of spirits.

The house cocktails don’t hold back on booze – xerigroni blends the usual gin (Bombay Sapphire), vermouth (Antica Formula) and Campari with Valdespino Amontillado Sherry for a punchy take on the negroni; and Taking the Pisco includes pisco, brandy, Gewurztraminer reduction and Suze Gentian bitters. Drink with caution!

carousel-london.com

Zoilo, Duke Street

Zoilo is the second offering from Argentinian chef Diego Jacquet and restaurateur Alberto Abbate. The duo’s first restaurant, Casa Malevo, opened back in 2010 and Zoilo at the end of 2012, both with the aim of showcasing authentic Argentinian cuisine.

This Marylebone restaurant is split over two levels; the ground floor a light and airy Buenos Aires-style café, and the lower ground has an open kitchen and narrow dining room. A long bar runs the length of the kitchen, so diners can get close to the action.

The menu takes inspiration from regional Argentina, including Diego’s native Patagonia and the famous wine region of Mendoza. The menu is made up of tapas-like sharing plates. Choose from morcilla and criolla (black pudding and onion relish on toast); ox tongue, white beans and mustard, or classics such as empanadas (crisp, meat or veg-filled pastries), and the starter dish of provoleta, a semi-hard cheese similar to Italian provolone, melted and topped with almonds and honey.

Click here for Zoilo's alfajores recipe...

Trishna, Blandford Street

Trishna is the UK incarnation of India’s much celebrated seafood restaurant, Trishna Mumbai, sourcing its marine produce from Cornwall, Dorset and Scotland. The restaurant looks quite big from the outside, but the main dining room is split into two smaller rooms (the restaurant seats 60 so it feels intimate).

Start with vegetable pakora accompanied by a delicious citrus-sharp tamarind chutney or terrific prawns with sweet chilli dip. The signature whole crab for two with butter, black pepper and garlic is famed in India – soft crab in a well balanced garlic and chilli sauce. Or try market fish curry in spiced coconut sauce. Chilli mango rice pudding is creamy and honey-sweet with sweet chilli sauce across the top for an exciting dimension.

trishnalondon.com

Seymour's Parlour at Zetter Townhouse, Seymour Street

Leave busy Oxford Street behind and pay Uncle Seymour a visit for a wintery cocktail. Inside this Georgian townhouse lies a secret drinking den that exuberates the eccentric charm of the Zetter Townhouse’s ficticous owner, wicked Uncle Seymour. Seymour’s Parlour is more front room of curiosities than hotel bar: trinkets clutter a cabinet that spans one side of the room, portraits adorn the wine-red walls and crystal decanters filled with bright orange liquid dress up antique wooden tables.

The room has a hushed atmosphere with intimate lighting that creates secluded corners to settle in to. Dapper Italian waiters take your order, and shake cocktails at a little bar tucked into one corner.

The seasonal cocktail list changes regularly, so the winter menu is made up of little coupettes full of punchy, warming mixes and remedies from the cold. Try the healing Scarlet’s Antidote, made with earthy homemade beetroot cordial, smooth Ocho tequila and the subtle spice of caraway from Kümmel liqueur. Dainty gimlet-like cocktail, The Rake, takes inspiration from ladies of the night in the series of paintings ‘A Rake’s Progress’, with fragrant orris (iris flower root) ‘powdered notes’ and a little drop of juniper oil that forms a delicate black beauty spot on the surface of the clear cocktail.

Find out more about Seymour's Parlour Marylebone here.

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