Beyond cute cafés whipping up cinnamon-dusted flat whites and boutique bookshops brimming with browsing bibliophiles, this village-like pocket of London is also a hub for really great places to eat. We've already lifted the lid on nearby neighbourhoods such as Fitzrovia and Mayfair's best restaurants, but since Marylebone is home to our London HQ, we know it like the back of our hand. And soon enough, so will you...
In this article:
AngloThai
Best for: British- and Thai-influenced dishes.
There's only one Greek restaurant in London with a Michelin star: that’s the must-book OMA in Borough Market. Just like there’s only one Thai restaurant with a star, AngloThai (and yes, you need to get a table here too). As the name suggests, the lunch and dinner tasting menus are a mix of British and Thai influences, both featuring the Brixham crab with Exmoor caviar and coconut ash cracker shaped like the Michelin star. Dig into the full details in our first look of AngloThai.
Insider tip: instead of limes, husband and wife duo John and Desiree use domestic fruits and shrubs such as sea buckthorn.
anglothai.co.uk
22–24 Seymour Pl, W1H 7NL
KOL
Best for: a seven-course Mexican tasting menu.
Following in the same starry footsteps as OMA and AngloThai, KOL is currently London’s only Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant. Behind this success is Santiago Lastra (the man also behind Mayfair’s Fonda) who created the pre-assembled langoustine tacos, a dish that has been on the menu since day dot. Alternatively, opt for the quesadilla wrapped around a short rib bone and a cluster of truffles balancing on top.
Insider tip: chef patron Santiago’s favourite dish on the menu is the langoustine tacos, which he exclusively revealed to us is what he cooked for his business partners before opening.
kolrestaurant.com
9 Seymour St, W1H 7BA
Kudu
Best for: open-fire braai cooking.
Kudus to Kudu. No, this isn't an ode to Strava – rather, a shoutout to a South African-inspired favourite with its own impressive stats. After eight successful years in Peckham, Kudu is sporting a new look and has set a new PB: becoming one of London's hottest openings. Dishes like the Kudu Kit Kat (chocolate and kumquats, topped with flame-kissed marshmallow toasted tableside) are giving other spots a run for their money.
Insider tip: don’t miss the kudu bread – a brioche-like loaf split into four, made for sharing, swishing, and soaking up the melted cultured butter studded with house-cured bacon.
kuducollective.com | Credit: Patricia Niven
7 Moxon St, W1U 4EP
Trishna
Best for: coastal Indian cuisine.
Contrary to popular belief, London’s best Indian restaurants aren’t all in Mayfair. Here to debunk that myth is this Mumbai-inspired, Michelin-starred Marylebone sister site to Gymkhana and Ambassadors Clubhouse – two of the city’s hardest reservations to get your hands on. Its self-confessed ‘coastal Indian cuisine’ means most tables snap up the Dorset brown crab curry, topped with a slightly charred chilli – a must-try for seafood lovers looking to shell out.
Insider tip: can’t get a table at Gymkhana? Trishna is a great alternative that often has more availability come dinner time.
trishnalondon.com
15–17 Blandford St, W1U 3DG
Roketsu
Best for: an intimate, immersive kaiseki experience.
Just up from chaotic Marble Arch, a Kyoto-inspired spot serving kaiseki (a seasonal, multi-course dining experience) causes its own commotion. Don’t be fooled by the minimalist interiors: they’re pared back on purpose to focus on the food, like silky slices of duck confit swimming in a pool of Japanese mustard jus. For a front-row view, take a seat at the 10-seat chef’s counter and watch the chefs in full flow. Seats fill up fast, so chop chop.
Insider tip: several dishes are finished with a kinome leaf (a fern-like Japanese herb) that the waiter told us adds a peppery edge.
roketsu.co.uk
12 New Quebec St, W1H 7RW
Nina
Best for: vibes and viral dishes.
In standard Pachamama Group style, Nina has taken a similar leaf out of sister sites zēphyr, Bottarga, and Lagana’s book, making a name for itself overnight when it opened. On the food front, we loved the bluefin tuna e melone (a smile-shaped melon slice sitting beneath silky bluefin tuna), and the creamy cacio e pepe with a golden egg yolk nesting on top. And every other table in the room seemed to agree, ordering the same.
Insider tip: executive chef Tzoulio Loulai exclusively revealed to us that his favourite dish is the duck ragu bianco, and after ordering it, you’ll soon see why.
nina.london
18 Thayer St, W1U 3JY
The Hart
Best for: posh pub grub.
What do a Pelican, a Badger, and a Hart have in common? Well, apart from being animals, they’re all part of the Public House Group (gastropubs so popular you’ll need a concierge service to hunt down a table). The Hart might be one of the newest additions to the pack, but it’s nostalgic in other ways, serving childhood favourites such as bubble and squeak. Word of warning: there’s no winging it, so you’ll need to book in advance.
Insider tip: snap up one of the two curtain-closed spaces, perfect for oh-so cosy catch-ups. According to the barman, six is a crowd, four’s company.
thehartw1.com
56 Blandford St, W1U 7JA
Fischer’s
Best for: Austrian desserts.
Few places in London are like Fischer’s, and that’s no exaggeration – this classic Viennese café is one of only a handful of Austrian restaurants in the centre. Inside, the interiors are very Vienna: paintings are higgledy-piggledy placed around the room, a large clock dangles from the ceiling, and tiles line the walls. And guests polish off plates upon plates of kaiserschmarrn (sweetened squares of fluffy, shredded pancakes).
Insider tip: few things rival relaxing at a table by the entrance in the spring and summer, spooning Sachertorte, the country’s classic chocolate cake, or more kaiserschmarrn.
fischers.co.uk
50 Marylebone High St, W1U 5HN
Lita Marylebone
Best for: a neighbourhood bistro.
In Marylebone’s almond croissant-scented streets, a Michelin-starred bistro pulls a pot of baked rice out of the bag – or rather, out of the open fire. Simmered in a cuttlefish bisque and finished in roaring flames, this dish is topped with a whole Scottish lobster and a splodge of paprika-dusted aioli. It tastes just as good as it – and the interiors – look: exposed beams, cookbooks displayed as objets d’art, and all.
Insider tip: artsy guests should take a peep at artist Zarina Groevaya’s custom pink painting in Lita’s private dining room (it’s one of the bistro’s most papped corners).
litamarylebone.com
7–9 Paddington St, W1U 5QH
Carlotta
Best for: Instagrammable Italian food.
As with all Big Mamma Group branches, the adage ‘the bigger, the better’ is on full blast at its Marylebone site. What looks like a tiny trattoria on the high street, is, in fact, a Tardis of glittering bars and bold artwork. The same goes for the hand-painted ceramic plates piled high with fettucine al tartufo – truffle spaghetti showered in intricate flakes – and a colossal portion of carpaccio crowned in Parmesan.
Insider tip: don’t leave without making a pitstop to the heavenly red bathroom, ruled by a central statue of the Virgin Mary bearing a ring light halo.
bigmammagroup.com | Credit: Jerome Galland & Sam Harris
