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The best British food in London: chophouses, fish and chips and pie and mash

Twenty-five British classics: chophouses, roast beef from the trolley, fish and chips, pie and mash and proper caffs.

Updated · 4 min read

10 of the 25

  1. St. John

    SmithfieldNose-to-tail British£££

    Fergus Henderson's whitewashed restaurant in an old smokehouse by Smithfield, the place that made roast bone marrow on toast famous. The bar does a bacon sandwich and an Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese.

  2. Rules

    Covent GardenLondon's oldest restaurant££££

    Serving game, oysters and puddings on Maiden Lane since 1798, which makes it London's oldest restaurant. Order a steak and kidney pud in the red-plush dining room, or a drink in the bar upstairs.

  3. Simpson's in the Strand

    StrandRoast beef dining room££££

    The Strand's home of roast beef since 1828, back in 2026 after six years dark. In the panelled Grand Divan the beef is carved at your table from a silver trolley.

  4. Quality Chop House

    FarringdonChophouse£££

    A Farringdon dining room open since 1869, its narrow listed booths still in place. Order the chop of the day and the layered confit potatoes.

  5. Sweetings

    City of LondonSeafood lunch room£££

    A City seafood room that has served weekday lunches for well over a century: potted shrimps, smoked eel, fish pie and black velvet in a tankard. Lunch only, Monday to Friday, and no bookings.

  6. The Golden Hind

    MaryleboneFish & chips since 1914££

    A Marylebone chippy that's been frying since 1914. Sit down for cod and chips with mushy peas, or take them out to eat on the way to Regent's Park.

  7. Toff's of Muswell Hill

    Muswell HillFish & chips££

    A Cypriot-run chippy in Muswell Hill that lays its tables with paper and fish knives and brings chips in big bowls to share, while locals queue at the takeaway counter.

  8. M. Manze

    BermondseyPie & mash since 1902£

    The Bermondsey original of the Manze's pie shops, trading since 1902: green tiles, wooden booths, minced beef pie and mash with parsley liquor, and chilli vinegar on every table.

  9. E. Pellicci

    Bethnal GreenArt Deco caff£

    A Bethnal Green caff run by the same Italian family since 1900, with a Grade II-listed Art Deco interior, textbook fry-ups and the warmest welcome in east London.

  10. Regency Café

    Westminster1940s caff£

    A 1940s Westminster caff with black tiles outside and a strict routine inside: order at the counter, wait for your name to be shouted, and eat a classic fry-up.

The other 15

The 25 are spread across 20 neighbourhoods. Covent Garden (3), Marylebone (2), Soho (2) and St James's (2) have the most; Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Borough, Bow, City of London, Farringdon, Holborn, Hoxton, Islington, Mayfair, Muswell Hill, Shoreditch, Smithfield, Spitalfields, Strand and Westminster have one each.

London British Classics · 25 places

+15 more in the app

Steak and kidney pie in a Mayfair grill room, roasts carved from a trolley in St James's since 1742, lunch in an old school's bike shed in Shoreditch, a chippy watched over by a suit of armour, jellied eels on Hoxton Street, and more.

Add all 25 to your Whosly map

Every one lands on your own map in a tap — save them, rate them, plan around them. City Packs are included with Planner Pro.

Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store

Add all 25 to your iPhonePoint your iPhone camera here — the London British Classics pack opens in Whosly, ready for your map.

For Sunday lunch, see the best Sunday roasts in London.

Common questions

Where is the best fish and chips in London?
The Golden Hind in Marylebone, frying since 1914 (cod and chips with mushy peas, or take them to Regent's Park), and Toff's of Muswell Hill in Muswell Hill, a Cypriot-run chippy that brings chips to the table in big bowls to share.
What is the oldest restaurant in London?
Rules on Maiden Lane, serving game, oysters and puddings since 1798. Simpson's in the Strand, the Strand's home of roast beef since 1828, is back after six years dark, carving beef at your table from a silver trolley.
Where can I get pie and mash in London?
M. Manze in Bermondsey, trading since 1902: green tiles, wooden booths, minced beef pie and mash with parsley liquor, and chilli vinegar on every table.
Where is the best full English breakfast in London?
E. Pellicci in Bethnal Green, run by the same Italian family since 1900, with a Grade II-listed Art Deco interior and textbook fry-ups, and Regency Café in Westminster, a 1940s caff where you order at the counter and wait for your name to be shouted.
Which London neighbourhood is best for British restaurants?
On our list, Covent Garden has the most, with 3 of the 25. The rest are spread across 19 other neighbourhoods, so there is a good one in most parts of the city.
What are the best British restaurants in Central London?
On our list: St. John in Smithfield; Rules in Covent Garden; Simpson's in the Strand on the Strand; Quality Chop House in Farringdon; Sweetings in the City of London; The Golden Hind in Marylebone; Regency Café in Westminster. 17 of our 25 are in Central London, and all of them are in the Whosly app.
Where can I see all 25?
Whosly's London British Classics pack has all 25, mapped, with our notes and booking links. Add it in the app and every one lands on your own map, ready to save, rate and plan around. The pack is included with Planner Pro.
City Packs in the Whosly app
City Packs in the app — add one and every place lands on your map.

All 25, on your own map

This page is 10 of them. The London British Classics pack in Whosly has all 25 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.

Get Whosly — free on iPhone

Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store

Get it on your iPhonePoint your iPhone camera here — or open the App Store and search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
About Whosly. Whosly is an iPhone app for group plans, saved places and RSVPs. Anyone you invite can RSVP from a link on any phone, with no app and no account — that part is free for everyone, always. On the free tier you host three plans at a time and RSVP to as many as you like; multi-stop nights, Surprise mode and City Packs are Planner Pro. whosly.app

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