The November Hit List: Vasco & Piero’s, The Pem, Nusr-Et Steakhouse, and More

It isn’t hyperbolic to say that Russell Norman’s new all-day trattoria captures the magic that helped the veteran restaurateur transform London’s restaurant scene in the aughts. Recent visits have yielded spot-on Tuscan cooking, keen service, and a captivating atmosphere that begs for return visits. Homely fare (inspired by Norman’s affection for Florentine hospitality) includes comforting hand-cut pastas, comforting stews, and excellent desserts, like coffee-drenched ice cream with lashings of brandy, or a perfectly balanced tiramisu. The bistecca alla Fiorentina – an imposing T-bone aged to perfection – is surely destined to become a signature.

The first visits to this ‘wine drinker’s clubhouse’ for Seb Myers’ creative French cooking have marked it out as, in no uncertain terms, an exceptional place to eat. Housed within a Haggerston railway arch, a starkly beautiful dining room resonates with the conversation of happy guests and the open kitchen. Myers’ cooking is a perfect foil for natural wine, with dishes like a delicate tartine of red mullet; a duck offal choux farcis; and grilled leeks with Tunworth cheese. For the dedicated, there’s a private members club with state-of-the-art wine storage, wine events, and a lounge to take it all in. Learn more here.

Few can stir excitement quite like the restaurant group JKS (Bao, Gymkhana), making this sleek new Indian restaurant hot property. Here, chef Chet Sharma (Mugaritz, L’Enclume) delves into regional Indian cooking styles, delivered in a contemporary setting – this is Mayfair, after all – with Rajasthani architectural accents embedded in the décor. Cooking is both soulful and considered, with snacks and chaat like raw beef pepper fry and dosa preceding grills like Achari lamb saddle, or truffle and king oyster khichdi. Vegetarians are well-looked after, and sourcing is impeccable – it’s easily one of the best Indian restaurants in London right now.

Having become the restaurant to be seen at at Frieze, while finally opened their dining room for indoor dining, the Rita’s gang show few signs of cooling off. Their triumphant return to Soho blends chef Gabriel Pryce’s love of Americana with natural wine and Missy Flynn’s charming presence in the dining room. Cosy up in the dining room with dishes like jalapeno popper gildas, cheddar beignets dusted with Old Bay, elegant salads, and affogatos drizzled with Oaxacan rum, and soak up the atmosphere.

Having retained a Michelin star at the Harwood Arms for four years straight, Sally Abé has correctly been recognised as one of London’s leading culinary stars. At this destination restaurant, nestled inside the upscale Conrad Hotel in St. James, she’s joined by star GM Emma Underwood and respected chef (and fellow Harwood alum) Laetizia Keating. Breathtaking cooking is a given, with luxurious and refined seasonal dishes like poached native lobster, or an autumnal plate of fallow deer with blackberries and figs on the menu; but the restaurant aims one higher, with Abé and Underwood setting the pace for standards of welfare for both front and back of house. A restaurant to get behind — more info here.

Londoners collectively sighed in relief as it emerged that this classic Soho Italian restaurant had not been a pandemic casualty, instead relocating to a cosy new space around the corner on D’Arblay Street. An unflashy menu that changes twice a day leans into its owners’ Umbrian roots, offering a headrush of comfort and nostalgia; meanwhile, Italian wines, pasta made by hand twice a day, and a dining room blanketed in white tablecloths and attended by charming staff make for a genuinely memorable evening. More details here.

The central London debut of Harneet Baweja’s modern Indian gem takes up a plum corner of Greek Street, with a plush dining room and buzz reminiscent of the group’s miraculous first restaurant in Spitalfields. A greater focus on seafood – courtesy of its executive and head chefs, from Goa and Maharashtra, respectively – yields notable early dishes like a punchy lobster pulimunchi with crisp dosa, or a playful riff on prawn toast. A drinks list leans towards Portuguese and Spanish wines, plus martinis. And yes, the lamb chops are still on the menu.

After a hiatus over the summer, London’s best taqueria has made its triumphant return to Netil Market, with a new-look menu – but the same soft, flavourful tortillas that have made them a must-visit. The beef-focused menu centres around smokey barbacoa and a meltingly tender carne asada, offered as tacos or crisp, cheese-crusted quesadillas. Trying to eat less meat? Both nopales and frijoles are outstanding, with beer or Jarritos to wash them down. As usual, it’s takeout only — keep up to date with them on Instagram.

While no longer the newest arrival in town, Florence Knight and Johnny Gent’s restaurant is still certainly one of the toughest reservations to score. The showstopping dining room within the Grade II-listed Old Sessions House is certainly a huge draw, but so too is Knight’s gorgeous cooking (don’t miss the chocolate tart) and one of the most affable front of house teams working in London right now. One of the most memorable restaurants to come along in years.

Max Rocha’s love letter to his grandmother and the Irish cooking of his upbringing reflects the tiniest details of the chef’s pedigree at institutions like The River Café and St. John Bread and Wine. A fabulously laid-back dining room sets the scene for what, for now, is one of the best lunches in London – perfectly al dente rabbit pasta, serious charcuterie skills, and an almond tart to return for. The Sunday lunch – a comforting chicken and girolle pie, perhaps, or a roast chicken with all the trimmings – is worth gathering a few friends for.

In between hanging out with A-listers and flexing his quads in Hyde Park, the human meme that is Saltbae has also found time to open a branch of his eponymous steakhouse in London, this time at the base of the Park Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge. A cappuccino will set you back a tenner, a gold-leafed sirloin six hundred quid, but the memories are priceless. It also begs the question: Just how much are you willing to pay for a 15-second Instagram story? Try (and fail) to get a reservation here.