Café Cecilia, The NoMad, Sessions Arts Club and More: London Dining’s Best in 2021

No other place captured the imagination of a city starved for wonder quite like Florence Knight and Jonathan Gent’s restaurant, set within the grandeur of Grade II-listed Sessions House in Clerkenwell. To dine here is to create a series of beautiful memories – from an inconspicuous entrance and elevator ride to the citadel-like ceilings and labyrinth of staircases, terraces, and rooms, punctuated by one-of-a-kind details. Meanwhile, under Knight’s leadership, the cooking has only become sharper in the months since it opened. Grand yet intimate, poetic yet unpretentious, it’s a restaurant that offers all things to all people. Don’t miss the pannacotta.

Perhaps the buzziest opening of the year, Max Rocha’s sleek Hackney café and lunch spot occupied a paradoxical position in the restaurant world; both sweeping guests up in the gravity of its hype, while seemingly remaining completely unaffected by it. Rocha’s cooking draws influence from his Irish heritage while offering a sharp take on the ingredient-led cooking of forebears like St. John and Quo Vadis; seasonal tarts to die for, incredible steak frites, and one of the best breakfasts anywhere in the city. Owing to Rocha’s relationship with the fashion world, fellow diners are always stylish – but there’s ample substance to back it up, too.

One of the few upsides in another tough year was the opening of Brutto, Russell Norman’s ode to the trattorias of Florence. The veteran restaurateur’s return felt uplifting, and he led by example, whether overseeing the dining room during a busy weeknight service or rolling up his sleeves to haul in slabs of beef (used in the restaurant’s already-legendary Bistecca Fiorentina) from nearby Smithfield. Brutto itself is a reminder of all the things wonderful about dining out – flattering lighting, a sense of occasion, and the din of a busy dining room that you’ll want to bottle as a keepsake. Norman, of course, helped usher in a new era of dining during the financial crisis of 2008; for many, his return is a timely reminder that things can, and will, get better.

London’s relationships to the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent are complex, but the latest banger from JKS (Gymkhana, Hoppers, Brigadiers) translates regionality and immaculate sourcing into stunning dishes, both innovative and faithful to their origins. For example, a comforting bowl of khichdi arrives studded with truffles and king oyster mushrooms, while a crisp bhel offers crisp, spicy puffed rice, tempered with a chilled pear granita. Can’t choose? A set menu offers a colourful procession of chef Chet Sharma’s favourite dishes for the table. Consider it a delicious journey.

When Zhang Chao, owner of Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles, mentioned an upcoming restaurant in 2020, few would have guessed that the resulting Tofu Vegan would have such an impact. It’s a rare place – an instantly popular restaurant on notoriously fickle Upper Street, offering truly mass appeal to both fans of specialist Chinese cuisines as well as vegans and vegetarians. Tofu is made fresh each day – a relative rarity in London – and the restaurant demonstrates the scope and depth of the ingredient with little fanfare in dishes like dòufu huā, sweet potato noodles, and Chongqing-style ‘chicken’ that makes delicious use of classical Chinese mock meats.

The ambition of opening a ‘wine-drinkers clubhouse’ mid-pandemic takes some guts, but there’s very little to fault at this sleek Haggerston space that feels like you’re hanging out a well-heeled friend’s flat. The loosely French dishes come from talented chef Seb Myers, whose cooking has dazzled the toughest of critics, with original plates like choux farci stuffed with duck offal, smoked trout pancakes, and a lobster tartine lifted with a bright, citrus sauce. Myers’ cooking offers balance and dares to pushes the envelope, offering a shaft of daylight in a restaurant landscape still yearning for the comforts of the familiar. Plan on a leisurely afternoon here, especially if you’re leaning into the restaurant’s (very) deep cellar of natural wines.

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. Abé and Underwood are leading by example, and theirs is a restaurant to get behind.

Having collected raves since opening a few months back, Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn’s Americana-infused restaurant and wine bar has hit its stride. The restaurant’s chic appeal and pop-ups at Frieze have snagged it a loyal (and stylish) clientele, who return for natural wine, oysters and superior bar snacks (don’t miss the jalapaeno gildas); meanwhile, Pryce’s love of southwestern cuisine sees plates like duck carnitas taquitos and buttermilk panna cotta with pears poached in ancho chilli that pack a punch. Most of all, the restaurant has offered a much-needed injection of fun in a year offering little of it, while presenting a distinct voice and point of view in a Soho increasingly crowded with franchises.

The draw of a glamorous hotel restaurant shouldn’t be underestimated, and the megawatt opening of this US import was a handy reminder of that power – six months since opening, and it’s still difficult to get a table. The light-filled atrium within the former Bow Magistrate’s Court has been given over to the main restaurant, one of the city’s most impressive spaces by virtue of soaring, glass-canopied ceilings and lush interiors; meanwhile, food keeps pace with the atmosphere via exec chef Ashley Abodeely’s luxurious menu of NYC-influenced dishes that include heaving platters of fruits de mer, hand-cut pastas, and an upscale chicken dinner that references the original Nomad restaurant’s roast chicken; here, stuffed with brioche, lemon and parmesan. Worth getting dressed up for.

After hustling through the pandemic, the Fallow team have been rewarded with a roomier site in glitzy St. James Market, boasting a separate bar area and counter seats overlooking the open kitchen. Theirs is a sustainability-led restaurant that offers a genuine sense of fun, and dishes that build on foraged and low-impact ingredients offer both flavour and finesse – no surprises, given the kitchen’s pedigree. Notably, senior sous Anna Williams’ desserts (former head pastry chef at two-starred Dinner) are exceptional, with a Chelsea tart with caramelised whey offering ample excuse to drop in for a drink (or three). The best seats in the house are at the counter, which offers a front-row view of the action.