The Best Counter Restaurants in London

Intimate, immersive and exclusive, Aulis has exactly the kind of atmosphere you look for in a chef’s counter. Tucked away down a narrow Soho street, it’s the London outpost from Simon Rogan, the chef behind Three-MICHELIN-Star L’Enclume in the Lake District, and his influence is felt across the tasting menu (which will remain a surprise if you can resist opening the envelope you’re given on arrival). Rogan’s signature style, namely creative dishes using prime ingredients from his Our Farm development, result in an array of detailed, technically adept creations.

They take the immersive part of counter dining seriously at Behind, seating guests at a smart, polished horseshoe counter that accommodates 18 and provides a certain degree of luxury. The name refers to the ‘behind the scenes’ view you have of the kitchen team, as they work away with an impressive air of calm and bring a streak of originality to top-drawer seafood from mullet to monkfish. The chefs serve each dish from the tasting menu themselves, adding an enjoyable dose of personality to the relaxed proceedings.

Another tucked-away spot – something chef’s counters tend to have in common – Evelyn’s Table occupies the former beer cellar of The Blue Posts pub on the border of Soho and Chinatown. The chef’s counter is not in fact run by an Evelyn, but by Chef Seamus Sam, who melds influences from multiple Asian cuisines with the finest British ingredients. His dishes are bright, intense and carefully composed so all the components work together in harmony. Each dish is delivered and explained by the team of chefs for the full counter experience.

Of all London’s counter dining options, Humble Chicken has one of the best counters of the lot – a gorgeous wooden construction surrounded by comfortable leather stools. The tasting menu is a platform for the prodigiously talented Chef Angelo Sato to serve up highly inventive, thoughtfully conceived dishes that combine Japanese influences with original combinations of flavours and textures. Several of London’s other top Japanese restaurants are centred around a counter, given this is often the default setting for premier sushi.

If you’re the kind of diner who likes to settle in for a long evening of fabulous food, then Kitchen Table is the place for you. With the number of courses on its tasting menu often in the high teens and the experience lasting a few hours, you have plenty of time to admire the beautiful counter and the Two-MICHELIN-Star cooking of Chef James Knappett. His dishes are a sumptuous synthesis of well-honed techniques and exceptional ingredients, where the likes of squid and scallop are elevated by textbook sauces and finely balanced flavours.

An outlier among counter restaurants, here the dozen lucky diners don’t face the chefs but the floor-to-ceiling windows – which seems sensible when the restaurant is located on the 60th floor. Occupying a prime spot in a financial district skyscraper, this MICHELIN-Star counter is where you come for the views and stay for the food. While the breathtaking vistas impart a feeling of exclusivity, the chefs up the luxury even further with top-shelf produce ranging from Imperial Gold Caviar to Cornish turbot – all prepared with an assured touch.