The Best Traditional British Restaurants in London

If you’re coming to London on the lookout for traditional British dishes, your first port of call will likely be a pub – and this is one of the capital’s best. Dating back to the Victorian era, it’s a nicely kept spot on a prime corner site in the north of the city, not far from the vast green space of Hampstead Heath. The cooking will provide the hearty, flavour-packed British fare you’re after, with the likes of ham hock and fish & chips on the menu. For the best taste of the nation, however, come on Sunday for a proper roast dinner complete with Yorkshire pudding.

If you’re after London traditions of the formal variety, having been more inspired by the Royal Family than by EastEnders, then you need look no further than this. Beloved by the Royals themselves, The Goring typifies classic British elegance, and its MICHELIN-Starred menu follows suit. Whether you’re ordering the iconic eggs Drumkilbo or a decadent beef Wellington, you can be sure of consistently skilled execution and only the best British produce, be that Rhug Estate venison, Orkney scallops or native lobster.

Another of London’s best pubs when it comes to food, The Marksman is something of an East London icon, easily identified by its distinctively tiled exterior and sun-trap roof terrace. The cooking is very much in the ingredient-led British mould, with seasonal and top-quality produce given pride of place on the plate. There’s a complete lack of frills and unnecessary adornment – a feature shared among many of the best traditional British restaurants – with any accompaniments finely judged and smartly balanced to enhance the central ingredients.

For many people, classic British cooking is about prime, well-sourced produce cooked with plenty of skill but very little fuss. The Quality Chop House provides exactly that. It’s existed in some form since 1869, and the old-school façade alone gives you an idea of the building’s weighty history. Today’s incarnation incorporates the team’s own butchery next door, with the menu centred around a selection of ‘steaks and chops’, all of prime quality. Adding to the appeal is a superb wine list that’s varied, imaginative and attractively priced.

There are few eateries in Britain, let alone London, that are more steadfastly traditional than Rules. Proudly wearing the tag of London’s oldest restaurant, it is a place for whom the past is to be cherished and preserved – as evidenced by both the menu and the characterful décor. You could start with potted shrimp, a dish some believe to have originated in Tudor times, then follow it up with a venison hotpot or steak and kidney pudding. For dessert, you’re looking at the indomitable likes of sticky toffee pudding and crumble with custard.

Regarded by many as a landmark in the evolution of British dining, St. JOHN is the ideal place to discover traditional British cuisine at the MICHELIN-Star level. A pioneer of the nose-to-tail movement, its menu has always celebrated every part of the animal, often via resurrecting classic British recipes that had long fallen out of favour. Roasted bone marrow, for instance, is something of a signature here – and the likes of devilled kidneys on toast will surely convince you of the virtues of offal.

Prime British produce – cooked in resolutely simple, unpretentious ways – is at the core of the menu in this phenomenally popular pub. Something of a social media sensation, it’s perhaps best known as a spot for drinkers, with the ground-floor bar often filled to bursting with people enjoying a pint of its famously well-kept Guinness. Combined with the presence of gregarious landlord Oisín Rogers, it means there’s a distinctly Irish feel alongside the British cooking, with the Guinness even making its way into the traditional beef suet pudding.