Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is just a stone’s throw away from Oxford Street but once you’ve gone behind Selfridges you’d never know it – the area somehow manages to feel more village-y and less manic Central London-y despite its location. If you didn’t already know, a quick walk up and down the streets lined with Georgian architecture would tell you that it’s a very well-heeled neighbourhood.
Aristocratic families owned much of the area in the 18th century and many of the period properties have survived and been converted; as well as some very nice flats, there’s Henry’s Townhouse, a boutique hotel in the building that Jane Austen’s brother Henry used to own, and the Wallace Collection is held inside Hertford House, a townhouse that belonged to the Seymour family.
In Marylebone the shops are stylish and the restaurants are smart. From Michelin-starred spots like Trishna’s to new kids on the block Kol and Taka, you’re not short of places to eat here (or places to drop a few quid on dinner either). If you prefer to splash your cash on your body, rather than what goes inside it, then you’ll find plenty of aesthetic clinics on Harley Street where you can undergo virtually every and any treatment under the sun. Marylebone can’t escape the tourists though, not when it’s home to Baker Street and certain famous fictional detective. You don’t need to be a super sleuth to uncover references to Sherlock Holmes as there’s even a museum dedicated to the man (at 221b Baker Street, naturally).
Many years and pop-ups in the making, John and Desiree Chantarasak have finally opened a fully fledged permanent restaurant for their AngloThai concept. If you haven’t tried AngloThai before, the main thing to know is that John is half-Thai, half-British and this dual influence is at the heart of his cooking. Thai dishes are reimagined with British ingredients, blending bold flavours and traditional cooking styles with contemporary presentation to create something that’s totally unique. There’s an a la carte and chef’s selection menu for £75, which is a good place to start if it’s your first introduction to AngloThai. If you go a la carte, you won’t want to miss the dressed Brixham crab topped with Exmoor caviar, served with coconut ash crackers; the shrimp butter and Cornish shellfish flatbread; the lion’s mane mushroom and sunflower seed satay, the Ryall Farm hogget massaman curry; the line-caught hake with sour orange curry and watercress; the wholegrain farro finished with a grating of cured and coconut-smoked beef heart; and the cacao ganache with sugarcane rum and salted coconut. Desiree is in charge of the wine list, which is based on personal relationships with growers, winemakers and importers that have been a part of AngloThai’s journey so far, and is stacked full of interesting, tasty wines.
After bringing us Zephyr in Notting Hill in 2022 and then flipping Chicama in Chelsea into Greek restaurant Bottarga, what was Pachamama in Marylebone has now been turned into Italian spot Nina. And, like Bottarga, it’s fast become one of the hottest spots in town. The basement restaurant is certainly a vibe. The plaster walls, leopard print draping, white tablecloths, long mirrored bar, low lighting and tall candles on each table combine to create a space that looks cool but doesn’t feel try hard. Begin, as all good Italian meals should, with the focaccia, which is studded with semi-dried tomatoes and served with a parmesan butter as well as olive oil for double lubrication. Then dive into cured wagyu and crystal grissini; taleggio arancini; yellowtail crudo with stracciatella (go for this over the tuna and melon if you have to choose); duck ragu bianco with paccheri; and chicken milanese with more parmesan butter. The tiramisu is both boozy and generous in size, so be prepared to take some home. There’s a largely Italian wine list at Nina but you won’t want to skip the cocktails, which include tini serves and some refreshing spritzes.
Paul Rothe & Son is a rare beast in that it’s a family-run business in central London and it’s been going since 1900. Classics are very much the name of the game here – you don’t last for over 120 years by being a hypebeast now do you? Sandwiches come on white, granary or wholemeal bread (you can upgrade to rye or ciabatta if you’re feeling fancy) and fillings range from smoked salmon to coronation chicken to mature cheddar. As the sarnies are made in front of you to order, you can also ask for whatever combo you fancy from the ingredients at the counter – if they’ve got it, they’ll put it between bread for you, no matter how weird or wonderful – and they get cut into quarters here so they’re easier to wrap and easier to eat. The deli also serves up homemade soups and salads, and has a very impressive range of preserves lining the windows and shelves.
At BAO Marylebone the focus is on dumplings and the two-floor restaurant is a take on a Taiwanese dumpling house, with a menu of small dishes that are perfect for diners in a hurry. Expect to see the likes of street-food style Majiang noodles with sesame paste, ox tongue & chilli oil, boiled cull yaw, as well as a range of bao, on the menu. The interiors are classic BAO – a functional yet nostalgic space with white tiles in the kitchen and dark wood panelling in the restaurant – with a counter overlooking the chefs so you can watch the dumplings being cooked. If you’d rather people-watch with your dumplings, there’s also an outside patio for just that.
Housed in an Edwardian bookshop with skylights and long oak galleries (believed to be the first custom-built bookshop in the world) the Marylebone branch of Daunt Books is both the original and best. Daunt traditionally specialised in travel books but the shop now stocks a wide range of fiction and non-fiction material. If you’re a real fan, don’t forget to represent with one of those Daunt branded tote bags
Japanese restaurant Taka, which also has a spot on Shepherd Market in Mayfair, has expanded and taken over the old Providores site in Marylebone for restaurant number two. A larger space means a larger menu, and this one has a large Japanese tapas section alongside robata dishes, sushi and a very interesting cocktail menu – if sake isn’t your poison, these are definitely worth a punt. Many of those on the first side appear familiar but come with their own little Taka twist, like wild fennel salt on the edamame, the addition of fermented plantain on the miso glazed aubergine (giving an already great dish extra depth) and smoked daikon tartare serviced with the fired chicken wings, like a Japanese version of buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce. Then there are dishes we’ve never seen before like the mochi flatbread. And then there’s the dishes that have been doing the rounds on the ‘gram like that wagyu sando – spenny but delicious.
Mexican chef Santiago Lastra, who worked at Rene Redzepi’s Noma Mexico pop-up in 2017 and has cooked at the Tate Modern finally opened his debut solo restaurant Kol in London in 2020, after a more than a year of looking for a location. Kol is broadly Mexican, drawing influence from across the country as well as making use of British produce too with dishes like langoustine tacos with sea buckthorn, kohlrabi ceviche, lamb leg totasta cured in gooseberries with walnut oil, and tamal with corn husk ice cream. You can see some of the work that goes into the food thanks to the open kitchen, complete with tortilla station, right in the middle of the first floor dining room. As well as a biodynamic wine list, Kol also serves up mezcals, tequilas and less well-known Mexican spirits like whisky from Oaxaca, gin from the Yucatan and rum from Puebla in the dedicated mezcaleria on the lower ground floor.
Lita is a smart Spanish / Italian bistro in Marylebone, offering up big grilled meats and seafood, as well as as a succession of small plates and pastas. There are some knockout dishes here, such as the little morsels of pan con tomate topped with Cantabrian anchovies; beef tartare with shoestring fries; meaty morel mushrooms topped with lardo; and duck ragu pasta. If you’re in a bigger group you could try one of the bigger sharing dishes too, such as the whole turbut or the Galician beef both of which are cooked in a brick wood fired grill in the centre of the open kitchen. The desserts are some of the best we’ve had in London in a good long while so make sure you get the Amalfi lemon meringue pie and the rhubarb millefuille with Madagascan vanilla cream and blood orange if you see them on the menu. There’s good wine and cocktails too, although as with everything else at Lita, they aren’t cheap. Great for a celebration meal or business meal, particularly if someone else is picking up the tab!
French food is practically synonymous with cheese (the smellier the better) and this clutch of three boujie cheese shops is a celebration of all things français. Yes, it all started with the cheese, but the sites are also deli and café all-rounders, selling all the classic charcuterie, gourmet tinned goods (hello Ortiz anchovies), wine and beautiful tableware your little heart could dream of. What’s more, each location – Highbury, Bloomsbury, Marylebone – runs tasting events and one-off dinners. The focus was originally French, but they all sell produce from British and further afield – the only thing you need to know is that if it’s sold at La Fromagerie, it’ll be absolutely delicious. And while you’re there it would be rude to visit without a little glass of French vin, non?
Michelin-starred Trishna takes you on a journey through India with plates inspired by the south coast, rich seafood dishes from Goa and a range of puris, bhajis, behls and idlis, and you can go for seafood, veggie or meaty tasting menus. This is anything but your average curry house and is one to save for a real treat.
Alley Cats is bringing a bit of the Big Apple to London with exposed brick, red and white gingham tablecloths and Italian-American inspired thin crust pizzas. Sicilian Head Chef Francesco Macri makes use of quality Southern Italian ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from Campania and aged mozzarella from Molise, for his 14-inch pizzas, which come with toppings such as smoked pepperoni, aged mozzarella, tomato sauce, habanero and honey; fennel sausage, tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, pancetta, red onion and pecorino flakes; creamy vodka tomato sauce, aged mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella; and wild mushrooms, aged mozzarella, taleggio, red onion jam and fried sage. If you’ve got an American-sized appetite, you can bookend your pizzas with cheese & garlic bread knots, meatballs in slow-cooked tomato sauce, loaded vanilla soft serve, and tiramisu topped with hazelnuts, salted peanuts and pistachios.
As part of her 1996 Group, Florence Mae Maglanoc runs Panadera in Marylebone and Soho. The bakeries serves up a range of Filipino-inspired treats including garlic cheese pandesal, strawberry matcha cookies, buko pandan frappes, corned beef hash sandos, calamansi meringue pie, ube (that’s the purple yam that’s been turned into ice cream and stuffed into doughnuts at Mamasons) tart. Pair your bakes with drinks like milo mocha, buko pandan frappes and brown sugar taro boba.
The Wallace Collection, held inside Hertford House, was built up by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace over the 18th and 19th centuries, and is considered to be one of the finest collections in the world. It features a range of furniture, paintings, sculpture, arms & armour, and porcelain, with a particularly rich selection of French 18th century decorative arts, and it’s totally free for the public.
We’re big fans of Hoppers and now that there are three branches we don’t have to queue so much, which makes us like it even more. Obvs the namesake hoppers are a must-order – we love both the string hoppers and the egg hoppers with pol sambol on the side – and the mutton rolls, lamb shank kari and super tender kalupol whole chicken are also winners in our book. Basically, it’s all bloody good and they even have tasting menus for when you really can’t decide on what to order.
The husband and wife duo behind the Shoreditch turkey restaurant Strut & Cluck (now rebranded Delamina East) expanded into Marylebone with second site Delamina, and it’s safe to say that this pair really do how to cook up tasty authentic Middle Eastern food. You can expect dishes like pita balagan, charred cauliflower with lemon-zest infused creme fraiche, baby aubergines smothered in black sesame seeds & crumbled rosary goats cheese, and turkey shawarma with dates & pine kernels on grilled pita, house pickles & tahini. Whether you bring a date or you bring your mates, Delamina is the place if you want a Middle Eastern feast.
In 2020 The Cavendish had a bit of a refresh with a brand new team and a brand new menu. Alex Povall (ex-head chef at The Oystermen) now oversees the kitchen and in a nod to his old place he has oysters on the menu served with a range of dressings. He’s also got as dishes like beef tartare with horseradish & black sesame crackers; grilled Cornish mackerel with apple, elderflower & wood sorrel; braised rabbit & cep pie; Gloucester Old Spot pork cheeks with butter-roasted celeriac; wild seabass with braised fennel in spiced mussel & saffron broth; and glazed Tahitian vanilla custard tart with poached blackberries on there too.
Santo Mare is one of London’s high end seafood spots and it comes courtesy of restaurateur Andrea Reitano, who also has Caffe Rei in Mayfair and Osteria Romana in Knightsbridge. Santo Mare is all about premium (aka pricey) seafood served with an Italian twist. As well as the day’s catch displayed on counters, there’s a range of raw and hot dishes to choose from, including langoustine carpaccio, squid and chicory, salt-crusted seabass, cuttlefish and artichoke risotto, and gnocchi with red prawns and pecorino.
Starting from just one rock & roll ramen bar in Soho in 2012, Bone Daddies has grown into a mini-empire known for good broths, good noods and good sides. Slurp on ramen classics like the Tonkotsu, with a 20-hour pork bone broth base, and the nutty, spicy Tantanmen, with sesame, chilli, pork mince & chashu pork and get messy with sides like the insane pig bones and monster Korean fried wings.
French cooking is the name of the game at Marylebone’s Orrery, and there’s a good selection of the fancy classics alongside some more modern dishes. Chef-patron Igor Tymchyshyn proves his pedigree with dishes like Dorset crab, wasabi, avocado & mango; butter soft tournedos rossini with celeriac; chicken parfait, apple, onion crumb, toasted sourdough; and a rhubarb dessert with fruit cooked three different ways. Of course, the twenty-four page wine list and the legendary cheese trolley are reasons enough to visit alone and even though the food is fine dining you don’t feel too fussed over.
Flat Iron, which has grown from a small pop-up in Shoreditch to a mini empire across London, is the restaurant that made steak affordable and accessible. The prices may have increased slightly from the original £10 steak, the ethos has remained the same – top quality meat (sourced from their own herd) at very reasonable prices, great sides like creamed spinach and bone marrow garlic mash, mini cleavers for knives, and a free ice cream cone on the way out.
This drinking den calls itself a pub but there’s no sticky carpets or shady geezers found in here. Located inside The Langham and with a menu overseen by Michel Roux Jr, The Wigmore is definitely a re-imagining of the Great British boozer. The menu is pretty impressive and these guys have taken bar snacks to the next level with a masala-spiced scotch egg, XXL three cheese & mustard toastie, and fat chips with Bloody Mary salt. They’ve also got wine on tap, kegs of Lucky Saint lager and hoptails (basically a boujee shandy) behind the bar. It’s not the kind of place we’d go to for a cheeky pint on a Friday afternoon, oh no, it’s WAY more special than that.
Run by chef-patron Diego Jacquet, Zoilo is an Argentine restaurant with a monthly changing menu that showcases the best seasonal British ingredients alongside that famous Argentine beef. As well as classics like empanadas, baked provolone cheese and rib-eye steak, the menu includes dishes like scallop tartare with avocado and wild seabass with artichokes & capers. Naturally the wine list is exclusively Argentine – you can’t beat a strong red with a good bit of beef can you?
Andreas Labridis and Nikos Roussos, the co-owners of Greek restaurants OPSO, INO and Pittabun, have brought a bit of the Greek coastline to Marylebone with their fourth spot, seafood restaurant Kima, named after the Greek word for wave. You’ve heard of nose-to-tail cookery, Kima runs on the fish equivalent philosophy, fin-to-gill cookery. Using various fish butchery and dry ageing techniques ensures that not only do all parts of the fish get used, they get used in inventive and interesting ways, offering a wider variety of flavours and textures for us diners. You can select what you like the look of from the fish counter and then have various cuts of that fish prepared in different ways, or you can order from Kima’s a la carte menu, which features some of the dry-aged fish amongst the different dishes. The raw fish (we had bream on our visit) with olive oil, lemon and thyme is a stunner, and don’t miss the chargrilled octopus, yellowtail shank with a fricassee of greens and the 75 dot seaweed millefeuille, where the typical puff pastry is swapped out for caramelised nori.
Story is the first face only clinic in the UK and it’s all about accessible aesthetic treatments. It’s also run in partnership with the Harley Academy, the county’s top aesthetic medical school. As all of the doctors are trained to Level 7, the highest qualification in aesthetic medicine, your face is in very good hands. The clinic offers a totally individual approach to treatments, so you get a thorough (and free) consultation before you commit to anything, and they offer 24/7 aftercare with their post-treatment hotline. With treatments spanning fillers, non surgical lifts and skin boosters to dermaplaning, microneedling and skin peels, Story is a one-stop shop for all your facial needs.
Jane Austen’s brother Henry used to own a townhouse on Upper Berkeley Street and now the Grade II listed building has been turned into a boutique hotel named after him. Henry’s Townhouse has seven bedrooms, all with Georgian-inspired interiors courtesy of Russell Sage Studio and modern amenities like Nespresso coffee machines, flat-screen TVs, Dyson hairdryers and LA Bruket toiletries. Plus there’s a sharing table in the pantry kitchen where breakfast and private dinners are served as well as a cocktail snug, an outdoor terrace and a sitting room that pays homage to Jane Austen. The rooms are available to book individually or if you’re having a very fancy party (and you’ve got the dollar) you can hire the whole place for 14 people.