Neighbourhoods
Victoria & Westminster
As one of the busiest transport interchanges in London and the political centre of the city respectively, both Victoria and Westminster see a huge number of people pass through the neighbourhoods each day.
Victoria Station acts as a gateway to the south of England but it’s not just about trains and buses. Bordering Belgravia, Westminster, Chelsea and Pimlico, it’s close to lots of tourist spots, and Victoria also boasts two impressive theatres, the Victoria Palace Theatre (home to Hamilton) and the Apollo Victoria Theatre (where Wicked is playing). And with the development of the Nova complex and Market Halls Victoria, several places to eat and drink too.
Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben… Westminster is hitting big when it comes to iconic London landmarks so naturally the area is awash with tourists taking in all that history. Head away from the attractions and you might spot a politician or two in one of the area’s numerous pubs or even wolfing down a fry-up at the Regency Cafe. If art-watching rather than people-watching is your thing, there’s lots of British art and some impressive exhibitions to admire at Tate Britain.
Beloved of foodies everywhere for years, A Wong finally won a Michelin star in 2017 and in 2021 it earned a second, making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold two stars. This is not a place to indulge in the classics as Andrew Wong cooks up a creative storm of modern twists of dim sum – think rabbit and carrot puffs shaped like little carrots or wagyu tart with truffle. It’s fun, it’s delicious and even though it’s in Victoria you should still go there.
Bleecker is all about keeping it simple, serving up US-style burgers and fries with shakes, sodas and beers. No fancy starters, sides or specials, just rare breed, dry-aged beef cooked medium rare with homemade burger sauce, American cheese and a sesame seed bun. And when it tastes this good, you don’t need anything else. Order a double cheeseburger and prepare to go to burger heaven.
Previously Head Chef at Michelin-starred pub The Harwood Arms, Sally Abé has recently found a new home overseeing the restaurants at the Conrad London St James hotel. One of those is The Blue Boar pub and it does a belting roast. The potted Cornish crab with cucumber jelly and the corned beef & mustard croquettes with slaw and pickles are both ‘must order’ starters. The main event comes with all the trimmings including a bowl of roasties, Yorkshire puds, veg and jugs of the best gravy we’ve had in any pub or restaurant – thick and tasty. Don’t miss the super creamy, cheesy cauliflower cheese side either; it’s intense but it’s well worth an order. If you can fit in a dessert, the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream is the one to go for before rolling out the door to St James Park.
This popular art deco cafe, which has been going since 1946 (the original tiling is still intact), is probably one of the most famous greasy spoons in town thanks to it appearance in several films and TV shows. It’s excellent value too with the standard brekkie coming in at just over a fiver.
Cinnamon Club is London’s original modern Indian restaurant and you can’t go wrong with a classic. Executive Chef Vivek Singh’s menu combines signature dishes, tasting menus, seasonal options and celebratory sharing platters. Tandoori octopus with chutney aloo, old Delhi style butter chicken and Shetland salmon with caramel jhal muri are just some of the highlights. If that doesn’t get your tastebuds tickling, quite frankly nothing will…
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.
RAIL HOUSE CAFE
Nova Victoria’s Rail House Cafe (sister-site to Fitzrovia’s Riding House Cafe) is enormous; there’s a gorgeous horseshoe bar and private dining area up top, the main restaurant with a central bar and open kitchen on the ground floor, and an outdoor terrace that opens up during the warmer months. Thanks to the insta-worthy interiors the space doesn’t feel overwhelming though. The mismatched-chic vibe, with lots of washed wood, tiles, velvet, leather and rattan makes it feel lived-in and luxurious at the same time. Like its sister, brunch is where its at here, with the likes of Eggs Burgerdict (a jammy poached egg, dry-aged beef and special hollandaise sauce all stuffed into an English muffin), deep dish pancakes, and smashed avo with dill salsa, flame-grilled sourdough & seed dukkah on offer. That’s not to say lunch and dinner aren’t worth a go too – the menu covers everything from bowls and skewers to grill dishes and burgers.
LORNE
Founded by ex-Chez Bruce sommelier Katie Exton and ex-Brawn chef Peter Hall, who both worked at The Square together, Lorne a relaxed but quality neighbourhood style joint and it’s been a hit with critics and locals alike since it opened in 2017. Lorne describes itself as ‘a creative British restaurant’, which translates to a seasonal British-European menu – dishes have included ajo blanco with melon, cucumber & fennel and grilled sardines on toast; roast duck breast with duck leg tart, sour cherry puree, potato fondant and cavolo nero; and brown sugar tart with malt barley ice cream. As you’d expect from somewhere co-founded by a sommelier, the wine is of as equal importance as the food and Lorne has a well-curated list that has plenty of variety but isn’t as a thick as a bible and isn’t full of scary prices. That really sums up the whole experience at Lorne – great service and great cooking with a laid-back attitude.
THE PEM
As well as running The Blue Boar inside the Conrad London St James, Sally Abé also oversees the pink art deco restaurant The Pem. Named after the pet name for suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, Sally’s taken that inspo right through the team with women in the senior roles. The menu at The Pem reflects the style of cooking Sally has become known for – classic combos with a refined new spin – with a wine list that spans independent producers, iconic houses and everything in between.
MARKET HALLS VICTORIA
With eight kitchens set over three floors of a beaut Edwardian building, Market Halls is the spot for street food in Victoria, and it’s even got a roof terrace for you to soak up the sun on. Like the other Market Halls set ups in Oxford Circus and Canary Wharf, the traders in the Victoria one do rotate but you can always expect a diverse line-up of cuisines and dishes, like BBQ from HotBox, fried chicken from Butchies, dim sum from BaoziInn and roti canai from Gopal’s Corner.
GREENWOOD
If you’re looking for somewhere to watch sports in SW1, Greenwood is the place. The huge bar is dotted with screens so you can catch football, rugby, F1, NFL, tennis, boxing, basketball and golf, as well as all the action from major tournaments. You won’t be going hungry or thirsty in between all that action either – the bar is well stocked and the kitchen is serving up wing platters, burgers, and stonebaked pizzas.
Sticks ‘n’ Sushi was born in Denmark over 25 years ago and has expanded across London and the UK in recent years. It’s a pretty simple concept; there are loads of sushi and sashimi options for those who love raw fish and plenty of yakitori – that’s the sticks half – to please those who don’t. And when we say there’s lots of choice, we really mean it. The menu is a photobook featuring pics of every single dish (and we’re talking properly slick, styled images and not those terrible photos you find at fast food places) and everything looks amazing, so you will have trouble choosing. You can always order one of the platter options but you can never go wrong with the salmon tataki, ebi bites, spicy tuna maki, tsukune chilli sticks and butter soft black cod & miso sticks. Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is easy to love – it’s consistently good with a great range and won’t break the bank either, and that’s a winner in our books.
TATE BRITAIN
It may be the less famous of the two London Tate galleries but Tate Britain still plays host to some major exhibitions (Aubrey Beardsley, William Blake, David Hockney, LGBT British Art, and Paula Rego have all been the subject of shows). As you may guess from the name, art made in Britain from 1500 to the present day is the focus here. The permanent collection is arranged by date and includes works by William Hogarth, John Singer Sargent, Gwen John, Francis Bacon, and David Hockney. The art isn’t confined to the interior of the building; the gallery does epic winter installations on its exterior, with past ones including giant slugs and Bollywood-inspired neon signs.
NOBLE PALACE
At Noble Palace, just a stone’s throw from St James’s Park, the chefs draw on recipes and flavours from eight of China’s culinary regions for the food offering, while taking inspiration from the food once enjoyed by the Emperors of China’s final imperial Qing dynasty. And the menu is suitably luxe with dishes including braised Scottish lobster with udon, stir fried wagyu beef, and three different Peking duck dishes (one with Beluga caviar, one stuffed with abalone and one served with black truffle pancakes). BALLER. And over at the Mi (meaning ‘mystery’) Bar, you can choose your drinks based on… vibes. The cocktail list is filled with pictures designed to evoke feelings and emotions that are associated with tastes, and once you’ve settled on your mood/flavour profile, you’ll be served a cocktail to match.
TIMMY GREEN
Part of Aussie restaurant group Daisy Green, Timmy Green brings a slice of Down Under life to Victoria. If the sun is shining, then the terrace is the place to be but with double height, floor-to-ceiling windows, you can still find lots of lightness and brightness inside. Go bottomless at brunch with sweetcorn fritters, fancy bacon rolls, banana bread sandwiches, Golden Gaytime pancakes and plenty of fizz. Otherwise dive into the likes of BBQ tandoori salmon, blackened miso pumpkin, the Aussie BBQ meat board, chicken parmigiana and their huge Aussie wine list.
SAPORI
If you’re looking for a big meal with a not-so-big price tag, make a beeline for Sapori. It’s an Italian-British cafe, meaning you can get everything from fry-ups and classic sandwiches to prawn tagliatelle and risotto of the day, all served in greasy spoon-sized portions. It may not be a looker but its a reliable spot to have up your sleeve in Westminster – and there are cannoli on the counter too.
MA LA SICHUAN
Sleek Westminster restaurant Ma La Sichuan’s extensive menu features plenty of Chinese classics but the real draw here are the Sichuan specialties, which showcase the famous numbing heat as well as the more complex flavours of fermented spiciness, spicy and sour, and spicy and sweet. Dive in with fragrant sea bass in sizzling chilli oil, chao shou dumplings, soft shell crab with chopped red chillies, spicy pig’s ear in Sichuan oil, imperial Gongbao chicken, ma po tofu, and fish fragrant aubergines.