Bookended by Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street stations, surrounded by offices, close to Oxford Street and Soho – all of these things combine to give Charlotte Street a prime position (and a pretty one at that thanks to its Georgian architecture) in the centre of town. All those people means lots of mouths to feed, so it’s no surprise that the street has become something of a foodie hub, with an incredible range of independent restaurants and pubs clustered together – going for dinner and drinks has never been easier! Here are our fave places to eat, drink and be merry in Fitzrovia.
Norma
Norma, takes inspo from Sicily’s cafe culture, old-school Italian hospitality and Moorish flavours. Taking over a converted townhouse Norma is split across three floors; the ground and first floors are home to the restaurant and cocktail bar with a private dining space up top. As well as the namesake pasta alla norma, the deep fried spaghetti fritters, the beech-smoked anchovies and homemade cannoli are not to be missed. Naturally the drinks list leans heavily on Sicily too with Marsala wines and cocktails made with vermouth and limoncello.
8 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2LS
normalondon.com
The Ninth
If you’re looking for somewhere to impress, The Ninth delivers. Jun Tanaka’s Michelin-starred restaurant – so named because it was the ninth kitchen he worked in but the first he’s owned – blends classic French techniques with Mediterranean flavours, resulting in simple but refined dishes that don’t compromise on flavour, like langoustine ravioli, roast turbot with seaweed butter & mussels, and roe deer in salt crust with cavolo nero. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, don’t miss the pain perdu, it’s one of the best you’ll eat this side of the Channel.
22 Charlotte St., London W1T 2NB
theninthlondon.com
LISBOETA
Nuno Mendes is coming back to London and he’s bringing a bit of Lisbon with him for his new restaurant LISBOETA, opening this month. Taking over a townhouse on Charlotte Street, the restaurant will be a love letter to Nuno’s home city. The ground floor will feature a long bar and will be a place where you can dip into petiscos (aka little plates) and a glass of Portuguese wine. Here, and upstairs on the first floor, the lunch and dinner will feature Portuguese specialties and ‘tasca style’ sharing dishes for the table to enjoy. There’lll also be Nuno’s legendary custard tarts served every day at 4pm on the dot – once they’re gone, they’re gone.
30 Charlotte Street, London WC1B 4AF
lisboeta.co.uk
Carousel
Award-winning culinary hub, Carousel, home to a line up of rotating chef residencies, workshops and experiences, has swapped Marylebone for Fitzrovia. Founders Ed and Ollie Templeton have taken over three Georgian townhouses on Charlotte Street – the chef residency space is still there, so expect an ever-changing line-up of guest chefs cooking around a kitchen island, with a ten-seater casual dining room and chef incubator next door for new concepts and longer-term residencies (currently home to Goila Butter Chicken). Carousel is also doing their own thing with the addition of a wine bar, serving a changing menu from Ollie of Mediterranean snacks and small plates alongside a curated list of wines and cocktails.
19-23 Charlotte St, London W1T 1RL
carousel-london.com
Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals
Part of the Mr Fogg’s family of bars, House of Botanicals is a flora and fauna-filled oasis that takes the plant theme and runs with it, serving up botanical-infused bevvies inspired by the travels of Phileas Fogg in a space decked out with greenery, leaf wallpaper, plant print fabrics – you get the jist. Try the ‘There And Back Again’ cocktail with Smirnoff Black No. 55 Small Batch vodka, Campari aperitif, kalamansi coulis, caramel, fresh lemon juice and fresh mint, topped up with Truly Black Cherry hard seltzer, or the ‘Sixth Sense’ with Roku gin, plum sake liqueur, spiced pear cordial and Real Dry Dragon kombucha, and prepare to be transported around the world.
48 Newman St, London W1T 1QQ
mr-foggs.com
Barrica
Get a true taste of Spain without leaving London at award-winning tapas joint Barrica. The menu draws inspiration from many different regions of the country and makes use of the best Spanish ingredients, so that means plenty of jamon iberico de bellota (48 month aged acorn-fed ham), artisan cheeses and boquerones to kick-start, followed by an ever-changing array of seasonal sharing plates such as cuttlefish black ink rice, tempura courgettes with romesco and ox cheek cannelloni. They take particularly good care of their wines at Barrica with temperature controlled storage of reds and whites. Their list represents the best of modern, low intervention Spanish winemaking with a wonderful selection of sherry too and let’s not forget their legendary gintonics!
62 Goodge St, London W1T 4NE
barrica.co.uk
The Black Horse
The Black Horse rides again thanks to the Urban Pubs and Bars group who have restored the old pub into a new drinking den. Downstairs you’ll find a modern British pub, with the upstairs transformed into a cocktail bar decked out in deep red tones and velvet furnishings. Here you sip on serves like the mezcal, chilli Aperol & pineapple ‘Ring The Alarm’, and the blood orange gin, lemon & prosecco ‘Matinee’.
6 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1HL
theblackhorselondon.com
Lupo Bros
James and Matthew Drago-Ferrante’s third outpost of Lupo Bros is the place to come for a bangin’ brunch on Charlotte Street. They’re pouring great coffee, roasted in small batches in-house, and they’re serving up everything from Full Lupo brekkies and buttermilk pancakes to LB’s chicken shawarma to cheeseburgers in house-made brioche buns.
10 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LT
lupobros.co.uk
Ugly Dumpling
Making every day a dumpling day is a whole lot easier because Ugly Dumpling has opened a second restaurant in Fitzrovia. With space for 60, the new spot is much bigger than the Carnaby original and more space means more dumplings, right? Ugly Dumpling is known for its inventive flavours – as well as classic dumplings like duck, pork belly, and prawn & chive, they do cheeseburger, pizza margherita and even pecan pie ones too.
30 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JG
uglydumpling.co.uk
Lima
Lima, founded by brothers Gabriel and Jose Luis Gonzalez, was the first Peruvian restaurant to win a Michelin star. It’s still serving up some of the best Peruvian food in town, showcasing native South American ingredients alongside the best British produce. The a la carte menu includes their excellent Nikkei style ceviches and tiraditos as well as dishes like Amazaonian sea bass and beef pachamanca but the tasting menu is a great way to see what Lima is all about…with several rounds of pisco sours of course!
31 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1JH
limalondon.com
Ampéli
If you thought Greek food was all pita, souvlaki and tzatziki then you’d be wrong, but what we will say is there is a WHOLE LOT more to it and you’ll see it at Ampéli. We’re talking dishes like charcoal beetroot with tahini yoghurt, josper-grilled octopus with orzo, braised lamb shank with gigandes beans, and baklava cigars with mountain tea syrup. If the wine list is all Greek to you – it will be, the bottles are literally all from mainland Greece and the islands – ask for a recommendation and get stuck in.
18 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LZ
Bricco e Bacco
From Palermo to Fitzrovia, Bricco e Bacco is all about bringing the flavours of Sicily to London. Steaks are their speciality, with a range of premium dry-aged cuts on the menu – we’re talking Shorthorn from the UK, Wagyu from Japan, Black Angus from the States and Vaca Vieja from Spain. If a big hunk of meat ain’t your thing, the restaurant has you covered with caponata Siciliana, saffron spaghetti, ricotta gnocchi, tiramisu and cannoli. And there are plenty of Sicilian bottles on the wine list to pair with your food.
11-13 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RH
SAID dal 1923
Calling all chocoholics! If you haven’t paid a visit to SAID dal 1923 yet, then you’re seriously missing out. The shop specialises in artisan Italian chocolate and it comes in many different forms – melted chocolate-covered cakes, indulgent hot chocolates, brownies, cookies, crepes, waffles, boxed choccies, it’s basically dessert heaven.
29 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1JG
@saiddal1923uk
The Newman Arms
The Newman Arms in Fitzrovia is a classic London pub, the kind of place you’d take a visitor that wanted to see what this English pub thing was all about. It has a rich history – it served as inspiration for the pub scenes in George Orwell’s 1984 and Dylan Thomas used to drink there – and now the Truman’s has given it a new lease of life, with over ten beers on keg and cask plus rotating guest beers from UK breweries, wines and classic cocktails.
23 Rathbone St, London W1T 1NG
thenewmanarms.co.uk