the savour london food list

undeniably good things to eat in town

hello, I’m hungry.

This post started out as a list of all my favourite things in London, which swiftly became far too big for one list. So it’s now the first of a handful of savour London lists, covering everything from days out and green spaces to shopping and more besides. I’m going to be dispatching them to paying subscribers once a month - a kind of Little Black London Book of delicious things in life.

Food seemed like a good place to start. I’ve lived in town for 15 years, and while very much more of a cook than a foodie (more on that here), I can nevertheless chart my time here in terms of food trends. The era when people queued up for Meat Liquor, and then filthy, American-style burgers were all the rage. The few years when a reservation at Dabbous held enormous caché. That moment when Hawksmoor was a thing. Bao-based parties in back gardens in Hackney, that would become Bao (more on that below). Small plates, which never went away. Queuing for things, which never went away. Orange wine. Unwieldy sandwiches. Croissants that cost a fiver. Currently: Oma, which I am still smug about sneaking into hours before it won a Michelin Star.

Fads and phases will come and go but most of the places on this list have been around before and after them. These are my old faithfuls, the caffs and restaurants and eateries and sammich shops that I wake up and think, “Okay, today is that day”. The places where I know what I’ll order as soon as the venue is mooted. It’s not a list for food snobs, nor gastrotourists, it’s just a list of nice places to get something pleasing to eat - plus a little extra besides.