Britain’s 100 Best Local Restaurants 2026: London winners
Published 13 August 2026

‘Calong’, Google helpfully tell us, means 'stylish' in Busan dialect – a good name for Joo and Sujin Won’s effortlessly cool modern Korean bistro, which has taken over the former home of Rubedo. It’s a tiny site, little more than 30 covers, still with Rubedo’s bentwood chairs, white walls, and blackboard menus. If that makes it sound a little French – like it wouldn’t look out of place in Paris – that's not surprising given that Joo was head chef at Galvin at Windows for 15 years. The dialogue between his Gallic training and his Korean heritage is discernible on every plate, from his trademark kimchi fritters and buttery mushroom claypot rice to BBQ onglet with greens and bulgogi jus. Sharp lines and vivid flavours characterise Sujin’s desserts too. The baked Alaska deserves all the attention it gets. A handful of interesting cocktails (soju spritz, sesame Old Fashioned) lead on to a sensibly priced natural wine list, with bottles from £36.

Located where the outer London suburbs fray into the thickets of Epping Forest, Gina has brought a beam of gastronomic sunshine to the culinary badlands of Chingford’s Station Road since 2025. Step inside and you'll encounter a lively little dining room with long banquettes and bright modern art hanging on scuffed walls – a space that manages to look contemporary but also homely. The restaurant is named after chef-owner Mattie Taiano’s late mother, and, though Italian heritage is certainly an influence in the kitchen, dishes plunder ingredients and ideas from near and far: Cornish seafood might feature in a salty and satisfying medley of monkfish and bacon, for example. Crowd-pleasing food done well seems to be the guiding ethos here, evidenced in the signature main of ‘Gina’s pasta’ (a terrific tangle of spaghetti swimming in marinara sauce under drifts of Parmesan). Desserts veer towards big, generous flavours, be it a dense slab of Ravi’s chocolate cake or chilled rice pudding with cherries. Alongside a thoughtfully composed wine list, you’ll find two house cocktails – Gina’s Martini and Margarita Cremisi.

‘Great menu, great service, welcoming staff, seasonal fresh food’ – no wonder the locals of Putney feel ‘incredibly lucky' to have such a terrific asset on their doorstep. Rebecca Mascarenhas and Craig Gordon's hugely popular all-day diner ticks every box, while the chesterfield banquettes, bentwood chairs, long bar, covered terrace and conservatory all help to create a fresh, modern look. What dazzles is the simple, well-prepared comfort food with its penchant for flavour – seen in classic nibbles such as cauliflower cheese croquettes. The full menu covers a lot of popular ground, from gazpacho and tuna tataki with alphonso mango and chilli salsa to almond tart or strawberries with clotted cream. In between, expect the likes of glazed pork cheeks with grilled hispi cabbage and XO butter sauce or shrimp burgers with sriracha mayo. Home’s all-inclusive neighbourly offer extends to Saturday brunch, winter Sunday roasts with duck-fat roasties and summer Sunday BBQs. The well-considered list of predominantly European wines is arranged by style, with a focus on mid-priced options; otherwise, check out the list of creative cocktails.

Opened in 2007 by novelist Simonetta Wenkert and IT engineer Avi Reichenbach, there’s a rare kind of magic to this homely little restaurant, which is still devotedly serving its local community. At its heart is the restaurant’s namesake, Avi’s mother Ida, whose culinary traditions from her Italian hometown of Cupramontana encompass a generosity of spirit that's about more than just good food. While Simonetta still steers the ship, day-to-day service is run by the next generation with infectious warmth. From the open kitchen comes a succinct but ‘innovative’ line-up of unfussy dishes defined by the uncompromising quality of their ingredients. A salad of white Devon crabmeat, vine tomatoes and Granny Smith apple is enlivened with a velouté of roasted red peppers, while signature pastas include bronze-cut mafaldine with sheep’s ricotta, tomatoes, basil and Parmesan as well as the much-lauded tagliatelle al ragù Marchigiano. For dessert, indulge in seasonal fruit tarts, tiramisu or basil and dark chocolate panna cotta. Service is ‘impeccable,’ and there’s a short but rewarding list of Italian wines; also, don’t miss the saffron and sour-cherry spritz.

‘Always warm and inviting, busy with locals, excellent pricing and really interesting food,’ just about sums up this unpretentious neighbourhood eatery born out of a pop-up in Nunhead and a popular residency in Peckham Rye. Chef/owner Ady Yacob earned his stripes at Le Cordon Bleu and brings the same professionalism to his personal take on modern Malaysian cooking. Expect up-front creativity and pin-sharp technique in ‘super-flavourful’ dishes ranging from slow-braised beef rendang to stir-fried greens, sambal and sago pudding, plus off-piste ideas such as ayam goreng susu (sticky milk-fried chicken with oyster sauce, white pepper, condensed milk and pickled beetroot). Also expect a gregarious party vibe, fuelled by a drinks list that runs from quaffable everyday wines (plus BYOB) to Singaporean Tiger beer, ‘teh o lemon’ (black tea with lemon) and spicy mocktails such as Onde-Onde (soy milk, palm sugar, vanilla, coconut cream). Long weekend lunches are also worth checking out.

‘The dream local French bistro airlifted to North London, Les 2 Garçons ticks every box,’ writes a regular visitor to this Crouch End spot run by the titular duo of Robert Reid at the stoves and Jean-Christophe Slowik (JC, to the army of regulars) out front. If only one of them is French, he is at least bubbling over with enough unabashed Gallic bonhomie for two. Battleship-grey panelling, undressed tables and a trio of blackboards busily covered in numerous chalk-scribbled specials form a backdrop to Reid's assured bourgeois cooking. You might easily guess what's on the menu (soupe à l'oignon, chicken liver parfait, escargots persillade etc), although you might not anticipate the panache with which the dishes are realised – or the uncommon quality of the raw materials. Moving on, there might be dry-aged steak frites, braised ox cheeks bourguignon or roast sea bass with citrus and fennel, ahead of rum baba with apricot compôte or tarte fine aux pommes. The wine list is ‘predominantly French, not straying too far off the beaten track, fairly priced and pitch-perfect for the food’.

It quickly gained fame and went viral with its homemade kofte and aubergine pitta ‘sandwiches’ – thanks largely to Instagram – but there’s much more to this cosy, personally run Iranian-Iraqi café/bistro on Goldsmiths Row. Set up by Ziad Halub and Farsin Rabiee, Logma (the name means ‘perfect bite’) has really hit the spot: ‘It’s what is missing in London,’ commented one, who was bowled over by the sheer friendliness of the set-up. By day, the place sets out its stall as a welcoming neighbourhood café, serving coffee and pastries, backed up by comforting, home-cooked lunch dishes – slow-braised stews, herb-flecked soups and rice specialities, as well as the aforementioned sandwiches. On Wednesday evenings, it’s all about ‘Logma Lates’, bookable weekly supper clubs (BYOB) serving fusion cuisine from the region to guests seated at communal tables.

A ‘cute, intimate, candlelit restaurant’ set up by Highbury locals Ed Templeton (founder of Carousel) and A-list actor/musician Theo James, pretty little Lupa is a charming neighbourhood haunt serving up comforting regional specialities prepared from assiduously sourced ingredients. The atmosphere is fun and friendly, service is all-round excellent, but the main attraction is the menu created by chef Naz Hassan (who describes himself as a ‘Bengali kid doing Italian food’). His instinctive talent and obsessive attention to detail defy the apparent simplicity on the plate – everything hits the spot. Hand-rolled bucatini all’amatriciana, the lasagne specials at the weekend or the tiramisu are not to be missed, and they even serve porchetta sandwiches on Arsenal match days. To drink, Italian-themed cocktails and spritzes bolster a short list of artisan Italian regional wines. Given Lupa’s neighbourhood proportions and ironclad local reputation – as one fan noted 'you feel like you're in the backstreets of Rome' – bookings are hard to come by, although one table is always held back for walk-ins.

Chef Abby Lee and Vanessa Fernandes have turned Mambo into a neighbourhood gem, aptly described by its strapline: ‘Malaysian heat + Juicy wines’. It remains a small-scale independent, with extra space in a covered backyard; maybe it’s a little scuffed and scruffy (with an edgy soundtrack to boot), but it is irresistible – especially if you get a kick from electrifying cooking and can survive without luxurious trappings. One of the thrills of eating here is the rolling roster of creative seasonal dishes on the short menu: you might find grilled celeriac skewers with persimmon sauce, ahead of stir-fried palourde clams seasoned with white pepper and chrysanthemum leaves or grilled hogget rump with mamak-style kari and green chillies. Coconut pandan rice is the go-to filler, while offbeat desserts might bring caramelised cassava cake. To drink, there are iced teas, ciders, a fistful of natural wines and a trio of cocktails (developed in collaboration with the guys at Malik Acid), which can take all those full-on, upfront flavours in their stride.

Nestled in leafy London Fields, Sally Abé’s latest venture is in a part of Hackney where house prices crossed the £1m mark a long time ago. It makes sense to open here (Ornella, a few doors down had the same idea). Abé has taken over what was previously Sesta (and before that Pidgin) converting the spartan space into something more cosseting – a cosy neighbourhood bistro on a model village scale. Pretty lamps, patterned fabrics, trailing plants and treasured cookbooks give it the feel of a beloved country house. The chef and her team can be spied through the hatch, turning out a carte of gently modernised English dishes such as chilled pea and mint soup, devilled crab tartlet, corn-fed chicken breast with spring vegetables, and raspberry marshmallow teacake. Pastry and sauces are particularly accomplished. If they can find a little more cellar space to flesh out the wine list (only two under £50), Teal could really spread its wings.

It’s not the first time an up-and-coming chef has set up shop in an east London pub, but the spirit with which Dara Klein has transformed what was once the Globe suggests this one is here for the long haul. From the stained glass window to the vintage Italian crockery and family portraits, the whole place is suffused with life and character. An everyone-is-welcome atmosphere prevails. Cheery, unfazed Klein oversees the open kitchen, delivering punchy dishes full of confidence and good instinct. A salad of delica pumpkin, radicchio agrodolce and a unifying taleggio dressing was an early hit full of depth and tang, while a bowl of silken pasta e fagioli defied its humble origins. To follow, there might be a saline dish of braised squid with olives and fragrant mint – so triumphantly tender you could cut it with a spoon. This is food that deserves to be lingered over. But if time is short, or you haven’t booked ahead, the dedicated bar is an open-armed call for walk-ins to dip into some stuzzichini, sip a Cynar spritz or linger over a carafe of easy-drinking Tuscan red.