Fire power: the best restaurants cooking over open flame
Published 05 June 2024

In a foodie courtyard behind Dalston Junction, the inviting smell of burning embers and charring now mingles with the aromas of hops and freshly baked loaves. Those embers are from Acme Fire Cult – a low-budget, eco-conscious eatery devoted to fire-fuelled cooking, with plenty of noise and loud music adding to the vibe and more than half the tables outside, under cover and close to the smoky action. But this isn’t just another dude-food BBQ joint: here, vegetables are elevated to a starring role, with rare-breed meats and day-boat fish providing the support acts. There’s also much use of micro-seasonal ferments and by-products from the 40FT Brewery next door – Acme even makes its own version of Marmite from leftover yeast.

The menu is a globe-straddling line-up of unorthodox but exciting modern dishes: coal-roasted leeks with pistachio and romesco are a favourite with readers (‘salty, sweet, delicious and utterly incredible’), likewise tomatoes with green goddess and sorrel. As meat and fish are introduced, you might find chunks of lamb makhani meatballs (a homely dish with ‘subtly balanced spices’) a Tamworth pork chop with mojo rojo or whole gilthead bream slathered with guanjillo chill butter. For afters, there’s usually a choice of two seasonal offerings, perhaps saffron and honey-poached pear with sesame and vanilla yoghurt.

Saturday means brunch, while on Sundays everyone piles in for the sharing platters of grilled and smoked meats piled high on dripping toast (‘it’s the only place where I’d happily be outdoor for my roast,’ commented one fan). To drink, mezcal margaritas fly out of the bar, seven taps dispense brews from 40FT and the concise wine list is a knowledgeable, well-researched slate.

Readers love the ‘imaginative, beautifully presented food’, excellent service and ‘exceptional value for money’ on offer at this cool independent, adding that it's a ‘welcome addition to Totterdown’ and feels a world apart from the noise and traffic of the city. It's not too cool though. This is a neighbourhood joint where you're welcome to drop in for a snack and an early-evening cocktail, while Sunday means roasts for lunch – although these are given highly distinctive, ‘experimental’ treatment (think smoked short rib with wasabi mustard or Middle White pork belly with black garlic and miso).

Chef Jack Briggs-Horan's inventive and constantly changing menu is a head-spinning mash-up of eclectic global flavours and surprising textures. Dishes such as 'daikon piccata' with green beans, tomato/peanut sauce and green harissa may sound wacky but they (mostly) taste delicious. Care is taken to use local, seasonal ingredients and the kitchen boasts an open fire, where smoked and charred components add an extra dimension to dishes ranging from burrata with chicory, pickled blackcurrant and 'wonderful' smoked beetroot to larger plates of smoked goat with tandoori carrot, blood-orange pickle and black garlic.

Snacks and desserts also get the open-flame treatment – from charred olives to a whipped, burnt Basque cheesecake served with charred strawberries and Szechuan syrup. The short, keenly priced wine list is augmented by an enticing selection of unusual cocktails, local beers and ciders. Visit at lunchtime or early evening to take advantage of the good-value fixed-price menus.

An abidingly popular neighbourhood spot in the Wavertree district of Liverpool, Belzan is the very image of a modern bistro, with its comfortable banquettes against whitewashed bare brick and high shelves crowded with empty bottles. ‘The atmosphere is great and the serving staff are a delight,’ confirms one regular. In the context, it would be churlish not to start by snacking on some devilled eggs or a potato and Cheddar croquette with aïoli, before cruising into the menu of soundly constructed seasonal dishes.

To start, you might plump for wild sea bass crudo or a plate of English tomatoes with smoked aubergine yoghurt and oregano – although one fan swears by the ‘show-stopping’ Guinness rarebit potato. Combinations are more enterprising than the standard bistro cookbook might furnish, so expect grilled hispi cabbage topped with romesco and crumbly Lancashire cheese, BBQ pork collar with Provençal sauce or a Barnsley chop jazzed up with Middle Eastern muhammara dip, leeks and broad beans. Desserts are as simple as can be, from chocolate mousse with hazelnuts to a peach Melba choux bun – although we’re partial to the North Country ‘cheese and cake’ combos. 

The prix-fixe of three courses and a glass of wine for £40 is worth a full-throated cheer, while Sunday lunches bring in the local crowds with their offer of Dickey’s roast chicken and swede mash or sirloin of beef with horseradish cream. The drinks menu features a slate of classic cocktails and the place also supports wine producers with food and wine-pairing nights.

What was once a pole-dancing bar is now a wood-panelled restaurant devoted to 'live fire' cooking. This is Tomos Parry’s flagship Brat (he also runs Climpson’s Arch in Hackney, where the concept originated) and, loosely, it pays homage to Basque cooking. Indeed, the first thing to hit you as you ascend the stairs – it's above Smoking Goat – is the smell of the grill; the second is the sound of diners eating, drinking, chatting and laughing. There’s no such thing as a quiet lunch in this tightly packed dining room. The thing to do, if funds allow, is to come with friends and enjoy a whopping great turbot (from £150, to feed four) or a juicy beef rib. Otherwise, fear not, the menu covers a lot of ground, from Menai oysters and seasonal vegetables (such as peas or young English corn) to crustacea, sausages and chops. It’s often the simplest things that surprise. Peppers from Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire are essentially pimientos de Padrón, grilled, oiled and salted in the Spanish style but here tossed with chopped herbs. The addition is a revelation. Next, the grilled bread with anchovies, famous on Instagram but surprisingly underwhelming in reality (there’s no shortage of blistered buttery naan in east London). Velvet crab soup looks spectacular with its crown of crab shells and bobbing mussels, and it tastes profoundly of the sea – a bold dish. Main courses might be plaice pil pil with cockles, lemon sole or paella-esque roast duck rice served with the bird's heart and slices of rare breast. To finish, crème caramel is a textbook example. The wine list fits a page of A4, with a good choice of styles and grapes from across Europe, at fair-for-Shoreditch prices.

Brat’s Tomos Parry first did a residency at Climpson’s Arch, a coffee roastery near London Fields, back in 2013. He returned after lockdown and has stayed put. On offer is a rollicking inside-outside operation, with tables in the courtyard by the wood-fired grill, and also inside the railway arch where trains rumble overhead. Service starts in perfunctory fashion. ‘Have you taken a photo of the menu?’ passes for 'hello' (the menu is written on a blackboard, so you need to snap a pic). But what a menu! It reveals Parry’s affinity with cooking from the Basque Country. Many come for the mammoth grilled whole turbot (around £150 and enough for four) and Flintstone-esque beef ribs. Lighter ideas include grilled peas in the pod, salted pollock crudo, young leeks with fresh cheese, and a fritto misto of Flourish Farm produce (including, but not limited to, mint leaves, asparagus, broccoli and a whole red chilli). A top tempura chef could hardly better the lacy batter, pristine frying and impeccable produce on show here. Parry is even better known for his fish cookery, and it’s refreshing to see cuts such as hake collar with aïoli and a soothing, traditional hake pil-pil with kokotxas (cheeks) and big creamy beans. Basque burnt cheeecake has become very fashionable of late, thanks in no small part to Parry; his version, with a puddle of vanilla sauce and rhubarb compôte, is a good one. Excellent cocktails including Climpson’s Espresso Martinis, natural wines and cold Estrella Galicia on draught provide the lubrication. On a busy night, the place is packed, the staff harried, the atmosphere unparalleled. Great fun.

In the same building as its misleadingly named sibling Gonzo’s Tea Room (actually a cocktail/burger/disco hangout), Brix & Bones is all about powerful, expert, generous open-fire cooking – the sort that also requires leathery aprons, muted lighting, cracking drinks and a pacey soundtrack. Ask for a seat at the bar, the better to immerse yourself in the whole spectacle while chatting to the ‘passionate’ and engaging young team.

Share a board of Cobble Lane charcuterie and maybe some Norfolk ‘crunch’ bread with treacle and acid butter. Brancaster mussels with ‘nduja, sea beet and fennel could follow, or you could go for one of the taco riffs (perhaps Korean pulled pork with pickled ginger and coriander). Superlative steaks and immense chops are licked with flame, slicked with the melted fat of 85-day aged Limousin beef, then seared, smoked, seasoned and spiced as befits each item, while fish might be whole plaice enlivened with guanciale beurre blanc and chives.

To finish, there’s abundant love for B&B's bone-marrow fudge doughnuts when they’re available, otherwise a sweet hit of chocolate fondant with honeycomb and pandan might do the trick. Wines are suitably bold – from the savoury, black fruit notes of a northern Rhône Syrah (Domaine Gérard) to the lush complexities of pure Sangiovese (Brunello di Montalcino Il Palazzone). Diners are welcome to take advantage of Gonzo’s rooftop garden bar if it’s open.

Post-lockdown, chef Jake Finn’s Belsize Park eatery started with outside seating only but quickly became a vibrant addition to the local community. With just 18 covers indoors, it’s a tight squeeze (a few tables lined-up alongside a long banquette), but there’s an easy-going, convivial vibe about the place – ‘like sitting in someone's front room,’ observed one visitor. Relaxed, well-informed staff know the crowd and go about their business breezily. The menu isn't fussy either, there's plenty of choice and almost everything is ‘kissed by the flames’ of the Josper grill.

Proceedings start well, with moreish, almost ‘ashy' grilled bread, confit garlic tahini and burnt tomato salsa. After that, it's all about full-on flavours and intelligent ideas, with plenty of char to boot – from courgettes with stracciatella, pine nuts and sour cherry molasses to lamb loin chops dressed up with yoghurt, maple and sage. Fish is also worth a punt – our cod had a special texture and smoky edge, or there might be whole sea bream with fennel, radish and fresh herbs. A couple of desserts (crème brûlée, lemon posset) round things off.

Drinks are reasonably priced across the range, from an impressive cocktail menu to a fairly classical wine list offering plenty by the glass, and the place is now open for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. In short, Cinder is ‘exactly what you want from a neighbourhood restaurant.’

'The incredibly warm welcome and cosy atmosphere creates a wonderful experience. The menu is varied and there was something to suit everyone. We had a selection of local and seasonal small plates to start, and the mains were outstanding – fresh fish and local meat uniquely cooked in their wood-fired oven. We loved the smoky cocktails too.' 
O Barnard

A block or two from Piccadilly Gardens, Higher Ground is run by a triumvirate who met while working at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills in New York State. They have now rocked up at the corner of an office building in, naturally, New York Street, to bring up-to-the-minute bistro food to a vanguard gastronomic city. Much of what comes into the kitchen is supplied by their own farm Cinderwood, a market garden smallholding in Cheshire, and its vivid intensities of flavour inspire chefs and diners alike. Eaten in a bright, spacious airport-style space, with counter seating as well as tables, the result is dishes that you will want to share, rather than merely being told that you have to. Green pea and spring garlic fritters enriched with Isle of Mull Cheddar won't touch the sides, and there are pedigree cured meats such as 12-month air-dried culatello or the cannily sourced salami taormina from Curing Rebels of Brighton. Fish cookery is of the first water: Scottish turbot with grilled lettuce, spring onions and basil is perfect with a side order of waxy Marfona potatoes dressed in roasted yeast and smoked butter. Desserts are, surprisingly, of a more delicate persuasion than puds and cheesecake. Try house-cultured yoghurt with preserved gooseberry and bay leaf, or milk ice cream given a little fairground pizzazz with chocolate malt fudge. Speciality bottled ales from the English regions are a plus point, and wine-drinkers can be sure their tipple will have been left to its own devices as far as possible, turning burnt orange for Ardèche Marsanne or abashed pink for Sicilian rosato. House fizz is a Crémant de Limoux.

If you want to gain access to Ben Chapman’s smoking-hot Soho homage to Thai regional cuisine (and much more besides), you have two choices: assemble a group of four friends (or more) and book a table in the basement dining room, where you can have a loud, noisy BBQ party, indoors; alternatively, go on spec, play the waiting game and queue outside for a slot at the stainless steel ground-floor counter (simply add your name and number to the list and grab a drink nearby until you are called). The pay-off is masterful cooking inspired and influenced by those regions where northern Thailand borders Myanmar, Laos and China's Yunnan province, but supplemented by regular supplies of British seasonal produce (notably day-boat fish and rare-breed meat). Intense, blisteringly hot dishes from the charcoal grill line up alongside slow-cooked claypots imbued with deep, dark, pungent flavours. On the one hand, that might mean skewers of aged ‘cull yaw’ mutton spiced with cumin or pounded hake with karashina (giant Japanese mustard leaves); on the other, perhaps monkfish liver curry with harlequin squash or the now-famous, sticky-rich baked glass noodles with specially reared Tamworth pork and brown crabmeat. Also, don’t forget to order some stir-fried Cornish greens and a bowl of brown jasmine rice on the side. ‘Sharing beers’, ferments and cocktails made with kitchen ingredients flow freely, but don't ignore Kiln's eclectic wine list – a short, intelligently chosen line-up that matches the spicy demands of the food.

Frequent queues stretching out of the door are testament to the daily popularity of this trendy modern Italian, which is marked by an ornamental boar's head suspended above the entrance. Manteca is that sort of place, a Shoreditch resource named boldly after a variety of fat – lard, to be precise. Ground floor seats offers views into the open kitchen, while downstairs refrigerated cabinets of home-cured charcuterie whet the appetite (salumi and prosciutto are tip-top and not to be missed). An infectious buzz animates the whole restaurant, augmented by piped tunes that some may find passably funky.

The kitchen is deadly serious about sourcing from the best suppliers, menus often change several times a day, and the chefs have the autonomy to put new dishes together on the fly. The result is a much less formulaic repertoire than is often the Italian case. A plate of line-caught sea bass crudo dressed with green strawberries was a seasonal treat on our most recent visit, while a dramatic swoop of rich, silky duck liver parfait was served with black date jam and a pile of craggy chargrilled bread. Hand-rolled pasta stars in fazzoletti with duck-fat pangrattato or tonnarelli with brown crab cacio e pepe, ahead of mains from the wood-fired oven – perhaps John Dory, plaice or a premium cut of longhorn beef. Finish with a doorstop helping of almond cake with stone-fruit and vanilla gelato.

A minimal-waste approach sees some of the beef fat turning up in the fudge with coffee, while the copiously unusable bits of globe artichoke might eventually find their way into the house cynar liqueur. Service is temperamentally patchy – mostly hail-fellow, occasionally glum. However, eminently kind pricing earns the places bonus points, especially as Italian wines on tap start at £5.50 a glass. Adventurous imbibers, meanwhile, should home in the sections of the list entitled ‘down the rabbit hole’.

Best New Restaurant 2024

Can Tomos Parry ever put a foot wrong? His follow-up to Brat – and Brat x Climpson’s Arch – has opened with a bang in Soho. There’s a familiar no-frills vibe to the large, light-filled dining room with its very open, fired-up kitchen and sultry, smoky smells. Of course it’s noisy, but that's all part of the tremendous atmosphere, and it matches the straight-to-the-point cooking of broad-shouldered seasonal dishes with Spanish overtones – notably the mar y montaña cuisine of northern Spain and the Balearic Islands. Parry’s pursuit of, and belief in, great ingredients brings a compelling set of flavours to his short, punchy menu, which is dominated by sharing plates – from a spider crab omelette or a dish of wild mushrooms with a runny-yolked egg popped on top to our fantastic opener of beef sweetbreads served with grilled young leeks and shallots, cooking juices and a little pop of acidity from slivers of fresh lemon. We followed with whole red mullet grilled on the bone, with a rich sauce of olive oil and butter spooned over – so simple, so fresh, and absolutely perfectly timed; all it needed was some richly flavoured, ever-so-gently smoked wood-fired rice (a dish that is fast achieving cult status). Sitting close to the kitchen, we could see that the mutton chops, four-year Jersey beef sirloin rib and eight-year Friesian sirloin rib were also doing a roaring trade. Vegetables are less in evidence but not neglected: plates of braised early-autumn veg and beetroot with mountain mint and sorrel were on offer when we visited. We weren’t so impressed by the ensaïmada (a Mallorcan pastry) with hazelnut ice cream, and regretted not ordering the torrijas (Spain's answer to French toast) with blackberries instead. Service is excellent, informed and highly motivated, and the short European wine list is well chosen, with everything available by the glass (from £6).

As soon as you walk through the Ox Club's door, the smell of smoke preps you for the unplugged open-fire cooking that lies ahead. Mid-century furniture and houseplants soften the industrial feel of the brick and concrete room, while some clever landscaping partitions it out to give the whole place a cosy ambience.

Heading the kitchen is Tom Hunter, a former sous-chef at the sadly departed Reliance – an influence that can be seen in dishes such as blister-skinned grilled sardines with a refreshing tangle of fennel, black olive and blood orange. There’s a subtle char and smokiness to everything here: watermelon is grilled slowly until even the rind is tenderised, while beef tartare (served with gherkin ketchup and a veil of shoestring potatoes) also gets a whiff of smoke.

The steak offering is focused – a 400g sirloin or 1kg côte de boeuf sharer are mainstays – but regular ‘chop nights’ cater to more specific tastes, with specialist cuts from regular Yorkshire suppliers R&J Butchers. Rare-breed pork is grilled to give an almost impossible crackling and, like a hulked-up carnitas taco, is served with tajin, chipotle and pineapple ketchup, while a sour cherry-glazed kofta is made with lamb reared at local Harewood Food & Drink Project – headed up by former Ox Club sous-chef Will Campbell.

Sunday roasts are praised and the whole show is enhanced by laid-back but well-informed service. As for drinks, there's a fair selection of around 20 (mostly organic) wines from £28 a bottle, with plenty available by the glass from £8.

There’s a lot of love for Rambutan, and it’s repaid with interest from the moment you walk through the door of this enticing and immensely likeable restaurant by Borough Market. Chef-owner Cynthia Shanmugalingam was born in Coventry to Sri Lankan parents and her debut bricks-and-mortar gaff is a fond, personal tribute to the old country’s culinary heritage. Natural clay walls, pink-painted brickwork, a green-hued marble counter, tall tropical plants, buffed wood and rattan chairs create exactly the right mood, while sweet-natured, welcoming staff simply add to the feel-good vibe. An open kitchen does its stuff impressively, celebrating the sheer diversity of Sri Lanka's rich, hot and spicy Tamil cuisine: expect lots of curries, sambals and rotis, all underpinned by supplies of prime British produce ranging from Cornish mussels to Dingley Dell pork. As a curtain-raiser, try one of the ‘short eats’ – say, beautifully tender grilled chicken with spicy kalupol (black coconut) seasoning, accompanied by an intoxicating sweet and tangy tamarind/green chilli dip. We were also bowled over by the fried aubergine moju and a curry of red northern prawns, cooked in the shell with yet more tamarind – perfect with a moist, flaky roti. The cooking ‘crackles with inventiveness’, and if you fancy ‘getting down and dirty’, try tackling the whole Dorset crab in a Jaffna-style curry. After that, a mango soft-serve sorbet is all that’s required for cooling off. A dozen wines are supplemented by spicy cocktails, Cornish Harbour lager and kalamansi iced tea.

Established in 2016 and found with some difficulty (signage is minimal) on a backstreet off Brick Lane, Smokestak is a project from chef David Carter, co-founder with Chris Leach of nearby Manteca. Its specialist subject is barbecue, as signposted by the monster smoker in the open kitchen, by the blackened walls, and by the weathered wooden furniture that almost looks like it’s had a few hours over the coals. It’s very cool, and not very comfortable. The signature pre-order brisket comes whole for the table (£175 at the time of writing), served in thick slices on a tin plate, or coiled inside a glossy bun with pickled red chillies – a reminder of the concept’s street-food origins. Hours of slow-cooking also work their magic on native-breed pork, pulled with green slaw in a bun. Two sharing menus cover all the classics. There are meat-free options too, such as watermelon salad with feta, cucumber and mint or coal-roasted aubergine with red miso and cashews, but you would hardly describe Smokestak as a place of pilgrimage for vegetarians. To drink, there's plenty of good stuff, including rum punch, blackcurrant Negronis, a few beers and a couple of dozen European wines of a natural bent.

Whether you’re in the mood for some affordable ’drinking food’ or fancy a ‘riotous all-out feast’, this fun and funky hangout beneath Brat in Shoreditch is one of the hottest Thai tickets in town. The large tables, loud music and big plastic plates lend themselves to a casual evening’s eating with plenty of booze to keep things motoring, while the vibe channels Bangkok’s late-night street-food canteens.

There’s no dumbing down when it comes to authenticity, spice levels or the use of offal, and the regularly changing menu is praised for its variety – though it's fair to say most regulars seldom deviate from their order of 'chilli fish sauce wings' (an easy-to-love fixture that never seems to get old). You can pick and mix or dip into each section of the menu: kick off with snacks such as mussels with nam prik pao, try one of the seasonal laabs (monkfish with green garlic), introduce a cooling element (plum, pear and rhubarb som tam, say), and share a larger dish from the grill – perhaps BBQ beef heart with herbs, smoked mutton with Thai basil or a spicy ‘pad phet’ stir-fry with hake ‘throats’.

The produce is notably good and sourced from top suppliers such as Flourish, Gothelney Farm and Kernowsashimi. To drink, there are craft ales, bottles of cider, cocktails (who could possibly resist a Maggot Brain?) and a short selection of natural wines with flavours and textures to temper the chilli-fire of the food.

Are Oisín Rogers, Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts champions of a new era in pubs? The Devonshire is certainly one of the most enjoyable places to eat in the capital – if you can get in (far too many people want to eat here). Yet it looks set to become an institution – and long may it continue, for this is no ordinary pub. Ingredients are impeccable and the strong meat-focused menu serves the kind of dishes you want to eat, especially in the lively environment of a central London watering hole where drinkers have their own space and staff are noted for their relaxed expertise. Dining rooms are divided between the first and second floors where, under the direction of Ashley Palmer-Watts (formerly executive chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal), the kitchen applies a certain simplicity and accuracy of cooking to impeccable ingredients.

Flames are at the heart of the operation, with wood-fired Ibérico pork chops, lamb cutlets, fillet, ribeye and T-bone steaks (plus lobsters) keeping company with the likes of lamb hotpot or beef and Guinness suet pudding on the hand-scrawled menu. Three wonderfully meaty scallops, lightly roasted, served in the shell with nothing more than a buttery, vinegary sauce and strips of crisp bacon, is a terrific opener that hammers home the kitchen’s modus operandi – namely sourcing prime ingredients and treating them with the utmost simplicity. And there’s something deeply comforting about a fixed price, no-choice lunch that can deliver real quality and value in the shape of prawn and langoustine cocktail, skirt steak with excellent chips and béarnaise sauce, and light, luscious sticky toffee pudding – all for £29.

Sunday's roast ribs of beef carved from a silver-domed trolley are terrific value too and have helped restore the tradition in this part of town. To drink, everyone orders Guinness – it’s fast achieving cult status here – and you can drink well without breaking the bank from the mainly European wine list. The pub now has its own 40-cover rooftop terrace for fine-weather dining (note that you can't book this separately). 

On the fringes of a 1,000-acre deer park just four miles from the Norfolk coast, this idiosyncratic pub/restaurant with rooms is quite a prospect. The grey-stone exterior may seem rather stark but inside all is comforting, thanks to soft, warm furnishings, lots of varnished woodwork, leather, blazing fires and the owners' collection of contemporary British art from the likes of Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Lucien Freud.

A recently acquired walled garden and chicken coop bolster the kitchen's larder, while big-boned British dishes are the order of the day. Much attention focuses on the mighty Elk Room fire, where cuts of meat are dramatically cooked to order as you watch from your table – expect anything from Blythburgh pork chops, ribs of beef and herby Gunton venison sausages to flavoursome sirloin steak served with goose-fat roasties, sauces and rowan jelly. Rich, carefully seasoned pies are also something of a trademark (perhaps chicken, bacon and leek) and there’s fish from the coast too (sea trout with seashore vegetables and King’s Lynn shrimps, for example). For afters, a delicate Amedei chocolate mousse was the standout for one visitor, but there’s also comfort to be had from the vanilla cheesecake with rhubarb or the Bramley apple and almond tart.

Sunday brings roast Aberdeen Angus sirloin as well as roasted chickens, which are carved by skilled staff and served with veg from the walled garden, garlicky bread sauce and a spectacular gravy that elevates the whole feast to another level. Everyone praises the cheerful, prompt and ‘incredibly friendly’ service too. Norfolk ales are on tap in the bar and the short wine list offers a decent spread at fair prices.