When it came to the unveiling of last year’s edition of Michelin’s famed restaurant guide, there was a slight air of: “Eh?”
With the vast majority of the year lost to lockdown in 2020, London’s restaurants were only given them a small window in which to welcome those ever-secretive inspectors from the tyre company. But they did, and the guide was produced, even if it was more as a show of support for a beleaguered industry than some definitive survey.
And while the past 12 months have hardly been plain sailing in the restaurant industry either, we have seen some green shoots of recovery (as much as Omicron might have tried to nip those buds) and, in many ways, London’s dining scene has come to resemble its glorious former self.
There were seven new one star restaurants in the capital, two new two stars — congratulations to Ikoyi and the Clove Club — but no new three stars. Only one restaurant lost its star, which was Celeste at the Lanesborough.
Here are all the London restaurants included in the 2022 Michelin Guide, from those world-leading three-star establishments to the still hugely commendable one-star spots. We’ll be updating this guide as the guide makes its announcement throughout this morning.
Restaurants in London with three Michelin stars
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair. The French fine dining establishment went up from two stars to three last year, and keeps them for 2022. It first won its two stars back in 2011.
Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill. Clare Smyth’s first solo venture won its three stars in remarkable time - Core first opened in late 2017 - and clutches onto them for another year.
Sketch Lecture Room & Library, Mayfair. The quirky 18th century townhouse, serving sophisticated French food, retains its coveted third star at the upstairs restaurant. Read our write up here.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea. Ramsay’s French fine dining restaurant has held three stars since 2001 and keeps them all in this year’s guide. Read our write up here.
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair. The restaurants serving contemporary French cuisine, using seasonal French and British ingredients, maintains all three of its stars. Read our write up here.
Restaurants in London with two Michelin stars
NEW âIkoyi, St James’s. The long-heralded restaurant famous for combining West African spices with British ingredients rises from one to two stars. The award is likely to be a popular one — few places are so widely and regularly praised. Read our write up here.
NEW The Clove Club, Shoreditch. The restaurant with an innovative British menu, using often-overlooked ingredients and founded by former supper club hosts. It winning two stars had been rumoured this year, and so it proved. Read our write up here.
A. Wong, Pimlico. Andrew Wong’s place became the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold two stars in 2021, and it holds onto both of them with its menu celebrating flavours from across the east Asian country.
Da Terra, Hackney. Rafael Cagali’s east London spot continues to be a winning one. Food here is incredibly detailed, perhaps as Cagali once worked at The Fat Duck.
Restaurant Story, London Bridge. Tom Sellers’ restaurant, with a British tasting menu of seasonal dishes, stays at two.
La Dame de Pic, The City. Anne-Sophie Pic’s inventive, high-end French restaurant in the Four Seasons’ hotel is once again on two stars. Read our write up here.
Kitchen Table, Bloomsbury. While Bubbledogs has sadly closed, a victim of Covid, the intimate 19-seater restaurant which changes its menu daily, retains both its Michelin stars.
Claude Bosi at Bibendum, Chelsea. The high-end French restaurant maintains its two Michelin stars. Read our write up here.
Dinner by Heston, Knightsbridge. Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, serving modern dishes inspired by historic British gastronomy, keeps both its stars.
Le Gavroche, Mayfair. The iconic London restaurant holds both of its Michelin stars in 2022. Read our write up here.
Restaurants in London with one Michelin star
NEW Sollip, Southwark Despite a somewhat lukewarm reception on opening, this Korean quickly established itself as a must-eat for its innovative and ground-breaking cooking. Read our write up here.
NEW Kol, Marylebone Santiago Lastra couldn’t pack diners in quickly enough as his modern Mexican, which uses only British ingredients, became the hit of 2021. It looks set to stay busy as it picks up its first star. Read all about it here.
NEW The Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden Handling has long wanted a star and at his unfairly overlooked flagship, he finally gets one.
NEW Wild Honey St James, St James Anthony Demetre’s super-luxe brasserie, where the Negronis are famous.
NEW Jamavar, Mayfair The Berkeley Square restaurant took over what had been considered a cursed site, but has picked up a reputation as one of London’s finest Indian restaurants.
NEW Evelyn’s Table, Soho Perhaps little surprise this one picked up a star: with 12 seats and a chefs-table approach, it is pure Michelin bait. The Selby brothers, Luke, Nat and Theo, are cooking wonderfully here, though, and we also the joint winer of the Michelin young chef of the year award.
NEW Trivet, Southwark The wine-focussed restaurant picked up its first star in the same year that co-founder Isa Bal is named Michelin sommelier of the year.
Sola, Soho. Victor Garvey’s sort-of Californian, sort-of Japanese, very definitely fine dining.
Cornerstone, Hackney. Tom Brown’s east London seafood spot got its first star in 2021 after years of onlookers predicting it woud.
Benares, Mayfair. Those. Lamb. Chops. The Berkeley Square Indian is a worthy winner.
Casa Fofó, Hackney. A popular neighbourhood spot which specialises in seasonal eating.
Muse by Tom Aikens, Belgravia. No stranger to Michelin, little surprise Tom Aikens’ latest venture fares well. The menu is all but a secret, and all inspired by the chef’s life.
Behind, London Fields. Chef-ownerAndy Beynon somehow managed to open up in 2020 and, even more miraculously, grab a star after just 20 days of trading. He maintains his star.
Umu, Mayfair. London’s first Kyoto-influenced restaurant, which was awarded its first star within five months of opening in 2004.
The Dysart Petersham, Richmond. The family-owned Richmond restaurant earned its first Michelin star in the 2020 guide, with former Roux Scholar Kenneth Culhane at the helm in the kitchen, and Barney Taylor managing the restaurant.
Endo at the Rotunda, White City. Sushi master Endo Kazutoshi’s 16-seat restaurant in the former BBC Television Centre.
Mãos, Shoreditch. Executive chef Edoardo Pellicano maintains the star at this experimental London restaurant.
Brat, Hackney. Tomos Parry’s Shoreditch Basque restaurant retains the star it picked up in 2019. Read our write up here.
Sabor, Mayfair. Nieves Barragan Mohacho’s high-end tapas restaurant keeps the star it was awarded in 2019. Read our write up here.
Hide, Mayfair. Ollie Dabbous’s acclaimed Mayfair residence retains its 2019 star. Read our write up here.
Leroy, Shoreditch. The east London restaurant, famous for offering the cheapest Michelin meal in the city, retains the star it first earned just months after opening. Read our write up here.
Hakkasan Hanway Place, Fitzrovia. The modern Cantonese restaurant, serving dim sum and signature cocktails. Read our write up here.
The Ninth, Fitzrovia. Jun Tanaka’s Charlotte Street venue serving French and Mediterranean-style sharing dishes.
Pied à Terre, Fitzrovia. A local favourite and one of London’s longest standing Michelin restaurants, which continues to push forward. Read our write up here.
City Social, The City. Sky-high, modern British spot from Jason Atherton. Read our write up here.
Club Gascon, The City. The French restaurant with an award-winning wine list keeps its star. Read our write up here.
Lyle’s, Shoreditch. The seasonal British restaurant with set tasting menus in a stripped back dining room. Read our write up here.
The Harwood Arms, Fulham. Laid-back gastropub with an upscale, modern British menu . Read our write up here.
The River Cafe, Hammersmith. Seasonal Italian cuisine for well-heeled types. Read our write up here.
La Trompette, Chiswick. High-end and much-loved modern French spot.
St John, Clerkenwell. The traditional British restaurant, which has been specialising in ‘nose to tail’ eating for more than a quarter of a century, keeps its star. Read our write up here.
Angler, The City. The modern seasonal British restaurant at the South Place Hotel, with mirrored ceilings and 7th-floor City views, keeps its star. Read our write up here.
Elystan Street, Chelsea. The Chelsea kitchen serving contemporary, seasonal European cuisine stays in the guide with one star. Read our write up here.
The Five Fields, Chelsea. The modern British restaurant holds its star. Read our write up here.
Kitchen W8, Kensington. The relaxed and friendly modern European restaurant is in the guide after holding its star.
Trinity, Clapham. The neighbourhood restaurant with modern, seasonal menus is in the 2022 guide after maintaining its star.
The Glasshouse, Richmond. The modern European neighbourhood restaurant remains in the guide with one star.
Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields. The restaurant serving polished French cuisine with a contemporary twist in a Grade II listed building stays in the guide with one star. Read our write up here.
Chez Bruce, Balham. The high-end Modern French restaurant keeps its star. Read our write up here.
Amaya, Belgravia. The restaurant serving tapas-style Indian dishes with an open kitchen keeps its star.
Petrus, Belgravia. One from the Gordon Ramsay group restaurant, specialising in modern French fine dining. Read our write up here.
Gymkhana, Mayfair. Indian restaurant with tandoori oven roasts and seasonal curries. Read our write up here.
Hakkasan Mayfair, Mayfair. Modern Cantonese spanning two floors for up to 220 guests, with definite 90s-nightclub vibes. Read our write up here.
Kai, Mayfair. The South Audley Street restaurant specialising in “Liberated Chinese Cooking” stays in the guide with one star.
Murano, Mayfair. Angel Hartnett’s modern European restaurant with a strong Italian influence keeps its star. Read our write up here.
Pollen Street Social, Mayfair. Jason Atherton’s longstanding flagship restaurant stays in the guide with one star. Read our write up here.
Veeraswamy, Mayfair. The restaurant serving high-end Indian cuisine with Maharajah-inspired decor keeps its one star. Read our write up here.
Marcus, Belgravia Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant maintains its one star, though the second it once held continues to elude it.
Locanda Locatelli, Marylebone. The Italian favourite with an emphasis on quality, freshness and creativity stays in the guide with one star. Read our write up here.
Portland, Marylebone. The seasonal modern European, with a wine list that focuses on lesser known regions and varieties, holds on to its star. Read our write up here.
Trishna, Marylebone. The upscale Indian from the southwest coast using fish and coconut keeps its star. Read our write up here.
The Ritz Restaurant, Piccadilly. The London institution, serving seasonal British cuisine in one of London’s most lavish dining rooms, maintains its star. Read our write up here.
Barrafina, Soho. The modern Spanish tapas bar with an open kitchen maintains its Michelin star status. Read our write up here.
Seven Park Place by William Drabble, St James’s. The restaurant specialising in classic French cuisine using seasonal British ingredients keeps its star.
The Dining Room at The Goring, Westminster. The restaurant, popular with the Royal family and often praised for its consistency, makes this another year with a star. Read our write up here.
Quilon, Westminster. The restaurant, specialising in south-west coastal Indian cuisine, keeps its star.
